Oh Tyler? Yeah, he's about to graduate. NBD.

Finally, the internship is done! I know Tyler had a bit of a rough start with his job at the Daily Universe, but I think that he really ended up enjoying his time there. And I know he made some friends that he will miss. And I think they'll miss him, too.

Who wouldn't love that guy?

Husbands Say the Darndest Things

when they've been studying too hard for the GRE.

Tyler told me while I was making dinner that he saw the word "apology" today and immediately thought of "the study of apes." Then he realized that it meant to tell someone that you are sorry.

Made my day.

(For the record, primatology is the study of primates, so it does kind of make sense that apology would be the study of apes.)

Final Day of Gratitude (Catch-up)

Throughout the month of November, I tried to plan ahead, thinking about what it is that I wanted to talk about in my gratitude blog. Sometimes I considered different things for a post. Some seemed perhaps a little too personal, others a trifle silly. And even sometimes, I felt like I had nothing good to write about.

All in all, it was quite the learning experience for me.

For example, I learned that I simply don't have time to blog every day. (Well, I always knew I didn't have time to blog every day, but this past month proved it. I think I did more catch-up blogging than actual blogging.) And I'm okay with that. Maybe at some point in the future, I'll be able to do more blogging, and treat this more like a public journal, but . . . I'm in no hurry.


Anyway, back to gratitude.

This is a text exchange that I had with Tyler (actually on November 30).

Tyler: Can I tell you--I want a nice couch some day.
Karen: Me too. And a house. And a dishwasher. And a washer and dryer. And a garbage disposal.
Tyler: But I'm glad we have what we have.
Karen: Me too. We are so blessed.

And do you know, fellow readers, I do feel so blessed. And even though the things I mentioned that I want--I don't even think about most days. Occasionally I'll dream of loading dishes in the dishwasher, or not having to pay to do my laundry. But really, I don't need those things to be happy. I know this because I'm happy now. (Now, I don't have any babies/children, so this is a good time of life not to have those various things mentioned above.)

Anyway, I'm glad that I took the challenge to create a November gratitude blog. I'm glad that I took time to think about the different things I am so thankful for.

But I'm also glad to be able to get back to regular blogging.

Monday - Job Update

Since Novell was acquired last week, I've been a little concerned that this might mean that I wouldn't have a job come January.

But when I talked with Brad today, he told me that it wouldn't be until August 2011 that things would get dicey.

So while my future still isn't secure . . . it's a lot brighter than being worried I wouldn't have a job in a few weeks.

Sunday - Good books are the best stress relief

After an exhausting Saturday and a somewhat ad-lib Primary on Sunday, all I wanted to do yesterday was sleep.

And even though sleep didn't come to me before I went to bed last night, I did get to finish a Madeleine L'Engle book that I had purchased at the Provo library book sale. (Dragons in the Waters - a pretty enjoyable read, though not my favorite of her books.)

But I've realized that one of my very favorite past times is reading for fun. I enjoy a lot of "popcorn" literature out there. Mysteries and science fiction/fantasy are probably my favorite reads.

I also enjoy a bit of the real Literature out there as well.

Really, I just enjoy sitting down with a good book.

And it really is the best stress relief.

Saturday - Not dying in Vegas

Can I just begin by saying that I hate Vegas?

By the time we reached Vegas on Saturday, I had been driving for about four hours. And as lame as this sounds, four hours is about my limit. I really shouldn't drive longer than four hours straight. 

Anyway, so we reached Vegas right as I was hitting my driving low. And though I hate stopping in Vegas, I hated the thought of driving the rest of the way to St. George (or even Mesquite) even more. 

And as luck would have it, there was an accident on the freeway in Vegas. So even though traffic wasn't initially very bad, by the time we hit the strip, traffic was terrible. (We were almost in an accident, actually. Thank goodness the guy behind me started paying attention in time not to hit me.) 

But anyway, as we sat in traffic, I realized that I needed to use the little girl's room. In fact, I thought that if I didn't find one soon, my bladder would explode. 

So let me explain my situation for you: I'm tired. And I'm done driving. I need to find a restroom. We need gas. Traffic is terrible. I'm not sure where to go to find a gas station, and I can't really maneuver around the lanes. I'm irritated. I'm grumpy. But mostly, I'm starting to feel a little desperate. 

As the driver, I'm trying to figure out, in this unknown freeway, where I can exit (safely) and find a gas station (quickly). 

No luck for me, my friends. After exiting just past the strip and into the outlet section of Vegas, I realize that my best bet is to get on the freeway and go a little farther North. No problem. I'm back on the freeway in only a few minutes. 

Unfortunately, traffic doesn't allow me to merge over, so I end up taking the next exit, and find myself back in the outlets--and I can't find a gas station anywhere. At this point, McKenna wakes up, tells me she knows exactly where we are, and helps me locate a gas station. 

Except, locating this gas station involves driving down the old strip in downtown Vegas. In the dark. 

Finally, we found an Arco gas station (in the middle of nowhere/dangertown/sin city) and fill up with gas. I approach the bathroom (located on the outside of the gas station), knock, and try to enter. 

No dice. The bathroom was locked. 

By now, I'm in pain. And worried that I might have an accident. I keep reminding myself that I'm a big girl, and I'll be okay. 

I approach the cashier in the gas station and politely ask for the key to the bathroom. To the only bathroom at what seems like the only gas station in Vegas. 

His response? "It's out of order."

I'm pretty sure I almost cried. 

To make a long story short, we finally found our way back to the freeway, and exited again. 

And we found a lovely gas station/diner combo.    

Which had beautifully working facilities. (Note to self: take exit 54.)

Unfortunately, my Vegas foray/search for a bathroom cost us about an hour. (One of the more frustrating hours of my life, actually.)

Things I learned on this trip home:

1) Take exit 54 in Vegas. 

2) Get in and stay in the HOV lane in Vegas.

3) Nothing is worth going to the outlets in Vegas.

4) If you stop in Barstow, go ahead and take the opportunity to use the bathroom. Even if it's at a Del Taco in (downtown??) Barstow off Highway 58. 

5) Del Taco is the worst fast food ever and is a huge waste of money. (Different story for a different day.)

Black Friday Gratitude

Sleeping in.

A year ago's Black Friday saw me up before dawn just to go get a good deal on a couple pairs of jeans at Old Navy. While my experience was unforgettable, I'm not sure it's one that I'd want to repeat. (At least, not without friends to keep me company/keep me alive.)

