Unlike Steve Nash's front teeth, our marriage is still intact after Wednesday night's Suns v. Jazz battle. Click here to watch his toothless interview before halftime.
It was actually a really good game. Neither team was hitting shots, but there was some serious defense going on and some monster blocks and steals. A nice surprise from the usually offense-only Suns. The Suns ended up winning, but Tim was still nice to me after the game.
I'm going to the SUNS game tonight. Tim is going to the JAZZ game tonight. We're sitting next to each other. Both teams are trying to break a losing streak. I'll let you know how WE are tomorrow.
Go Suns!
Jake and Lindsey coming out of the temple.
Last weekend, Tim and I were able to attend Jake and Lindsey's wedding. They were sealed in the Newport Beach Temple (I love it. It's gorgeous. Beautiful woodwork, arched doorways, chandeliers, mosaic tile and several Minerva Teichart paintings) and had their reception in this cute, tiny old church in Laguna Hills. The sealing was beautiful and the reception was a lot of fun. I just wish we lived closer and could see Jake and Lindsey more often. Hmm....roadtrip.
Clear, blue sky thanks to torrential rain the day before.
Eyedrops. I think they were just trying to hide the tears :)
Bill, Jake, Billy & Tim
Billy, Jake & Tim at the reception. Notice Tim & Billy's BM "Best Man" lapel pins. Apparently we have to rent the movie "You, Me & Dupree" to understand.
Congratulations, Jake & Lindsey!
Last week I got the news that I was accepted into both the Czech Repulic and Mexico second semester study abroad programs at Thunderbird. We will be in Monterrey from January 28 until about March 12, then Celakovice (a town half an hour out of Prague) from March 22nd until around May 1st. While we haven't made firm plans on any extracurricular excursions, I guarantee that there will be a stop to visit Breena's foreign hometown of London and the Fernhurst cottage. Additionally, I'm sure that we will be taking advantage of every opportunity to take some quick weekend trips to Austria, Germany, Switzerland, etc. (I'm offering to bring people back Swiss chocolate bars at $50 a pop if you're interested. Proceeds are for a good cause :)
BYU has an unbelievable library. I've come to realize this over the past year as I've searched for obscure eastern european education periodicals. Everytime that the Washington University Library consortium would come up empty, I would check Worldcat and, sure enough, BYU would have it. If only my alumni status would grant me full access to this treasure chest. Current Zoobies...don't take this for granted.
But I'm so excited about my recent discovery that I forgive BYU for not sharing more with me. The Digital Collection from BYU. There's so much information I don't even know where to start. And it's digitized, searchable, FREE and accessible to the public.
My most exciting discovery thus far is definitely the Woman's Exponent from 1872-1914. This Salt Lake City-based periodical looks at early feminism, the suffrage movement, sisterhood and mormonism within the context of current and political events of the time. It begins during the Civil War reconstruction period and is absolutely fascinating.
Here are a couple of snippets from the first page of the first edition from June 1, 1872:
The season of scattering intellectual filth has set in over the country. It occurs quadrennially in the United States, commencing a few months before the Presidential election..
I guess 135 years doesn't change things much...the election filth is still alive and well. Except it now starts a few YEARS before the election, not just a few months.
Mrs. Carrie F. Young, editor of the "Pacific Journal of Health" has been lecturing in Idaho on Temperance and 'Woman Suffrage. The editor of the “Idaho 'World" was not present but did not regret his absence. He says 'We feel a most decided repugnance to the exhibition of a woman upon the rostrum, advocating such degrading theories as ' woman suffrage' and other cognate subjects.." He omits to state whether "Temperance" is one of the degrading theories to which he refers..
I love this one. A little fiesty and sarcastic...especially for the time.
Just had to share. If my nerd status was ever in doubt...well, now you know for sure.
After much contemplation and ponderance (yes, it's a word... I invented it) on what to focus on here at Thunderbird, I've finally decided to specialize in Marketing.... with emphasis in market research and consumer insight. Those of you who know me well know that I have a keen interest in why consumers act the way they do. I myself am an interesting case study since I am currently boycotting Shell gas stations not because their gas is low quality, but because they were out of paper towels my last 2 visits (to properly clean my windshield). Hey, at least I gave them a chance to redeem themselves!! I also think about things like why Walgreen's insists on placing their toothpaste on the opposite side of the store from other toiletries... upsetting as a consumer, but smart as a marketer since I walked up and down the aisles 12 times looking for it and in the process impulsively bought a Hershey bar as well. My choice is no surprise to Breena, since I still on occasion sing or hum the words to commercials that are 20 years old. Like she says, I'm a marketer's dream!!
