the secrets of panda express

Last week [I think - I'm losing track of my days], Tim and I went to Panda Express.  We usually get to meet up on Fridays for lunch because we get out of our classes at the same time and can eat together before we head to work.

Not that you really cared about that useless piece of information.

But I really like it.

Anyways.

I got an awesome fortune cookie that said:


Your sense of humor will get you through difficult times.

I felt all warm and fuzzy inside.

[I really only go to Panda for the fortune cookies.] [Just kidding.] [Kind of.]

Then Tim went to open his fortune cookie...

...and there was no fortune!

We felt so gypped.  And then puzzled.

Does Tim have no future?  Or can he just choose his own destiny?  And whereas I am doomed to having my sense of humor get me through difficult times, maybe he can choose to just be depressed during difficult times if he so wishes?

Perhaps we'll never know.

p.s.  In regards to my last blog, I have a clarification.  That first picture?  Of my new bedspread?  I did not make that.  [I owe all of that to Target.]  And I did not make the fish blanket.  Or the blanket from my mom [of which there was no picture].  In fact, I have never made a blanket.  My only talents lie in being able to blog about inconsequential nonsense.  [But thankfully, I still get to enjoy the fruits of other people's talents.]

Ok, just had to be sufficiently humble, in case there was any confusion.

Ok.  Ok bye.

buttons and blankets

Here it is ladies and gentlemen...the moment you've all been waiting for...

You may now take my button!

[What? No one was waiting for that?  I'll just pretend I didn't hear that.]

And, in another bit of news, here is our new bedspread:

I know this isn't an awesome picture [which I'll blame on our camera rather than on the photographer], but isn't it cute?  [You may only respond if it is in the affirmative.]

Also, my best friend Ashley made us this fish blanket:

[Ok, I know that couch isn't the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, but it came with our furnished month-to-month apartment.  Don't judge.  And maybe overlook the boxes in the following picture.]

Tim sporting the fish blanket like the male model that he is.

Wait...what's that you say?  You don't see any fish?

That's ok.  There aren't any.

It's Ashley's family's tradition that all started with a blanket which did have fish on it.  Most of the blankets which have followed it have not sported any fish, but they are still called fish blankets.  [Eh, Pancha?]

Anyway, we love it.

My mom also made us an awesome quilt for our wedding, but the only picture I currently have of it has it covered with laundry.  Someday I will show you a picture.  Because it is awesome.

But.  Today is not that day.

Ok, time for homework.

Over and out!

our first camping trip [as a married couple]

Last Friday, Tim and I set out for our first camping trip as a married couple.  We decided Payson, AZ was a good idea, since it is relatively close and because there seemed to be a vast amount of campgrounds around there.

We discovered:

1. Payson is relatively close.

2. There are a lot of campgrounds around there.

3. Even though there are a lot of campgrounds, there are not a lot of open campgrounds.

4. 6:30pm is way too early for it to get dark.

5. Setting up a tent in the dark can be very tricky.

Quite a few things went wrong [perhaps too many to enumerate in an interesting manner], but we just giggled the whole time.

Then Tim started saying redundant things - not on purpose at first.  Then after awhile we turned it into a game, so that everything we said was redundant.  [E.g., "It's like I always say, when something is funny, it's just funny."  "I'm gonna try not to repeat myself, 'cause that would just be redundant."  "Setting up a tent is really hard, and it's also really difficult."]  Aaand the giggling continued.

When it was time for roasted marshmallows, I wanted to take a picture with one [smiling, of course] because of this post.  I was just posing with the marshmallow, waiting for Tim to take a picture, when my marshmallow unexpectedly caught fire.  This is the resulting picture:

Then the camera died.  Right after taking that picture.  [I'm trying not to take that as an insult.]  So that was the only picture we got of the camping trip, other than the [more crappy] ones I took with my phone.

The next day we took two hikes - one of which consisted of a very small pond which had tons of tadpoles and even a water snake.  [Which Tim did not see, but I swear it was in there.]

