Thanksgiving Oh Nine!

This Thanksgiving Scott and I drove up to Eden to spend some time with Scott's Uncle John and Aunt Jana, their kids, and all of Jana's extended family. It was great to spend my favorite holiday with a huge, chaotic family! I felt right at home!!! Eden was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and Jana's family was so nice to us. They made us feel right at home, and I was comfortable the whole time. We had a great time getting to know the extended family better, and especially spending time with our Bilton cousins. I love spending time with Sarah, and Scott loves messing around with Tanner and Blake. A bunch of us woke up and went for a morning turkey trot. Everyone who didn't go was in their pj's till one or two. Jana, Sarah, all of the girl cousins, and I went to the gym to work out while Scott went running outside (it was a beautiful beautiful day... perfect weather!). I've never had a Thanksgiving so full of exercise! Ha ha... I guess it did make the pigging out a little bit more enjoyable. Scott went with John, Blake, and Tanner after dinner to go shooting. He said it was a lot of fun, but shooting isn't quite his thing! That makes me happy... I'm not big on shooting. It was a really laid-back Thanksgiving Day, and we really enjoyed ourselves.

One of the things I look forward to around Christmas and Thanksgiving is my friends coming home from college! This year Em came into town, and I was so excited to see her! Scott and I went up to the Kerns to spend a night with John, Sharon, Tucker (for a bit), and Em. It was SO GREAT to be back in this house and just have fun laughing and talking. One of the things I love about getting together with Em is that we don't have "catch up" conversations. I feel like with some friends I spend a lot of time catching each other up on our lives, which is important, but I love when we can just dive in like we haven't missed a beat. It brings me back to that natural and easy feeling of friendship that we've shared for years. Em and I have been best friends since seventh grade... since we were twelve or thirteen. That is incredible to me. I've been so blessed in this friendship, and I know it will last forever. I have very few memories that don't include Emily. She's always been my other hip!

And I have to say that I am so grateful for Scott. It's great to be married to someone who makes the people who are important to me just as important to him. I'm so thrilled that my two best friends get along so well! I really lucked out there. Scott was so sweet to come with me to the Kerns and just fit in as if he grew up there too! You know when girls get together they take a million pictures of themselves, holding the camera out themselves while they make ridiculous faces? It's the classic shot. I love being married because my fantastic husband takes those pictures for us! I love him because he knows I'm ridiculous, and he loves me anyway... and even better, he joins in! He's even been searching flights lately to send me up to Colorado to visit Em on her turf.

Hopefully we'll all get to do some climbing before Emmy heads back (slash skiing if we can get some more snow).











We need to get Amelia and Sydney back here in December, and then I will have the merriest Christmas ever!


And guess who comes home tomorrow, who is on a plane to return to the homeland as we speak? MY MOM!!!!!!! I can't wait to welcome her back! Scabies and all!

WEIRD-BIRD

Salt Lake can't make up its mind. Emily went to Snowbird today and said it was "scrapey" but decent. But outside I'm wearing slippers and a windbreaker. It's hardly winter, but I'm so ready for it. I always get frustrated this time of year. It seems like when I'm ready for winter, It takes its time, and when I want to hang onto Fall a little longer, the snow falls in October. Last year I was in sunny Santa Barbara for Thanksgiving. I thought it strange to have a Thanksgiving without snow, one where I could wear shorts and go surfing. Snow-less Thanksgiving is fantastic in Santa Barbara, but I will not tolerate a snow-less Salt Lake Thanksgiving. The weather gods better kick into gear.

I complain about the weather not being able to make up its mind every year. I've spent 21 of my 22 winters in Utah. I should probably let it go and get used to it.

Birds are flyin' south for the winter.
Here's the weird-bird headin' north,
Wings a-flappin', beak a-chatterin',
Cold head bobbin' back n' forth.
He says, "It's not that I like ice
Or freezin' winds and snowy ground.
It's just sometimes its kind of nice
To be the only bird in town.

Shel Silverstein

This poem is not relevant. I just liked it.




















And this weird bird just makes me think of Doug.