Anyway, while I haven't ruled out interest in organizational development and labor relations, marketing will be my primary focus as I search for a 2008 summer internship. Ideally, I'm seeking corporate experience with a Fortune 1000 company, although I'm not partial to any one particular industry. Geographically, Breena and I are casting the net very wide, at least for the first several years, and understand that we could end up anywhere from London (Breena says "yes please") to Buenos Aires (Tim says "yes please") to Detroit (umm... please no) to Austin (we think "yes please"). There are obvious geographic locations that are better than others when considering closeness to family, weather, cost of living, etc. However, I'm a firm believer that he who is flexible with his job now is certain to gain much more flexibility in the future for the betterment of all.
If anybody has any good tips or coaching they would like to give me in regard to searching for an internship, or has a company they would highly recommend (I'm currently building my list, so contacts are greatly appreciated), I welcome any help I can get. Like Verizon says, it's all about the network!!
I had several friends contact me this week to let me know that they thought of me during conference...and wanted to know how I was holding up after President Beck's talk. It's nice to have friends who know the kind of things that really drive me crazy. It's also nice to know that I'm apparently the posterchild for all feminist ideals among my friends. I hope I don't disappoint. For the record, I do get the gist of the message she was trying to share. and it's a vital and important one and one that I share. Unfortunately, my interpretation of the meaning of her message was altered by her perjorative and divisive (and repetitive) use of the word "best", her focus on external apperances as indicators for internal/spiritual status, and the use of graphics like a woman holding a bottle of windex. I'm pretty sure I'll never equate my salvation or that of my family with clean windows. I really appreciated her strong delivery. I just wish that as the only woman leader speaking in conference, her focus would have been on strong doctrine and not the peripheral indicators of such. 'Nuff said.
Most of conference, though, was amazing and much needed. Here are my current favorites in no particular order:
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,49-1-775-30,00.html
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,49-1-775-15,00.html
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,49-1-775-7,00.html
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,49-1-775-13,00.html
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,49-1-775-24,00.html
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,49-1-775-38,00.html
10 years ago I: had just returned from BYU London Study abroad and was beginning my Junior year and the Business Program at BYU. Living with Jane and Emily in Provo and up to no good.
5 years ago I: was having my first spinal surgery and relying on Pablo and Mother Theresa for pretty much everything.
1 year ago I: was enrolled in some killer courses, enjoying being a newlywed, enjoying the DC Fall weather, and making our little apartment in Arlington, VA feel like home. Also learning just how big my husband's football addiction is.
Yesterday I: unpacked and cleaned house after having spent a week at my parents house in Provo with my brothers. Bradon enters the MTC next Wednesday. Also took Tim to the airport to catch a flight to Houston for a job fair/conference.
5 snacks I enjoy: Thorton's Vienesse Truffle Bars, Chips n Salsa, Hummus n Pita, Diet Coke, Cheese Nips.
5 things I would do if I had $100 million: buy a house or two (Palo Alto, CA maybe) and London, pay off our student loans, start a foundation to fund social science research, start a non-profit that supports/funds education and welfare (reform) for marginalized populations here and abroad, help family & friends, have a big fat savings account to live and travel.
5 places I would love to run away to: London, Cinque Terra, Hawaii, DC (I miss it), and my parent's resort...I mean house.
5 TV Shows I like: Law & Order, House Hunters, the Office, Colbert Report, Daily Show.
5 things I hate doing: editing this paper of last year's research project, dissertation, dissertation, dissertation, dissertation.
5 biggest joys of the moment: Tim, spending time with my brothers before Bradon leaves on his mission, reunion with college roomies Emily and Jane (supermoms), having time to read mindless novels, and finally being home and starting to get into a routine again.
The month started with Tim and I in Salt Lake City spending time with family while he coached a volleyball camp.