It was beautiful there.  I highly recommend it [all 542.46 campgrounds - especially the 1 open one].  It was so nice to get away from everything and to just be for awhile.

And now we're back to the daily grind and I find myself wishing I could be back in Payson, struggling to set up tents in the dark and unexpectedly catching marshmallows on fire.

items of business

I have a few items of business I would like to discuss.

[Ahaha.  Sometimes I make myself laugh.]

Ok, first things first.  See my new little blog button there on the side?  Don't take it yet!  [Is that bad publicity?  Alas.]  It's not quite perfected yet.  But.  I'm working on it.  [Or I should say, Tim is working on it.]  I'm not very savvy at all this hip blogger stuff yet.  [Obviously, if it's taken me this long to get a button, eh?]  I'll let you know when it's ready a.s.a.p.

Second item of business.  I was given two blog awards!  Well, technically, I think I was given the same blog award twice [by two different people - Emma from Race & Emma and Ashley from All Things Ashley].  The Versatile Blogger Award.  I'm so happy!  I love blog friends and blog lovin'.  So I believe I'm supposed to tell you seven random things about me and then nominate some people for the same award.

1. I am naturally a very shy person.  Over the years, it's gotten to the point where most people can't even tell [at least, I don't  think so].  But it takes a lot of work on my part sometimes.  I think now I can be relatively outgoing without a ton of effort, but occasionally I just revert to sitting in the corner quietly.

2.  I love food.  [Wait, was this supposed to be things you didn't know?]  I don't consider myself a "foodie," because let's face it - I am not discriminatory.  I love almost all food.  [Minus seafood.  I know that's a pretty large group to rule out, but I think if you read this post, you'll understand.]

3. I used to play the trumpet.  True story.  5th-8th grade.  Back in the glory days.  [Not.]

4. I once swallowed a penny.  When I was five.  And it got stuck in my esophagus and I had to have a bronchoscopy and stay in the hospital overnight.  Awkward.

5. I am a Mormon!  And my new Mormon.org profile is now up and running.  You can get to it by clicking on that "I'm a Mormon" button on the upper-right hand side.

6. Tim and I love Psych.  Like, love love love it.  Enough that we got two pineapples, two Season Four DVD sets, and a pineapple clock for wedding gifts.  I have this dream that we could spend an entire day with them, quoting '80s movies.  [And don't try to tell me that they aren't real.]

7. I am a singer.  Or more like I used to be.  I've done years of choir, but in high school, I did a few years of singing lessons.  And would compete in Classical and Musical Theatre competitions.  It was kind of intense and took a lot of the fun out of it for me.  But.  I still like to sing, but now it's more informal.  Sometimes, Tim and I sing on Mill Avenue in Tempe, AZ for fun [and we even get paid for it...suckers].

And there you have it.  Things you never wanted to know.  Now for the nominations.  [Our third item of business.]  This is really hard for me because I love so many blogs.  So many talented, creative people out there.  But here we go:

Katie from Scruples

Alexis from Alexis Laughs

Siri from Of Pumpkin Thieves

Katie from Harrisness

Kara from Not a Couple's Blog

Chelsea from Perfect in My Mind

Bridget from Being Quiet in a Loud Way

[I didn't actually know how many I was supposed to nominate, so I did seven - the number of random facts about myself.]

Ok kids, now it's your turn!  Seven random facts about yourselves and nominations!

Fourth order of business: Camping was awesome.  I will have to tell you all about it a.s.a.p.  [But not now, because this is turning into a freakishly long post.]

Fifth order of business:

A wedding picture.  For fun.

Kbyenow.

[third]-day-of-school pictures?

I am shamefaced.

I never showed you Tim's and my first-day-of-school pictures.  And now we've been in school for a month.

I've never been so embarrassed.

[Ok that is a lie.]

[Confession: my mom never took first-day-of-school pictures.  So this was actually a first for me, I think.  And it was the most monumental event of my life.]

[Next confession: I don't actually think this was even the very first day.  It might have been the second.  Or even the third.]

