The Weekend

that was really five days, so it was more of a week...but that's beside the point. My kick butt weekend started on Thursday night, and when clear to Tuesday night. I did many marvelous things, but two of them are epic, and possibly life changing.

#1 I got a new brother! He is the second handsome one on the left of the most handsome one, and on the right of the one that is in the awkward stage of life, but will one day grow to handsomeness like his brothers. (Love you Tanner) Good thing Abbie and I finish of the ends to make the family look REALLY good.

He came home from a mission in Africa, which is why I am disappointed in his lack of tan. Isn't it sunny there? And also, I was not impressed when he shoved a ketchup laden corn dog, that I happened to be enjoying, forcefully into the right side of my face, therefore making me a ketchup face.

But I am so nice that I really liked him anyway. Plus I beat him soundly in all attempted video games, so he's pretty cool.


#2 I also drew a mustache on a stick with antlers out of sidewalk chalk, and was not smart enough to know how to flip the picture the right direction without my beautiful macbook. This is by far the most epic moment of my weekend...maybe my fortnight.


ciao.
karlie jean

When I walk home

I see this
and this

And when I walk up on cold days....
I look like this


Good thing the summer makes it worth the frigid winter. I think I'll go get a slurpee.

Remembering

The word remember is one that has great significance to me in my life for different reasons, but today I want to write about remembering people.


Yesterday was memorial day. Death is not something that I have had a lot of experience dealing with on a directly personal level. Only once. Only when my young grandpa of 65 died suddenly while at work doing a remodel of an old house. I remember the disbelief, and the denial, until I remembered that families are eternal, and we are all bound together, and the separation is temporary. It gave me such peace. I don't think any other knowledge would make watching my sweet grandmother on her lonely days bearable.

I have seen several good friends deal with death at an even closer proximity. Three of my best friends in the worlds have lost parents. Two to cancer, and one to a horrible accident. These three friends dealt with it in such an incredible way. They clung to the knowledge of the Gospel, and the fact that the rest of the time in this life without them will be less than a pinprick in the line of eternity.

I have often wondered what death would feel like without this knowledge. What if I had to question whether or not I would see my precious family again? My mind doesn't wrap around it. Every feeling in my body rejects the very thought or possibility. The pain is enough with the truth. I can truly understand people who never fully recover emotionally who don't know it. I can not express the gratitude I feel for my faith, and the knowledge it brings of eternal families. I need that eternity. I have a husband that I need to spend an eternity loving and knowing. A lifetime does not yield enough time to know a person completely.

So Grandpa, today I'm thinking about you. I'm thinking about how on that last day I saw you, you woke me from my nap with one of my favorite whisker kisses. I remember your flannel shirts, and your hats that barely sat on your head. I remember how you could never tell a satisfactory joke because you would start laughing so hard before the punch line that you couldn't finish it. I remember everything. I love you. I will see you soon.
karlie jean

More often than not sometimes I....

Get back in bed with husband after my morning run instead of doing my crunches, stretches, and push-ups

Think that person riding their bike up the hill in my direction has two heads, until they pass me and I realize it was their backpack protruding from behind their real head.

Tell myself I will only eat one Popsicle, then proceed to eat two or three, and not even feel guilty about it.

I have cravings to eat out, and I know we shouldn't because money is tight, but somehow I make myself think we'll be fine, so go out we do.

I pretend to be grown up when I don't feel good, but in all reality I just want my mom (sorry husband).

I say I am going to be a good wife and cook good meals, but when I get home from campus after 9-10 hours, baked potatoes or frozen burritos via the microwave are as gourmet as I'm gonna get.

I want my life to seem as cool as hers or maybe hers, but then I remember that mine is already the bomb.

Sometimes

Sometimes wife actually tries to cook dinner for husband, and sometimes it happens to be that she has enough ground beef to cook both sloppy joe AND taco meat. Sometimes she decides that they will eat the sloppy joes tonight, and save the taco meat for tomorrow. Sometimes wife sends husband to the store to get potatoes so they can have homemade fries with the aforementioned sloppy joe sandwiches of joy, and he is quick and compliant. Sometimes when wife does this she bites into her carefully and lovingly prepared sloppy joe, only to find that the meat is freezer burned and tastes of yak buttock. So sometimes wife doesn't finish her sandwich, and eats a half a bag of frozen corn instead. Usually husband doesn't even notice the icky taste, so he eats all of his sandwiches anyway. Sometimes wife wonders if he eats this ground yak posterior only to make her feel better. Wife throws away the meat. Wife does the dishes. Wife is very glad husband also bought ice cream at the grocery store, so they can have butterfinger shakes after he is done at helicopter school.

Yeah. Try to make THAT sound appetizing.
Its impossible.