August 2nd to 5th: Breena to Monterrey, Mexico for "El casamiento de Leslie y Alex" (my espanol is really coming along, eh?). Leslie was the most beautiful bride wearing the most beautiful lace gown made by Ms. Tracy "designer/seamstress to the stars" Astle. Monterrey was beautiful, HUGE, mountainous, green and not at all what I expected. Tim and I are still hoping that a half-term in Monterrey will work with his school requirements (and our budget) next spring. The reception was fantastic. All weddings should be such a fiesta. Non-stop dancing, laughing and chips n' salsa. It was really great to spend time with my LA posse of girlfriends since we're spread out all over the globe now. You'll notice Tauna and Christy Foxy both six months pregnant in the photo below. All the changes are so exciting.
Meanwhile, Tim was coaching the last of his summer camps in Las Vegas. He was pretty worn out at this point and didn't get any sort of summer break before jumping into his newest adventure.
August 12: Tim and I spoke in our new ward. It went really well. Tim spoke on Physical Health and I spoke on Spiritual and Emotional Strength. and Tim was called to be the ward sports director for the 85th time in his life :)
August 19: Tim and I celebrated our first anniversary. What a wonderful year it has been. I am truly blessed.
August 13-24: Tim started bootcamp. No, not that kind. His program at Thunderbird recommended that the incoming MBA's participate in two weeks of non-stop accounting/statistic/finance/economics fun. Not exactly the sort of break he needed, but he got to know a lot of the other incoming students and got refreshed on all of his "favorite" subjects.
August 25: My very first NFL game. Tim and I went to the preseason Cardinals game at the beautiful new stadium. It was so fun. I scored a killer deal on some great seats on Craigs List. After a slightly shady parking lot transaction to get the tickets, we were in! I wish more NFL games were on Saturday so we could go.
August 26: They split our new ward. Most of the younger folks (i.e. people our age) are now in the other ward, but we're excited about the change. It's easier to get to know people in smaller wards and there's more opportunity to serve.
August 24-31: Tim started Thunderbird Foundations week. 14 hours a day 6 days a week getting oriented and ready for his program. Thunderbird does a good job involving the families of students and I was able to attend a dinner and spend a lot of time on campus. Thunderbird has a great campus feel--it's small and intimate and truly diverse. At the traditional "Flag Ceremony" held during the week there were over 31 countries represented in Tim's incoming class. We're feeling really good about the decision to come here and Tim really feels like this program is the perfect fit for him.
I'm adjusting to life in Arizona. There has been a bit of culture shock. I miss living in the city. I miss friends. I miss days when the temperature has less than 3 digits (Arizona has had 32 days over 110 degrees this summer. HOT.). But I am excited to get settled in, working on my dissertation and getting reacquainted with my old 'hood.
Happy Labor Day!
Bradon is still scheduled to enter the Missionary Training Center on October 10th, but his farewell has been moved up by a week.
His farewell will be held Sunday, September 16 at 9am at the Chapel near my parents home in Provo. All are welcome. Email if you need directions.
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Yes, they have traditionally been the worst team in the league and their uniforms could use a fashion overhaul; but, I have this special feeling that they have other characteristics and intangibles that meet my emotional needs. For example, at least they are here with me. None of this long distance to Oakland or Atlanta nonsense. I know, I know... it's early. But we went to game last Saturday against the Chargers. Below are some pics of their stadium. It is an indoor, AC cooled stadium that not only has a retractable roof; it also has real grass turf that is rolled outside of the building (on a track) when games aren't being played so that it can grow naturally in the sun.
Bradon's date to enter the Missionary Training Center has been moved up to October 10th.
For those interested, his farewell will be held Sunday, September 23 at 9am at the chapel near my parents house in Provo.
My dear friend Cheryl "Goo" Brenchley got tagged. She had to answer a bunch of questions about herself on her blog. It was fun to read her answers until I saw that she tagged me!
So here it is...
4 jobs I've had...(I'm going over the limit on these)
I learned today that I passed all four of my comprehensive exams. Hallelujah. This means that I am no longer a doctoral student and am now considered a doctoral candidate. Yay! Just one dissertation away from giving up student status forever!
As you might have guessed by our virtually non-existant blogging over the past two months, it has been a VERY busy summer! Tim and I didn't think things could get any crazier than they were last summer, but they definitely have been. Here's a glimpse of a few of the things we were up to this month.
