Where Are You Christmas?

It's December 14th and Christmas is 11 days away.
I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done.
Christmas trees, lights, and decor have replaced the fall scenery.
People are slowly vacating the D.C. area to go home for the Holiday's.
Christmas parties are replacing every day work.
We had our Christmas program at church today.
I'm listening to Christmas music at this very moment to get me in the "Christmas spirit."
But, like the word's of Faith Hill's "Where Are You Christmas", I'm wondering that very thing? Where are you Christmas? Why is everything around me screaming Christmas, but me? Perhaps it's the fact that just last week we had 60 degree weather, and tomorrow it's supposed to be 65 degrees. Not that I'm complaining, I hate cold weather, and despite the sporadic warm days we're having here, it's been plenty cold enough. But, it just doesn't seem like Christmas time without a white blanket covering the earth. So, for the first time in my life, I'm actually dreaming of a white Christmas. I hate to admit this, but I'm in need of a good snow storm.
This is what I expect to see when I go home on Christmas Eve. Salt Lake City, and my lovely Wasatch mountains covered in snow. Then, I think I'll finally feel like Christmas is here!

Tis the Season

Some of you (whomever you are) will actually receive a tangible Candrian family Christmas card, others of you...probably not. Andrea (my sister, roommate, and partner in crime, pictured in the strawberry (according to J.Crew) colored dress) landed the lucky job of writing this year's letter. So, natrually she wrote it news reporter style. Enjoy! My family is amazing, it's true.

The Candrians Go to Washington

WASHINGTON, DC – It would seem that fate and the East Coast would collide in 2008, bringing together, once again, all the children of Mike and Joy Candrian.

You may recall, Brittany was the first to make the move to Washington, D.C., back in 2005. Rob and Lorena followed close behind in 2006. And this year, Andrea and Amy caught Potomac fever too.

First, an update on Rob and Lorena: they are busy preparing for a big move overseas. This next summer they’ll pack up their belongings and head to Stockholm, Sweden, where the State Department has given Rob his first assignment. They’re both busy learning the Swedish language and keeping in shape. Much of Lorena’s spare time in 2008 was spent bike racing. You can check out one of her races on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyo2UeCRYFE. Rob couldn’t let Lorena have all the fun staying fit, so he trained and did his first triathlon. Sorry, no video available.

Brittany and Brian are still living in Richmond, VA, just a few hours south of D.C. Brittany landed a job in Congressman Eric Cantor’s (R-VA) district office in Richmond. She occasionally gets to head back to her old turf in D.C. for training on Capitol Hill. She couldn’t be happier. Meanwhile, her husband Brian is busy pulling teeth. He has a year and a half left to go in dental school at VCU before we can officially call him Dr. Richman. Anyone need a root canal? Brian needs some practice. "I am not moving to Idaho," Brittany said of where she and Brian are moving once Brian graduates.

As for Andrea, she’s slightly regretting her move to D.C., now that the weather has gotten bitterly cold. She ditched her CBS reporting gig in sunny Florida this spring to pursue a press job on Capitol Hill. She now works for Senator Bob Bennett (R-UT) as his Deputy Press Secretary. All you Utahans can rest assured that Senator Bennett will be getting only the best news coverage on how your tax dollars are wisely being spent.

Amy graduated from Brigham Young University in April. She didn’t want to be the only Candrian kid left back west, so she too headed to D.C. She interned with the American Diabetes Association this summer. That led to a full-time job at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), where she now works as a program assistant in the office of HIV/AIDS. She’ll be headed to Africa sometime in 2009 for a business trip. Amy has discovered that post-college life, aka growing up, is slightly overrated.

“Do I want to stay on the East Coast?” Amy questioned. “Nope. I’ve lived in California, and that’s the funnest place I’ve ever been.”

Mike and Joy wouldn’t mind it if their youngest moved closer to home. They, of course, aren’t really enjoying life as empty nesters as much as they thought they would. In 2008 they made four trips to D.C. to visit their children. While it’s not likely they’ll be moving there anytime soon, they’re realizing their West Coast blood is running a little thin these days.

“I miss my kids,” Mike and Joy are constantly heard saying. Joy is spending her lonely hours perfecting her oil painting skills and working for an architecture firm. Meanwhile, Mike continues working for the church, keeping up on the latest novels, and jogging on a broken foot.

If you’d like to join the Candrians, and millions of other Americans, at the Inauguration in January, give any one of them a call. They’ll be sure to give you a good rate on a place to stay.