Thanksgiving night, the Heasley sons, wives (minus Erin), and children (where applicable) all headed over to Logan and Amy's house, where we all stayed up way too late. (Tyler and I went to bed at 4. I think we fell asleep while we were getting ready for bed, though, so we got a forty-five minute nap in before we really went to sleep.)

Thank goodness Jill is a big believer in letting her guests sleep in.

Happy Thanksgiving!

And the end to today's blog-a-palooza. Sorry I got so behind with updating.

But I've saved this gratitude subject for today because he is my favorite. 

We've had lots of adventures together so far, and I'm sure we have many more in store.

And I can't wait to face them with him by my side.

Thanks for taking such good care of me, my Tyler.

Wednesday - Hanging out with our California Family

The best part of Thanksgiving this year? Being able to hang out with our family out here.

I know I've said this before, but I really hit the jackpot when I married into the Heasley family. I really enjoy spending time with all of them.

We had fun yesterday cooking with Jill, playing games with Brock and Erin, seeing our beautiful nieces (Cami and Elora), playing with each other (Name Game for the win!), and so on.

Today, we'll have fun with Logan and Amy and company. And we can't wait to see them. (Too bad part of Logan and Amy and company will be with their dad. We'll miss our nieces and nephew who can't be here today.)

Plus, Dennis is back from St. George now. We missed him yesterday.

Anyway, I'm sure glad to have the inlaws that I do. Really, they are the best.




(Can't wait to see my Texas family for Christmas!)

Tuesday - Safe Travel and the Victory Tangerine

On Tuesday, the Provo Heasleys left Provo to travel to California for Thanksgiving. Originally, our plan had been to leave at about 3 PM and drive the 12 hours to CA in (mostly) darkness. But as we were discussing our traveling plans on Sunday, we thought it would be best for us to go ahead and leave as early as we could on Tuesday. So, we ended up getting out of town around 10 AM and made it to our destination by 8:30 (CA time). Which is really good.

But the best part of our journey came as we crossed the border into California.

For those of you who do not know, California guards their borders fiercely, lest any fruit or vegetables be smuggled in to the state and somehow lead to the decimation of the entire crop of every kind in California.

When we left Provo in the morning, McKay and McKenna purchased some tangerines for us to eat as we drove, but the day wore on, and only one of four tangerines were eaten. When we got to the California border, our remaining tangerines were confiscated.

At least, we though our remaining tangerines were confiscated. Turns out we had a rogue tangerine that decided to stay behind. (We found the little guy when we next stopped for gas, I think.

Now, it has been a goal of mine to sneak a fruit into California since I first heard about this ridiculous fruit seizure from my friend Charlie a few years ago. But here's the thing--I've never been able to do it. Either I haven't had fruit with me, or, like this time at the border, I just couldn't lie to the guard. (2 Nephi 9:34 "Wo unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to hell." Besides, even tiny lies/white lies make me feel guilty.)

But this little tangerine took care of the problem for me. I thought we had handed over our fruit, and gave the guard the truth to the best of my knowledge.

The fact that we honestly snuck in a tangerine--I consider a blessing for being truthful.

Bonus: McKenna's apple pie recipe called for orange zest and orange juice. We used our victory tangerine. Victory will taste GOOD.

Monday - At least I have a job (for now)

I'm not sure how many of you heard or saw the news, but on Monday, my company--Novell--announced that they would be merging with another company: Attachmate Corporation.

In fact, I'm not even sure it's considered a merger. "Novell agrees to be acquired by Attachmate Corporation" is the formal announcement.

What this means for me, I'm not sure. I don't have any kind of permanent position with Novell (though it looked like that might happen for a little while). I really have enjoyed working for Novell, and I've met a lot of really great people and had a lot of really good experiences. My twenty-one months there have been really neat. And getting the job at Novell in the first place was such a huge blessing.

So even though my future (and Tyler's) is quite unknown at the moment, we really have just been so blessed. And whatever happens, we'll be okay.

Sunday - Friends in need are friends indeed

Or something like that.

Sunday night, one of my friends texted me to let me know that she and her husband had been in a car accident just south of Boise, Idaho. They were okay physically, but emotionally, I think they were taking it pretty hard. They've been having a string of terrible, awful luck that they really don't deserve. Both of them are both such good, stand-up people - I really look up to both of them.

But anyway, there wasn't a whole lot that I could do for them, but I felt so blessed to be counted as one of the wife's friends -- that she would feel comfortable enough to let me know what was going on. We haven't really been friends for very long, or really even known each other for very long.

But I'm grateful that she is my friend, and that when she was feeling down, she felt like she could turn to me for comfort--even though she knew that there wasn't much that I could do to help.

And just in general, I'm grateful for good friends. I really have been blessed to have wonderful friends throughout my whole life.

Saturday - Holidays with the Husband

One thing that I love about Tyler is his love for Holidays, especially Halloween and Christmas. Because we are college students, we don't feel like we have a whole lot of money for decorating our house when holidays come. But for Christmas and Halloween, we're willing to make a few little sacrifices to have some holiday cheer.

Check out our pumpkin from Halloween:

Looks good, no? Tyler did an awesome job carving the pumpkin. (The character we carved is Vliq - pronounced "Chuck" in his language. He's the main character from the comic Tyler created in high school.)

And he looks good carving that pumpkin, don't you think?

Yes. Yes he does.

And I, of course, rescued the pumpkin seeds. (Pumpkin seeds are my favorite treat on Halloween. Possibly my favorite treat ever. I love love love them.)

(Sorry the pic is blurry. And also that I'm in my Pj's.)

Ok. Moving on. 

So now, we have Christmas coming up. And since we didn't decorate for Christmas last year, we decided we absolutely had to decorate our living room this year. Check it out:

I love our little tree. It's only about three feet high. And it's perfect.

:) I love Christmas. And our living room makes me so happy. 

Anyway, I love holidays. And I love celebrating them with Tyler.

Friday: Unexpected Generosity

I know that in the corporate world, there's a lot of gifting that goes around. Tickets to a sports game, or going golfing at a country club, going out for a fancy lunch, etc.

But when you're an intern (and not some fancy-business guy) these perks can be few and far between. Or if there are perks, they are minimal.

And really, that is just fine. We're not in the big leagues yet.

But yesterday, one of Tyler's clients (who owns a restaurant in town) not only bought (gave?) Tyler free lunch, but he gave Tyler SIX coupons for free lunch or dinner.