Sometime in May to July 13--Tim patiently put up with my erratic study schedule and the fact that I had almost daily nervous breakdowns related my upcoming comprehensive exams. I've never had so much anxiety over exams and I wasn't sleeping much. Tim did his best to keep me calm, and kept me supplied with Diet Coke (a key study tool), daily outings and shoulder massages. My husband is an angel.
July 4--The fourth of July is not quite the same in Arizona as it is in DC. It was 118 degrees F (that's like 49 degrees C) that day. The desire to watch fireworks kind of fades when you feel like you're literally living in a fire. Despite the heat, we ventured to my sister Elise's house in Maricopa for Carter's, my nephew and the cutest kid in the world, first birthday party. The kid made a haul. His tower of presents was literally 30 times the size of him. After the party, I spent the rest of the day (very unfestively) studying for my comprehensive exams. I'll admit I was homesick for DC on the fourth.
July 8-12--Tim in Washington state running a volleyball camp. This was the beginning of our longest time away from each other (nearly 2 weeks apart).
July 11-19--I leave for DC. I was stuck in at Chicago Midway airport for 7 hours and didn't get into DC until 4am on the 12th. Luckily, I had the foresight to fly in a day early, so that I was able to catch up on my sleep before my exams began on the 13th. Phew. I met the most amazing group of women during that delay at the Chicago airport. One of the women was a retired lawyer who had argued the original 1975 case in front of the US Supreme Court that led to the landmark "Education for Handicapped Children Act" (subsequently reauthorized and renamed). She was so inspirational and has really affected my thoughts and feelings about my own career path over the past few weeks and has really helped me to appreciate the vast opportunities that I now have thanks to pioneering women like her. I'll devote a blog to that at some point.
July 13-14--Tim was in Salt Lake spending some quality time with the padres golfing, eating his mom's great cooking, and trying to gear up for another camp. I was in DC, stuck in a room 8 hours a day for two days taking my comprehensive exams. I still haven't heard if I passed, but hopefully I'll have some good news soon.
July 15-19--Tim in Oregon running a volleyball camp and me in DC wrapping up some loose ends and working on a final paper for a class I finished in June.
July 19-22--Reunited with my husband (although only for about 48 hours). Yay! We both flew in to Orange County, California a couple of days before the rest of the Welker clan arrived for the Welker family vacation. We were able to go out to dinner with my old LA roommate and dear friend Christy "Foxy" Dunlap and her husband Dean. We had a great time roaming around Old Town Orange and chatting. It reminded Tim and I how much we miss having couple friends to go out with.
July 21-28--Marriott, sweet Marriott! The Welker family vacation took us to the Newport Beach Vacation Club this year. We had a gorgeous master suite, with a soaking tub the size of a small swimming pool in our room. We're so spoiled. Thanks, Pablo and Mother Theresa. Unfortunately, Tim had to leave for 4 days in the middle of the week to work a camp in Washington State again--at a school with the worst school mascot imaginable--the Toilet Papermakers. I'm not kidding. We have pictures to prove it. While Tim was working hard, I spent most of the week laying by the pool reading my first non-school books in a very long time. I read The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl and, of course, Harry Potter. Pure Bliss.
July 28-31--We're now in Salt Lake. Both of us. Yay. Tim's running a camp in Salt Lake this week, but, luckily we're able to be together and spend some time with family...at least for a couple of days. I leave for Leslie's wedding in Mexico on Thursday. Let the traveling begin again...
We apologize for not having posted anything in a while. I have been working a string of 5 volleyball camps in a row while Breena has been surviving her comprehensive exams. Despite the eventful past few weeks, we're running empty on blog ideas. However, the other day I was sorting through some file on my computer and came across a few entertaining pics that I thought some of you might enjoy:
Proof that I once had a full head of hair. This picture was taken 10 years ago just after high school graduation. My mom was really disappointed when I cut it later that day....
Styles are different out in DC. The "man purse" was actually a very popular fad last year as you can see. 
My brothers and I are big fans of Star Wars....
