UT Trip Pt 2

After saying goodbye to missionary boy, we headed over to my family's house for some quality time. My brother came down from SLC and my sister and her family came into town from Pocatello. All said we had 7 adults, 3 kids, 2 dogs, and a grumpy old cat:
Note Iggy Wiggy's puffed tail and aggressive stance. He was letting the dogs outside know who is the alpha cat.
My nephew Richie, who was also practicing his mean and scary tyrannosaurus rex pose.
Mariah, on the other hand was all girl. Look how beautiful we are after she made us up with the 'make-up' Hannah and Tyler gave her for Christmas.
And then there is Ariel... yep, just like the mermaid, except instead of a crab for a friend she has found a frog. Maybe in a few years he will turn into a prince :)
Tyler is always a big hit with the kidlings. Probably because he is a human jungle gym who can carry all of them at the same time. First game was to have Ty-eh drag all three of them around the kitchen while they clung to his legs. Second time he just threw them on like sacks of potatoes.
So, all of my life I have been told I look nothing like my family. After closely examining these pictures, I am inclined to agree. I keep waiting for my parents to tell me I'm adopted. Sure you don't have something to fess up guys?

And what is Christmas without the traditional cookie making and frosting. Good thing we had such fantastic help!

Throw in a little Spiderman....

And another pose of his royal highness trying to ignore the chaos around him....

and its CHRISTMAS AT THE RAUNS! Love you and miss you all!!!

Trip to UT: Part 1

Here is Tyler at the airport waiting for our flight. As many of you already know, Tyler HATES to fly, and was not thrilled with me for taking a picture of him at this given moment. Notice the multiple layers of clothing he has on. Good thing because when we got there we had to drive in this:


yep. total blizzard. guess i don't really miss UT so much after all.







So why brave the cold and snow? So we could see Rhett, youngest of the brotherhood off on his mission to St. Louis, Missouri:














I have known Rhett since he was 10!! The boy was 11 when we got married. Eeek! Starting to get inkling of what getting older feels like (kicking and screaming commences).

We'll miss you, Rhett!

Final Marathon

Behavior                          17 pages

Practice                              9 pages

Research                          15 pages

Substance Abuse           12.5 pages

GRAND TOTAL             53.5 pages    

TOTAL TIME:  2 Weeks

In addition:

Group Paper                    12 pages

Powerpoint                      10 minutes 

Mid-Year Evaluation

i'm getting tired just typing this...  so glad to be done!

25 ways to avoid writing papers:

1. sleep in
2. do the dishes
3. make the bed
4. make pumpkin pies from leftover thanksgiving ingredients.
5. watch online tv shows
6. play spider solitare
7. reorganize school books and papers
8. IM your husband
9. make curry for lunch
10. go to the gym
11. take a long bath
12. pay bills
13. call your friend to talk about how she is writing her paper
14. stare hopelessly at your blank screen for 5 minutes before deciding to go get a snack
15. check for "DING" travel specials
16. play mine sweeper
17. check friend's blogs (usually multiple times)
18. make chocolate chip cookies
19. call another friend
20. engage your husband in a long conversation on a topic of his choice
21. create personal blog entries.
22. do laundry
23. take a really long time to decide what to wear to church
24. plan your vacation
25. sob hysterically

signs that i am stressed:

i pay for parking this morning and walk away with the dashboard ticket in my hand. didn't even notice until my friend said, "isn't that supposed to be in your car?" we are in the classroom at this point, so i drop off my stuff, tell the teacher and am walking out the door to get to my car. as i am exiting, i hear my name, and another friend asks, "aren't you going to need your keys to get into your car?" yep... left them on the desk with all my stuff.

later that same day... i go into a different class and the teacher begins explaining the final assignment. she has the paper divided into "chapters." goes on for some length about chapter 5. not 10 minutes later, she is into her lecture, and says how we really should go home and do chapter 5 using what we are talking about, and i, being thoroughly confused, raise my hand and ask what book the chapter is in.

even later that same day... i got to my car which is parked in what ty calls "launch position." i think, oh good, i don't have to back my car out of the space, and immediately put my car in reverse and almost hit the person behind me.

YAY! It is now officially the Christmas season. We decorated our apartment yesterday, and it is so nice to have all our decorations out around us.