Who knows where the Candrians will be a year from now? They’ll keep you posted. For now, they wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best in 2009.

It's the simple things

It was months ago, I was lying in bed, tossing and turning, longing to fall asleep. My phone started vibrating. Who could possibly be calling me at 12:30 in the morning? I picked up my phone, only to see the words "restricted" printed clearly across the screen. Naturally I set my phone back down, and drifted off into a deep sleep.

The next morning, I picked up my phone and listened to the voice-mail left by, Mr. "restricted". If there's one way to make a girls morning, it's by serenading her, and my voice-mail did just that. Whomever it was that left me such a pleasant surprise, thank you! Months later, I'm still thanking you. To be precise, every 20 days I thank you when my phone prompts me to delete or re-save my messages. Consider that message re-saved for 20 more days when I'll get to listen to some boy (who is still a mystery to me) serenade me with the words to "When You Say Nothing at All" once again, before the message is saved yet again. The song may be totally cheesy but it makes me happy every time I listen to it, and as of lately I'm slightly obsessed. It's the small and simple things that make my day!

Have You Ever...

...sat through class, work, a movie, the bus, etc. etc. etc. and the person sitting next to you is constantly sneezing, sniffling, or coughing, and it drives you absolutely nuts? You wonder why they don't excuse them self to a more discrete place, like the restroom to deal with their germ spreading, stuffy nose running, congested mucus self? This week, I was that annoying person.

...constantly checked your phone 500+ times, hoping to find a missed call, new text message, or voicemail, yet much to your dismay no one has tried communicating with your 10 digits all day? No, you're more popular than that? Well, I only checked it like 20 times...500's a bit much!

...gained 10 lbs in one week because your employer thought they had to feed you gourmet meals (breakfast and lunch) all week long? Free food means free calories, right? WRONG!

...sat down in one sitting and eaten an entire container of Ben & Jerry's ice cream after a long and tiring day/week? I swear I only took one bite and before I knew it, the container was empty...oops!

...come home from work with all intentions of working out, but before you knew it, you were already in your pajamas ready to go to bed? I forgot how exhausting listening to people lecture for eight hours a day is.

...fallen asleep, head bobbing and all, during a colleague's presentation? I think I'm incapable of sitting still without my eyes slowly closing, and my head quickly bobbing.

...sat down to do work, looked at the clock, and realized you just spent the last hour gchatting, and doing nothing else? Yeah, me either!

This entire week has been nothing but unusual.

Shhh

Look, I get it, you have a busy life? Me too. I get it. It’s convenient for you to talk on the phone while being chauffeured around. Makes sense. I get it. You don’t care what’s going on around you, you’re going to do your own thing. Slightly selfish, but I get it. I get all the reasons why you would talk on your phone, on the bus ride home, after a long day of working. Killing two birds with one stone, right? But isn’t it slightly awkward to be sitting in a silent bus, full of 30+ people, knowing that every single one of us can hear your every word? We don’t even have to pretend we’re not eavesdropping on your conversation with [sister], your words are crisp, clear, and perfectly loud enough to know why Mike and you are solely friends, although you may know his every detail, down to the tiniest of them all, about his life. Why you’re so mad at Mr. So and So for making you wear a long dress that nearly reaches the floor, because quite frankly you’re strapless knee length dress from prom is just so much better. Why you wished you didn’t have to go out tonight, because you just don’t feel like socializing. Why you’re so excited for the weekend because you can finally sleep in. Why this week has been so long even though you didn’t have to work on Tuesday. And why you’re so frustrated because can’t we just have world peace? I just love how public, public transportation really is, don’t you?