So, I was going to put this sweet shout out to my lovely Weena on the blog... but then I read Lou's shout out to Breena on her blog and thought it best to wait until next year because I can't compete :) It really was sweet and I think you all should read it.
http://fernhurstelders.blogspot.com/
It just demonstrates that I am married to the most loving, beautiful, most bestest person on earth (lucky for me the most bestest person on earth is a woman.... not so good for Breena who has to settle for me).
Anyway, MERRY BIRTHDAY WEENA!!
Love,
Timmy
Al Gore would be proud of me... not that I really care. Last week I felt green. Last week I was green. Last week I coached a camp in Lynden, Washington, which is located about two hours north of Seattle in the very northwest corner of the country. It's actually less than an hour from Vancouver.
Let me just say that Seattle and Vancouver are two of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. Mountains, trees, foilage, crisp clean air, and everything is green, green, green. Much more beautiful and scenic than brown, brown, brown.
Anyway, my green adventure began in Seattle when Alamo decided to rent us a brand spanking new Toyota Prius. Yep, it's that ugly hybrid car that everybody in DC drives. If you've never driven one before, they're a little weird (maybe Al designed it? You'll have to check it out yourself). So here we are, making our drive up to Lynden, when I'm thinking, "As long as I'm driving a hybrid, why not use the carpool lane too?" So we did, even though there was no traffic. Ha!!
Lynden was beautiful. A bit on the chilly side compared to Phoenix, but it was a nice change. My host family lived on a lake with a view of a mountain similar to the one in the photo. For some reason my bed in the guest room had a green bedspread, continuing the theme. Guess what the Lynden High School colors are? You guessed it... green (and yellow). The gym was green, the volleyballs were green, and so was the lettuce on my lunch sandwiches. I also ate a couple of granola bars with the green wrapper (not sure which flavor that is).
It took 6 gallons of gas to drive more than 300 miles last week, saving the company a bit green. As I dropped the rental car back off at the airport, I could have sworn that I heard a couple of airport custodians humming "Green Sleeves" as I entered the restroom. I was so inspired that I used the air dryer instead of paper towels after washing my hands.
Now I'm back in the brown "dirt clod" as Breena calls it. Fortunately, I still have 3 more camps in Oregon and Washington this summer, so I'm sure that many more green adventures lie ahead.
So, yesterday was our best polynesian white friend's birthday. For those of you who don't know Heba, she is the sweetest, nicest poly-wannabe on the planet. I know that our gift may be just a little bit belated, but it wasn't easy to put this thing together. I had to go round up some drunk international business students from Thunderbird and convince them that this is how you say Happy Birthday in the Polynesian culture (it's actually like a war dance or something). Anyway, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIKIsGtZvcw
Not pretty, I know. But it's the best we could do.
Here's to you, Heba....
Hau`oli Lā Hānau!!!
Love,
Timmy & Weena
What takes more time?
A) Waiting in line to be helped at the Mesa Division of Motor Vehicles to get your car inspected, registered, and obtain a new driver's license OR
B) Waiting in line at Sonic to get a cherry limeade.
Ah ha!! You think you know, but you don't!! You were fooled by the word "Sonic" that so inaccurately describes how fast the service is at the drive-inn so famous for it's 1,468 different flavor combinations. And then you saw the words "Division of Motor Vehicles" and immediately felt like going into a rage of anger followed by a long nap. The correct answer is B!!
Breena and I decided that we would dedicate the afternoon of our precious Friday to get all of this nonsense done at the DMV. You know how it is. It's like waiting in line at the post office times 50. It's SOOOO boring and the customer service is always terrible since it's a government operation. After waiting 2 hours just to be looked at when we got our Virginia licenses last fall, I went prepared this time carrying my Business Week magazine along with a pad of paper to play tic-tac-toe and draw stick figures. Didn't even need them. In fact, the service was so fast, that we didn't even hear them call our number because we were still busy filling out the paperwork. We had to go get another number because WE weren't the ones who were ready. Holy geez. We were in and out in an hour. ONE HOUR!! We both needed new licenses, they had to inspect our car, we had to change the name on the title, and register the car in Arizona. How is it possible you ask? Well, maybe it helps that my once you obtain a license here, you don't need to renew it until you are 65; thus, fewer peeps. This perk alone is worth the move here. Let this be a lesson to everybody else.
