Playing with our toys

Garrett and I are staying up late tonight so that we won't be as sleepy when we try to stay up for New Year's tomorrow night. Garrett probably would be staying up anyway playing with his Christmas present. I broke down this year and bought him a Playstation. I still worry that it's going to rot his brain because that was always Mom's reason for not buying us one when we were younger. Doesn't he look a little too mesmerized?

I'm kind of sad that I only have one more week of break left, but I'm also excited for my new classes. I'm just trying to get as many things done as possible before school starts and I can't really make it to the store. Garrett's teasing me because I'm putting together Valentine's stuff so early. I told him that if I don't get it done now, it probably won't get done. Mostly I'm just trying to occupy my mind while I'm waiting for grades to come out.

Garrett is really excited for his last semester. He gets to take two theater classes to finish up his minor, which should be pretty fun. I'm jealous because while I'm studying Property, he'll be going to plays. I've already started to plan his graduation party. And I think now it's definitely time to go to bed (By the way, isn't it irritating when people spell "definitely" "definately"-that's my pet peeve this week). So good night! Except Grandma and Grandpa; for you it's probably good morning.

Making a Mess

A couple of years ago, Garrett and I were at Dee's in the middle of the night sharing a strawberry shake when we overheard a conversation between an older gentleman and his wife. She said "What do you do when you come home? You make a mess!" Now Garrett and I always repeat that phrase when once of us is cluttering up the apartment. Tonight, I'm the one who's making a mess. I decided to hurry and get caught up on my scrapbooking during the Christmas break so that I won't have to worry about doing any more until next Christmas break. So the floor of the living room (which is the only area in our bitsy apartment that I can really spread out in) is littered with bits of paper, tools and embellishments. I was going to take a picture, but then I decided that a messy living room should not memorialized by taking a picture of it. It's probably better to pretend that we can always walk through the living room without tiptoeing through scrapbooking things, casebooks, flashcards and other random items (remember it really is the only place I can spread out). Anyway, I'm hoping that by tomorrow morning I will be done and ready to put off any more scrapbooking for another year.

In other news, our Christmas went well. We spent time with Garrett's extended family who we don't get to see as often as we'd like. We especially liked spending time with Ben and April and their amazingly adorable daughter, Madison. It seems Madison and Garrett had quite a bit in common. Their favorite word is "Movies?" In fact Garrett is pestering me at this very moment to stop typing so we can watch a...MOVIE! So farewell to all you fabulous people because, as fabulous as you all are, Garrett is numero uno in my book!

Time flies...

First of all, I am so so so glad that finals are over!!! I hope they went fine, and I don't want to think about them ever again. It was all so draining, plus I've had to hurry and make all my Christmas preparations this week. That has not been fun, and every neighbor who brings over another plate of treats just adds to my guilt. I have finally put together some treats for the neighbors, so hopefully Garrett and I can get them out before we get any more treats from our overly generous neighbors.

In other fabulous news, Garrett and I had our fifth anniversary on the 17th. I can't believe we've been married for so long. It doesn't seem like it has been that long at all, so I guess we must be pretty happy because time has certainly flown. By the way, I just want everyone to know that I have the best husband ever. After I finished my last final on Monday at about 4pm, Garrett surprised me with a one hour massage at the Grand America Spa. It was a perfect way to unwind after three weeks of nothing but studying. We had dinner and spent the night just across the street at Little America. It was a great anniversary, even though it makes me feel really old when I tell people that Garrett and I have been married for 5 years. Hooray!

Now we're getting ready for the holidays and looking forward to seeing friends and family. I only have a few law school things to do over the break to be ready for the spring semester (one book to read, one resume to perfect, one cover letter to write, one summer job to find), so hopefully once I get all the cards made, the presents wrapped and all the other obligatory Christmas chores done, I'll have a little time to rest. Happy Holidays!

A little silliness...

I love this picture of Lanna. It always makes me smile because she looks so serious and so goofy at the same time. I finished my second final this week, and I'm getting worn out, stressed out and pretty crazy. I'm hoping that after I get my grades or when I'm done with law school, I'll look back at this time and realize that it was pretty goofy to get so stressed out. I think finals would be a little less stressful if they weren't right before Christmas. I will have a lot of shopping and wrapping to do the week before Christmas, and I'm not used to feeling so unprepared for the holidays. Oh well, I guess it's better to be unprepared for Christmas and prepared for my finals, even if it does make me a little crazy. At least I only have one more left. On our five year anniversary. Arrgh.