Just Another Day in DC

I could list thousands of reasons (literally) why Washington, DC is an amazing place to live, but I wont, I’ll just list one. Presidential Motorcades, or in this particular situation, the presidential-elect motorcade driving by on my lunch break. Lately I haven’t been taking lunch breaks, but today, my inner self told me to do otherwise. I decided to take a walk through the streets of DC, since I’d spent most of my morning sitting on my behind. A little fresh air and loosening of the limbs generally make the second half of the work day more tolerable. And by tolerable, I simply mean more productive, which generally means time flies by, usually resulting in a fabulous day of work. Hence the reason this adjective seemed so suitable. Moving on. On the way back to my small desk on 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., 5^th floor of the Ronald Regan Building, I noticed the entire 14^th St. blocked off by cop cars. Anyone who knows me knows I have an obsession with cops/secret service men/FBI agents/snipers/ and any other man in a uniform that carries a gun and his main objective is to protect our country. They’re SO attractive. (I’m going to have a heyday the day I become a secret service agent!) I decided to finish eating my carrots, while sitting on the cement landing watching the cops do what they do best, boss people around (another reason why I’ll fit right in with the secret service). I had read earlier on CNN{dot}com that Obama was going to make his first visit to the Oval Office today—and I had to think, that’s odd, I’ve visited the Oval Office before our next President has? But seemingly, I forgot that the reasoning behind all the commotion on 14^th St. was due to Obama coming to town. Once I realized what was going on, I quickly decided that today’s lunch break would make up for a missed lunch break from last week. I wasn’t about to walk back into work, sit at my desk, and carry on with my afternoon as though my next President wasn’t right outside my window…that’s unimaginable and rightly not possible. So, there I stood, on the corner of 14^th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. with a crowd of business men, tourists, and true Obama supporters, clapping for the next President of the United States of America! Welcome to DC Obama, I hope you’ll find your stay as enjoyable as mine, but possibly more welcoming.

Yes we Can!

If you haven't already seen this video, watch it, it's great! (Thanks Cath)

Yes we can, and yes we did! Barack Obama, in two months I will gladly welcome you to the place I call home. I will gladly stand behind you as my next President of the United States of America. And I will pray from the bottom of my heart that the change the demacrats are so sure they can produce, will be better for our country than what we've been facing for the last few years.

Until then, George, I still stand behind you as my President for a few more months...we're friends! :)

"Excuse me"

What's gotten into people in DC? Within the last week I've had two people yell, shove, and give me dirty looks for the way I'm walking. The first was an old lady...that pretty much explains it all. She's old. I'm sure she felt like I stepped all over her seniority, and if that's the case, I'm sorry. There was no one around us, and she was walking slow. I'm not a slow walker, never have been, and never will be. Anyone who knows me knows I have a tendency to walk pretty fast. So being the speedy walker I am, I assumed I could sneak onto the vacant escalator before she got on. I was definitely right in my thinking, and with at least a few feet between us, I snuck onto the escalator in front of her. She on the other had was not pleased with my cleaver maneuvering. With all of her might she shoved her hand into my back and yelled, "Excuse me! You just cut right in front of me! You didn't even watch were you were going!" Actually lady I was, and I figured out with your slow pace and my quick steps, I had plenty of room to step in front of you, without disrupting your walking. Of course I didn't say that, only thought it to myself as I quickly apologized and snickered to myself. Apparently when NO ONE else is around, it's a big deal if someone cuts in front of you. I suppose I should have been patient and just waited for her to get on the escalator. But I was anxious to get back to work work, she was probably just anxious to get to her hair appointment that wasn't for another 20 minutes.

The second was just today. I got off the Metro, and stood on the right side of the escalator that is designated as, the standing only side. I was searching for my metro card that for some reason I had unintentionally put back into my bag. I quickly made it to the top of the escalator, still searching for my card. Before I knew it, I heard a man yell, "Excuse me!" I turned around, innocently assuming he was actually trying to ask me a question, and said, "Yes?" He looked at me and yelled, "MOVE, you're walking too slow!" Well gosh Sir. I'm sorry that there is an entire courtyard for you to walk past me, and you just happen to be standing RIGHT behind me, and am annoyed that I'm not walking at YOUR preferred pace. How dare I be so inconsiderate of your needs. So, with my attitude, and a very intentional, impolite tone, I told him "I'm sorry, you're more than welcome to walk around me if I'm not walking fast enough for you." I had to laugh to myself that the one time in my life that I'm actually walking slow, I get yelled at for it. For a brief second I was in an annoyed mood, and I wanted to be mean to that man for being mean to me. But then I tried to remember Elder Wirthlins words, "Come what may and love it."

Both of these "excuse me" situations occurred in the exact same spot. I guess I'll take the other escalator tomorrow!

Something New

I remember the day we first met. I saw you hiding behind the crowd and I just knew we’d make the best of friends. For a few months you seemed to stick by my side. We’d walk through campus together, sit through class together, and even go home together after a long and tiring day. We were inseparable. I carried your weight on my shoulders, while you carried my life inside of you. We made the perfect pair.

