Happiness is...

the following...

MY NEW JOB!!! I'll be a 1st and 2nd grade reading aid at this amazing school. I'm SO happy. Love the beautiful campus, and the friendly and smart faculty. The head of school is really amazing and I've enjoyed meeting with everybody so far at the school. I start Monday!

I was just leaving my friend Lauren's new house on the upper-east side of town in NYC on Friday when I checked my voicemail. I was expecting a call back from Langley because I'd interviewed with them several weeks prior, but I knew it was taking some time to get in touch with all my references. However, the position that I interviewed for was just an afterschool counselor position (it was all they had available). So, I call the director of academics back immediately and she tells me there's been some personnel changes (someone moved) and she offers me the position (as described above) right away. I accept the position right away. I can't even tell you what a weight was immediately lifted off my shoulders. I was elated all weekend. I LOVE this school.

And it may just be that my boyfriend in the 6th grade is a science teacher in the lower school (it's K-8). He was my first kiss. He's married now though, so no awkwardness.

And continuing my list of happiness...

Crisp air that fall in VA brings. How I love fall.

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Indian food. Specifically chicken tikka masala and specifically restaurants in Murray Hill (NYC lower eastside).

Clear skin. I've discovered Philosophy's Purity. I really think it's got to be what's turned my skin around.

When pants feel lose. This hasn't happened in awhile. It's okay. I'll get it back.

My nieces and nephew yelling my name and running to hug me when I arrive at their house.

Sweet potato chips. LOVE.

Panera's Tomato Basil Soup

Trader Joe's Kettlecorn. It'll change your life. I love having it for movie night. And any other time.

I don't understand it.

Were our mothers just completely negligent? Why is it that these are so necessary now? Could parents perhaps be too concerned with germs nowadays? I'm pretty sure I turned out pretty healthy, but I don't think my mom worried about me sitting in the shopping cart without a cover, or the grades of plastic and making sure PVC wasn't in any of my dolls. We are getting smarter though, right? We are all going to live longer because of these advances? So, they are to our advantage? I just remember expressing very recently that I don't want to still be alive when I'm 90, or 80 (I could keep decreasing this number). Why put yourself through that? Though, if you are still healthy and living independently, then I guess life is good. My grandpa is 95 and still driving around.

And isn't there something to be said to making your immune system work hard to fight off sickness and in doing so it becomes stronger? If we shield all kids from sickness, won't their immune systems be nonexistent?

The West

Such a good (but quick) trip to Utah. It was great to see so much family and friends.

Me and Sierra with Alli. Sierra is one of my closest friends. We've been close for over 10 years now.

Maddie

Alli is going into Kindergarten. She read to me a whole story out of the Friend with perfect pace. Her fluency is amazing. She pauses in the all the right places. Gives emphasis to correct words. She breezes through words like "encouragable" and "interrupted." The girl is amazing. I haven't seen her in over a year. She remembers me. Always. When I see her she brings up things that happened when I was with her when she was like 2 years old.

At temple square with Carter's fam.

And Lake Powell! At the beginning of the trip we got some great news! Steph is pregnant! Bring on #5! The kids are all so excited to be big sisters and a big brother.

This was the point where Trina and I stayed on the boat with the babies and everybody else jumped out for an impromptu hike to the top of the mountain.

Antelope Canyon was beautiful. It was even more exhilarating going through it on waverunners than in a boat, because you just feel that much smaller.

Juliette is pouting, because I guess Hunter was carrying her, but put her down because it was getting too steep and dangerous. He didn't think about the fact that she would be scared and would need assistance to continue on. I don't know how that wouldn't have crossed his mind.

We had good water mostly. Though, for one whole day it was really too choppy/windy to ski. I even skiied for the first time behind a wave runner! It was just like getting up on our little Chrysler boat we had when I was growing up. Steph did well getting her spray just right as she cuts back into the wake. Our brothers seem to have always done this, and my slaloming just isn't impressive anymore after I've been doing it for so long. I feel like I always am trying to get the spray, but apparently it's too small to be acknowledgeable. I'm going to get that one of these days.

Isabelle and Juliette. Isabelle still kind of reminds me of me when I was little, but she did mostly when she was just a little bit younger. Now she's just silly and copies whatever Kimball does. Kimball is hilarious. Seriously one of the funniest kids. Kimball and Isabelle called me "Dokey" all week. I don't even know how it got started.

Thanks so much to Trina's family for letting use the house boat, ski boat, and waverunners. It was so fun to all get together.

A summer's eve

If only I had nothing to do but serenade a neighbor on my violin. Juliette wasn't even told to go practice. She's just hanging out at the window playing her violin.

I want my childhood back.

Boys vs. Girls

I was reminded recently that I once voiced (in a letter) my feeling to my brother, Spencer, that I wished I was a boy. This was when he was on his mission, and I was going through a difficult stage (when am I not?). Instead of ignoring the absurd comment, he addressed it (being the sensitive guy that he is). "What's this about you wishing you were a boy?" he wrote. I'm sure I had contemplated the differences and pros/cons many a time, but this was the only time I outright stated that I wished I was.

Life is easier for boys. I'm pretty much decided upon it.

If I didn't have to worry about the following things, stress in my life could be substantially lessened due to decreased expenditures and the increased time which I'd gain from their relief.

1. Hair. Okay so maybe guys shave their face. Let's consider all the hair areas I have dealt with in the past couple hours or will deal with in the next couple. These would be: shaving yesterday (a good 20 minutes) -- legs and underarms, of course; bleaching lip; cream hair remover on face; plucking eyebrows; bikini wax scheduled Wednesday AM; covering gray with powder spray on days my hair has been washed; washing hair (a good 15 minutes); hair appointments (a good $150 every 3 months).

2. Working out. LOTS of guys don't ever work out. Of course, lots of girls don't work out either; however, lets face it -- failure to work out is a problem for many more a girl than boy.

3. Make-up/skin. From the creams/lotion that decrease hair growth, the ones to eliminate ingrown hairs after waxing, the ones to decrease pores, acne lotions/face washes, lotion for tightening skin/eliminating cellulite, eye cream, SPF moisturizer, day moisturizer, night moisturizer, clay masks, exfoliating washes and masks, the list just goes on and on and on. I'll admit, ALL of them, I use.

4. Our monthly visiter. Men don't need to worry if they fall asleep without using the restroom during a certain week of the month. We, however, wake up very unpleasantly to realize if we had only remembered the old-fashioned winged protector, we would have saved ourselves a lot of bleach and extra loads of laundry. Of course, there's also some panic that accompanies our daily exit out the door during this week, as well. Did I remember my tampons? Will I have to ask to borrow from everybody in my office all day or can I get to the store to buy yet another box of tampons?

I think I'm done. I don't even consider myself a girly girl. What the hell is wrong with me? Is anybody else exhausted? I just can't keep it up.

DC on the 4th.

I love D.C. I'm so glad to be living here. There are so many great aspects of DC. I drive around McLean and I love it. As Chris Brown (childhood friend) and I said the other week "Our parents got it right." I drive downtown on the mall and I love it. I drive around Ballston and Georgetown and I love it there too.


Here are some pictures of my friend Kate and me on the 4th. We watched the fireworks from the capitol steps. Perfect view.

Vacation.

This is where I'll be in a week. Lake Powell, here I come.