{martin and friends}

It is MLK Day and I am at work. {Bleh} for me but {Yea!} for you because I am one of the only people blogging today. Everyone else is sledding or shopping or sleeping in or sipping cocoa or studying (this one's David) or sight-seeing or sending "Thank You" cards from Christmas or shaping up at the gym or maybe just sitting around. Notice the common thread? All my action verbs started with "s"! I am obviously bored on this MLK Day.

My friends and I got together on Saturday morning for a little breakfast at Crackers and Co. It was so good to see them but even better to have some "girl time". When David and I first got married, I didn't believe him when he said that I would want some time for myself or with my girlfriends. In fact, it hurt my feelings that he felt that way. Now I crave my girls for some good conversation, reminiscing, belly-laughing and the wisdom that we gain from each other through our long conversations. I love being married (and I strongly believe in marriage between a man and a woman) but there is such a difference between the relationships of a man and a woman and a woman and a woman. I love each relationship so much and I am grateful for my friends! Thanks Tricia, Julie, Kemra and Sarah for a grand time! I love each of you!

{oh beautiful day}

Although I just LOVE Autumn, I think these Spring flowers are delightful.

I can see myself now walking through those open gardens in a beautiful, white linen dress. I can smell the grass and the sunshine. I can taste the grapes that I am munching from my hand. And then, I lay down on a soft quilt with a feather pillow and read a delicious book with my head in David's lap.

Sheesh, I feel like the words "bring me the head of a pig" should fit somewhere in that paragraph. Cheeser, I am. However, I do wish that the weather could be lovely all year round.

friday's joke

women, as explained by engineers . . .

air

The day my sister died was the same day our niece, Isabel, was born. My sister gave her new daughter the middle name of "Charity" to remember her. My sister's mother-in-law delivered her grand-daughter that morning and had spent many hours comforting and rubbing the aches and pains that my other sister had dealt with for two years. On this day of life and death, she wrote a poem describing how one took their last breath and one took their first.

Today, I found out that C Jane is expecting a baby. She and her husband have been painfully tried for years with infertility. She has received mountains of happy wishes, praise and loving rejoices from friends, family and strangers after this heartwrenching journey.

Today, about 20 minutes ago, David's grammy died with her two sons next to her. It was quiet and very solemn and there were no smiles or tears of joy. I'm sure there were wishes still, praises of what a wonderful woman she was and rejoices that she could be reunited with her family again with no pain. Although Courtney's little baby has yet to take its first breath, many lives will end and many will begin with air.

Today, I am appreciating each breath I take.

It is Thursday and I still haven't done the following things this week:

1) grocery shopping
2) fold clean laundry that has been in the basket since Saturday
3) make dinner (but there are good reasons)
4) unload the dishwasher
5) wash David's khakis
6) write "thank you" notes
7) lose 2 pounds

This week has felt like a dream, but not a good dream. Like a slow-motion, exhausting and sometimes-sad dream. Lots of visits to the hospital to visit David's grammy, tennis lessons, 3-hour haircut, mall returns, WWW ("West Wing Watching"), work assignments, school assignments, painting for my Etsy shop and various other things that fill up the time I have each day to myself between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. In the next few days, I will accomplish more things on my list. "I know it!" (see Madama Butterfly - Un bel dì)

So, I leave you with one of my favorite "LOL Cat of the Day"s from Karren's blog. Thanks KT for always posting such hilariousness!

I'm tagging myself on this one for fun:

Basics

1. Who is your man?

David Robert Bryant

2. How long have you been together?

2004 (break), 2005 - 2007: 2ish years

3. Dating/Engaged/Married?

Started dating my first week at BYU-I. He dumped me after a month. Awful. We were "friends" (if you know what I mean) for about a year and then got back together in December of 2005. We dated until we got engaged on August 4, 2006 and got married on November 3, 2006.

4. How old is your man?

25

You or your man?

1. Who eats more?

Probably him but it's different. He likes "real food" and I like treats. I will only eat a few bites of dinner if I have to stay my appetite for dessert. He doesn't care for dessert so he'll eat food to his heart's content.

2. Who said "I love you" first?

Him, the second time we dated. I told him that I didn't want to kiss another guy until I knew that it was going to be pretty serious (a.k.a. when we said "I love you"). We were constantly telling each other that we "like" each other and then one day we were cuddling and I said, "I like you a lot" and he looked at me and said, "I love you".

3. Who weighs more?

Him. He's pretty huge-like (height and muscle) and if I ever weigh more than him, I will kill myself.

4. Who sings better?

Um, me. But I love it when he sings. He just needs to practice. P.S. He is begging me to try out for American Idol but there is no way I will do so if even Emily didn't make it. (How did this happen?)

5. Who's Older?

Him. Almost exactly 2 years.

6. Who's smarter?

Math and Logic: Him
English and Reading: Me

7. Who's temper is worse?

TOTALLY mine. I've never seen him lose his temper. I doubt he knows how.