Okay... that bird has taken me on an extremely unexpected journey (thank you google...isn't it about time google be part of the spell check dictionary) and break from my day to gaze upon a website filled with Doug-like drawings. This BreadWigGuy might be related to me.

CUTE MOM!

Here's mom doing medical exams for the at risk kids in the red light district! She's doing great and having a lot of fun. She's pretty tough... she's living in the jungle... with SCABIES! Ha ha ha... she probably doesn't want me to tell anyone that. Can't wait to have her home (where my dad will probably make her sleep in the garage until the scabies have gone far far away).

Check out what they're doing on their YMAD Blog

"I have been having some amazing opportunities here in India. Dr. Paul and I were able to work with 20 midwifes. These women are very smart and were so excited to learn. They asked us some great questions and we were able to teach them some things that will hopefully help save some of the babies they are delivering. We are going to talk to two other village groups of midwifes today. It feels very rewarding. I’m grateful to be here.

Yesterday a small group of the medical team went into the red light district to check on the children of the prostitutes. Nishtha has a shelter for these children. Stewy, Dr. Paul and I examined 42 children. I was overwhelmed to see the children. Overall the children were physically healthy. But, I can’t begin to comprehend all the many struggles they face each day."

Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes.

If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralyzed.Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as bird wings (Rumi).

This morning I did this...



...for the first time in almost a YEAR (Well, not ALL of this. My headstand is pretty rusty! And although my dad has always called me "Pretzel," the one in the top right corner looks a little unnatural... even though I will definitely be trying it out when I'm done with this post). I missed it so much, and it felt amazing to get back into it a little. I have done yoga at a studio a couple times a week ever since I was sixteen... at least until I left the Y. On the river, I'd do it every once in a while on my own... but ever since marriage, my yoga-ing has been non-existent. I'd love to be part of a studio again, but I remember enough to get by on my own for a bit. Today felt amazing. Something I definitely need to bring back into my life. I love yoga because it is the most simultaneously relaxing and energizing time in my day. It is filled with Wordsworth's spots in time, and it helps me let go of my day, or help my day let go of me. I love that it takes concentration and conscious effort, but at the same time feels effortless.

I BROKE ONE OF MY RULES

LIFE RULE: Never listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving...

Except last weekend I did all the way home from Provo. And I was way too excited about it!

INDIAN MOM

So mom called yesterday from India! She sounds great. It seems like living in the jungle really agrees with her. I stole this picture from their YMAD blog. She'll be back in three weeks!

Officially the first time I've ever included a link in my blog... took a minute to figure it out... but I got it! Click on it, or else I did all that for nothing.

Medias or Calcetines?

We did it! We are finally settled in our new place! It feels like a real home now that the boxes are cleared out... books are in cases... frames are on ALL horizontal surfaces... and my one Thanksgiving decoration is in our kitchen. Now I just need to stock up with food in the fridge and it's official!

I cannot believe how much stuff we have. I have no clue how it all fit in our last place!! It is such a blessing to be able to move, have a little more room to put all of our toys. This apartment is going to be a fun adventure for us.

Scott is at day two of Goldman right now! Yesterday was a big orientation day. Today, hopefully, he'll get to know his team and finally figure out what he's going to be doing! I'm excited to see him excited!


So pictures are coming of the new place... but here's a little sneak peek into our strange world of moving. My entire life, my dad has teased me that I can't match my socks. I'd wear a holiday Christmas tree sock that sings jingle bells with a "matching" Halloween pumpkin sock. (By the way, Scott and I weren't sure which Spanish word is correct... medias or calcetines?) I thought they looked nice together. But I did decide when I entered to great expanse of BYU that I would finally match my socks. So I wore white ankle socks. White ankle socks match! No matter what brand they are... at least they're the same color and the same height!

But that's not good enough for Scott. He was very frustrated with me during our moving process. He has a fear of unmatched socks. I told him ten years of owning all these socks, and not managing to have any two socks that match, is a HUGE accomplishment. He didn't agree, however.