For us college students, this is huge!! And with how filling the meals are (I know because Tyler shared his free lunch), this means SIX free dinners for the both of us. Six future date nights. Six chances to try out sides or drinks, or some other fun thing we usually forego.

And this food is good stuff. Cafe Paesan, everyone. Italian bistro. (How authentic? I don't know. I'll never make you try it, Aunt Mar.)

So to Tyler's client who gave us these vouchers, thank you. Thank you very very much.

Their website:
http://www.cafepaesan.com/

Their menu:
http://www.cafepaesan.com/paesanMenu.pdf

Friday: Unexpected Generosity

I know that in the corporate world, there's a lot of gifting that goes around. Tickets to a sports game, or going golfing at a country club, going out for a fancy lunch, etc.

But when you're an intern (and not some fancy-business guy) these perks can be few and far between. Or if there are perks, they are minimal.

And really, that's just fine. We're not in the big leagues yet.

But yesterday, one of Tyler's clients (who owns a restaurant in town) not only bought (gave?) Tyler free lunch, but he gave Tyler SIX coupons for free lunch or dinner.

For us college students, this is huge!! And with how filling the meals are (I know because Tyler shared his free lunch), this means SIX free dinners for the both of us. Six future date nights. Six chances to try out sides or drinks, or some other fun thing we usually forego.

And this food is good stuff. Cafe Paesan, everyone. Italian bistro.

So to Tyler's client who gave us these vouchers, thank you. Thank you very very much.

Their website:
http://www.cafepaesan.com/

Their menu:
http://www.cafepaesan.com/paesanMenu.pdf

End of the week (basically)

Today, I am so grateful that this week is almost over.

Really, I'm grateful that the past two weeks is almost over.

And I'm grateful that it's time for bed today (even though I've taken two naps since coming home from work).

The past two weeks have been so busy. This week especially was crazy--we/I had commitments almost every night.

And I just can't seem to make myself go to bed early. There is just so much that I'd rather be doing than sleeping! (That is, until I hit evenings like tonight and feel so exhausted that I can barely function. Then I can't help myself, and sleep takes over. Which, I know, is very unhealthy.)

But anyway. I'm glad that this week is almost over for several reasons.

1) Tomorrow is Friday. Which means that Tyler and I will be going to see Harry Potter!!
2) After Friday is the weekend. So Tyler and I will actually get to see each other/spend time together. Also, I can go grocery shopping, and work on the things on my to-do list that have been escaping me this week.
3) Primary on Sunday.
4) Only a day and a half of work, then we'll be on our way to the great state of California, where we will get to spend time with some of our very favorite people. (Family is always favorite.) (Also, if I've given too many clues as to where we live, please don't break into our apartment. We don't have our own heater, so if any doors/windows break, we'll freeze to death. Also, anything stolen we probably wouldn't be able to replace. Thanks.)
5) We're only a month away (a little less) from Tyler's birthday, which I'm very excited for. (And so is he.)
6) Then we'll be on our way to the even greater state of Texas to see more family.

Happy (almost) Friday, everyone!

Hot Chocolate (Weather)

I'm really not so much a fan of deep snow, or lots of snow, or even too much cold, but I do love Fall, and the little whispers of winter that begin as Fall begins to head out.

And I think I love it for a couple of reasons: warm sweaters and jackets to get all cozy with, fireplaces (though I don't have one of those), and the first couple weeks of hot chocolate weather.

I love hot chocolate. I love trying different varieties: with mint, with cinnamon, with chili powder, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, with giant marshmallows, with mini marshmallows, and so on and so on.

And hot chocolate weather is the best.

It's cold enough outside that you need to pull on your favorite fleece jacket (or any other kind of sweater/jacket), but  not so cold that you feel your bones turning into ice.

And when you come home, the hot chocolate is waiting for you. It can warm you up in no time, but you're not so cold that you can't revel in the delicious cocoa combination (or plain) that you've created for yourself. You sip, and stir (maybe gulp a little here or there), you hold the warm cup in your cold (but not frozen) hands, and slowly, the coziness of early winter seeps into your veins, and all is well with the world.

I really like these early whisperings of winter, feeling the new excitement of a season beginning--and drinking in the blessed, delicious, and peaceful hot chocolate.

To Do Lists

Maybe this is a funny thing to be grateful for, but I am grateful for my to-do lists.

The truth is, I've never been much of a list kind of person, but since working at Novell, I've realized that sometimes, making lists is the only way I can keep organized.

And I really enjoy making personal to-do lists or goal lists. I mean, I may never look at the list after I've made it, but just the process of thinking about what I need to do and writing it down helps me to get organized. (Though, sometimes it can become a little overwhelming.)

I remember reading somewhere once that if you are going to make a to do list, you should add the things you are already planning on doing (no matter how little they are) so you can cross it off. And it's true, seeing something crossed off on my lists really does feel good. Crossing it out feels even better--even when I know it's just something I wrote down for the purpose of being able to cross it off.

And if you look in my moleskin, you'll see lots of lists. Few of which are actually finished. But all of which, I'm glad I made.

My Pocket Knives

I have always loved pocket knives. They are so cool in so many ways. Each knife has something unique about it--something that makes it awesome.

Well, I think so, at least.

Anyway, I think I get this trait from my dad, who is a collector of pocket knives. And I think he somehow passed it along to me.

But I enjoy finding excuses to use my knives. "What, a package came? Oh okay, let me get a knife." "Oh we need to carve a pumpkin, but don't have a pumpkin carving kit? I think I have a knife for that." "Break down those boxes? Yeah, let me grab a knife." "Intruder alert? No worries, I have a knife." (This last example has yet to happen. Also, I think I would prefer using a frying pan to a knife. Tyler and I discussed this today.)

Funny story:

I have this one particularly vicious-looking knife that I love. (The blade is black. Which is awesome.) I think that this was the knife I decided to bring with me freshman year (despite the no weapons clause of my housing contract). I remember using it to open the boxes that I had shipped from Texas to Utah as I unpacked my things and moved in to DT. I also remember that I was doing this pretty late, and started to get really tired. I hadn't yet met my roommate (in person), but I had been using her bed to set things on as I unpacked (hoping she wouldn't mind).