On a more positive note, my back feels much better, and I got our Christmas lights up. So now our apartment looks very festive. And although my fellow law students and I may be under a lot of pressure, we still manage a little holiday cheer. So for your enjoyment, here is "The Night Before Christmas," lawyer-style (It's been circling the law school this week):

Whereas, on or about the night prior to Christmas, there did occur at a
certain improved piece of real property (hereinafter "the House") a general
lack of stirring by all creatures therein, including, but not limited to a
mouse.

A variety of foot apparel, e.g. stocking, socks, etc., had been affixed by
and around the chimney in said House in the hope and/or belief that St. Nick
a/k/a/ St. Nicholas a/k/a/ Santa Claus (hereinafter "Claus") would arrive at
sometime thereafter.

The minor residents, i.e. the children, of the aforementioned House, were
located in their individual beds and were engaged in nocturnal
hallucinations, i.e. dreams, wherein vision of confectionery treats,
including, but not limited to, candies, nuts and/or sugar plums, did dance,
cavort and otherwise appear in said dreams.

Whereupon the party of the first part (sometimes hereinafter referred to as
"I"), being the joint-owner in fee simple of the House with the parts of the
second part (hereinafter "Mamma"), and said Mamma had retired for a
sustained period of sleep. (At such time, the parties were clad in various
forms of headgear, e.g. kerchief and cap.)

Suddenly, and without prior notice or warning, there did occur upon the
unimproved real property adjacent and appurtenant to said House, i.e. the
lawn, a certain disruption of unknown nature, cause and/or circumstance. The
party of the first part did immediately rush to a window in the House to
investigate the cause of such disturbance.

At that time, the party of the first part did observe, with some degree of
wonder and/or disbelief, a miniature sleigh (hereinafter the "Vehicle")
being pulled and/or drawn very rapidly through the air by approximately
eight (8) reindeer. The driver of the Vehicle appeared to be and in fact
was, the previously referenced Claus.

Said Claus was providing specific direction, instruction and guidance to the
approximately eight (8) reindeer and specifically identified the animal
co-conspirators by name: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid,
Donner and Blitzen (hereinafter the "Deer"). (Upon information and belief,
it is further asserted that an additional co-conspirator named Rudolph may
have been involved.)

The party of the first part witnessed Claus, the Vehicle and the Deer
intentionally and willfully trespass upon the roofs of several residences
located adjacent to and in the vicinity of the House, and noted that the
Vehicle was heavily laden with packages, toys and other items of unknown
origin or nature. Suddenly, without prior invitation or permission, either
express or implied, the Vehicle arrived at the House, and Claus entered said
House via the chimney.

Said Claus was clad in a red fur suit, which was partially covered with
residue from the chimney, and he carried a large sack containing a portion
of the aforementioned packages, toys, and other unknown items. He was
smoking what appeared to be tobacco in a small pipe in blatant violation of
local ordinances and health regulations.

Claus did not speak, but immediately began to fill the stocking of the minor
children, which hung adjacent to the chimney, with toys and other small
gifts. (Said items did not, however, constitute "gifts" to said minor
pursuant to the applicable provisions of the U.S. Tax Code.) Upon completion
of such task, Claus touched the side of his nose and flew, rose and/or
ascended up the chimney of the House to the roof where the Vehicle and Deer
waited and/or served as "lookouts." Claus immediately departed for an
unknown destination.

However, prior to the departure of the Vehicle, Deer and Claus from said
House, the party of the first part did hear Claus state and/or exclaim:
"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!" Or words to that effect.

One down...Two more to go!

Here's the picture of my tree, complete with a couple presents, as promised:

Garrett's been practicing Christmas songs this month so that he can play them for the family Christmas party. I keep making him play "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" over and over because it's my favorite. He does a great job and it makes our house feel so festive which really helps me feel the Christmas spirit while I study for finals.

So I had my first final last Friday, and I hope it went well. After the test, I was exhausted. I went home and took a long nap, then I went with Mom to her ward Christmas party. It was great to see everyone from Mom's neighborhood. Lanna was adorable, and she was very eager to let Santa know that she wanted a "robotic puppy that's controlled by a bone" for Christmas.

