We're not cut out to be Marines

My friend Lindsay is in town this week and it has been so nice to have someone to hang out with while your husband is at work from 3:30am to 8pm. Poor guy. Anyway, it's awesome having Lindsay here. She has brought me companionship and also a work opportunity...yay!! Stay tuned for details on that.

So, we've been hitting up all the museums and such. And also visiting Victor on base and playing dress up. I really could only last 3 minutes with all that stuff on. Mostly because it smelled bad.

It's been a lot of fun so far. And it's only Tuesday!

The stages of pinterest addiction

I've been on Pinterest for about three weeks now, so I think it's safe to say that I'm at the end of these stages, which is why I feel qualified to teach you all about it now. Correct me if I'm wrong!

Stage one: Excitement. 
It's fun to discover that you can virtually "pin" your interests and ideas onto a virtual bulletin board. As you are figuring it all out, you realize that people you don't know can "re-pin" your ideas if they like them too. The first time this happens, you get uber excited because you're all, "oh wow, these people like my ideas! they like me, they really like me!" And then when one of your on-line finds get over 50 re-pins, you are over the moon.

Stage two: Obsession and time-wasting.
You soon go crazy for collecting all those ideas, recipes, outfits, etc. that people are pinning. Since you have realized that pinning strangers' ideas isn't weird, you go on a pinning frenzy! Everything is a cool idea, and you want to try every recipe. And before you know it, you have spent far too long looking at the computer.

Stage three: Action. 
Now that you have all these ideas you try, you go out to gather the items necessary to accomplish them. You go to the Home Depot (and if you're like me who never goes there, you start to realize that it's actually a pretty cool place) to pick up supplies, Michael's Crafts for some other essentials, and the grocery store for necessary ingredients. You start your projects, or intend on starting them, but you end up repeating stage two.

Stage four: Realization.
This refers to the realization that a lot of "cool"things you see on Pinterest cycle through. You start realizing the fads that come through, and you (dare I say it?) start to get tired of seeing the same things over and over again. One example for me is the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster that everyone has been obsessing over lately. I, for one, can't take it anymore. It has spiraled out of control. Case in point:

These are just a few OF MANY that I see being pinned on Pinterest on a daily basis. I picked these ones because if it weren't so overused already, these are ones that I could see myself pinning. But the best one I found one said this:

"Keep calm and stop remixing this freaking poster already. The first few were funny, and now it's completely played out. Yes--keep calm and change the second line to something else. Then maybe change the crown to another icon or image relating to the second line. We get it. It's not funny or interesting anymore. It's done. It's over."

SO TRUE! (I didn't post the actual poster because of bad language that probably wouldn't be appreciated on this blog since my parents read it from time to time)

And one more thing: it's a good thing that guys don't really care about Pinterest too much, because I'm sure they would start to think that girls are absolutely ridiculous over the things they pin sometimes. If I were a guy and saw girls putting up little self-validating quotes like "A girl worth kissing is not easily kissed" I would be all,  "yeah, okay. You just keep telling yourself that that's why you're still single." I'm just saying this from the guys perspective, people! I could be wrong.

Anyway, moving on.
Stage five: Calmness.
This is the stage where you start do develop a more subdued relationship with Pinterest. You still kill time on it once in a while, but you have calmed down. You appreciate Pinterest for what it is: a great way to bookmark the things you find on-line and a cool tool to find cool ideas from other people, but you don't go nuts like you used to.

If you haven't joined Pinterest yet, get on that, yo!! Read stage 5 again to see why you should use Pinterest. You can check out my stuff here.

Happy pinning!

I got stuff on my mind-grapes.

I'm hesitant to commit to things lately. Call it being flaky, having cold feet, being a procrastinator. In Romania, my fellow missionaries and I summed up all of these things with one word: WEEFY. You should incorporate this word into your vocabulary because it comes in handy when you are trying to describe all of these feelings in one word.