Anyway, I was tired, and decided to go to bed. Or maybe I just fell into bed and slept--I don't really remember. But I do remember vaguely thinking, "Where did I leave my knife? I think (*yawn*) I left it on Michelle's bed . . .zzzzzzzzz. . . " '

And guess what. I did leave it on her bed. On her pillow. Open. Five(ish) inches of menacing black steel, welcoming her home, and introducing her to her new roommate. (I could be wrong. Maybe the knife I brought had a silver blade instead. Either way - fierce steel, sharp and exposed, on Michelle's pillow.)

I can't imagine what she thought when she came in and saw it. In retrospect, I'm surprised we even became friends at all. I mean, clearly, I was psycho.

But somehow we became the best of friends anyway--even if Michelle always made fun of me and my knives.

I really am grateful for them though. They have come in handy many times throughout the years. And although I don't really carry the knives around anywhere (because I don't want someone to arrest me), I love that I can use them at home.

I am glad that I can whistle

Whistling is the purest expression of joy. Or at least, it's pretty dang close to it. 

I remember being little and hearing my grandpa Rich whistle, I thought it was so cool, and I wanted to learn how to do it. And truly, I wasn't very good at it. At least, not for a few years. 

I'm not sure if it has something to do with playing the clarinet for seven years, but really, I'm quite good at it. (I'm just stating the facts.) :) 

But really, I think I love whistling because I can't sing very well. At least, I don't have a whole lot of range with my voice. I have far greater abilities with my whistle. And sometimes there are songs that I just love, that I want to sing along with, but can't. 

So out comes the whistle. (Sometimes I don't even realize I'm whistling along with the music, actually.) 

But anytime I am whistling along with something, I really do just become happier. 

(Note: if you ever meet a young man [my age] named Hunter Wright [who, by the way, Tyler taught in the MTC], you should ask him to whistle for you. It will be the most beautiful whistle you have ever heard. He is an incredible whistler. In fact, he once complimented my whistle, and I felt super honored. Like, it probably made my year.)

Continuing the Webcomic theme

I will be the first to admit that growing up, my perception of comic-lovers was filled with derision, mainly because of my absolute loathing of anime (for reasons totally unrelated to the art of anime or storytelling aspects). I bought into the idea that the only people who liked/read comics were nerds, and potentially out of touch with reality.

I want to say that my perception improved as I got older, and while it did, the truth is that I still looked at the comic-booking community with my nose turned up, thinking myself clearly superior. (Because my likes and interests were so different.)

But the funny thing is, I've always been a closet nerd, a secret trekkie, and a science fiction/fantasy fan. (And I've always been a little ashamed of myself for liking these things.)

A few years ago, however, I began reading my (then) boyfriend's brother's online comic, The SuperFogeys. And I liked it. And I began to realize that I really enjoyed the web comic community. And then I realized that I liked reading comic books (though, my appreciation is still mainly focused on story lines and characters, rather than artwork--I really have to step outside of myself to see the beauty in the artwork of the comic itself).

And I realized that I had been exploring different avenues of literature in pursuing my English degree, and had never given graphic novels a chance. Surely they are as deserving of study and analysis as any other book. I went my whole college career as an English major, and never once saw a graphic novel in class. (Though, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer does some interesting storytelling using pictures, and it would be interesting to compare his style with that of a graphic novel. Very different, but with a few interesting and key graphic novel elements).

Anyway, the whole point of this entry comes down to this--I'm grateful for the fun I've had in broadening my horizons and stepping out of my comfort zone to give legitimacy to the art and skill and depth behind comic books and webcomics. It really has been a lot of fun to explore, and let that inner nerd break out and enjoy herself. I think a lot of people would really be surprised with how clever some comics are/can be.

I was.

In the spirit of giving thanks,

I bring you Beartato:

http://nedroid.com/2008/11/beartato-132/

(I love this webcomic.)

The Mcs

I love having them close by! And I love our spontaneous play dates.

Like tonight, for example. The Mcs came by our place randomly, and we ended up spending hours together. (Well, at least one hour. Maybe two?)

Anyway.

Tyler often mentions how he doesn't care where we end up living--so long as it's near McKay and McKenna.

We always have a good time when we're together. No matter what we do, if we're with them, it's guaranteed to be fun.

(Thanks for hangin' with us, tonight guys.)

And to the rest of our family -- we wish you all lived closer, so we could see more of you too.

Mom

I know that I posted back on Mothers' Day just how much I love and appreciate my mom (and other women in my life) but today reinforced just how grateful I am to her for her help and support.

For example, we've been waiting on buying plane tickets to go to Texas for the holidays for various reasons, and as many of you know, airfare has the tendency to creep up and up. So finally, today, I decided to figure out what our plan was, and realized that those plane tickets were going to be pretty darn expensive. And even though we've been saving money for the tickets, they still cost quite the pretty penny.

(And since we don't know whether Tyler will have a job in January, we're trying to keep a tight reign on our pretty pennies.)

I'm sure Mom could tell that I was stressing out about the cost while I talked with her on the phone.

Sure enough, Jay (her husband) called Tyler and me up later this evening to work out a way for them to help us pay for part of the plane tickets.

Which lifted a huge burden for us, and for Tyler especially, who is really worrying about what will happen or where we will be in the (very near) future.

So a big thank you to Mom and Jay, who didn't have to help us get to Texas for the holidays, but boy are we glad that they are willing to help. (We would have come anyway, though.)

But it's instances like this (not always money-related) where my mom has come through to help pull me out of a sticky spot, or make me feel a little better, or just taken care of me.

Thank heaven for mothers, especially my own.

Gratitude Days 8 and 9

Yikes! I know I intended to post every day, but . . . you know me. Ever the procrastinator.

At any rate, both today and yesterday, I am grateful for similar things.

Neither yesterday or today did we have to go anywhere. And, to be truthful, we often don't have to go anywhere (unless our callings require us to leave). But I really really enjoy these evenings we have to ourselves.

I think that I enjoy them especially because they are such rare times, at least, relatively speaking. We're at a very transitory place in our lives right now. I'm finished with school, Tyler is almost finished, we don't have children, we don't have permanent careers--and because there is such a dearth of responsibilities that we have (again relatively speaking), we are able to have these quiet evenings.

Now, if every night were this quiet, I know I'd get bored--and quick.

But I am grateful for the time that we have together, just the two of us.

(Also, side note: we've been married for 18 months now! That seems like both a very long time, and no time at all. But regardless of time, I'm glad to be married to Tyler--both for time and all eternity. But that's another post for another day.)

