Harry Potter

I am happy to report that Harry potter number seven was just as good the second time around as it was the first. J.K. Rowling, you have outdone yourself. I finished re-reading the seventh book last night and I was still crying when Chris got home from work. He told me he thought it was really touching that I could have such a strong emotional attachment to fictional characters.I told him to shove it.

Loser or hero?

I like to think of myself as both. As most of you know, I am working this summer as a lifeguard and swim teacher for Provo city (and you thought lifeguarding was for high schoolers...ha!) Well, a couple weeks I saved someone! Actually, it was my very first day of lifeguarding, I had just finished my certification classes that morning. Crazy, huh? The pool that I work at has waterslides and a teenage boy came out crying and holding his head because he had banged it while trying to do a flip in the slide. Genius. Pool policy is whenever someone could have a possible head or neck injury you have to stabilize them in the water and put them on a backboard until EMS shows up. Not doing so=big liability. I did all of those things and he ended up being fine, but it was still kind of scary. The funny thing is that most of the girls I work with have been lifeguards for like five years and have never had to save anyone. I had been a lifeguard for like two hours. So I am a hero in that sense.

On another note, I am a giant loser. I am getting a cold from teaching swim lessons in the freezing cold I think, but anyways, I was feeling super sick after work last night so I took some drugs and finally fell asleep. I slept for like ten hours and when I woke up this morning at ten, Chris turns to me and asks "Didn't you have some test this morning or something?" It is then that I realized in my sickened stupor I totally forgot to set my alarm for my Praxis exam (the exam I have to take to get my teaching license and which started at 7:30 in the morning). I had actually totally spaced the night before that the Praxis was the next morning. Well, it's just a $130 down the drain. No worries. Sometimes I can be such a loser.

Memorial Day

Chris and I wanted to go camping for Memorial Day, but lucky for us we decided at the last minute that we didn't feel like going because we thought it might be too cold. We were literally all packed in the car driving and we turned around, which turned out to be about the best idea ever. I was really glad when I woke up in three in the morning to go to the bathroom and realized it was raining....which it proceeded to do for like the next twenty four hours. So the rain kind of ruined our camping and hiking plans (we were going to go with Leandra and Carter). So in true holiday style, we decided to go out to breakfast instead. In my family, pretty much any holiday constitutes an opportunity to eat ourselves silly.




After breakfast, we headed up to continue the feasting at my parent's house with a Memorial Day BBQ. In hopes that the rain would die out so we could fire up the grill, we went to an afternoon showing of the new Indiana Jones movie. I thought it was pretty good, and I was incredibly impressed by how good Harrison Ford looked without his shirt off. Not bad for late sixties. Anyways, I loved Shia Labeouf, he has been my secret crush ever since "Even Stevens."

After the movie, it was raining harder than it had been before so we debated over what to do for dinner. Luckily, my dad is a die hard grill master. Problem solved---just stick the BBQ in the garage.

And was I ever glad he did! The results!Me and my cute little brother after the feast. Know any cute seventeen yr olds looking for true love? Haha.

Chelsea's Birthday Shout-Out

Ok, so I know Chelsea's birthday was actually yesterday, but I guess it is never too late for a birthday shout-out. Last night we went to CPK to celebrate, but unfortunately Brittany was the only one smart enough to bring a camera and I was hoping to steal some pictures from her blog but there weren't any up. Since I am at work, I will have to add some pictures depicting mine and Chelsea's friendship once I get home.

But, as my birthday gift to Chelsea I would like to count down my top-ten Chelsea memories:

10. Our seven peaks season passes last year & floating down the lazy river while running into every small child in Provo.

9. Skinny dipping in Lake Powell.

8. That other thing Chelsea dared me to do at Lake Powell (the thing that was supposed to be a secret, but she told Burke right away anyways).

7. Making fun of just about everything Jamie did...including the time we went over to her apartment at ten on a Friday night and found her putting in her own, used hair extensions.

6. The time she "surprised" me in my bed after I specifically told her not too--if you were at dinner last night you heard this story.

5. The time she and Burke tried to cheer me up and take me to sensuous sandwich after Chris and I broke up (ok, that happened more than one time).

4. The time we got in a fight because I suck at ironing and she told me "She appreciated my willingness to serve."

3. Slut night.

2. Staying at the Cannon Center for like three hours at a time, twice a day.

1. Watching the Bachelor--"I have the smallest hoots in the world.....I did not realize that there were boys here."

Happy 22nd Birthday (a day late)!