I spent the summer being a care-free newlywed free from the college stress that I was under, which you can read about in previous posts. My husband had pretty short work days, and it was heavenly. Who needs to look for a job when you're having so much fun? Well, now I have a college degree, and it's all official: the diploma is in the mail. So I feel pressured by society to use that degree. But in my defense,  I am using my education in some ways. For example, I find important reminders that are associated with my area of study: like this from Pinterest:

And, I am also able to continue writing on my little blog, which I love. While I may miss writing serious papers about Emily Dickinson and the Chicago Manual of Style, I really love writing about things like my feelings and experiences---things that are not usually tolerated in an Emily Dickinson paper. 

Anyway, back to the point of this post. I've been starting to look for jobs. It's annoying. Annoying because I can't/don't want to commit to something long term because we're most likely moving in March. Annoying because I don't want to have an hour+ commute to work which is very easy when you live in the D.C. area. 

So......am I using all these things as excuses? Do I just need to buckle down and bite the bullet? I think that sometimes I rely on these conflicts as excuses, but secretly, some of my other hesitations stem from the fact that I am really out of my comfort zone. I don't know anybody. I don't know the area. Job hunting with no networking intimidates me so bad.

 I want to use my editing skills, really I do, but lately I've been tempted to just go get a job at Hobby Lobby because they are hiring, they are not open on Sundays which is pretty rare anywhere outside of Utah, and I could get a discount to fuel my crafting addiction. But then that's not using my education! Agh, now I'm just going around in circles. What to do, what to do?

And then there's the whole dog situation. As you know, I really want a dog. But then I get cold feet when opportunities present themselves. I think the reason behind this ties into the job thing as well: I want to be able to come and go as I please. I have travel plans, you see: a few trips to Utah, one to Arizona, and hopefully a European vacation in the spring (we want to go back to Romania so bad--so we're pretty sure about this one!). And, I don't really know what to do with a dog through all of this.  

So, I'm just being really weefy. That's what it all comes down to. And I don't know what to do. So excuse this word vomit of a post. I'm just trying to figure out my life, no big deal. 

P.S. The subject is from 30 Rock. I really hope you knew that. If you didn't, get on that. 

The older I get the better I was

In this case, I am referring to the better I was at controlling my emotions. It used to be a rare occasion that you would see something make me cry, like when I watched Brian's Song as a pre-teen. But ever since I turned, I don't know, like 23 I think, I have become one of those people who get teary eyed over almost anything remotely touching or emotional. Now I really can relate to this:


Cases in point: (and bear in mind that these examples are just from the last two weeks alone)

I cry two nights in a row watching Ghost Town and October Sky, movies that had never before made me get emotional and aren't necessarily "tear-jerkers."

I cry watching all of the September 11 stuff like this and this. But I think that's completely rational that these things make me cry. How could they not? And by the way, I highly recommend watching all of the second one, or from like 5:23 on. Thanks, Alicia, for showing me both of these clips.

I tear up when I see this from the Video Music Awards:

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music

It's just so sweet! Jay-Z, Mr. straight-faced and serious most of the time, is so ecstatic about his pregnant wife. Even Kanye West, who I really dislike, is so excited for him, and it's such a sweet moment in my opinion.

And the most recent thing that made me almost lose it was when I was reading this article about Bill Nye the Science Guy talking to students at UVU who learned from him as children.

Pretty ridiculous, I know, but I just thought of how rewarding it would be for this man to see all these college students, many studying science and math, who learned to love learning early on from people like Bill Nye. Call me overly emotional, but that is how I justify it.

Like I said, I've cried at things before, but never at some of the smallest things. No, I am not pregnant. Is this just another sign of aging? Getting older is just a big glass case of emotion. What's next?!

Please tell me I'm not the only one out there. Considering the majority of my readers are female, I hope you can relate and offer words of advice. Until then you should avoid watching movies or tv with me because you'll probably hear me sniffling and fighting back tears.

Love you all,
Annie

TBS

No, this isn't another post about tv. Well, kind of.