So afterward on the way home, we stop by Sonic to feed my addiction of drinking a cherry limeade at least 5 times a week. These things are SOOOO good (still far cry from a dole whip, however). Breena and I have renamed Sonic "Slowsky's," named after the tortoises on the Comcast commercials that constantly complain about having a fast internet connection. Seriously though, no fast food joint is slower than Sonic. Where did they get this name anyway? It's a marketing trap. It's to make you subliminally think that they are fast so you will wait in line anyway. Well, I'm not falling for it any more. No more waiting in lines to feed addictions for me!! (I'll just make Breena do it for me, hehehehe).
At my 28th Birthday party (nearly 2 years ago) the phrase "Sexy 28" was coined, summing up the hopes for a fantastic year ahead. In my case "Sexy 28" turned out to be true. That was the year I met, fell in love with and got engaged to Tim. I'm not so sure it's holding true for Tim though. He began his 28th birthday in the wee hours of the morning on June 5th by holding my hair back as I was bent over the toilet feeling the effects of the "Bu-Vomit Plague". Absolutely nothing sexy about that. He spent the rest of the day packing up our hotel room, loading it in the car, driving us 5 1/2 hours home from the Jenson family vacation, worried the whole time that another attack might hit while we were in the car. When we got home he tucked me into bed, went to the pharmacy, talked the the pharmacist about things that might help me and came home with an arsenal to combat the Bu-Vomit. I have the best husband ever. And I might just win worst wife of the year award for this birthday. I didn't even wrap his present or fill out his card. I love my strong, kind, gentle, smart, smart-a$$, funny, and caring husband.
Who knew moving from Washington DC to Mesa AZ was so dangerous? All of our different insurance rates have gone up substantially. Apparently we are much more likely to be the victims of car theft and jewel theft in suburban Mesa Arizona than we were in the "former murder capital of the US"(AKA Washington DC). Go figure.
It also doesn't help that we have the Don of the retirement villa Mafia living in the condo below us...always ready to write a citation for visitor parking and garbage can infractions.
I apologize that it has taken a week to post day three of our journey. Truth is, it is a day that we are trying to forget. We left Oklahoma City around 7:30 PST and rolled into Phoenix at about 11pm. The drive was SOOOOOO long. On the bright side, the condition of the road really improved once we got into New Mexico, as did the scenery. Ahhhh red rock. There was seriously nothing to look at for 20 straight hours through Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
One of our stops was at gas station just west of Albequerque. It felt like the gas shortage of the 1970's considering we had to wait 20 minutes just to get to the pump... at least that's the comment that Breena made. While I was pumping gas and she was inside getting some snacks, apparently there was a fight out back and somebody was stabbed. In broad daylight with dozens of peeps around, probably not the best time to stab somebody. So with all of the traffic of the 1970's gas station, two ambulances and a fire truck rolled up. Then a fight broke out between two peeps trying to get to the gas pump. Ahhhh the west. It's good to be back home.
It was dark when we arrived in Flagstaff. We wanted to stop and watch the second half of the Suns game, but for the life of us we couldn't find a place that would have the game on. Furious and frustrated, we decided to finish off the drive and listen to the game on the radio. Then the sheet hit the fan. The Suns lost. We were too tired and grumpy for the Suns to lose. What a way to cap off our 36 hour drive. Breena was so put out there was smoke coming out of her nostrils.
Anyhoo, here we are and we made it. Barely.
Day Three Summary
Start/Finish: Oklahoma City/Phoenix
# of times we were cutoff by semi drivers: 43
Total Distance: I don't remember
Hours of Driving: like 16
The previous night we had arrived late at the Fairfield Inn in Knoxville anxious to watch the second half of the Suns/Spurs game. Unfortunately, the TV in our room did not have TNT, so we watched the Suns blow their 3 and a half quarter lead on the internet. More sadness. So, we decided to sleep in just a bit on Thursday morning.