Much to my dismay, time came between us and caused us to go our separate ways. That always seems to happen. The moment I become so attached, the attachment is taken away. It was probably better that way, and thankfully, the distance didn’t last, you were back by my side in no time! Maybe I expected too much from you the instant you were back in my life. You seemed to be carrying more of my weight than ever before, and this time it was through the streets of DC. I seemed to take advantage of our being reunited, and I thought of only my needs, not yours. I was constantly stuffing things into you, without the slightest recollection that you already had enough. You didn’t seem to mind, until I noticed you were becoming rough around the edges. Even then, you didn’t seem to mind. It was as though you felt more needed, more loved, more cared for by everything I was giving you. So giving I did. It wasn’t until the other day you finally told me you had enough.

You were hanging by your last thread, and our days together were coming to an end. Just as I was becoming so used to you, you told me you were through. I knew secret things about you. I knew you inside and out. I knew your strengths and your weaknesses. And I knew that every morning I’d find you by my side. Well, those days are over now, you’ve been replaced. You told me you had enough. So, I took what was mine and left. It wasn’t easy. I spent weeks trying to find someone like you. Nothing ever seemed good enough. Nothing ever seemed strong enough. Nothing ever looked as good as you did. Do you remember how many compliments you’d get? Everyone always admired you, and since you were a gift, I always felt ok with agreeing with them. That makes you hard to replace. But I did it. Last night I found the new you. Purple is the new green!

The Life I Loved

There is nothing I love more than going home to good friends, great parents, and familiar surroundings. Therefore, last weekend was simply amazing.

Every Saturday afternoon when cougar football comes on, I instantly get depressed. Not literally, but I long to be at the games, cheering on my team, amongst a rambunctious crowd of crazy Mormons. It just doesn't get better than that, really, it doesn't. Especially when BYU is highly ranked and seems to destroy whomever they're playing (although, at this very moment I'm watching the BYU/TCU game...now THIS is depressing). I hate being on a losing team, so BYU is always (or usually) in my favor. The east coast isn't. I think LaVell Edwards Stadium and I have equally missed each other, so being the true BYU Alumnist I am, I paid my respects to my beloved home away from home. It just happened to be homecoming week last week too, so it only seem fitting for me to be there.

I may or may not have made an appearance in the LRC and faked being back at work in my Lab Assistant days. The LRC truly was my home way from home!

Naturally there would be blue bunned J-Dawgs at the tailgate party!
Naturally Lauren and I would be wearing matching sweatshirts!
And naturally someone thought we were sisters! I take that as a compliment.

#1, Fui Vakapuna. We would have dated if I didn't move back east. :)

Lauren, BryBry, and I way too excited to be at the game. BryBry and I both flew home to see our cougars.
We're true blue through and through!

Nothing says welcome home than 45 degree weather in the middle of October. And yes, it snowed while I was there, and then proceeded to be 70 degrees two days later!

Sadly my camera remained in my bag the rest of the trip, and an entertaining night has no true documentation. Cafe Rio, hanging out with some old friends, and an embarrassing game of catch phrase, all made for an AWESOME Saturday. I just love Provo. I realized if I were back at school, it wouldn't be the same. I may no longer have status as a BYU student, but I'll always have rock star status whenever I visit Provo!
I hate upsets, the destruction of a perfect record, and a 16 game winning streak being destroyed! It's just like BYU to lose on the road. That's depressing too.

Mmm Mmm I'm Lovin' It

Dear McDonalds,

I don't know the last time I was conned into eating your food. I'm thankful for that.

Please tell me how you've esteemed yourself to be sprawled across the entire world, clogging one artery at a time? I just don't understand?

In this time of financial crisis I wish you'd go bankrupt too. Only I wish the government would be wise enough to leave you ruined.

You don't deserve the worlds business. Perhaps if you were serving us real food, the kind that comes from animals and plants, I might think otherwise.

You tell me that you're dedicated to serving me the highest quality of foods. But alas, you've contaminated our food with chemicals, convincing us that it's Mmm Mmm good.

Where is the quality in that?

I see right through your cunning ways. I wont be fooled for one second.

We may have been friends when I was a child, but only because I didn't know any better.

Please tell me how you sleep at night, knowing this is what you're serving thousands of people on a daily basis?

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Sincerly,

Baffled and dismayed

Wednesday's Words of Wonder

When I should have been working, my mind was thinking of other things...

Running, one mile left, past the point of exhaustion, and a man with weights on his back sprints past me. Am I THAT out of shape? Or is he just a showoff

Changes in your ranks
#12 most desired (gained 2 places)
#13 most useful (lost 4 places)
#45 person with the prettiest eyes (lost 13 places)
Thank you facebook, and my many cyber friends for thinking SO highly of me and lowering my standings. Why in the world are people being compared on facebook? Who are these people who actually take time to compare their friends? And what do people do with this information anyway? Maybe I should start telling people, "According to facebook, I may have lost 4 places for being the most useful, and 13 places for having the prettiest eyes, but I've gained 2 places making me the 12th most desired." Will that entice someone to want to date/befriend me? I would sure hope so.