When you think of tbs, you probably think of the beloved tv channel that you watch when you want to see Friends and Seinfeld re-runs, and multiple airings of Legally Blonde. That's what I thought of too.

But now, "tbs" in this household stands for "The Basic School:" the training that my husband is going through for these next six months. Now when I hear tbs, all I think of is its ridiculous schedule, the really long hours, and the weeks coming up in the next few months where I won't see or speak to my husband because he'll be galavanting in the woods for part of the training. Basically in those weeks, I'm peacing out to Utah...yay! But not yay for my husband, who will be sleeping in the woods. Sooorry, husband.

Anyway, I'm kind of ready for these six months to be over. But despite the long hours, we still have fun here. And at least we're together. So, I guess it's really not that bad after all.

And if all else fails, I'll just watch Friends to console me!

On this Sunday we remember

I find it spiritually appropriate that the day we remember today, September 11, falls on a Sunday this year: marking ten years since those sobering events happened. Sundays always are days for remembering and reflection. Remembering Jesus Christ, and reflecting on our week as one ends and another begins. And today, we remember how much has happened these past ten years since September 11, 2001, and we remember how many people were affected because of it.  There have been ten years worth of thoughts leading up to this post, but what has really affected me this week are the interviews and documentaries that have been airing in the days leading up to today---particularly their views and comments about God.

One interview I saw was of a man who knew it was God who saved him that day, and yet he was immediately filled with anger towards God when he looked back at the collapsing tower and remembered all those people who were still in there. Another man said he considered himself religious, but he lost all faith and hope in God that day. They interviewed rabbis who said that if we try to solve the mystery of why God let this kind of thing happen, we would go crazy. I've been crying over a lot of things lately, so naturally, hearing these kind of things reduced me to tears as well.

I can't imagine what it would be like to feel like this. I have been taught about how much God loves all of His children, and I have had enough experiences to know that this is absolutely true. But this love is also demonstrated in the fact that God has given everyone agency, and as much as it pains Him to see suffering like what happened on September 11, He can't take away a person's freedom of choice.

The answer to the question of why God let's this kind of thing happen, along with most questions we have in life, is found in the Book of Mormon. When Amulek and Alma were forced to watch as innocent believers of Christ were being martyred, Amulek cried to Alma, "How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore, let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames."

To which Alma says, "The Spirit constrainteth me that I must not stretch forth my hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgements which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day." (Alma 14: 10-11)

I hope that those who have lost hope in God can hear these things some day. I hope that today more than ever we remember that God never forsakes us. I admire the extraordinary courage of those heroes from September 11: whether it be the firefighters, the brave men from flight 93 who took a stand and gave their own lives to save others, the people who are prompted to fight for our country to make sure these things never happen again, and mostly to all the people who came away from it with a closer relationship to God and greater sense of patriotism.

Ten years ago, Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Dark as is this hour, there is shining through the heavy overcast of fear and anger the solemn and wonderful image of the Son of God, the Savior of the World, the Prince of Peace, the examplar of universal love, and it is to Him that we look in these circumstances. It was He who gave His life that all may enjoy eternal life." (quote found here)

And now, ten years later, Thomas S. Monson tells us, "Our Father's commitment to us, His children, is unwavering. Indeed He softens the winters of our lives, but He also brightens our summers. Whether it is the best of times or the worst, He is with us. He has promised us that this will never change." (quote found in the Washington Post)

I love this promise. And I hope that today and always, we remember it.

I took this at the crash site of United flight 93 in Pennsylvania.
That place has an overwhelming spirit. 

The TV Diaries

It's been pouring (like, really pouring) rain here non-stop for the last three days. And it makes me not want to leave the house. Consequently, there has been a lot of tv watching, bread and stew making, reading and sewing going on in this house. I'm ashamed to admit how much tv I've been watching lately, but I tend to leave it on as all this cooking, reading, and sewing stuff is happening. It reminds me of those people who leave their tv on for their dogs when they leave the house. I leave it on for the noise.