On day two we got back on the road around 10am. Somewhat worn out of listening to music, we decided to begin listening to a book on CD. Our choice was “Deception Point” by Dan Brown. The book was somewhat scattered in my opinion, but that was possibly because the random track setting was turned on. Even once we got the chapters back in order though, I was disappointed with this book. Maybe it was because I was comparing it to Brown’s best stuff, Da Vinci Code and Demons & Angels, which were page turners (even for me). Really though, I think I was turned off by the male reader's transvestite voice that he used to imitate the female characters. I guess it would have been worse if it were a female reader trying to imitate a male. Anyway, Tennessee was a scenic state, although it must have taken us 10 hours to get from one side to the other. Despite my ill feelings toward country music, Nashville was actually very beautiful city. Memphis, although bigger than Nashville, was also an enjoyable pass-through. I had never seen the Mississippi river before, so that was kind of cool.
Next on the docket was Arkansas… Umm, yeah.
Not having seen any form of human life in Little Rock or the Ozarks, we proceeded on to Oklahoma. The second we crossed over the state line, the highway turned into pot hole heaven (or hell). If you plan on making a cross country drive any time soon and care about the alignment of your car, I would recommend avoiding interstate 40 through Oklahoma. Most of the small towns that we passed through had found something for which to make them famous. For instance, we passed through the hometowns of Kerry Underwood (yuck) and Garth Brooks (double yuck). The signs announcing their origins were so big you’d think they had cured cancer or something. The town of Groom apparently draws people into its town by displaying “the biggest cross in the western hemisphere” right off the highway. Very nice. It actually looked like the biggest cross in the world in my opinion, but I don’t have the measurements of crosses displayed by roadsides in the eastern hemisphere to back me up. We also had been searching for the town with the second-largest ball of twine that the Griswald’s attempted to visit on their way to Wally World, but we must be taking a different route.
The bleakness of Arkansas and Oklahoma had really worn us out by evening. When I get really tired, I tend to get extremely goofy and weird (as many of you know). I began reading billboards and highway road signs using my loud, high-pitched, Monty Python-like voice that drives Breena absolutely crazy. “I don’t like spam!!”
For Breena, Oklahoma City couldn’t arrive fast enough. If only she knew a year ago what she knows now.
Day Two Summary
Start/Finish: Knoxville/Oklahoma City
Bumps in the road: 3,412
Total Distance: 900 miles
Hours of Driving: 13
We leave in a week...
I took a few pics of our house before we started dismantling and packing it up today. For those of you who weren't able to visit us, here's a glimpse of our home for the first 10 months of marriage.
I haven't abandoned blogging. I promise. But April was one of the busiest months EVER! However, I just turned in my last paper of the semester and have nearly triaged the latest disaster in my work as professor's slave. (Can I just tell you how happy I am that we're moving and I don't "GET" to renew my fellowship next year--I'm ready for my manumission papers!)
Here are a few highlights:
April 6: National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. One of the beautiful things about being a student in DC is the $10 Kennedy Center Tickets. This is a show that my husband chose from list of monthly options. Something you may already know about Tim is that he likes weird music --70s Progressive Rock to be exact. Something you may not know about Tim is that this weird music hobby (read: obsession) results in him having an unbelievable amount of knowledge and appreciation for classical music in general and Russian composers in particular. On this night we were lucky enough to see a Liszt piano concerto and one of my faves, Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. (Almost as good as it was on the grounds of Warwick Castle, Lou!)
April 15: Found out that my dear friend Leslie Croshaw is engaged! Congrats. I can't for the wedding in Mexico!
April 17-23: Tim abandoned me to work in AZ for a week. I was lonely and spent the week writing, but he worked, enjoyed a lot of volleyball and Mexican food and is even more excited about our upcoming move to AZ.
April 20: Submitted my commitment to present a paper at the British Educational Research Association's conference in London in September. Hmmm...how convenient that this conference is in London and that my school might pay for part of the trip :) I'm counting the days.
April 24: Happy Belated Valentine's Day! The valentine's day concert that was cancelled due to the February 14th blizzard was rescheduled for this day. We saw Paul Green's School of Rock All-Stars (yes, like the movie) playing with the lead singer of Tim's favorite band, YES. It was so much fun. These kids were unbelievably talented and Jon Anderson was fantastic. My appreciation for Tim's musical taste is ever increasing. We had a stage front table, where we ate dinner while we watched the show. A great night out.
April 26: Sold some of our furniture to the peeps that are moving into our apartment. The move is starting to seem real.