I'm not sure how many of you have seen this picture

but it's adorable. It's from way back when Tyler and I first started dating. I think he came over to visit me one Sunday and was just too tired to actually visit.

Isn't he presh?

The Name Game

Have you guys ever played the name game?

We just got back from the Mc's house, where we played the most fun game.

Here's how it goes:

You need two teams (though, with lots of players I'm sure you could do more teams). Each person playing gets four pieces of paper. On each piece of paper, each player writes a name of someone everyone knows (or probably knows)--fictional or non. All the pieces of paper get mixed into a bowl, and the game begins.

Each round is 30 seconds.

Round One:
A player from team one draws the first name, thinks of a clue and begins the round. (Time starts when he starts speaking.) In this round, the player can say whatever he wants to (other than the name on the paper) to get his team to guess the name. For each name the team guesses correctly, the team gets one point. The teams take turns playing until the papers run out.

Round Two:
A player draws a name, and begins the round. The player can only give one word to hint at what name is on the paper.

Round Three:
A player draws a name and acts whatever they can to get their team to guess the name. No sounds. (Pointing is allowed.)

If a team finish a round early (as in, they run out of names) they count up your points, throw all the names back in the bowl, and continue on to the  next round to use the time from the previous round. When the rest of your 30 seconds is up, the next team begins their turn.

Once all three rounds have completed, the team with the most points wins.

Simple, fun, fast, easy.

I laughed so hard--which is always a great way to end the weekend.

So tonight I am grateful for the name game. (Play it!)

End of Daylight Savings

One extra hour of sleep!

This is my favorite time of year. A gift from heaven, a little extra time.

It really is a beautiful thing.

Random Act of Culture - Handel's Messiah

(I did start this post yesterday, so hopefully it still counts for Gratitude Day 5)

I wish that I could have been a part of this (or at least been a witness).



I found the above video yesterday while I was scrolling through Google Reader, and it absolutely made my day. I love love that the "Random Act of Culture" - singing Handel's Messiah - brought so much joy to so many people. And what a wonderful way to bring that joy! By bearing pure testimony of the Savior!

I am so grateful for the good people of this world, who are striving to make a positive difference. I love what President Monson said in his talk on Gratitude:

This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good . . . . Our lives are blessed in countless ways.

I think he absolutely is right. There is so much good and beauty in the world. One thing that I love about the video is that you can see the joy that this brought to so many people. I am sure that many people were touched by the beauty of the music, and by the Spirit that was surely in attendance as the various choir members sang.

Beautiful.

The Primary Presidency

Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the great joys in my life. But not everything about being a member is easy.

One thing that makes our church truly great, but that also can be very difficult, is the way the church is organized with callings. All callings are done by people volunteering their time. Usually, this works out wonderfully, but sometimes it can be hard, especially when strangers are asked to work together and be friends while providing service for others. Sometimes, people just don't "click" together, no matter how hard they try.

That is not the case with our presidency. All of us get along really well. It doesn't matter what meeting we are in together, we always have a good time.

Which, I think, comes from a mixture of different things. We're all in similar places in our lives and we all have similar goals. As for our callings, we all work really hard and really care about the children in the primary program.

I really feel like I've lucked out in my calling, especially because I have so much fun with it, and with the people I work with. And so, I am really and truly grateful to be a part of the primary presidency, with these people, in this ward, at this time in my life.

My Recipes & Cookbooks

Since being married, and finally having my own cooking tools, I've come to realize that I really enjoy cooking.

While baking and cooking have their own unique pressure and stress, there's also something so cathartic about cooking for me.

I think it has something to do with the process of creation. I've never ever felt like I was a creative person, but since I've started cooking more, and since I've realized that I really enjoy the cooking prospect, I have really begun to feel creative--at least in the kitchen, with a recipe nearby.

Notice that I said that the recipe was only nearby, though. I've started doing innovations. Changing things here and there to fit my own tastes. Ignoring measurements (aren't they only recommendations, anyway? isn't that just one person's idea of what something should taste like??). Trying new things.

We don't always have the time (or money) to pick new meals to make, but I really see those nights that we do as treats. I love trying something different, or trying a twist on an already-loved classic.

I have to say - the other day, Tyler requested that I make some cookies for him. Even though I was battling a cold, I decided to go ahead and do it. (Don't worry, I was very sanitary.) I can not even begin to describe the feeling of accomplishment I had once I had a few cookies cooling on the racks. I looked at my cookies and thought, "I created that. I put different things together, and actually created those cookies."

Maybe my sense of accomplishment was due to so many past failures, but truly, I felt like I could do anything. I conquered the challenge of making cookies--something I had practically given up on. Truly, I felt that if I could make cookies, I could conquer the world. (Silly, no? But true.)

So I really have appreciated the cookbooks given to me for my wedding. I think I've used them all to try new things. And it's always so exciting when I do use the cookbooks. I am really grateful for the joy I have found in learning to cook--and I'm excited to learn even more!!

Good Food, Good Family, Good Fun

My Uncle Eric is in town this week. I haven't seen him since I was probably seven or eight years old. When I heard he was coming in to town, I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to be able to see him, but I wasn't sure how comfortable we'd all be if I invited him over for dinner--after all, it's been quite some time since we'd seen each other. I didn't even know if we'd get along.

So, I did the next logical thing. I sent a message via Facebook to my mom's step-mom (Grandma Cindy), and asked if we could do some sort of family dinner--thus inviting myself and Tyler over to her house so we could visit her son.

And it was so fun.

Grandma Cindy made pot roast (in the oven--the best way!), potatoes, carrots, onions, etc. It was almost like Thanksgiving came early. (Except it was better, because of the pot roast.) We all ate and chatted happily over a delicious meal.

Then we had dessert: banana cream pie (!!!) and pumpkin pie. Both delicious.

But the best part came later, when Tyler, Uncle Eric, and I headed down into Bob and Cindy's basement to play pool. Eric declined playing, but gave us (mostly me) some good tips. And guess who won? Me! 2 out of 2 games!

Granted, I only won the first game only because Tyler put the eight ball in the corner pocket halfway through the game. (Sad accident for him! Happy accident for me!)

But the second game, I won on pure skill. And luck. Lots and lots of luck. BUT it was my first time to beat Tyler at pool (through skillfully finishing first). And possibly was my first time to get three shots in a row. (Not amazing, I know, but it felt good!)