Tim dropping me off at school.  [I'm pretty sure he made that same face on his first-day-of-school picture when he was a five-year-old.  We'll have to ask his mother.]

And what a marvelous first second third day it was.

[Also a lie.]

But, alas, the semester is progressing nicely, and I attribute this fully to the fact that we took first second third-day-of-school pictures.

[But if the semester goes south, I will never take third-day-of-school pictures ever again.]

what a girl's gotta do

Have you ever had a really strong craving for a roasted marshmallow whilst camping?

Well, duh.  Hasn't everyone?

Ok, well have you ever had a really strong craving for a roasted marshmallow whilst you're not camping?

Having had extensive experience in this area, I can tell you: it can get a little tricky.  Especially since my apartment complex tends to frown upon fires in the living room.

Don't worry, though.  I've found a solution.

Stove-roasted marshmallows!

Ah, yes.

Unfortunately, it doesn't have quite the same flavor.  Especially since it's a little harder to catch your marshmallow on fire over a stove.  [I like 'em burnt.  Carcinogens or not.]

But sometimes, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.  [And sometimes, her husband does whatever it takes to fulfill her ridiculous cravings.]

p.s. Just in case anyone has any doubts, I am not pregnant, regardless of my outlandish cravings.  No internet rumors please ;)

p.p.s.  Tim and I are going camping this weekend, so I'll be able to have a real roasted marshmallow.  Just ask me how excited I am.

p^3.s.  Is anyone else getting really excited for the holiday season?  I started thinking about it today in class and teared up a little.  [Regressing, I tell you.]

i am regressing

Browsing through Netflix movies last Sunday, Tim and I came across this baby:

via

Neither of us had seen it in years, so we decided to watch it once again.

Was it what I remembered?  No.
Did I still like it?  Yes.
Did I pick up on the save-the-environment messages this time around?  Yes.
Did I fall in love with Willy all over again?  You betcha.
Did I cry like a baby the whole way through?  Absolutely.

Wait...what?

Yes I definitely did that.

Periodically throughout the movie, Tim would turn to me, notice the tears, stifle a laugh, and try to act sympathetic.

It was really very sweet.

Especially since I was trying not to laugh, too.

[Laughing and crying at the same time can be a very messy ordeal.]

Then yesterday I finished this book:

via

My mom lent it to me a while ago [with some very strong encouragement to read it], and it just took me awhile to start it.  Then one day, I forgot to bring a textbook to read in between classes, and there it was.  Magically sitting in my backpack.

It's a very short book, so it didn't take me very long to finish.  And it's not the most dramatic or life-changing book I've ever read.

But I cried almost the whole way through.

I am regressing into a baby, I tell you!  A four-month-old, cry-for-no-[apparent]-reason baby.

It's getting quite ridiculous.

[But in my defense, it was very heartwarming.  And far more engaging than some of my textbooks.  Ok textbooks make me cry sometimes, too.  But certainly not for their heartwarming capabilities.]

Maybe one of y'all should watch/read these for me and tell me if you had the same reaction or if I really am just turning into a boo-baby.

Kthanksloveyoubye.

brain fag

I just found the definition to a phrase I never knew existed - until tonight, that is.

The phrase?

Brain fag.

Now I know what you're thinking.  [And, ok, I did originally enjoy that phrase because of my immaturity.]

But hear me out, kids.

This comes straight from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision [also known as the DSM-IV-TR] cultural section.  Legit, right?

Ok, are you ready for the definition?

A term used initially in West Africa to refer to a condition experienced by high school or university students in response to the challenges of schooling.  Symptoms include difficulties in concentrating, remembering, and thinking.  Students often state that their brains are "fatigued."  Additional somatic symptoms are usually centered around the head and neck and include pain, pressure or tightness, blurring of vision, heat, or burning.  "Brain tiredness" or fatigue from "too much thinking" is an idiom of distress in many cultures, and resulting syndromes can resemble certain Anxiety, Depressive, and Somatoform Disorders.