The restrooms in my building have signs in each stall that reads, "Please flush toilet. Repeat if necessary." Isn't that just common sense? Common courtesy?

Is it ironic, or just bad luck that the creepy man who stared at me on the bus the other day has been in the same metro car as me the past few days? Not just the same train, but the same car? Creepy!

So Long, Farewell

22, I never really cared for you.

You sent me away to become someone new,

And I didn't really care to do what you wanted me to.

22, you weren't particularly that fun,

A year full of heartbreaks, realities, and then some.

Looking back on my years trials as a whole,

You've done way too much to leave me feeling dull.

22, is it really true,

That I'm no longer a student going to BYU,

And I have to grow up and do something new?

22, why did you ship me off to the east coast?

I always thought the west coast would be my residing host?

You've rudely awakened me to the realities of life,

And caused me to go through some unnecessary strife.

23 will be better, leaving behind my past pain.

Only to show the east coast I can rule and reign,

But not in a way that will cause me to be feign,

And not rightly so, if it leaves me feeling vain.

Well 22...

...you and I are finally through.

23, I hope you can inherently see,

That I need you to take extra good care of me.

Pure Confusion

I was patiently waiting for the Metro to come pick me up and take me home. It was a little before 5, and work was over for the weekend. I stood watching the minutes slowly wind down until my train would be arriving, 5..4..3..2..1. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the busy and tired workers that crowded the metro station, my people watching mentality kicked in. I noticed two individuals, possibly friends, possibly lovers, perhaps mere acquaintances. I don't know why they caught my eye? But for some reason they stuck out--just the way a redhead sticks out in a crowd. The train finally arrived, and I stepped on. So did they. Since I no hablo español, I was quickly shunned from eavesdropping on their conversation. I exited the train. So did they. I made my way past them as I quickly walked up the escalator, leaving the thought of them behind. I stood in line to wait for the bus, and quickly noticed, so did they. It wasn't until I was standing in line waiting for the bus that I realized, that who I thought was a girl was actually a guy, and who I thought was a guy, was actually a girl. I stared...probably longer than is polite, (although, I don't think it's polite to stare at all, so I applogize for my lengthy gaze) to make sure what I just discovered was actually true. Yes! I boarded the bus, giggling to myself, feeling slightly embarrassed for me thinking poorly, and for them being deciving. I glanced a few more times, just to make sure I was right. Yes!

This got me thinking. Why/how do women lose sight of their femininity and men their masculinity? It just doesn't seem right.

Seize the Moment

We've all been on the receiving end of gag gifts, or perhaps been the contributor of these unnecessary items. They're funny, generally inappropriate, and naturally make the present moment extremely uncomfortable, only adding to the humor of it all. A few weekends ago, I discovered the gag gift of gag gifts. A special thanks to the Amish in Lancaster County, and the small city of Intercourse, Pennsylvania, for selling merchandise with the phrase "I love Intercourse" written all over it (pun may or may not be intended). Perhaps I'll give my new Pennsylvania keepsake away as a bridal gift, perhaps I'll be selfish and keep it for myself, only to be worn on a special and inapporpriate occasion. Decision still pending.

On a side note, the Amish have a lot more to offer than merely cheap "souvenirs". Their home cooked cooking is exceptionally delicious. Their lifestyle unique in many ways. And a buggy ride through Intercourse is not only educational, but gorgeous as well. If you're ever in this area, I highly recommend visiting. As the Amish would say, "Intercourse, Pennsylvania, come out and play!"

Going Green

I'm not a tree hugger in anyway. I occasionally remember to recycle the newspaper, milk containers, or any alumminum, plastic, or glass containers I may have accumulated throughout the week/month. I don't buy organic foods. I can't afford them. I've yet to purchase a "hip" and newly deemed, fashionably accteptable, reusable grocery bag. And by no means do I drive a hybrid car. However, just today I realized I'm doing something that can land me a spot in the eco-friendly category. Seeing that the lights in my office are on a timer, and naturally when you don't walk around enough they turn off, it's safe to say, I spend a majority of my day sitting in the dark. Some may say I'm lazy, I say I'm conserving energy (no pun intended). Oops, it just got dark again.