Sorry

So, it is pretty pathetic when all of your posts for the last three months can fit on one page. Oh well, I guess that's what happens when nothing exciting ever happens to you. Lately, Chris and I have been enjoying our time away from school. We are both busy with work (right now my job consists mostly of manual labor...I dropped an entire bucket of paint down my leg this morning when I was painting the bottom of Provo city's outdoor pool...nice one). Since I have last posted we have not done too much. We had a nice mother's day with my family, and we got to talk to Chris' little brother, Tommy, who comes home from his mission later this summer. One of the first things he said to me was "So, are you a good cook?" I can tell we are going to be good friends. We have only met like two times before he left on his mission so I am excited to get to know him better. Before we hung up Chris asked if Tommy had any advice for him and he said "Well, if you had asked me six months ago I would have told you not to get married!" Ha ha, spoken like a true missionary.

Yesterday we went for a hike, which was nice, but I always find myself wishing that Utah were greener. I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures. But we sported our matching tie dye shirts Chris' mom bought for us. I realized this morning when I got to work that I missed one of my lifeguard certification classes last night while we were hiking. Ooops. My boss said it was ok because it was just a fitness test and she knows I can do all if the swim strokes. How she knows this I am not sure, but I am glad that it wasn't a big deal. Back to last night, after we got home and ate dinner we were sitting around when someone knocked on our door. It was our new next door neighbors with a plate freshly baked cookies. They just wanted to come over and meet us, they seem really nice...they may just be our first friends in our ward. After they left, Chris looked at me and said "Wow, I don't think I have ever been that nice." Ha ha, what a guy.

Seattle and More

So yesterday I get home from work and Chris tells me that he needs to take my car to work because his gas pedal has fallen off. Yes, that's right, the entire pedal and has just fallen off. How does this happen, one might ask? Get a 1978 VW bus and you will find that incidents such as this are not as uncommon as you might hope. So here I am on Saturday night stranded without a car or a cell phone (it went MIA), so I figured since I have already cleaned the house, gone for a bike ride, and paid the bills that I should update the blog. I will start with our trip to Washington...we spent a couple of days last week with Chris' family in Washington. It was fun to get away and have a couple of carefree days with family. Plus, we totally surprised them which was awesome/hilarious. His mom looked like she had seen a ghost when we walked up the driveway.




We had a great weekend visiting, eating ridiculous amounts of food, and spending time on the coast. It was pretty cold and rainy but it was really fun. It is always nice to be at the beach regardless of the weather. The picture below is some driftwood that washed up on the shore, it was like an entire tree. We also spent some time in Seattle searching for thrift stores for my hippie husband. Unfortunately we forgot to look the stores up before we left so we just ended up walking around the city; it was actually really fun and reminded me of many nights wandering around in London.

I also chopped all of my hair off (almost) while we were there. I cut about eight inches off, but don't have any pictures yet, I am sure I will soon. I really like it, but I am still trying to figure out how to do it.

Lastly, there are some exciting things happening this weekend. They are, in no particular order...


1) Eli got married! I couldn't go to the reception because of the whole gas pedal fiasco/me being stranded, but I am excited for him either way. Eli is one of my good friends from study abroad and I am super happy for him. Here we are on my first ride on a double-decker bus, we tried to sit in the very front on the top where it looks like you are running all sorts of cars and pedestrians over, but no such luck.

2) Rachel Gilman got her mission call yesterday! She is going to Argentina in August. I will miss her, but she will be a great missionary. This is one of my favorite pictures of her and Mike in London entertaining us with their musical abilities.

3) It is Sister Jamie Brown's 22nd birthday! She is kicking butt in Brazil right now on her mission, but we still miss her. I still think it is weird that we won't be roommates when she gets back. It was always an adventure, whether it be her 50 million designer purses or her practicing lacrosse against a dorm room wall at 2 a.m., or her obsession with hair extensions and putting them in herself, everyday was a surprise. Only one year until she returns! Here is Jamie, me , and Chelsea bowling right before she left for Brazil. Just to give you an idea of Jamie, here we are wearing some of the clothes that Chelsea and I found in Jamie's drawers. No, they were not in a costume chest, they were just some truly jamie-esque gems we found among her everyday clothes..and that is why we love her.


4) Jessica Van Buren (now Collings) has moved back to Provo! Now I have more friends! I love it when that happens. She is also one of my good friends from London and she and her husband moved back here from Rexburg. Now I have someone to run 5K's with again. (that is if I ever get back into running). Here we are on one of London's many bridges.

The Doctor's Office

Disclaimer:
This post may contain scenes of a graphic nature, possibly too much for a man to handle. The story involves details from a visit to the gyno....