Sound familiar?

Um, chya.

Haven't all college students experienced at least 90% of those things?

And now we have a phrase for it: brain fag.

Don't you feel better now that your brain fatigue is legit?

I know I do.

[And now it's back to studying.  But it's ok, because I like this section.]

i need YOU, kids

I have all kinds of things that I want to write about, but almost all of them involve pictures.  Pictures that I don't have with me right now.  Which means I can't write them right now.  [Well, I guess I could write them, but I wouldn't be able to post them, so what's the point, eh?]

Anyways.  Today I just have a question.  A question I really want to know the answer to.

I bought Thank-You cards for all things wedding-related a few weeks ago, but since school started I just haven't had the time to write in them.  Or consequently, send them to anyone.  I am planning to block aside some time for it this weekend, but I would just like to know...

What is a good [or a bad] amount of time in which to send Thank-You cards?

I know in the South, there is some sort of unwritten rule on this that everybody just somehow knows inherently or something.

But what is good etiquette on this, people?

I got married on August 5th.  Today is September 14.  Too short?  Too long?

I would be horrified if anyone thought I wasn't thankful for all of their help/time/gifts, because I totally am.

And ok, ok, since you asked....

...another wedding photo.

Ok so no one actually asked for this.  But I'm sure it's what you all were hoping for, right?  ...Right?

p.s.  Ok one more question.  I keep hearing lately that so many people hate kissing pictures.  I actually can't even fathom that, because I love looking at kissing pictures.  I just think they're so romantic.   [Usually, anyway.]  I think that when people hate kissing pictures, it's akin to hating Disneyland or furry animals or chocolate or something.  Thoughts?

a girl's best friend

Welp.  I passed my first grad school exam on Thursday.  It was a big deal.  Today I just want to take a vacation.  And I have - mentally.

Which is why I'm not going to talk about school for the rest of this post.  Let's pretend together that it no longer exists - at least for the next few minutes.

I love dogs.

Have I told you that?

That dog [up there] is an English Springer Spaniel.  And his name is Casey.

Let me tell you how he became a member of my family.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who had never really thought about dogs very much.  She didn't dislike them - she just didn't think about them either.  Then one day, her grandparents got a puppy named Zack.  And although the puppy tried to bite her toes and eat her belongings, the little girl fell madly in love with the puppy named Zack.

Because of her fondness for the puppy named Zack, the little girl began to have a fondness for all dogs.  It didn't matter to her how big or how little they were.  It didn't matter if they were brown or white or black.  If they had long fur or short fur.  The little girl did not discriminate.  She only knew that she suddenly - and completely - had fallen with any and all dogs.

The father of the little girl encouraged her obsession.  He told her stories of the dog he had when he was young.  He took her to dog fairs.  He even bought her a dog encyclopedia, which the little girl read religiously.  The little girl and her father would name the breeds of the dogs they saw on the street.  She would tell him all the things she'd learned about the breeds from her encyclopedia.

Consequently, one night, the little girl confided in her father that she wanted a dog - very badly.  He told her that right now it was not possible for her family, but that they might get one someday.

For five years, the little girl told her father every single night how badly she wanted a dog.

Every night, he told her that they might get one someday.

Finally, the family of the little girl moved away.  The little girl - who was not quite so little now - continued her nightly tradition of telling her father how badly she wanted a dog.  And, one night, he told her that her family was finally ready to get a dog.

The girl was ecstatic.

Her mother wanted a small dog with long hair.  Her father wanted a large dog with short hair.  The girl did not mind one way or the other.

Finally, the mother and father of the girl agreed on a breed they liked.  English Springer Spaniels.  A medium sized dog with medium sized hair.  It seemed a perfect match for the girl's family.

And so they started their search, eventually finding an ad in the paper for a 9-month-old English Springer Spaniel for free just two hours away from where the girl's family lived.