Alright... the tradition stands... I couldn't get our video to work. I never can! But Scott can, so unless anyone out there in the blog world wants to fill me in on whatever I'm doing wrong, I'll ask Scott to post the video when he gets home tonight!

OH LIBRARY...

These days I read and write all day in the comfort of my own home... but tonight I am here at the U of U library.

I love studying at the library. I actually get a ton more done because it gives me that familiar feeling of studying at BYU until the wee hours of the night (I have to say the BYU library is a lot busier... I think the reason for that is because the library at the Y is used about 60% for facilitating our educational experience and 40% for social interactions, while the students at the U apparently do their socializing elsewhere). I have been studying up here during the daytime on occasion, but this is my first return to evening library study since my days at BYU when I was highly committed to my specific spot in the LRC (I sat there for years! Scott and I remember seeing each other in the LRC all the time my sophomore year. Apparently my schedule there was so regular that he knew exactly when to swing by the LRC to bump into me for a quick hello).

I feel like I came very prepared for the evening. I even packed a little ziploc baggie of Apple Jacks (well, Scott prepared it for me upon my request... isn't he nice?). I sat in a strategic zone of the library. South AND north facing windows so I don't feel like I'm underground (periodicals at the Y was never my thing). I can't see out the windows... just reflections in them... but it makes me feel better having windows even if I don't know what's beyond them. Clearly the north facing ones must separate me from another room. I'm near the restroom... but not so near that I'll look up whenever someone comes to use them. I've chosen to sit strategically far from the drinking fountain for this same reason, but just close enough so I can dash for a sip of water without having to worry about my stuff getting stolen (something I never considered at BYU. Not because of the honor code or the fact that everyone there is Mormon and likely has been taught that "thou shalt not steal," but actually because the chances were that I would know at least 30% of the people who had randomly assembled in the desks near me. I knew one of them would keep an eye on my stuff). And the final positive point of my seating choice... I'm in a cubical. A little cell! If I want to look around at anyone or anything that might distract me from my work, I would have to seriously strain my neck.

The one problem I failed to foresee... I chose a cubical near a computer outlet plug-in. I don't need the computer for my particular assignment. While this blog post has only taken a total of three minutes so far, in the future I will have to avoid this oversight. It's not as big of a deal as this would have been back in the day. I used to have email correspondence with a ton of people. So when I was in the groove of my work, I'd pop onto my computer, and there! Distraction! I'd have at least one email to read from someone. I guess one more good thing about getting married is that a lot (okay... all) of the email socialization goes away... and with it... distraction.

Don't check your email Lindsey... no one has written you!

On top of all of this.... I have been using Scott's computer while waiting for my new computer cord to arrive (which works by a HAIR better than the last one)... and now I suffer Mac withdrawals. I don't miss the Mac. I prefer the PC... but I keep trying to scroll down with two fingers, and I keep pressing alt because it's where the command key is supposed to be on the Mac. It's crazy how your muscle memory conforms that quickly. I am also failing to appreciate having the right click button back in my life.

And for those of you who are reading this, don't write some sort of comment on this post to the tune of "Get back to work," because by the time you read this, I will have already done just that.

s

MOVING DAY(S)...

I was delusional before. I have realized that every day this past week has been "Moving Day." Evidently, every day of this week will be "Moving Day" as well.

And Happy Ten months, Scotty!

TO AUTUMN

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, -
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.
(John Keats)























I used to have this memorized. Where does all this knowledge go?

MOVING DAY!!

That's it.

SCOTT...

...brought me a pack of skittles when he came home for lunch today! He is wonderful!!!! These little things absolutely make my day!!!!

THINKING ABOUT THANKSGIVING

It's not really too early to think about Thanksgiving. Scott and I are having our first Thanksgiving celebration at Ingunn's on Sunday.

I've always been someone who can't let traditions go. I'm getting better. I remember the first time I had to ditch out on my favorite family holiday. By this time, I had missed weddings and reunions. I had missed my birthday at home.... but I had never missed Thanksgiving until Thanksgiving 2006 I was in London. I found this email, addressed to Emily while I was over there.

