Happy Birthday, Rachel!

Today is Rachel's first birthday!!!

I honestly CANNOT believe that she's already ONE! It blows my mind. Of course, it's also crazy that Hannah is going to be 3 in exactly one week also, but that's a post for another day...

I don't care what you people say, I have the CUTEST nieces ever.

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. Mishi. That cat may be retarded and super skinny, but he's definitely entertaining. I seriously don't know how he gets so dirty!
2. Nicole on a sugar high. Wow. Usually Chelsea is the crazy one, but I literally have bruises on my leg in the shape of Nicole's fingers and a rather large bruise on my wrist that I'm also crediting to Nicole.
3. Going to the park with Chelsea again. Gotta love the swings.
4. Isn't it cool how much you can love someone else's baby? I mean, Hannah and Rachel aren't mine, and I love them SO much. I can't imagine loving something more.

I Adore Sheldon.

I've been watching The Big Bang Theory a lot lately, and I can't help but gush about how much I absolutely ADORE Sheldon. He's definitely my favorite. And dare I say...100% meant for me??

I wish.

Every time he talks I sit in wide-eyed rapture, practically drooling. Which is kind of ironic because honestly, I HATE super skinny guys, which he is. But I'm willing to look past his insubstantial weight. That's how much I love him.

Here's a clip from Season 3, episode 2. This clip will explain fairly clearly why I love him so much. There is another clip from later in this same episode where Raj and Sheldon debate the name of the cricket. Also definitely worth checking out. Especially because I want Sheldon's shirt.



Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. Thinkgeek.com. Yet again, I was perusing last night, and found a bunch of stuff I want. One day...
2. I want to be socially awkward like Sheldon. Not like Rob (for those of you who know the story) but I think Sheldon is a humorous balance.
3. My new Singles Ward. Goodbye South Bay Singles, Hello Santa Monica!! :o) WAHOO!
4. Jereme. He's tons of fun. I'm lucky to have such a great family that is multifunctional, i.e., friends and family. (How's my Sheldon? Is it nerdy enough?)

My Latest Find

I find myself blogging about books a lot, lately. I think that comes with wanting to be an editor.

I've been hearing about Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series for a while now, and because everyone was comparing it to Harry Potter, I've been dutifully ignoring the excited voices. And then I saw the preview for the movie of the first book in the five-book series, The Lightning Thief. And I haven't been the same since.


I sat down and researched the book, and the series as a whole, and decided to give Rick Riordan and Percy Jackson a chance.

I haven't regretted it! I can't get over how imaginative the books are, even though it's dealing with one of the oldest tales of all time: Greek mythology. I won't spoil the series for anyone out there, but I find Percy's wit hilarious considering he's only 12.

Percy, Grover, Annabeth, Chiron, Ares (he's definitely my favorite God now...), Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Cerberus...all of them are GREAT. And the best part is, I found myself recognizing a lot of the mythology that Percy relates from classes eons ago.

I've only read the first book in the series and I'm trying INCREDIBLY hard to pace myself with the second since I have no book money because I'm jobless. But so far, I love it.

My favorite quote: "And play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls."

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. All of this rain. Believe it or not, a tornado actually touched down like half an hour from my house today.
2. Running errands with Bryce today. It's great to be reminded how much you have in common with such a good friend, and why he's one of your favorite people. And somehow we managed to be running through the rain whenever it was the worst. Needless to say, we got pretty wet.
3. I have a pinched something somewhere that's making my left arm practically unusable, and my mom rubbed my back tonight. It felt AMAZING. My arm's still sore, but a little better.
4. I have a book drawer in my room because I don't have bookshelves. It's packed, and my book box is also still rather full. This could be a problem.

For Kyle and Kellie McDonald

Kyle and Kellie are getting married tomorrow!!!

KP, I'm SO, SO, SO sorry I can't be there for your wedding. I feel so bad!

You're such a great friend and I totally appreciate all of the advice you've given me over the years. You were one of my favorite roommates and made a lot of bad stuff in my life bearable. You were there for me when Gramps died and when Bryce was diagnosed with cancer, plus all of the drama before, in between and after!!

Kyle, I've only met you once, but thank you for being so welcoming and nice.

I'm so excited for you both and wish you guys a happy life and eternity together! I wish I could be with you guys, but know that I'm there in spirit. I love you guys!

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. Temple marriages. Seriously, our church is so amazing, and temple marriages are one of the things that I love the most about it.
2. I miss living with a bunch of girls. I never thought I'd say it, but I really do miss having all of the girls around me all of the time. We had a lot of laughs, didn't we ladies?
3. I made some of my best friends in college - guys and girls - and I appreciate you all.
4. Playing Nintendo with Chelsea today. Wow.

An Epiphany

One of my all-time favorite movies is When Harry Met Sally. It's HILARIOUS. I don't own it (sad day, I know), so when it was on TV the other day, I recorded it so I could watch it later.

I did so today, and the STRANGEST thing happened!!

I was wondering a lot this past semester exactly WHY I liked John so much. It's not like he's necessarily my type. He's the physical type I like, but personality-wise he's the COMPLETE opposite of the kind of person I usual like, except for the biting wit and cynicism which I (naturally) LOVED. And then he turned out to be a real jerk, so I was REALLY confused. And today, about 5 minutes into When Harry Met Sally, I figured it out!

John is Harry!!

In EVERY single way. I was sitting there, cracking up, and realized that oh my gosh - THAT is why I liked John so much.

And then it happened again while I was reading my new book, The Demon King, by Cinda Williams Chima - a mere 23 pages in. I apologize if the following quote disturbs anyone:

"[His] kisses were intoxicating, and his embraces made her head swim.
It was more than that, though. He had a savage, cynical wit that picked apart the society that had birthed the two of them. He made her laugh, and little did these days" (23).

Like I said - strange. At least that's one John-related mystery solved.

Things that induce laughter/smiles/happy feelings in me today:
1. KP is getting married in like 6 days.
2. I have my own personal pain-remover. He's hilarious.
3. Bryce asked who John was the other night at dinner and Jereme's quick reply was, "A jackass." I love it when Jereme swears.
4. The dream I had with my Matt/Elliot date that included Jereme stringing up John (who was tied up in a burlap sack) from the ceiling by his feet.
5. I went to Barnes and Noble today. Enough said.
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Secret of the Ooze. Michelangelo is my favorite.