Tyler and I started a tradition our first year of marriage that we would choose one Christmas ornament together to represent something from our year together. This is quickly becoming my favorite tradition. I love that we have a little something to represent each year of our lives together and that eventually we will have enough ornaments to decorate an entire tree full our family memories. Here they are displayed on a wreath on our wall:

1. Beauty and the Beast. Tyler had surprised me with tickets to go see the play at the Capitol Theater in Utah for my birthday. He planned a great date with dinner and the performance. Because we were poor college students in our first year of marriage, it was a very big deal to do something this 'expensive.' I love being reminded how far we have come and all the firsts that happened that year.
2. Moose. He represents our trip to Yellowstone. It is the first (and I think last time) I have gotten Tyler to camp with me. Hmmm... he definitely owes me another trip!
3. Our house (sniff, sniff). Yep, we bought a house in 2002 and sold it a few years later so we could come here to sunny Cali and live in a lovely 2-bedroom apartment.
4. Trolley car. We took a road trip to San Francisco. This may not sound that huge, but it was a very big deal for us because it was the first time we took a "big" vacation by ourselves. We stopped for a few days in Sacramento and saw Les Miserables, and then spend four more days in S.F. wandering around the piers, Alcatraz, and the natural history museum when it got rainy!
5. The Utah Shakespeare Festival. We spend three days seeing plays and going to lectures. How cultured is that. :)
6. Spiderman. How much this little character represents. It was because of Spidey that our lives got turned upside down. Spiderman was Tyler's dream job, and I am so proud of how well he did (look for his name in the credits AND he is mentioned in the director's commentary). We spent 8 months living in two different states, ultimately moving to LA. We are so glad we did!
7. USC. Graduate school. Need I say more?
8. We haven't decided on this year's ornament, but I will post a picture as soon as we get it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS SEASON!

so last night i dreamed that germs (viruses, bacteria, etc.) figured out a way to take human form and were living next door to me. i was the only one to know what they really were, and their evil plot to take over the world, so, of course, they were trying to kill me.

analysis, anyone?

feeling better!

if i lived in pioneer times... i would be.... DEAD. i don't know if i have ever had "just a cold." it always goes into something lovely like a sinus infection, or bronchitis, or pneumonia, to name a few. my latest was bronchitis AND a sinus infection, and now i have gone through TWO cycles of antibiotics in the last two weeks, and i am FINALLY getting better.

poor tyler has also been sick - strep throat (ew!). but he went to the doctor also and is starting to feel human again.

so, today, in the spirit of all this alphabet thankfulness going on around me, i have to say that i am grateful for:

A: Antibiotics. can't live without them (literally).
B: Bed. soft and cozy with lots of pillows.
C: Cats. to snuggle up with and keep me warm as i lie around in misery
D: Dear Hubby. who takes really good care of me.

Thanks, Kristen, for posting the What Superheroine Are You? quiz. Fun times. According to the results:

You Are Buffy the Vampire Slayer "We saved the world. I say we have to party."

However, I am willing to concede this identity to Kristen, who is definitely more Buffyish than I am. In reality, I am probably Willow, the nerdy, yet brainy, sidekick (minus the lesbian leanings, of course).

"I know I'm not the kind of girl vamps like to sink their teeth into.
It's always like, 'Ooh, you're like a sister to me,' or, 'Oh, you're such a good friend.'"

knock, knock, knock

"Now who can that be?" I think grumpily as I head towards the door coughing and sniffling. "I hope that it is Kristen suprising me with fluffy timewasting novels."

I peer through the peephole, "Oh drat, its my crazy cat lady neighbor, and I can't pretend I'm not home because she can here my walking downstairs." BIG SIGH.

"Hi B., you may not want to get too close because I am really sick and leaving in about 10 minutes to go to the doctor" (Note my trying to give her the polite social cues; this woman can talk for HOURS).

"Yea, I can't afford to get sick right now. I have a huge favor to ask you..." Uh-oh.
"I finally took my Sophie [a cat] to the vet, and he told me she has diabetes. I need to start giving her shots two times a day. So, I am going on Saturday to learn how to give her shots, and the vet said whoever is watching her should probably also learn how to do it."