"this day is a different kind of thanksgiving. at home it's all about family, food, warmth, and thanking God for the blessings we have been given. Here...i feel like i have really personalized thanksgiving... and i've put a whole new spin on it. This morning i got up at six to play American football in Hyde Park. It was so strange to pass joggers and strollers, and i looked at these people and just thought, "no one here knows it's thanksgiving!!!" ha ha.. it was weird... like i had some secret delight. so... on the way home i was crunching in leaves (snowless still) and it just felt like Autumn, the kind of Autumn Keats would describe or the kind you would paint if you could perfectly transfer thoughts to paper. And strangely enough... even with dish duty... even with dressing up in a skirt and autumny tops (whereas thanksgiving is usually spent in jeans and a sweater)... it still felt like thanksgiving. Even without cooking. Without chaos. without cousins. It still feels like thanksgiving! (i actually am going to go downstairs and help cook after this email). The American Community living in London was invited to St. Pauls Cathedral for an American Tributary Thanksgiving service. This really fortified my Thanksgiving spin this year. Here i am, listening to Catholic sermons, feeling so compelled to be greatful for the gift of life and all the many blessings i receive without even thanking God for them so much of the time, but i also felt empowered as an American. This Thanksgiving was like a 4th of July! I feel patriotic, proud of my home, and proud that my country was founded on that premise of a belief in God. It all kind of came together again for me today. I'm proud of our country (living outside of it has made me realize that), and i attribute the strength of our country to God as one of our greatest blessings that we should give thanks for at Thanksgiving. It was a little awkward though, to think that we are celebrating a holiday that exists because a huge group of people were divinely inspired by God to leave England and seek out a better life. I felt weird sitting next to a British friend thinking, "i'm celebrating people escaping the corrupt and inhibiting religious institutions that your country imposed upon them." strange... he he"

It's fun to look back on that Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving hasn't been the same ever since that year!!!! In 2007 I drove to Saint George with Kyle, and we had Thanksgiving with the Petersen side. In 2008 I had Thanksgiving with the Hannays in Santa Barbara. And this year we'll be with the Biltons. For someone who has always been such a traditionalist, I'm surprised that I love all the changes! Thanksgiving is still my favorite holiday, and it's for the feelings associated with it, not the food or where I eat that food. I think I've come a long way from crying when my mom told me that Santa Claus was going to start leaving presents upstairs instead of downstairs. That was a very big deal to me.

There's so much coming up!

1. We're MOVING! We're staying in the Aves, but we are moving. So I've spent the last few days boxing up all of our stuff and cleaning out our new kitchen with my mom, getting it ready. We're so excited to get all settled and have people over! Now they'll be able to come in and hang out without having to walk in through our bedroom, and they'll also be able to use the bathroom with the door CLOSED instead of cracked open with the faucet turned on so they can feel like no one can hear them. Oh geez.... what wonderful memories have filled this last year (This is the longest I have lived in one place since my senior year of high school).

2. Scott's wrapping things up at UW to transition into Goldman. We're so excited to make the switch next week!!! I think the change is long overdue. And Goldman opens so many doors for Scotty with school and progressing in his job. It'll be fun for him to have a change in scene and be working with Andrew, too. Fun changes in the works.

3. I'm taking such fun classes! "Writing for Children and Adolescents" and "Studies in Poetry" It's so nice to take the time to write... and I don't need to feel guilty about it because I'm doing it for a class!!!

4. Scott's still doing his GMAT classes. Lately we've been having those days where we walk in the door when it's dark out and we crash minutes later. Last night we actually got a chance to sit and talk for about five minutes before we crashed! It was so great to actually be able to spend some time talking to my husband!!

5. Scott and I have Thanksgiving on Sunday. Ha ha ha.. My family is going to be all over for the actual holiday. So we're doing it this Sunday. Scott and I will probably spend the actual Thanksgiving up at the cabin with John and Jana's family. I'm actually really excited about this! Scott will have to work on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but I'll probably stay and hang out with the Biltons. We love spending time with them, and it's nice to have at least a small part of Scotty's family so close. Either way... it's great to have two Thanksgivings!!!!! Especially since Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday!

