Ashley.....Right?

Ashley - this is for you and you know why.

ieyuilys

It's The Week Of......

Thanksgiving is just days away and I have yet to post a single thing that I'm thankful for! During a time of such upheaval and uncertainty all the world over, I am especially grateful for happiness. 

Happiness should be simple. I overcomplicated it for too long but this has been the year of learning for me. It has been a year of a million tiny heart breaks which have helped me to recognize what real happiness is.

I'm grateful for the hurts because they help make me to celebrate all the good.

I hope you have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Women in Service Memorial

What better compliment could you give to a woman who devoted part or all of her life to service? I teared up, I'll admit it.

They Came to Play

My mom and dad are in town! They arrived Friday night and are staying through Friday. Saturday we set out on our first adventure -

Arlington National Cemetery

We saw the changing of the guard and a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I am always so impressed by the sentinels at the Tomb. The reverence for duty, country and those boys in the tombs are just overwhelming for our little family. Learn more about them here 

I like them.

It was fantastic to be able to walk around and hear stories from military history from my dad. He is so knowledgeable!

My dad was most interested in seeing the grave of Audie Murphy. I hadn't heard of him before yesterday, but of course, dad filled me in. He was the most decorated enlisted man in WWII, and for quite good reason. Learn more about him here 

This one is for my dad - he served in the Navy for 20 years

My mom is obsessed with the leaves around here. She kept stopping and picking them up and would hang on to one for a few minutes before returning it to the ground and selecting another.

She's quite darling.

I always feel so humbled being at our nation's most sacred shrine

From Arlington we walked to the Marine Corp memorial, most commonly referred to as Iwo Jima. This one is easily my favorite.

I just can never get enough of my boys. If you need a recommendation for a phenomenal book, read "Flags of Our Fathers"

Those hands......they get me every time

Some Happiness for Your Day

soexcitedicannotbreathe

oh mah gawsh! i lovelovelove this series and cannot WAIT for this to come out! might have to make a trip home to see it with a few special people.....

mom - please show dad this trailer, thanks!

George Peabody Library

On Friday Devon and I took a day trip to Baltimore. Our first stop was the George Peabody library. I wish you could have seen us freaking out, we are such happy nerds!

hey there, friends

Pointing to Devon Island in Canada

I was either signing "finish" or demanding my camera back

whatababe

Because It Was Her Birthday

It was Megan's birthday last weekend! We started the festivities with a double surprise party for Meg and Rachel. They were very, very surprised!

Anywhere we go we tend to class up the joint. Rachel's "cake" was actually a giant rice crispy treat.

Sunday night we did what we do best and had people over for treats

I don't love hug sandwiches.......

We made a DELICIOUS apple crisp!

Thanks, Pinterest!

And thank you for being born, Megan! You make everything better when you're around, I'm so happy you're here!

Catch 22 - if I say that this fact makes so much sense then I'm basically admitting to having a good blog AND to being crazy.......

To Be or Not To Be

I do a lot of work with a local university and I love seeing the students with their backpacks as they rush to and from class. I miss school! I think I'm forgetting what it was like to be a broke, stressed out student. But I miss learning in a classroom and that camaraderie you get from your classmates.

So this the question -

Back to being a student, to be or not to be?

ASL Users Will Drool!

Are you just dying right now?

This is Eric Witteborg. CODA. Duh. If you read his description this was basically off the cuff sign songage......huh. This is the sort of thing that inspires me, but at the same time makes me want to cut my hands off because I will never be this good! At the moment, I'm more leaning toward the side of "inspired" rather than "sharpening my blade to disfigure myself". But it could change at any moment.

My Megan showed me this video (thanks girl!) and we have been dorking out over his stuff ever since. Oh, did I mention that we met his brother a few weeks ago? Megan may have screamed when she made the connection. I tried to play it cool. Not sure if I was successful or not. 

Some people like cars or new gadgets - we like rockin' sign songers. In fact, when I go home for Christmas it is officially ON. All my Utah peeps - you better be practicing because there will be a sign song party. Oh yes, yes there will.

GIVEAWAY!

My friend, Lizzie, and her family are working on adopting a baby and they have partnered with a wonderful program called Ordinary Hero. They sell merchandise and give a large part of the proceeds toward the insanely expensive adoption process.