Why had a ever agreed to feed this woman's cats? I should have known just from the way she talks about them that this would not be an easy task. Tyler and I still laugh about the "to do" list she leaves me whenever she leaves town for a few days. She seriously wants me to go down TWICE a day to change the litterbox? Give me a break. I try to be a good neighbor and all, but sheesh. Now, she did ask me to feed her cats this coming week because she is going to have her thyroid removed, and even though she is a little neurotic, I am okay with helping her out. However, giving her cat daily shots... thats taking it a bit too far!

"So you want me to give Sophie shots? B., I really am not comfortable with that."

"I understand, I am not comfortable with shots either. But the vet says that its really easy, and after she gets used to it she will come to you to get them."

Yea. Right.

"Look, B., I really don't think I can do it. I don't mind feeding your cats for you, but with my school schedule I come to your house really early, and really late (and only once a day, although I'm not going to say that out loud), and even if I was comfortable with giving her shots, I can't commit to keeping her on a schedule."

"Well, I don't know about the schedule part. I mean, I don't want to push this, but I am really in a bind... "

Feeling guilty. "Well, if you want to find out some more information, we can talk about it again, but right now I don't think it is going to work out for me."

"Ok, well, I'm going on Saturday to learn, and so you can let me know if you can come with me. I go into the hospital on Wednesday and they said I will be there for three days."

So, not only are you pushing me to do something I am uncomfortable with, now you want me to spend part of my Saturday at the vet learning how to do it? I think not.

"Ok, I'll think about it, but it may be good of you can think of a plan B. And I'm sorry, but I've got to keep getting ready to go to the doctor. See you later."

B. walks away looking extremely unhappy because I have not given in and said yes.

Ugh. Sometimes being a nice person does NOT pay off. Would you have said yes? How can I nicely say no when she asks me again, because I can almost guarantee she WILL ask again!

i love, love, love when a book has a really great first line. so imagine my happiness when all three books i am reading this weekend had marvelous ones:

"My lady and I are being shut up in a tower for seven years."
-Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

"When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily"
-Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
note: this book is NOT PG by a long shot, and it is definitely not chick lit either. i am reading it for a class. however, i have to admit that I read Alice Sebold's other novel, The Lovely Bones, and i am strangely fascinated by her macabre themes and amazing writing style. plus, Lovely Bones also has a pretty good first line:
"My name is Salmon, like the fish; first name, Suzie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

and finally,
"Prince Raoden of Arelon awoke early that morning, completely unaware that he had been damned for all eternity."
-Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

hopefully the books will live up to their first lines. happy sigh.

My parents were never too crazy about Halloween, so for many years they bribed us with the Great Pumpkin. Specifically, if we would agree to not trick-or-treating we could go out to dinner and then to Toys-R-Us to pick out a toy of our choosing. It wasn't a bad deal actually, since we usually got something way nicer than a sack of candy, and I'm sure my parents were glad to avoid the sugar kid-insanity.
Anyway, off to eat pizza and watch Charlie Brown. Happy Halloween!

ever notice how fall rolls around and all of a sudden spiders and bugs want to make your home their home too? so last night we are watching tv and notice a black spot. on close inspection we found a friendly neighborhood spider had somehow managed to crawl INSIDE the tv and was just hanging out on the screen. wonder if he'll get zapped or manage to find a way out so the cats can have a tasty treat.

spider watching tv, from the inside

bigger tv shot with spider in lower left corner

we all have them.... Automatic Negative Thoughts, or ANTs'. kinda like ROUS', except these rodents of unusual size exist within our brains. The current ANTs stomping their way across my brain are:
I hate writing papers. I hate writing papers. I hate writing papers.
I am not happy about going to work today.
My house isn't clean. I'm a domestic failure.

its time to SQUISH some ANTs!

Mush for Brains

need I say more?
have a good night.

needless worry

today i am having a needless worry day. i just feel worried but can't pinpoint why. maybe it has something to do with having to write yet another paper. maybe it is because i took a 'mental health' day off from church. maybe it is because tyler is at work and my house is too quiet and my mind is playing tricks on me. maybe it is because i am starting another busy week and i'm not ready, and i'm procrastinating getting work done. or, opposite that, maybe it is because i had such a crazy week and now that i can relax a little bit my feelings are catching up to me. maybe it is because i am wearing fuzzy pink and white slippers.
who knows. its just one of those days.