Anyway, I really am thankful to Bob and Cindy for opening their home to us so that we could visit with Uncle Eric--and have a delicious dinner. (Grandma Cindy even sent us home with some extra rolls, pie, and candy.) We really had so so much fun, and it was so nice to see my Uncle Eric again after so many years. We were fast friends, laughing and joking right away.

So, today, though I am grateful for several things, I'm most grateful for the time Tyler and I got to spend with my Uncle Eric.

A Month of Thanksgiving

With the advent of November this year, I've decided to take a leaf out of my Aunt Mar's book (or page out of her blog??) and record something that I'm grateful for every day.

This is huge for me for a couple of reasons:
1) Blogging everyday. (At least, that's the goal. I know that if I get behind and have to play catch-up, I'll just get lax and not actually complete my goal.)
2) Sharing the things I'm grateful for. I know I feel immense gratitude for the blessings in my life, but it's one thing to feel gratitude, and another to express it.

I really am excited about this--I've been thinking about it for the past couple of days as I've tried to think about what I want to share. And I have so many things I want to start with, but I think I'll begin with the basics.

Today, I am grateful for good music. And I'm grateful that I've been given the gift of being able to enjoy music. (My mom, for example, doesn't really care for music. There are some kinds of music she likes, but we never had music playing in our house while I was growing up--at least, not until Marilyn and I were old enough to provide our own music.)

In fact, sometimes if I wonder whether I listen to music too much. I've recently been trying to cut back a little (like when driving in the car--so hard to give up!) or when I'm cooking. I am learning to appreciate silence as well as music, but that's another post for another day.

A friend of mine once said that if the music he was listening to didn't make him smile, then it wasn't worth listening to. Since then, that's been my standard for the music I listen to.

These are a few of my current favorite songs - go ahead and give 'em a listen. Some may be a little different from the norm, but I love listening to/singing along with all of them. (Seriously, I think my soul soars when I listen to some of these.)

And if you only have time for one song - listen to the last one: I don't think that I could ever get tired of it. (It's been one of my very favorite songs for a couple of years now.)

Sweet Pea - Amos Lee

 



Behind the Moon - Matt Costa



Believe - The Bravery



Mardy Bum - Arctic Monkeys



Bullet - Steel Train



I Can't Stay - The Killers




After I decided on these songs, I realized that they are all sung by male singers, which really is my music preference I think. (I blame it on loving the Beach Boys so much as a kid. I just love the way male voices sound and blend. And I get tired of female voices pretty easily.)

(Side note: do you use Pandora? Do you want the best music station ever? Create a station using these three artists: Vampire Weekend, She & Him, and Dan Black. Make sure you have strict no profanity settings. Pandora will think you want to listen to artists like Kid Cudi, which it assumes because of your artist choice of Dan Black. Dislike the rap songs as they come on. The more you dislike them, the less they'll appear. Also, Pandora will start playing Alternative Rock. Dislike a few of these so that it doesn't get you on the wrong track. I'm betting that most of the music that will play will be stuff you're unfamiliar with, but give it a chance! It'll be mostly Indie music, but you'll get a pretty wide variety of stuff, from oldies to trip hop to more mainstream music. Be sure to tell Pandora what you do and don't like so you can personalize this awesome station to fit your tastes.)

The month without a food calendar . . .

I think it was in May that Tyler and I decided to make a food calendar. We'd pre-decide what we wanted for dinner for the whole month.

And I LOVE this method of dinner prep. We had been going to the store a couple of times a week (sometimes a couple times a day!) and I was tired of being in a food funk.

So, we've been pretty good about sitting down together to figure out what we want to make and when. (Which gives me room to figure out when I want to try something new.)

But, October has been crazy. Tyler and I haven't had a chance to make our food calendar for this month - and dinner has never been so lame! (It's true. We've had cereal a few times this month for dinner.)

PLUS our dinner budget has been suffering. In September, I did a HUGE month-long grocery shopping extravaganza, and bought all the non-perishables we would need for the month. (Genius idea, by the way.)

So tonight., finally, I have a dinner plan. And I'm stoked to try out this new recipe . . . for Vegetarian Pizza. (Or, as Tyler and I will be calling it, in honor of Halloween, Vegescarean Pizza.)

Check it out here.

Doesn't it look/sound amazing?? I'm practically salivating just thinking about it.

No really, you should make these cookies.

Straight from Carly: 


THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (Darla Palfreyman)

1 lb. real butter (not margarine)
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. vanilla
6 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
6 c. chocolate chips (we only used 4)
2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Soften butter. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, soda, and salt; add to egg and sugar mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Dough may be dryer than you’re used to. Drop on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. This recipe really does make a TON of cookies; we usually half it.


Ok. My additional notes: 


We used 4 cups of chocolate chips--and I think 3 would have been plenty. I don't know, I think I like the dough a little more than the chocolate chips. But by the end there were still chocolate chips left in the bowl, and lots of cookies that were more just chocolate chips. 


The dough was much dryer than I anticipated. The chocolate chips didn't really stick into the dough. And it seemed like the dough was balls of dough mixed with chocolate chips. (Which isn't how I imagine cookie dough to be, but trust me, this is a good thing. Is this how cookies should always be?)


And, I rolled the cookies into little balls then pressed them down to help them spread out a little more.  So, what I put on the cookie sheet wasn't really a "drop" at all. 


Also, my oven cooks things very very quickly. It's pretty old, so maybe it heats up more than it should? I don't know. I baked these babies at 325 degrees for 8 min and 15 seconds (perfection).


And finally, the cookies will come out soft, but they harden up  while they cool. (But they don't harden too much.) Just be prepared to still have pretty soft cookies coming right out of the oven. 


Delicious. 

(Can I emphasize that the above recipe makes a TON of cookies? I didn't believe Carly when she told me so. But I should have. We had a freezer-full. So it was a good thing I was planning on sharing most of them.)


Also: the formatting of the text on this post is very strange. I'm not sure what's up with it. But it's too late to do anything about it at the moment. Sorry!

The Voice In Your Head Probably Does This Too

Or maybe I'm just nuts. 

Let me begin by expressing the beauty I find in punctuation. They say that emotion cannot be conveyed (very well) through text, that you can't tell what tone of voice someone is using when they write, that the majority of communication is non-verbal, based on body language--making the written word much harder to decipher. 

But I disagree. 

You see, it is a combination of our diction, our punctuation, and the white space we leave on a page that conveys meaning. (Perhaps this is why poetry is such an art: everything matters.)

But it is the punctuation that I find especially meaningful. 

