Ode to an Awesome Friend

I have nominated my most awesome friend, Emilysa, for the "Most Awesome Friend of the Year" award.

Qualifications include:

• being a great mission companion, roommate, and friend for nearly six years.
• teaching me how to make cookie dumplings, rice and beans, and other concoctions.
• always asking the right questions.
  
• being willing to drive approximately 115 miles to cheer me up on a rotten day, and waiting unfazed while I periodically felt the need to stare into the toilet during her visit.
• embarking on adventures that some may call "geeky" and others call "nerdy," but we call "fun."
• finding the time to see me in some less than convenient places like the Salt Lake Airport and a church in the Phoenix area.
• being a fabulous example.
  
• understanding me.
  

Vote for Em for the most "Awesome Friend of the Year Award" and wish her a "Happy Birthday" this week.

Recovery

I'm bored! It's day eight of sickness. What I thought was a migraine, turned out to be the flu, then turned into pneumonia. Yep, it's been fun. I wish I could invite you all over to share in the joy. Some of the best moments when were I thought to myself, "Oh, it's 2010, I wonder if I am allowed to take more Tylenol," or when I was told it would be a 45 minute wait at the pharmacy for prepackaged antibiotics.

But like all trials, I have learned some things. Allow me to share.

1) Broth - The doctor told me to eat soup - lots of it! I'm not sure what her definition of "a lot" was but let me tell you mine. I can't muster more than one can a day. I have tried. I have failed. I am supplementing my broth eating with hot herbal tea and warm Jell-O. Is that sufficient, doctor?

2) Asking for help isn't the worst thing in the world. I really hate asking for help. People have turned out in droves to help me though. My roommate did my laundry. A friend brought me yellow Gerber daisies. I got a blessing, and my Relief Society president brought me real food last night. Roasted chicken has never tasted so good! I am spilling over with gratitude which brings me to my next thing.

3) I've become grateful for unique possibly weird things.

First, Sir Alexander Fleming, all of humanity should praise you. Antibiotics are a miracle. Thank you for your discovery. Without antibiotics, I would probably be in a hospital or worse by now.

Second, I am always a little happy every time phlegm comes shooting out of my mouth during a full body convulsive cough. Yes, people this is TMI, but I think it means I'm getting better. I could be wrong, but I'm trying to stay positive. Do NOT contradict me!

Third, I am grateful I have a place I would rather be than sick. I would take work over sick days anytime. I'm not looking forward to my backlog of work I have to do, but I am excitedly anticipating my return.

4) Lastly, I'm practically better. I was convinced on Monday night that the world was coming to an end, but it hasn't. 8 days really isn't that long afterall.

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

It has been ages since, I have sat down to write an update of my life. But so as not to disappoint my reader(s), I return. I find myself in day three of the flu (the pigless kind). Besides feeling horribly uncomfortable, I'm terribly bored. I can't muster the strength to clean my room, but it takes far less energy to exercise my fingers.

The reason for my blogging delinquency is simply that I've been busy. Yes, folks, it's true. I tend to write more when life is pretty slow. In addition to my relatively busy schedule I've been sick, traveling or in all other ways lacking the desire to blog. So here are a few highlights of November and December 2010.

My parents came to visit. We visited the Newport Beach Temple, the Getty, Hollywood, and San Juan Capistrano. It was fun to share my life with them and get to do a few things I hadn't done yet.

The week after that I flew to Utah on Thanksgiving to enjoy turkey with my sister's family. I made the cranberry sauce. Even people who hate cranberry sauce claimed to enjoy it.

I was in charge of the library staff holiday party. I learned a couple of things in the planning of this party. People expect decorations at holiday parties, and The Office is more true to life than most people are willing to admit. My manager declared it a success. Maybe party planning, has potential of being a talent of mine.

On December 19th, I anxiously awaited my flight to New York where I would spend two days with my brother and sister-in-law before heading up to Maine. Well, obviously my flight got cancelled. I arrived in New York on December 21 and spent approximately 11 blissful hours in New York. I did get to see the tree at Rockefeller Center which did not disappoint.

The rest of my holiday was spent in Maine. I slept late, watched schmaltzy Christmas movies, ate delicious food, and had a great time with my family. Unfortunately, I'm lacking photos of the experience.

Well, I'm getting a little sleepy. To all of you out there. Happy New Year. Here's to a wonderful 2010.

Recent Reads

I realized that it has been ages since I've mentioned anything that I have read. Considering that this was the original purpose of my blog, I am going to rectify that situation. Recently I've taken a course on the Newbery Medal. For those of you who do not know, the Newbery Medal is awarded annually by librarians to a distinguished American Children's book. As students we chose a book from each decade since the award ariginated. Here is my list starting with my favorite and ending with my least favorite.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson - Some of you may have seen the movie, but of course the book is better. Jesse and Leslie become great friends and play together in a magical land of their imagination. Paterson tells a wonderful story of their friendship and Jesse's grief. Paterson is a great writer and storyteller.



Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen - This book was the biggest surprise for me. Marley and her family decide to move from the city to Maple Hill in hope of healing. The family comes together as they focus on a simpler life. This book has an Anne of Green Gables quality to it that I enjoyed. Give it a try! You just might like it.



Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt - This is one of my mom's favorite books. I admit I had read it before, but nothing else from the 60's looked remotely interesting. When Julie's mother dies, she must live with her spinster aunt in the country. Julie matures under the firm, but gentle eye of her aunt. This is the only true coming-of-age story that I read in this course. This is a wonderful, if slightly old fashioned story.


The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth - This short book is a treasure! A Japanese artist is comissioned to paint Buddha surrounded by animals at his death. Cats are the only animals not allowed into heaven in Buddhist tradition. But the artist finds strength from his pet cat and some surprising things happen. This book deserves more credit than it gets. It's from 1931, but is not dated. Not to mention that it is touching.

The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron - Lucky lives with her guardian in a desolate town in the Majave Desert. Lucky is searching for her higher power and a way to keep her guardian from abadoning her and returning to France. The quirky characters kept this story alive which was good because the plot was slow to the point of nonexistant


Missing May by Cynthia Rylant - After May's death, Summer and Uncle Ob are trying to grieve. Convinced that May's spirit is trying to make contact with them, Ob, Summer, and their friend Cletus go on a journey to find a medium. This short, well-written book would have traumatized me. If you are looking for a good book by Rylant, I suggest The Van Gogh Cafe.


The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene Du Bois - The concept for this book is fabulous, but the storytelling killed it. In search of privacy a retired teacher intends to live in the sky for a year. Seagulls foil his plan, and he lands on an island assumed to be uninhabited. He discovers great wealth, amazing inventions, and fascinating people. Doesn't it sound like a great book? Well, the way it is told does not make it fun or fascinating.

A Visit to William Blake's Inn by Nancy Willard - This book is significant because it won the Newbery Medal and a Caldecott Honor. During discussions, my classmates and I decided it was forgettable. This is true. Now 2 weeks from reading it, I can't tell you what a single poem contained. It wasn't terrible it just wasn't enough to make it wonderful.


Congratulations you have made it this far. I should give you a prize. Instead I will tell you my least favorite from the course.


Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field - Hitty is a doll whose life begins in Maine (yay!). She travels around the world meeting fascinating people and getting lost and found again. After the first to chapters I lost interest and was not able to figure out why everyone thought this doll was so special. Perhaps I didn't like it because it was the most dated of the bunch.


P.S. If you are wondering why I didn't include classics like The Giver and A Wrinkle in Time, it is because I have already read them. I was trying to expand my knowledge during this course.

One Year

Yesterday, I celebrated one year in Southern California. I've either lived in or visited many places and LA has seemed like the greatest adventure of my life to date. This has probably been the hardest, most exciting, most challenging, and most incredible year of my life. I say this fully aware that life will probably only get harder, more exciting, more challenging, and more incredible. I look forward to it.

Here are a few highlights.

Life - Most of this year has been consumed with figuring out how to be a children's librarian. I can proudly say that I've succeeded. I've endured the occasional failure, learned from it and moved forward. Yesterday, I decided I love my job when I heard some toddlers squealing with delight.

I attend a small ward with amazing people. I'm grateful for the lessons I've learned from them.

New Things - New experiences energize me. This year I have visited San Francisco (awesome!), Denver (cold!), and Chicago (miserable!). I have eaten street tacos, visited the Getty Villa, and frequented Disneyland. I've been the proud owner of a refrigerator, a flat screen televisions, and a couch.

Gratitude - One of my favorite hobbies is complaining about Los Angeles. I need to suck it up and be grateful. Some reasons why:

• I have met people from all walks of life. I love it!
  
• I still have a job despite layoffs.
• I get to be around children every day.
  
• The beach (need I say more)
  
• It doesn't get cold here.
  
• The Lord has blessed me with new talents and magnified my old ones. This is probably the thing I am the most grateful for. I have done things I never thought I could do.
• And much, much more!
  

Seriously So Embarrassed

Tonight's evening commute started with a bang. One of my coworkers always drops me off at the gas station by the bus stop. Today, I saw the bus pulling through the intersection as my coworker was rolling to a stop. I was out of his truck before he was finished moving.

SMACK! I ran directly into a tree branch.

Then ... SLIRP! My brand new Clark's shoe slid through the mud. I managed not to fall flat on my face.

I nearly died ... of embarrassment. I'm sure the teen librarian saw the whole mishap. The bus driver gave me a long flirtatious lecture which included lines like "I would have waited for you. Not other people but, of course, you." and "Do you roller skate? I roller skate a lot; you have good balance."

Oh, dear! My pride hurts.

5 Life Lessons

As should happen in all weeks I learned many things. Here are the top 5.

5. The Los Angeles Green Line Train isn't half bad, and is more efficient than the Boston Green LIne Train by far.

4. Actually enforcing consequences, improves kids' behavior. I know this isn't that huge of an epiphany. It also makes kids really mad.

3. Not all plums are disgusting. A farmer at the local farmer's market actually had a delicious variety.

2. Jicama is a large root vegetable with very little flavor. It doesn't just appear on vegetable trays in sticks. A whole jicama looks like this.

This week it was $.99/lb. at Ralph's. The most important part of the lesson. Jicama is heavy. I walked over 2 miles with two jicama. My arms are sore.

1. In the event of a power outage in the workplace and a subsequent closure. RUN! Do NOT walk to the nearest exit. Otherwise, the power will return before you have had time to vacate the premises.