Mmmmm....

SOBRINOS

I stole these pictures from my sister. Look how cute my nephews are!!!! Andrew was a farmer for Halloween, and Ben was his cow!!! I love these boys!!!






We were having a tutorial on how to stick out your tongue in pictures. Scott is an excellent teacher of this art.






And then we had a sword fight... of course. Typical activity of the Sabbath Day. Dueling....


Ben was so funny following Andrew around. Scott tried to show him how to hold the sword the right way, but he was sure that you are supposed to hold the wooden sword by the blade.
What funny boys. We had a blast chasing them around the house and toasting to King Andrew during dessert. Little Baby Girl to come is going to have to learn how to hold her own with these two.

HALLOWEENY NIGHT

It was a Happy Halloween! I have pictures of us in our costumes (we wore to our YM/YW costume party). I'll have to post those once my new computer cord comes. I've been using Scott's and I'm not completely mac savvy. But here are some pictures from our Halloween night courtesy of Annie and Jon.

Scott was very nice to help me get the last of the gunk out of my pumpkin. You know, everyone tells us that we look like siblings. This is the first time that I look at a picture of us and can kind of see what everybody's talking about. But Scott's cuter.

Matt and Loral. Matt looks extremely intense. He must be working very hard. We have to thank Matt for turning twenty-six. Last night Scott, Andrew, and I drove down to Matt's birthday dinner at TUCANOS! I haven't been there in a couple years, and I mentioned to Scott three days ago that we should go sometime... and we got to last night. It's ten o'clock the morning after, and I still haven't eaten anything, I'm so full from last night. It was delicous.

Jon and Annie. On their front porch. Jon had a fog machine he loved to use on the trick-or-treaters. I loved that he was so into the Halloween spirit.

The whole group outside Jon and Annie's. Celeste, Kevin, Scott, me, Annie, Jon, Adam, Beckah, Matt and Loral. This is such a fun group of friends. It's a bunch of Scott's Santa Barbara guy friends and all their new wives! We always have fun with these guys.



Jon and Annie have the cutest house and go all out with all of their goodies. There's always a million delicious things to snack on! I can't ever have parties at my house because I won't be able to match the parties at the Kimball house!!!

MY DEMISE

I finally get the guts to attempt this Canadian treasure of the Hannay family.... and OF COURSE I mess it up somehow. I had never made these before... I didn't even know what they were supposed to look like. They tasted delicious, but how sad... the middle layer was a yellow, runny, goopy-looking slime. Lynne... HELP!!!? What did I do wrong?

I'm going to need some hands-on tutoring over Christmas!!!

IN THE MOMENT

It was a day in June, all lawn and sky,
the kind that gives you no choice
but to unbutton your shirt
and sit outside in a rough wooden chair.

And if a glass of ice tea and a volume
of seventeenth-century poetry
with a dark blue cover are available,
then the picture can hardly be improved.

I remember a fly kept landing on my wrist,
and two black butterflies
with white and red wing-dots
bobbed around my head in the bright air.

I could feel the day offering itself to me,
and I wanted nothing more
than to be in the moment-but which moment?
Not that one, or that one, or that one,

or any of those that were scuttling by
seemed perfectly right for me.
Plus, I was to knotted up with questions
about the past and his tall, evasive sister, the future.

What churchyard held the bones of George Herbert?
Why did John Donne's wife die so young?
And more pressingly,
what could we serve the vegetarian twins

who were coming to dinner that evening?
Who knew that they would bring their own grapes?
And why was the driver of that pickup
flying down the road toward the lone railroad track?

And so the priceless moments of the day
were squandered one by one--
or more likely a thousand at a time--
with quandary and pointless interrogation.

All I wanted was to be a pea of being
inside the green pod of time,
but that was not going to happen today,
I had to admit to myself

as I closed the book on the face
of Thomas Traherne and returned to the house
where I lit a flame under a pot
full of floating brown eggs,

and, while they cooked in their bubbles,
I stared into a small oval mirror near the sink
to see if that crazy glass
had anything special to tell me today.

Billy Collins