Do you guys watch daytime tv? Well, I've been watching a lot of it lately. And these are my thoughts.


What would we do without HGTV? This channel is awesome. And I will never ever get sick of watching "House Hunters International." I think it's my dream to be on that show. And to move to somewhere international to qualify for it, of course.

The ladies of "The View" are irritating, interrupting, loud, and obnoxious. But I still like watching it now and then. Paula Deen from the Food Network is insanely irritating too: she has terrible grammar, but good recipes. I'm so conflicted!

When I first heard about "Dancing with the Stars," I thought it would be an instant flop. Now I'm finding out that they are starting their thirteenth season. Huh?! I still refuse to watch it.

A new show that I enjoy watching is "Four Weddings" on TLC. Each bride goes to each other's weddings and scores it. The winner gets a dream honeymoon. It has taught me that no matter how much better someone else's wedding is, each bride will most likely go to their grave claiming that her wedding was the best ever. Of course I feel this way about mine, but I shouldn't expect other people to as well.

No matter how many times AMC plays "Kill Bill" volumes 1 and 2, I always end up watching at least 15 minutes of it. I just love that movie!!


So what are your TV favorites? Anything I should check out?
Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!
Lots of love, Annie

These streets will make you feel brand new

When I was younger, I ached to be in New York City. I had been a couple of times, but it wasn't enough. After going with friends in high school, I would have dreams of going back. But when you're in high school and college, earning minor ducats in thankless jobs, I began to feel like this:

So imagine my joy when I started to date a boy who grew up just across the river from Manhattan. Now we can go to NYC whenever we want because we are blessed to live a reasonable drive away and we have a place to stay, thus eliminating the two expensive things that kept me from NYC when I was a teenager: airfare and hotels. Now when we go into the city, it's not a rush to try to see and do everything, because we know we'll be back again. Oh the joy!

And just to clear the air, we still can't quite afford to heart NY to the fullest. We splurge on broadway tickets (this time it was "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"---LOVED it!) so we have to save on dinner---thus the "Gray's Papaya" photo above. A hot dog dinner for two for less than ten dollars, and then free entertainment in Washington Square Park. Sounds like a perfect New York evening to me.

Basically, there are still cities that I need to go to, but I feel like I can make the bold claim that NYC is the greatest in the world. And I am so happy for this time to live on the east coast to go visit when we have a long weekend. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys have it right: "In New York, there's nothing you can't do, the lights will inspire you."

So it was a great weekend. It's really nice to have family close by--and by pretty close, I mean closer than Utah. I love NYC, but I do love my family more!

100th post special!

I started this blog a little over a year ago. I wanted to write something big and grandiose for my 100th post, but I don't have much to offer right now....and let's be honest, you wouldn't have even known it was my 100th post if I hadn't have just told you. Am I right?

So, thanks for still reading even though sometimes my posts might be sub par. I love all of my faithful readers--all ten of you (and that is not counting my husband). Here's to a hundred more!

And before I sign out, here's a little video I got from my sister in law this weekend: one of my favorite moments from my wedding (yes, I'm still relishing in it). I'm so happy she go it on video.

Oh happy day!

It's a happy day because it's the start of my weekend---Victor has tomorrow off so it's an extra long weekend for us--huzzah! So we're getting out of town: up to NYC, like last Labor Day weekend. This is what we  did last year--hopefully this year won't disappoint!

In the Heights: LOVED that show

While that's all fine and dandy, I'm more excited because I just found out that a CAFE RIO just opened in Manassas, Virginia: about a half hour away!!! I had braced myself to just start to like Chipotle, because I thought that was the closest I was going to get to Cafe Rio. Chiptotle is good and all, but it ain't no Cafe Rio. I mean, how random? Cafe Rio only has locations on the west coast...and now Virginia. So happy!

Anyway, that's all I have to say. Sorry if you're disappointed. Happy Labor Day weekend!

Love, Annie