Check out their blog HERE to check out the sweet giveaway they are doing to help them win a contest with Ordinary Hero. Here's the deal - the top 3 sellers will get an additional $500 toward their adoption. There is a TON of cute stuff in the OH store and one other perk is that you get to say,

I'm an ordinary hero.

And actually mean it.

Good luck Lizzie!

xoxo

Our New Obsession

Devon found this boy band from England, One Direction. WE.ARE.OBSESSED. I am going to marry Louis (striped shirt, red pants), we're in love. Fact. He's almost 20 so it's totally fine. Devon's boyfriend is Liam, the lead singer with the shaggy/curly hair. Totally darling, but he's no Louis.

Kristin's boyfriend said that if boys were gathered around the computer screaming and calling dibs on a tween girl group they would be labeled perverts. Welp, that's not the case so, who cares! Not being labeled a perv because of my gender is alright with me.

I'm partially devastased because while this is available on YouTube it is not yet available on iTunes. Dev - a - state - ed. I guess I'll just have to fly over to England and find them.

Happens Every Time....

I had this exact conversation yesterday -

Him: Cool pants, where did you get them?

Me: A thrift store 

Him: Oh really? Which one?

Me: Oh, it's by my parent's house

Him: Where do they live?

Me: Utah

Him: Lots of Mormons there

Me: Yep

Him: Are you Mormon?

Me: Yep

Him: Cool......so what do you think of Mitt Romney?

EVERY TIME!

m.o.r.e.

via

isn't it amazing that this is all under our control?

*happy sigh*

"If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that."

- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Makes Me Chuckle

These are the pins on my Pinterest pinboard that have the highest number of repins. Basically, these are the popular kids - 

via

via

via

via

and now my favorite......

via

(sorry mom!)

Friendship

pinned

You know, the bad thing about human relationships is that we have our agency. My relationship with my shoes is unchanging (it's fabulous, thanks for asking), my relationship with peanut butter is the same, except on the other end of the spectrum (yuuuuuck!). 

But humans have emotion. We don't always see things from the other's perspective. We can be selfish. We lie. 

I'm done. As a very wise roommate always says, "I'm trying to figure out the line between justice and mercy" and I have been merciful in a certain situation for too long and now I'm feeling like a doormat. I have been overly concerned for this person's feelings whereas not an ounce of concern has been shown for mine. 

But the great thing about human relationships is that we have our agency. Despite this bump in the road, I can proudly say that I make excellent decisions when it comes to friends. Our decisions to show and speak love and support to each other is the most amazing exercise of agency I've ever been witness to. 

In the end, I'm grateful for that agency because in my life there have been several heartaches but those times are worth the many, many more instances of pure joy. Be bold, clean up your closet of friends, and don't let anyone get you down. You are enough, you are worth it, and I'm sure you can count at least a handful of people right now who think you're pretty great.

So a great big THANK YOU to my true friends. And thank you for anyone who reads this ridiculous blog, you're A-OK in my book.

xoxo

Halloween

We did a group costume for a dance on Friday night.

TETRIS pieces.

Devon, Megan, Abbey, Natalie, and me

I found a balloon and became a pregnant Tetris piece. This is Tim shirking his baby daddy responsibilities.....

Devon, Laura Jayne (a friend from college), and me

After the dance we went to IHOP where we encountered some ASL students and Megan and I had an across the room conversation with them about interpreting.

And then I did a sign song for them.

At 2am.

Saturday night we went to a friend's party

Natalie and me as the Black and White Swan

Devon and Ken as Lily and James Potter

Megan as Murie Curie

We have fun

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Occupy

My good friend, Natalie, is visiting this weekend and our first stop was to check out 'Occupy DC'. I cannot begin to describe how lame they were. This is not a political post, I have my opinions on all these "occupy" protests but I'm not going to write about it here. People were at least true to their word - they were just standing around.

Occupy!!!!

McPherson Square in DC

If you can't see the sign, it's the quote by Margaret Meade ("never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people......). Right, because standing around a public square is definitely bringing about that change.....okie doke.

The lone child protester

I have NO idea

Not a clue