In honor of Halloween, I give you:

THE GREMLIN
(aka my nephew Beckham)

avoidance

it's midterms, and i have a million things due. so, when my professor let's us out almost an hour early and I have a 2 1/2 hour break before my next class, how do i spend my time?

having my nails done, of course.

disclaimer for friends who may think i have lost it:
this is actually my first time having my nails done EVER, so no worries about my loyalties. with that said, i will do almost ANYTHING to avoid homework, even engage in dark and sinister beautification.

you've been warned...

thanks, Kristen for letting me know my hyperlink for this story wasn't working, it's fixed now. :) also, should have mentioned in the last email that the story i referenced is found on feminist mormon housewives. fmh is a pretty liberal blog, so explore at your own risk. (i personally love it, but totally understand that it isn't everyone's cup of tea.... oops, i mean hot chocolate).

Thank you!

thanks to all my awesome friends for some great blog names. many of them i plan on using as my whims and moods change. sometimes, i feel like i am a one man HazMat Response Team. other times, i feel that this whole process shows How Mentally Retarded This is (although so not a PC phrase, ahem). i hope sometimes i have Hip Musings and Refreshing Thoughts. right now, i am feeling philosophical, and so this new title represents where i am today. as a wife, graduate student, intern / employee, relief society counselor, family member, friend, etc. i am constantly being lead down new roads and iam learning every day. i appreciate all of you for being who you are and traveling with me.
hannah

social work moment: i thought this story was great and wanted to share.

This Weekend

I did this:

a 3-mile walk around 3rd street and the pier with professionals and consumers, raising money and awareness for mental illness. thanks to all those who sponsered my walk!!


And this:homework, homework, homework.... i have three papers due and a test all within the next two weeks. ah, the joys of mid-terms in graduate school.


And a little bit of this:


actually, i pretty much missed all of saturday and am having a hard time focusing today (see homework explanation above), so my plan is to download all the audio tonight, burn them on CDs and listen as I am commuting this week. Much better use of my time than NPR, right?

New Post, Old Friends

In three hours, my D.H. is going to Utah this weekend to see his brothers:

Rhett (middle) is going on a mission to St. Louis, MI in December and I thought it would be a nice surprise to buy Tyler a plane ticket home for conference weekend (priesthood session with the bros has always been a tradition).

As I was cleaning off the camera to give to Ty, I came across my 10 year high school reunion photos.

ashley and yours truly
serina, me, marissa, cierra, heather, colleen

So much fun to catch up with old friends :)

Repeat Post

Sorry to all my LA friends for the repetitiveness from Kristen's blog, but I loved this so much I wanted to continue to spread the Buffy and Clark Kent Joy:

Buffy/Smallville video!

Warning: The ultimate in TV geekiness :)

AA Meeting

So, I am finally getting help for my problem. I am turning over a new leaf and relying on my higher power to get me through each day. I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your love and support during this time....

Kidding aside, this was really a pretty cool experience. My assignment for one of my classes was to attend a self-help group for substance abuse and then, of course, write a 5-page paper on the experience. I think one of my faults is a tendency to forget that there are people behind the problems; especially when it is something I can't relate to (like Alcohol addiction). It was amazing to sit with strangers in a room, listen to their life experiences, and feel like a part of something really big and really powerful. With so much negativity surrounding us in the media, it is nice to have a reminder that there are people out there in the world making positive changes. Both in their own lives and in others.

what's in a name?

seems like everyone i know has a blog, or facebook, or myspace, or a combination of all of the above plus some. so what has stopped me from joining the party? well, i would like to say that it is because of some kind of philosophical highground, like keeping my life free from technological timewasters, but the reality is: i haven't started a blog before now because i haven't been able to think of a name. now, i ask you, how silly is that? and it isn't from lack of trying either. for weeks, I would think of a clever, original name (or so I thought), only to find that a fellow blogger had already taken it. finally for my url i settled on my initials h.m.r.t. now, my dear friends, i need your help. many fun phrases can be made from my 4-letter acronym, and i am asking you to come up with some that you think are most clever. the only rule is that you must use all 4 letters, in the order provided for you. whoever 'wins' gets to help me officially name my blog (at least until i decide to change it up to keep life interesting:)
so, thinking caps on. mark, set, go... this is a test of friendship, people... ha, ha.