Ok, so I went to the doctor for my yearly exam (wink, wink) yesterday and I was pleased to find out that nothing has changed in the medical profession. I was on time, but of course was forced to wait in the waiting room until twenty minutes after my appointment was scheduled for. This I was willing to overlook because the office looked genuinely busy. After I was called back into the doctor's office and they took my vitals, my MALE gynecologist entered. Ok, seriously, what self-respecting man wakes up one morning and decides--I am going to devote my life to the uterus? I mean, I respect the profession, I just don't really understand the appeal. Anyways, so he tells me to strip down, put on a gown and sit on the butcher-paper table until he comes back. He told me he would just give me a few minutes to change.

45 MINUTES LATER....

I am still sitting there, half-naked wondering if my doctor died, if I should press some sort of emergency button to get some help, or if this is just a cruel mind trick. I mean, it's not quite like I can just pop my head out the door (butt cheeks flapping in the wind) to make sure that someone is eventually going to come back into the room. Plus, the tissue-like paper sticking to my bare skin is very comfortable and I wouldn't want to move from that awkward position or anything. So there I am sitting and planning my witty/sarcastic comment when the doctor finally returns, which he does and promptly apologizes for forgetting about me. Of course, all my courage fails me and I simply smile sheepishly in my dressing gown and assure him that it is fine. I mean, I love sitting in anticipation for this annual treat. Who wouldn't? Besides, I was enjoying the breeze (too far?...sorry.) To make a long story short, my three minute exam took over two hours and Chris thought I had died. I kind of wanted to at some point.

But, I am fit as a fiddle and on a lighter and unrelated note...today is my last day at the library!!! FREEDOM!! Sweet freedom. Look for me this summer saving lives at your local pool. :)

Getting a break from Provo

Chris and I have been wanting to get out of Provo for quite a while now, we both have not really gone anywhere for awhile (not counting the honeymoon when we were both really sick). So last night we were talking to Chris' parents on the phone and after we finished we decided that we would surprise them and go out for a few days after finals are over. We are really excited to take some time off of work and relax and to surprise Chris' parents. I bet him five bucks his mom cries when she sees us. Seattle here we come!

Montessori Monster

Ok, so I have been interviewing for internship teaching positions for like a month and a half now and I have really been starting to think that I am wearing a sign on my back into interviews that says "Please do not hire me!" I don't know what it is, but apparently the "do no hire Erika at any cost" phenomenon has spread to the realm of lower-class part-time jobs as well.

I went for an interview at Montessori preschool in Lindon today as part of my quest to find a new summer job. I walk in and this lady who has spent way too many hours in a tanning bed hands me an application without even shaking my hand, introducing herself, or making eye contact. She then proceeds to sit and yell at someone on the phone for twenty minutes, even after I have clearly finished filling out my application (consisting of information that is already on my resume) and continues her heated discussion into my scheduled interview time. You think she could have at least told me it would be a few minutes or something. Then she looks at my application for about three seconds, tells me the job only pays seven dollars an hour and I have asked for something in the $9-10 range and asks if this would be a problem. Seven dollars an hour? I am pretty sure I could make more than that at some fast food chains. That is just a crime. So, seeing as how I like to eat and keep a roof over my head, I told her I would need more than seven dollars an hour (very politely I might add). She responds with "Well, then I guess you shouldn't waste my time or yours and you should try telemarketing if you want to make that kind of money." She then hands me back my resume and tells me not to waste it on her.

WOW! Seriously? I was infuriated. What happened to people skills? Of course I was too dumbfounded to speak, but by the time I got back in the car I really wished I had given her a piece of my mind. I could not believe she was so rude. Here's a tip: post the wage in the newspaper ad and don't make people drive all the way to Lindon just so that you can abuse them. Needless to say, I am still on the hunt.

Festival of colors

Last weekend was the Festival of Colors at the Hare Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork. So fun. It is like Chris' favorite event of the year, I think be cause he secretly wants to be Indian or he is just all about the idol worship. Last time we went to the temple, he bought two "ohm" shirts, (different colors, so he could get away with wearing them more often) about ten boxes of incense which he periodically uses to fumigate the apartment or get in the mood, I am not sure which, and one of those long dress type shirts that the men wear. He wears it with polyester pants and calls it his "happy outfit." Looks especially nice with a bandanna and a 1978 Volkswagen bus. Gotta love him.
Anyways, he had to work and was unable to go, which almost made him cry, but I went with Ashlee , Missy, Disa, and Ty.

What happens is everyone shows up and buys their colored dust (which they didn't bother telling us would stain our clothes until after we were covered with it...sneaky) and at a certain moment, everyone throws their dust up into the air and all over as many people as possible. It was incredible, just a huge cloud of pink/purple/red/orange dust so thick you couldn't see anyone. Then everyone dances around and sings Hare Krishna songs and dance around a giant bonfire. There are also llamas there for your enjoyment. Here are some pictures of the festivities.