When I was in high school, "the thing" to do was instant messaging. I'd get home from school, hop on the computer, and IM my friends (who I had just seen at school) for a couple of hours. At least, I'd do it whenever my mom would let me. 

And I found that punctuation carried (perhaps) immeasurable meaning. Each punctuation mark carried my tone--or was at least intended to supply the "non-verbal" part of my communication that, had I been speaking, would have come across in my body language or voice inflections. I chose carefully what I typed, knowing that it was in this punctuation that my meaning could be found. And I think most of my friends inherently knew that. (Though, I do remember having to explain things once or twice.) 

So for me, emoticons (at least initially) were kind of a waste. They were not what conveyed my tone or emotion. My punctuation was entrusted with that job. (I would, by the way, love to read a study on emoticons and the evolution of their meaning/usage.)

I think that it is because of the value I attribute to punctuation--and by extension, grammar (we'll get to grammar in a minute)--that I could not ever bring myself to use the abbreviations that have infiltrated and supplanted some of our language. (For example: L8R, TTFN, LOL, etc. These, I would place in the same category as emoticons, but that is another post for another day.)

When I began texting, I wrote just as I would if I were writing an email. I still do. I spell things out, I use punctuation, I follow the rules of capitalization. (So do most of the editors I know, by the way.)

Because for me, the words that I write are representatives of my voice. I do not often feel like I have much worth saying (which is why I have no desire to be a writer), but I know that when I am giving someone something to read that I have written, I am giving them my voice. And I want that voice to sound intelligent. As a representative of myself, my writing should portray me in the best light possible--because that is how I would want to be perceived and how I would try to present myself were I there in person.

And in a way, the written word is far more intimate than the spoken word. Now, I know this is a stretch, but think about it for just a moment. If my words are my voice, and you are reading my words right now, then my voice is in your head, giving you ideas and sparking responses. I am not there physically, but I am with you. And I am sharing my ideas, my triumphs, my disappointments with you. And you, in some way, are responding. (Well, if my writing is compelling enough to keep your attention, you are responding. Though, if I bore you, and you stop reading, that's a response, too.) Writing is then, perhaps, some form of telepathy, though maybe not the traditional telepathy we usually think of. (I promise I'm not trying to be creepy.)

I can't help but wonder how many people have thought of writing in the sense that I do. I'm not trying to say that my thoughts present a totally new view of writing (as Carly's dad says, "Every thought you've ever thought has already been thought before."), but I do wonder at how different the world would be if everyone wrote with immense care, regarding their words as I regard mine. 

So where is this all going? 

When I read, there is a clear voice in my head that speaks the words according to what is put on a page (or screen). But this voice only knows how to process the data that it is given. Inflection and tone are dictated by, not the words, but the punctuation and to a (slightly) lesser extent, the grammar. And when spelling/punctuation/grammar is used poorly, the voice in my head speaks poorly.

It is as if the speech I am hearing is stunted. It sounds less educated. And, I confess, it paints a poor picture of the writer/speaker. I can't help but snobbily assume my intelligence is superior than the author of whatever text I am reading. 

I know that this is not a fair measurement of others. I know that this is highly judgmental. I know that I am a snob. 

But I also know that mistakes happen. People often write in a hurry. Sometimes there isn't time for proofreading. So I like to think that I give a generous allowance for errors. 

But there are a couple of things that I absolutely can not (no matter how hard I try) overlook.  

To and too. I admit, I'm never sure when to or not to use a comma before using "too," but when someone says "to" when they mean "too," it's as if their voice has been cut off--like a suddenly dropped phone call. The word sounds incomplete in my head. Again, stilted voice. 

There, their, and they're. I know people struggle with this one. But I have never understood why. 

And finally, my biggest pet peeve: your and you're. I can not tell you how prevalent this mistake is (though, I am sure that you have all noticed this often enough for yourselves). It's everywhere! And I can not tell you how stilted the voice in my head sounds when it reads this mistake. (Don't get me started on the abbreviations "U R" or "ur"--which, if they must be used, should be used properly. But if they really must be used, please don't use them on me, except in jest.) Again, the voice is stilted. (I wish I could vocalize for you what I hear in my head when I read this mistake. It sounds ridiculous.) 

I will admit that I am not perfect. I have made mistakes in each of my three pet peeve areas. I probably will make those mistakes again in the future. But I will try with all my might not to.

Thank you.

Cookie Success!!!!

You guys, I am so excited to announce that I made some gorgeous/delicious chocolate chip cookies yesterday!!

Remember my cookie fiasco from earlier this year? (Go here to check it out if you've forgotten.)

My BFF, Carly, has a cookie recipe called THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (from her mom, Darla).

And let me tell you, they are so good. (Why, yes I am eating one right now.)

Check these babies out:

They really are so good. And yes, they do make me feel awesome.

Thanks, Carly!

Sleep, the elusive and fickle friend

I've seen many notes written to Sleep over the past couple years. Some begging sleep to return, some simply questioning where Sleep went.

My question to Sleep is this, what's the deal, yo? Enough with the practical jokes! I'd like to fall asleep and stay asleep. All night long. (And for me, all night is rarely ever that long. Can't we manage six hours straight of sleeping? Hey, I'll even take five and a half.)

And what's with the bizarre dreams and nightmares? Hunting vampires? Shark attacks? Letters my mom preserved as an example of "Evil"?

Let's compromise. Tonight, I'll go to bed early. Don't worry about the dreams, we can go dreamless tonight. But it would be nice to sleep through the night again. (Like I was doing a couple weeks ago.)

(And to my readers, seriously, that shark attack dream was terrifying. And I've never even seen Jaws! I have no idea where my brain pulled that one out. -  Maybe it was a combination of almost drowning that one time and one of my favorite webcomics: Beartato. Note: that link will take you to a guest strip, actually. But some of you might enjoy browsing through the comics. Others will probably think it's a little strange. But Beartato is one of my very favorite webcomics.)

Anyway, one of these days I won't wake up so tired from a less-than-restful night of sleep.

Surprise Lunch

from my favorite visitor!

Okay, so there was a little bit of pre-arrangement, but being brought lunch from my sweetheart was still a treat!

His excuse for bringing me lunch was that he was starving, and wanted a huge meal. And then he decided he would feel guilty if he ate alone, so he decided to share with me.

I think he just missed me. And he was hungry.

Now, knowing what good food is coming up this weekend (Conference Weekend, woo!), I normally would have been opposed to a fast food lunch, but how can you say no to this face?