During the party, the snow really started coming down, so I spent the night at Mom's house. There's no way our cars would have made it down the hill. So the next morning I had the pleasant task of helping Mom clear the snow (about 10" in one night) off the driveway. While I was shoveling Mom's porch, I hurt my back. I never realized how great it is to have a healthy back until now. Hopefully it will feel better soon, and I can put up the Christmas lights around our windows. Hurray! One final down and two more to go!

Lost skills (or talents that I never had)

As I've been studying, I've been thinking about all the other things that need to be done around the apartment and all the other things that I used to do before law school. I wish I had a clone that could do the grocery shopping, cleaning, etc. A couple days ago my neighbors brought over a plate of cookies and a snowflake. It's a kind of holiday pass-it-on game. Now I tape the snowflake to our door, cut out a new snowflake, whip up some fabulous baked goods, and pass the treats and snowflake on to another neighbor. It's a fun way to celebrate the holidays with neighbors, but I haven't had time to bake anything for weeks. I've been considering picking up some cookies at Smith's and making them look cute on a festive plate. Now I just have to make it to Smith's.

Speaking of baked goods, here is a fabulous picture of my last baking attempt:
I bought some cinnamon bread dough from Market Square to try to make some pull-apart rolls. My sister had bought some dough earlier, and after I bought the dough, my brother-in-law told me that their dough wouldn't rise. So I didn't have high hopes for my rolls, but as you can see, they rose to the occasion. They look like they're trying to escape the pan. I guess I don't really miss baking things that much, they never quite turn out the way I expect.

Oh well, I guess pursuing a career as a baker is not in my future. Law school must have been a good choice. Wouldn't it be great if there is a fantastic baker lurking deep inside Garrett? While his baking skills could probably use a little work, he has great heating up frozen pizza skills. I don't think we'd ever eat if it wasn't for his mad food procuring skills. He also handles a vacuum cleaner like a pro. So even though our laundry probably won't get totally done for a couple more weeks, Garrett helps me feel like entropy isn't completely taking over every aspect of our lives during finals. Speaking of finals...back to Contracts!

Grrr. Finals are coming!

Things have been so crazy this past couple of weeks. I have one final each week for the next three weeks, so I've been hitting the books pretty hard. So hard that the books have started hitting back. I've been getting headaches, and it certainly doesn't help when I'm trying to memorize everything there is to know about contracts. Garrett has two finals next week, but he's feeling pretty prepared. I'm glad because if Garrett had to study all the time too, then our cupboards would be bare (except for that can of sauerkraut that I keep meaning to use for something and haven't used yet). At least we got our Christmas tree out of the closet. For those of you who haven't heard my fabulous solution to the unpleasant problem of untangling lights, digging out ornaments and fluffing up artificial branches, here it is: I can fit my entire, fully decorated Christmas tree in a closet in our apartment, so all I have to do is pull it out and plug it in. Hooray for less time untangling and more time for hot cocoa! Granted we have a little less storage, but I consider it a small price to pay for less work during finals. If I had to go through the whole process of putting up the tree, it wouldn't get done until after finals, which would be just the week before Christmas. There is nothing more relaxing while I'm studying than sitting near the tree and listening to Garrett play Christmas songs on his acoustic guitar. I'm still trying to convince him to break out the electric guitar on Christmas morning for a rousing version of Joy to the World that is sure to wake the neighbors. I'll post a picture of our lovely tree once it has some presents under it. Otherwise it doesn't look as happy.

Happy News!

First, for your enjoyment, here is a picture of the infamous goldfish. See, they're looking at my sink full of dishes and snickering. Second and most importantly, my adorable cousin Jenny's little boy was born yesterday. He was a little early, but we are all so glad he is here. Jenny and Aaron are fine and still trying to decide the perfect name for this cute baby. For those of you who are unfamiliar with baby-naming practices in my mom's family, we wait to see what the baby looks like to see which name fits. For example, my sister's name was going to be Emily, until my parents saw her and realized that she wasn't an Emily; she was a Heather. Our thoughts are with this cute little family, and we can't wait to meet this new guy in person. What a handsome boy!

First Post of Many

Today has been pretty crazy. I've been dividing my time between studying, checking up on my cousin and her brand new baby boy (brand new as of this afternoon), and worrying about washing the dishes. I'm not actually concerned enough about the dishes to get up and wash them, but their accumulation in the sink is a little irksome. I've actually been very surprised at how fast they pile up. I'm convinced that our goldfish somehow sneak out of their bowl for a snack when we're not looking and add their dishes to the pile. I suppose I'll have to tackle them. One of these days...