April 28: Monthly trip to the Washington DC temple. Great as always. Although a bit disappointing because we were geared up for our first ever temple cafeteria experience and were told that they had recently closed the cafeteria and installed vending machines instead. (Serious bummer. I had been talking about funeral potatoes and jello all day)We then stayed to watch Heather pay homage to all things polynesian (especially Koko) at the BYU Hawaii Polynesian Dance Festival at the DC Temple visitor's center. The girl can seriously dance...especially the Tahitian.
We move in less than 2 weeks...
Time to start packing.
Top 10 Things I WILL miss about DC
Top 10 Thing I WILL NOT miss about DC
My dear friend Louise does this every month and I think it's a great idea. However, I don't have the photographic memory that she does, so I apologize in advance for things I might leave out.
March Highlights
March 9-11: Mother Theresa's 50th Birthday Bash in Vegas with Mo-T (as Tim affectionately calls my mom), Lorrie, Bethany, Laura, Elise and my cute nephew, Carter (the only male allowed on this wild weekend). We shopped, ate, Phantom-ed, spa-ed, and enjoyed our plush accomodations at the Venetian. No NASCAR races, sorry sweetie.
March 11-19: Spring Break in Utah with Family. Tim and I spent a week enjoying time away from school and work. We ate some great home cookin, played some Rummikub (I'm still undefeated), watched a lot of March Madness and just relaxed with our families
March 23: Monthly trip to the Washington DC Temple. I will miss this place when we move.
March 26: Sold the lease on our apartment. Our cross-country move is now official. We make the cross-country trek to Arizona in mid-May with the much appreciated help of Pablo (who will be driving the moving van). For those we have not told--Tim's was accepted to Thunderbird's International MBA program in Phoenix and he starts in August. I finish my coursework this semester and will be working on my dissertation from Arizona.
March 28: Much needed hour on the phone with Louise. It had been far too long.
March 28-April 3: Tim's sister Kristy, husband Jon and oldest girls, Katie and Abby came for a visit. We had such a great time. They were the perfect guests and it's way too quiet around our house now...come back.
March 31: Tim won the 1st annual Welker Family March Madness Pool. Pablo was a close second, but it's probably good that Tim won, as he's the only one able to reach the prize money that he taped to my parents wall about 12 feet up.
March 31- April 1: General Conference. Great as always, but I particularly liked this and this and this and this.
Happy April!
Luke has the force. Sampson has hair. Arthur has Excalibur. Bill Gates has money. Breena has diet coke. And now I have something to rival the power of these over-achievers.... the wizard hand. That's right. I may not be as smart, wise, strong, rich, or as loaded with caffeine as the people listed above. But I have discovered that I have this power within my own fingertips. When I want something done, all I have to do is give it the wizard hand (it must be accompanied simultaneously by the wizard facial expression... otherwise, the hand proves ineffective). It takes a lot of concentration. But if I could just somehow harness this power and learn to use it consistently, I could become more powerful than Gandalf, Harry Potter, and Yoda combined. I first discovered this power about a week ago when Breena and I were driving to the temple. I was feeling especially good that night, even though beltway traffic was a nightmare. As we were driving along the parkway, there happened to be a slowsky riding the left lane. I felt this sudden urge to put forth my hand to try and get him to move. Just like Yoda pulling Luke Skywalker's ship out of the Degobah swamp, I stretched out the wizard hand and directed the car to the right lane. WAHLAH. There it went. Whoah. I sat staring at my hand, marveling at this new breakthrough. Like lightning, the possibilities of how I could use this phenomena raced inside my head. Internally I was cackling like Emperor Palpatine. Breena looked at me and just rolled her eyes (I think that she was a little put out since just prior to this discovery, I was practicing my Chewbacca growls. It's amazing what beltway traffic can do to a person. Even she growled a few times).
If I don't do it just right, it doesn't work. I still need more practice. And you can't just use it any old time. It's like yelling "NOONAN" at a free throw shooter... you have to be feeling it. But today, I felt it again. Twice. While playing Rumikub with my sister Kristy and two of her girls, Katie and Abby, I busted it out on Katie just before I clinched the win. Later, as we were eating cheesecake, I used it to move away those who might seek second helpings before I was able to get there first. Sounds selfish, I know. But I figure that I must experience the good and evil sides of the wizard hand before solely dedicating myself to righteous deeds.
And now, some call me..... Tim? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_the_Enchanter