Exactly. You can't.

Besides, I missed him, too. :)

I guess I'm kind of a homebody

but that's okay. I like it that way! :)

Like most people, Friday is my favorite day of the week. Not only is the whole weekend ready for relaxing, but Friday night means date night! 

And a few weeks ago, this is what Tyler put together for me: 

An evening of favorites! Or maybe, better said: an evening for Karen!

Stay at home, watch a show, eat delicious food, all with my sweet husband? What more could a girl want? 

Nothing. We had french fries, salad, pineapple, pastries, and Fuze drinks. Random, but wonderful. 

I loved it! What a sweet and thoughtful plan. (Tyler was so excited to pull it off, too. He'd planned it for a while beforehand.)

Isn't he the best?

Other random updates:

For date night a couple weeks after the Karen-centered date night, I made tried to make someone's version of Ratatouille. 

I might have liked it if I liked mushrooms. Or eggplant. (Which aren't so bad in small quantities, I think. But in this dish, there was just too much!)

I was so disappointed! It had such good things in it! And it looked so pretty!! And it took me so long to make! 

But, it was not delicious. Which was extra disappointing because it smelled SOOO good.

Tyler was a good sport and ate his dinner. But we both gave up pretending to like it. 

[Also check out that brown sweater I'm sporting. 

Aunt Mar and I got it together a couple years ago. I decided recently that I wanted it to have more of a sweater feel and less of a sweatshirt feel. So I changed it from sweatshirt to sweater. (Ok, so in the picture, you can't really see any changes that I made. But I did make changes!)

And for hand stitching everything (kind of messily), I did a pretty good job. One day I'll learn how to really sew. And use a sewing machine. And own a sewing machine. But that's another post for another day.]

It's official!

I'm a Heasley now. Everywhere.


I finally made it to the DMV yesterday to get a Utah DL (and change my name). I'm not thrilled about being a "Utah Driver" but I like to think that since I learned how to drive in Texas, I'm a "Texas Driver" through and through. (Which is much preferred.)


But, I didn't smile for my DL picture. Which, truthfully, felt a little awkward and unnatural. But my thought process was this: I probably won't be smiling if I'm pulled over, or in any other way showing my ID card to someone, so why not look a little more serious? (Plus my cheeks are HUGE when I smile. So, I was being just a little vain.)

And I will say that my hair does look pretty fab in the pic. But we'll see how my pic looks when it's actually printed on the real license. In color. I am (of course) hoping for a good picture. Then maybe I can be 3 for 3. (Three licenses. Three good pictures. I know. Vanity rearing her head again.)

And surprisingly, I had a really good experience at the DMV. I barely had to wait at all for my turn to be taken care of. (What time did we get there, Tyler? Two-ish??)

The highlight of my DMV experience was probably that when the lady who was helping me get my information into the system started giving me instructions, you know the whole "take this here, and give this to that guy, then go here and do this" deal. Out of the blue, she suddenly said, "You know what, I'll take this over to that guy so you don't have to wait in line. You just go to the computer and check in with him when you are done."

What, the wait would have taken maybe 10 minutes? No big deal for me. But it was so nice to just get down to business and take the test. (Which I got a 96% on. I'm still not sure what the question I missed was asking me about. Maybe it was worded poorly? Maybe I just couldn't visualize it? Anyway, the answer to --whatever it was-- is "True." I know that now.) Anyway, I really appreciated her small kindness to me.

The saddest part of the experience was getting my Texas DL back with two little holes punched in it--forever invalidating my beloved Texas license. I'll admit, when I watched the man put the holes into my license, I died just a little inside. Part of me wanted to beg him not to hurt my license. I considered the various ways in which I could convince him to let me have my license back, unscathed. (None of which would have done anything other than make me look suspicious.)

I even considered asking him for the two plastic circles that he so nonchalantly punched from my license. (But again, the rational part of my brain prevailed, and I stopped myself from doing anything silly.)

But at the end of the day, I'm officially a Heasley. And that, my friends, is what matters.

Saturday Night: Quarters Adventure

If you've ever been a college student, you probably know the major value of quarters, and what they do to you when you see them.

Or maybe it's just me. 

But whenever I see a quarter, or handful of quarters, I start thinking about how many loads of laundry I could do with those quarters. Or I think about how many more quarters I might need.

For me, quarters = laundry. And no matter how I try, I can't look at quarters without thinking about doing my laundry. (And I can't look at washers and dryers without thinking about quarters.)

With how busy our lives have been lately, neither Tyler nor I had time to get quarters at the bank last week.

So, Saturday night came, and I realized that we needed quarters.

And of course, the banks were closed. (After all, it was about 7:30 on a Saturday. The banks had been closed for quite a while.)

And, because Tyler and I had recently decided to try to use less gas, we decided to walk the six blocks-ish down to the Wash Hut and use their change machine to get quarters. Despite the oncoming darkness.


But when we got there, the machines had stickers on them stating that they were for customers only. (Which we would have known had we ever used the Wash Hut before.)

Well, folks. We were in a dilemma. It was getting dark, and we needed quarters. But we didn't want to violate their customers-only rule. And we didn't want to use the car to go to another laundromat.

So we did the sensible thing. We decided to walk to the next laundromat, which wasn't THAT far from where we were.

Or at least, it shouldn't have been.

But we missed a turn -- Well, we chose not to take it. We thought we could walk down the street a little further and take a different turn that would put us closer to the laundromat when we came out of the neighborhood. Except we were wrong. (I blame Provo city planners for not planning well enough.)

So, we overshot the laundromat and had to backtrack. And get this. The change machines at this laundromat were out of order. So no quarters for us. (It's a good thing Tyler and I like each other. Otherwise that 40ish-minute walk would have been a waste. But we did enjoy spending the time together walking.)

So what did we do? We headed straight back to the Wash Hut and got quarters from their change machines. I justified their customers only sticker by saying that by buying quarters from their change machines, we became customers. It's essentially the same transaction you'd make at a bank. But the change machine cuts out the middle man. Plus, we've had friends who were customers of the Wash Hut. (Which makes us customers by extension, right?)

Anyway, we made it back home from the far-away, anti-change-machine-laundromat on Ninth in about 25 minutes (including our second Wash Hut stop). The walk to get quarters ended up being about 2 miles (I think). But we got our quarters.

And you know what? Saturday night, I did laundry. And enjoyed every quarter I spent doing it.