Naked Out of Necessity

Here is a photo of our rings that I took a couple years ago. I guess Amy didn't remember I had these photos, so here you go.

As you can see, a cleaning/repolishing is desperately needed, so the two-day separation from our rings is well worth it...although I have noticed a substantial increase in the number of girls smiling at me, checking me out as I walk by, and asking for my number... I think tomorrow I will just need to stay indoors.

Naked

Last night Paul asked me for my ring so that he could take it to the jeweler to make sure the diamond is still set securely after almost 5 years, and to have it cleaned and polished or whatever it is they do to make it sparkle. And now I am sitting in the law school trying to study and I keep having this nagging feeling, then I look down and realize it is because my ring finger is naked. So I make a pouty face, try to study again, and five minutes later I find myself looking for the sparkle again. Diamonds may not be my best friend, but I sure am missing mine today. Maybe tonight I will have to hunt down an old CTR ring to get me through tomorrow until I get my own ring back. And no, this is not a photo of my ring, just one I pulled off the internet. Our wedding photos, including pictures of our rings, were taken with film, not digital. I really should get them scanned someday.

Twilight

You know I had to get in on this. If you haven't read the books, you probably won't get why this is so hilarious and why I was crying in the law school from laughter when I found this on MSN. To see the full thing, follow the link at the bottom.


BELLA: So did you do the chemistry homework?

EDWARD: Like, 100 years ago.

BELLA: No, seriously. Quit making jokes about our age difference. I have to do my homework before I go home and cook my dad his dinner.

EDWARD: You are a magnificent flower and the sweet cherry atop my life's sundae. Marry me and your life will be distilled bliss, for I do not eat food that requires cooking, and I am rich enough that your chemistry grade matters not a whit.

BELLA: Um, let's not talk about what you eat.

EDWARD: Your wish is my command, fragrant blossom.

BELLA: I don't understand how you can say that. I'm just a plain, awkward girl who needs to strap herself to the commode so she doesn't fall off. Accident-prone is my middle name.

EDWARD: I will sneak into your bathroom and offer my steady, marble-like arms as your supports. No harm shall come to you, my pet.

BELLA: OK, but you have to be really quiet about it and stuff, because my dad is, like, the police chief and even though he can't cook his own dinner, he will totally OWN your undead badonkadonk if he catches you.

EDWARD: (Laughs) Did you just see that? I sprinted to the end of these mossy rocks and back in less time than you took to say badonkadonk.

BELLA: Kiss me unchastely, you sexy beast.

EDWARD: Let's do your chemistry first, and then we shall go for a ride in my Volvo.

BELLA: See? I am ugly. My vampire boyfriend doesn't even want to neck.


EDWARD: Oh my Gosh! What happened to your ears! Did someone hurt you, my love?

BELLA: What? I can't hear you. I'm wearing my earbuds and rocking out. Have I told you today that you are gorgeous? Your torso looks like it's carved from marble. Who cares that your skin's so cold... more I have to wear a blanket when we snuggle? You're yummy!

EDWARD: OK, if you can't hear me, then I will whisper the words I've longed to utter for a century. I love you. Love, love, love, kissy, kissy.

BELLA: Um, Edward, I was just kidding. I can still hear you when I have my earbuds on.

EDWARD: I meant every word of it. You are the sweet love of my life. My nostrils flare to embrace your intoxicating scent.

BELLA: Do you have any Tic Tacs? I feel like I should, I don't know, eat a breath mint or something. We're going to kiss soon, right?

EDWARD: I fear my passions will overwhelm me. Let us just hold hands and take another ride in my swift, swift Volvo.

BELLA: Can't hear you. Earbuds.

See? Hilarious, I know. There's more at http://movies.msn.com/movies/galleryfeature/lost-twilight-script/?GT1=28127.

Ego

I know I have an ego, and let's be honest, doesn't everybody who has a blog? I mean, weren't blogs created as a way of showing off our so fun, seriously fabulous lives? (I really don't think there is anything wrong with this, I am just laughing at myself right now. Sorry if the humor doesn't come across.)

Anyway, today my ego was stoked in a good old-fashioned way that hasn't happened for me in a while. I was applauded. I'll spare you the details of just why I was applauded but it basically had to do with me analogizing legal writing to a cream-filled cupcake. I'll allow that it was a brilliant argument (ego, I know), but a glow of pride made my chest feel warm when my peers started clapping.

Oh the applause didn't last long, just a second or two because it was the impromptu kind, but while it lasted I remembered other times I have been applauded in life: graduations, at my wedding, blowing out birthday candles, and in 6th grade when I played the Cowardly Lion in the "Wizard of Oz" at a community theater. There is nothing quite like it, and I just felt so good.

I think we should all clap for each other a lot more often. You know how there are all sorts of emoticons like smiley faces and winking faces that you can type with? Somebody should invent one that does applause. Its not like I'm asking for a standing ovation, right? Just a way of showing how remarkable people are. Like the way I feel about my friends (i.e., you).

De-frump my life please!

It is about this point in the semester every year when I go into melt-down just before kicking into overdrive. I realize that I have no clue what is going on in any of my classes, panic, feel paralyzed for a couple days and avoid thinking about it by reading lots of fun books that have absolutely nothing to do with "The Law," then pull myself together and go to work. I'm in the work stage now, thankfully.

Which unfortunately means that I am deep down in the frumps. Is it socially acceptable to wear running pants or yoga attire to school every day? They're a step-up from pajamas, aren't they? What if I have a nice work-out jacket that matches? It is just so much more comfortable than jeans and when I am studying hard core, comfort is the most important thing. And chocolate. Which only adds to the frumpiness as I find myself placing schoolwork as a priority over gym time. I know, crazy right? To top it all off, the stress gave me a cold-sore which is the crowning glory of all things frumpy.

So at least I could de-frumpify this blog. The black is so sleek and brooding and sets off photos well I think, but who knows, maybe I'll switch it to a light gray or white within a day or two. Now if only I could figure out how to get a really cute blog banner. Or new shoes. Goldenrod-yellow ones.

Wanderlust

I'm sitting at my carrel, one of maybe six in our law school that actually has a view out the window at the giant Y gracing our mountain, and writing this post because something really rare has happened today. See, I have a favorite question. I ask myself the same question at least once a day. Sometimes I ask other people too. I ask, "If I could be anywhere else in the world right now, where would I be?" I don't think about the finances or travel time involved. Its more like a snap of the fingers and I am there. Kind of like the game where you spin a globe and blindly stop it with one finger to discover a new location, except that this isn't blind. I choose the spot. Its somewhere I want more than anything to see. Often it is Machu Picchu or the Taj Mahal. There are days when it is a white sand beach in Fiji or an empty dark alcove in Notre Dame.

But today I spun the globe of my mind and did a double-take. Today I want to be right here in Provo. No exotic destinations come to mind. Utah is NEVER a top pick. Honestly this is a first. I think it is because the sky is dark with stony, swirling clouds and black raindrops that are just starting to tug on the dark gold leaves adorning the trees around Provo. While I was driving to school, I rolled down my windows despite the chill just so I could feel the wind whip against my face and neck and smell the rich fall air. And now, warm and dry in the law school, leaning back in my chair to see past my reflection in the dark window glass at the Y, I just can't think of anywhere else I would like to be.

Tomorrow will be different and that's okay. My wanderlust doesn't mean I am dissatisfied with my life, it just shows the adventure in my personality: I always want to experience the new and different. The world has so much to offer. So many places of beauty. Today, Provo is that place for me.

Now be honest and don't think about it: If you could be anywhere else in the world right now, where would it be?