As the girl and her father drove the two hours, they discussed names ["Casey" was a favorite], sleeping arrangements for the dog [on the girl's bed], and who would be responsible for cleaning up after and feeding him [the girl was given this responsibility...though it never quite worked out that way].

Eventually, they neared the house.  As they drove up, the girl noticed the dog sitting on the porch with its then-owner.  Her heart constricted, and she instinctively knew that this dog would be a very important part of her life.  Then she got to meet him for the first time.  As she reached out to pet him, the timid dog leaned into her shyly.  The not-so-little girl knew she would never let him go.

And over the next few years, the dog named Casey became one of the girl's best friends.

As he remains to this day.

Who said dogs couldn't be girl's best friend?

four things

I would just like to note four things:

1.  Accidentally bringing the wrong tupperware to work may [inadvertently] result in the [very healthy] lunch of broccoli.

2.  Drinking Dr. Pepper with your lunch may [purposely] cancel out any healthy points from the broccoli.

3.  Tim asking to see me before work and then surprising me with flowers is a very choice way to start the day.  [Yes that is my Sun Devil cup they are residing in.  I...accidentally broke my vase as I tried to force the flowers in.  Woops.]

4.  We have been married for a month now.  As of yesterday.  [And I love it and I love my husband and I love my life.  Mushiness over.  Kthxbye.]

p.s.  I know this is technically a fifth thing, but I have really appreciated your comments as of late.  Like, a lot. Making my day kind of "a lot."  So thank you.

i wrote a guest post

Ok, ok, I know it's a holiday and everything, but...

I wrote a guest post.  And you can read it today.

So enhance your holiday celebrations by clicking on that link!  I'm sure you won't regret it.

[You also won't regret spending some time on Emma's blog.  Lots o' fun, kids!]

[This is my first guest post ever.  Whaaaat!]

the bee sting of life

[Dramatic title, eh?  I assure you, it's completely appropriate.]

I know, I took a few days off from the blogging world.

In that few days, there might have been a few breakdowns, some major studying, and some major questioning.

And most of all...there might have been no time.  To do anything.

Today, I feel a little better.  I'm adjusting.

I'm not used to never having any breaks from studying or work.  I'm not used to having to actually having to read the textbooks [especially when it's 100+ pages per night].  And, most importantly, I'm not used to not always liking class.  Because, my friends, I enjoyed every single psychology class during my undergraduate career.  And I liked every single psychology teacher.  [Yep, I was one of those kids.]

And now, I'm just not sure what to do with myself.  It's been an adjustment, to say the least.

But I think I'm making progress.  [And that's the important part, right?]

Anyway.  Yesterday, I was having one of those days and was on my way to talk to my Counseling advisor about my doubts on whether being a counselor is actually what I want with my life.  I walked through the double doors at the outside of the building.  Then I walked down the hallway and came to another set of double doors into the Counseling Headquarters [I'm pretty sure it's not actually called that, but it's called that in my head.  But if I wanted to be Rogerian, I'd probably call it the Counseling Fortress of Solitude.]

As I was walking through the second set of double doors, my left arm started stinging like crazy.  Seriously kids.  Without even thinking, I started swatting at my left arm furiously.  Then I looked up, saw the receptionist staring at me, turned around, and said [still in a considerable amount of pain, I might add], "Is there a bee on the back of my arm??"

He laughed at me nervously with raised eyebrows.  I could sense him thinking, The Counseling Training Center is right down the hall, lady.  You're obviously one of their clients.

He shook his head tentatively.

I saw the bee flying around the ceiling.  "See?" I said with certainty.  "I'm pretty sure that's the one that stung me."

He looked up at it and looked back at me.

I could see I was getting nowhere.

"You can go ahead and go into his office now," he said, obviously in a hurry to get me out of his reception area.

Later that night, I made Tim look at the bee sting and tell me how much it must have hurt and how brave I was to withstand all of that pain.

It made me feel better.

[It also made me feel better that we ate an entire container of Funfetti Frosting in one night during one of my breakdowns.  But that is a story for another day.]

[Happy Place]