Turn the Lights Off

It's nearly 12 in the afternoon as I lay in bed listening to the cries of Mother Nature. Don't worry, I didn't just wake up, I just haven't moved much in my last few waking hours.

Most people would consider today a day of bad weather, I consider it blissful. As nice as a sunny day with a gentle, cool breeze is, the tears from heaven are far more pleasant and relaxing to me, than having the sun beat down on my face and having to wipe away a drop of sweat that has accumulated from the heat. Today is a good day.

Today is also my last day of "vacationing". I've somehow managed to turn my five days of vacation into a month long retreat. From Utah, to Idaho, up to New York, and now back to DC, I've had one adventure after another. I'm ready to start working again, but I'm convinced that in another month, I'll be ready for some more time off. Here's a recap of my month of relaxation.

• Doctor, dentist, hair appointment
• Got a new job
  
• Oral surgery
• Steph' wedding
• Worked at Joe Morley's (who doesn't like to make money on Vacation?)
• A trip to the cabin in Idaho to go wakeboarding
• Visited the "Big Apple" for the first time

to include: Central Park, the Zoo, Empire State Building, Time Square, Battery Park, Ground Zero, Shopping, 5th Avenue, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, Rockefeller Center, Mary Poppins, the US Open, and ate way too much good food for one weekend.

• Got another new job...apparently I can't make up my mind
• Spent a week "relaxing" in/around my apartment
• Vicariously lived the first week back to BYU through all of my friends still in college (I probably shouldn't admit to that)
• Had a tooth fall out
• More dentist visits

It's been fun, but it's time I wake back up to reality and begin working once again.

I've been cursed

Let's rewind six years:
I was merely a teenager that refused to believe "mothers know best". So, when my Mom told me not to go out with all of my friends the night before we left for Mexico, what did I do? Naturally, I went out with all of the boys. A mother's intuition is far more trustworthy than my own selfish desires. However, as a teenager, listening to my Mom was the last thing I ever wanted to do. But of course, as the events of the evening unfolded, I instantly wished that I would have listened to my Mom for a change. Going home with a knocked out tooth wasn't my ideal way to end the evening. To make matters even better...no, worse, the dentist was out of the office the next day, and my tooth couldn't get fixed before I had to board the plane for Mexico. My family joked that I'd fit in with the Mexican's with a missing tooth. I didn't see any humor in that.

Let's fast forward six years to the present:
Ever since getting my tooth knocked out, I have a fear it will happen again. Every time I walk up and down the stairs, I think to myself, "I better not trip, or I'll fall and hit my teeth and they'll all fall out." Without fail, that is my thought process every time I put my first foot on the step. I can't count how many times I've frantically woken up to feeling my teeth to make sure they're all intact. My worst nightmare is that my tooth will somehow fall out again. Well, funny that as I sat on my bed yesterday afternoon, talking to my Mom, my worst nightmare came true. I'd be lying if I said this time I found it humorous. Looking in the mirror only caused the tears to become more and more uncontrollable...I looked like one of those freaky witches that haunt you in the movies. I was a mess. Thank goodness for dentist, but I've had my fill of them for the year. From a cleaning, to surgery, to a tooth falling out in the course of three weeks, what more do I have to endure? Let the humor begin.

Uh-Oh

Thanks to JoNel Aleccia, a health writer for MSNBC, and my sister for sending me this article, the reasoning behind my sweet tooth addiction is now crystal clear. I should have guessed that the horrible ear infections I'd have as a little girl would end up bitting me hard later. I like to think of myself as tolerable to pain, sometimes too tolerable actually. However, the ear aches I'd get as a little girl left me screaming in tears, now running for sweets, and a future of obesity? Yes on the first two, NO on the latter. Maybe you can blame ear aches for your sweet tooth too. While you're reading the article contemplating this new found knowledge, I'm going running. Obesity and I are not friends, never have been, and never will be.

Welcome Home

I'm a big advocate of people going on missions. I don't think there is anything better you can do with your time than to serve the Lord. Sometimes I wish I'd gone on a mission, sometimes I think it would be such an incredible experience, sometimes I rather be on a mission working than in the real world working, and then, when I sometimes think of those "sometimes", I remind myself that someday I will serve a mission...when I can have my husband as my companion. Missions are great and the world is in need of devoted missionaries to bring people into the church. However, as much as I love missionaries, I love even more when they come home.Welcome home Sister Schallenberger!!!I'm glad I have friends who are willing to give their time to the Lord, but I love when the Lord can give me back my best friends!