8. Who does the laundry?

Me. He swears he "doesn't know how". I don't mind though.

9. Who does the dishes?

Him. I know that we'll never go to bed with a sink of dirty dishes because of him.

10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
I don't know. Which side is the right side? I sleep by the side not next to the wall. I can't handle it.

11. Who's feet are bigger?

His! Ew!

2. Who's hair is longer?

Mine (snicker). He's a little bald, bless his heart.

13. Who's better with the computer?

Definitely me.

14. Who pays the bills?

Usually me since he's going to school and only works part time. We use my bank account for bill paying anyway.

15. Who cooks dinner?
Me.

17. Who drives when you are together?

Him.

18. Who pays when you go out to dinner?

It depends on who has the money. We have separate bank accounts. Weird?

19. Who's the most stubborn?

Me.

20. Who is the first one to admit when they're wrong?

Me, but a lot of times it's really sarcastic and I do it just to bug him. I'm a bad wife.

21. Who's parents do you see more?

This summer it was his all the way in California, but now that my parents are home from their mission, mine.

22. Who kissed who first?

Neither of us remember our "first kiss" the "first time" we dated but it was before our first date. Our first kiss the "second time" we dated was right after he said "I love you". It was pretty funny actually because he told me later that he mostly just said "I love you" because he knew I wouldn't kiss him unless he said it. Trixy.

23. Who asked who out?

Him, I think.

24. What did you do?

We went to Idaho Falls and walked along the water by the Temple and talked. Then we went to dinner and I had Calamari for the first time. Afterward, we took a blanket to a beautiful spot by the Falls and made out. Awesome.

25. Who's more sensitive?

TOTALLY me. I cannot stress the "TOTALLY" enough. He has cried twice since I've known him.

1) When he proposed, he cried like a baby. I just giggled.

2) When we got married, he was crying pretty hard too. I didn't shed a tear.

26. Who's taller?

Him: 6'4"
Me: 5'6"
You do the math.

27. Who is more indecisive?

Me, unless we're deciding where to go or what to eat because he is always saying, "Whatever you want, baby".

28. Who has more siblings?

Me, by a long shot, at 10. Him, 2.

29. Who wears the pants in the relationship?

I think it's probably kind of even. He says that I "try" to wear the pants but that he's actually the one who does. I secretly agree.

30. Who has the best husband ever?

How (and why) would I say anyone else??? Are you crazy? My husband is the bomb!

My sister-in-law insists that I look just like Ashley Tisdale (a.k.a. "Sharpay" from High School Musical). I often think that this is not very good news but I can kind of see a resemblance in our coloring. Hmmm, I've been told that I look like Drew Barrymore (bleh) and Ashley Simpson (double bleh). Am I really that ditsy? Splendid.

SYTYCD finale recap:

I have to admit that I am surprised that the winner last night was Sabra. Don't get me wrong, I love that girl but I also really liked Danny and Neil . . . don't get me started on Lacey though. When she was the first to get kicked off last night, I was sitting across the room staring at the t.v. when I heard that she was outta there. I began my best "Mr. Burns" impression with each of my fingers and spoke to myself in an evil tone, "yes. yes. yes. YES!" Go America! I'm impressed that America could see that all she was is a stinky booty dancer.

Anyway, I am proud of Danny, Neil, Mia and Wade. Those two rock my world. I cannot wait for The Office (September 27) and LOST to start. I am sick of summer t.v.

I love that my grandma Ada (whom I am named after) wrote this on the back of one of her recipe cards:

"You don't have to worry about the boys if you make sure that all of your girl friends with whom you closely associate are living the standards of the Church."

Boo ya, Grandma!

Sweet Rain

We dripped with summer sweat as we quickly packed in 110 degree weather and drove to higher elevation, in hopes of cooler weather. The arrival in Pinetop was immediately embraced with the afternoon breeze we had been waiting for. Friends were there and we had a great time playing cards, making the perfect hamburgers for lunch and enjoying the meal as we sat on Adirondack chairs on the deck while rumbling clouds treated us to a few drops of warm rain. Sunday morning's warm sunshine brought me disappointment that our return to the desert valley wouldn't be the stark contrast of weather that I had been hoping for to get me through the next few weeks of summer. As we ate our sandwiches and pasta salad on the deck again, I began to see enormous raindrops making dark cirlces on the wood around my feet. We ran for shelter as the sudden rain poured down between curved leaves and blades of grass. David wrapped his arms around me as we stood at the window watching the refreshing affect of the rain. The top of the trees swayed and looked as if they rejoiced at the cool, sweet wetness on their aching backs. It felt so good to watch the earth renew itself and helped me remember the same cool, sweet wetness of the Sacrament that I had renewed myself with that morning.

Thanks M, for inspiring this blog via the great convo this morning.