Ahhhhhhh

Man, what a good day. Today was (gratefully) so different from the past few Sundays. Today Brian did not have to hand Danin to the lady in the pew in back of us in order to carry Jane and Camp out kicking and hollering under both arms. (And this was all while I began my talk on how we joyfully read scriptures as a family, mind you.) And today Jane didn't wail "I waaaannnntttt to go hoooommmmmmeeeee!" all through the sacrament. And today there wasn't fighting all day. Today was just as a Sunday should be: peaceful, cheerful, enjoyable. What a blessing.
And you know what? Come to think of it--the whole weekend was good. On Friday, Brian took Camp and Jane on his scout camp-out. This meant a full 24 hours of just me and the Little Poo. I usually only daydream about days like that--days where I get to take a nap, the whole house stays clean, Danin and I eat slow-churned, low-fat cookies-and-cream ice cream (of course, with the amount I eat, it is anything but low fat...)and I enjoy the relative peace and quiet. But you know what? It wasn't as good as I had expected. The nap was good--don't get me wrong. But I found that I didn't know quite what to do with myself to pass the time. I can only paint Dan's tonails and tickle her for so long. You know what I mean? But anyway...at the same time that it was a good break, it was also a good reminder of how lucky I am to have my kids--who keep my head and my hands constantly busy.

What else... Let me tell you about Brooke. She and her husband, Ryan moved here about four years ago and I liked her instantly. I remember meeting her for the first time in the primary room. She had a navy blue dress on (with polka dots, was it?)--kinda fifties-ish--and a ribbon or head band in her super long, thick hair. She was super outgoing and she smiled sincerely when I introduced myself. It wasn't too many weeks later that I learned--upon painting my living room a fabulous granny-smith-apple-type green, that she, too, was in the process of painting her living room an outrageous green! Her project was, in fact, much cooler than mine, though, because she was stenciling a pattern of fleurs-de-lis (sp?) with a silver paint marker over an entire wall! So cool. So anyway, since then we've become really good friends, and I've been so grateful for her. She's been the type of friend that almost makes me giddy because I have so much fun with her; the kind whom I can laugh and shop with--the kind of friend who will tell you if you pick out something totally ugly, or if you have a booger hanging out. The reason I'm mentioning this is because she moved to Wisconsin last week, and I miss her. I'm not going to go caress her picture or anything, but I'll miss her and I'm so glad she's my friend.
Other than that, (and the fact that Brian finished the dental office!) nothing of any major consequence is happening here. I did learn a new word, though. Ubiquitous: existing or being everywhere at the same time: constantly encountered. I Keep hearing everyone use the expression "uber"--something--like uber excited or uber organized. So maybe that expression would be considered ubiquitous. Or maybe swine flu in the MTC could be described as ubiquitous, or maybe urine in my kids' bathroom would be considered ubiquitous. I'm not sure. I'll have to keep looking for its usage.
And you know what I've decided? High school graduation addresses are--for the very most part--lame. And being the scholar that I am--I have figured out why. It's because all high school graduation addresses--or valedictory addresses, or what have you--concentrate on something that is actually quite insignificant and meaningless: high school. You know what I mean? How can you give a powerful, moving, heartfelt speech when it is about high school? It can't be done. Or, rather, I haven't seen it done. The only circumstances under which I can imagine a great high school graduation address would be those where the speaker and those being spoken to had really honestly taken advantage of their opportunity to learn--maybe one in which the opportunity for education at all had just recently come; or maybe one where a great deal of sacrifices had been made for education's sake; or maybe one where you had a group of people who represented the first in their families to ever graduate. Wouldn't that make for better graduation addresses? I think so. (Just to clarify--I'm not slighting those who have given high school graduation speeches--I just feel bad that there is a tradition that requires them to do so at all.)

Anyway...that's all for now. Enjoy the pictures.