WOODLAND

fresh start

2011-09-11T17:45:00.003-05:00

Because I believe what the internet needs is more pictures of my kid, I am going to give blogging another go.We are on the move again. Major life changes make me sentimental and motivate me to find surefire ways to stay in touch. Please stop by the new blog if you feel so inclined:herenowreport.blogspot.comYou'll need an invitation - if you are in need of one, let me know via comment, e-mail,

health check

2010-09-18T06:40:00.001-05:00

If this smiling kid does not make your heart just melt (those cheeks! that dimple! that fuzzy cow-licked hair!), you'll want to check your pulse. You may be dead.

in which i become a mommy blogger

2010-07-14T13:15:00.002-05:00

You might have heard: I had a baby.That day was one of the best of my life. Words are useless in trying to tell about it. How could I describe the feelings that made me cry when Shay and I finally got to see and hold our little boy? We named him Malcolm. We love him to the moon and back and clear out to the moon again.Day 1. I love the suspicious look he is giving us - "Are you sure about this?"

two lists

2010-01-28T21:55:00.014-06:00

In 2009 I:-took touristy pictures in Denver, Chicago, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, and a handful of other "new to me" cities-soaked up the goodness of living in our quirky college town -celebrated five years of marital awesomeness -cooked a complete Thanksgiving dinner for the first time (it was stellar, thanks for asking)-turned a year older and spent my birthday riding rollercoasters-built up

to blog, or not to blog?

2009-10-18T19:57:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I think personal blogging is brilliant, useful and entertaining.Other times I decide that the whole idea of keeping a personal blog is weird, almost narcissistic, and so 2007.In the beginning I loved that blogging gave me a way to keep up with so many friends, and to quickly and easily share info about the life and times of me. It was nice to feel connected, with minimal effort.Then

insert interesting post title here

2009-07-09T10:53:00.008-05:00

The trip to Sweden:It was the perfect mix of familiar and new. Shay and I traveled down one side of the coast and up the other; did a lot of sight-seeing and wandering and hostelling. Later we spent several days in Karlstad, my Swedish "home," and we got to spend the midsummer holiday with friends there. All things considered (including the part where we had to wear SWEATERS and COATS for several

possibly still lost, soon to be found

2009-06-11T06:00:00.006-05:00

It's entertaining to imagine my wide-eyed, 20-year-old self, still wandering around somewhere in Scandinavia. I spent so much of my time there completely and wondrously lost... the idea is not that far-fetched.I'm off to see if I can catch a glimpse of that me. I'll let you know what I find.

if i twittered

2009-05-26T22:13:00.000-05:00

Everything you didn't want to know about today, conveniently packaged into installments of 140 characters or less.8:23 I dreamed a dream. It had to do with airports. Also, zucchini. That's about all I can make of it at this point.8:50 Taking Shay to the dentist. I fear this could be the most exciting outing of my day.10:14 You did not just open your car door and set your big gulp, half full of

because I'm tired of looking at that silly sign

2009-05-18T22:19:00.004-05:00

Would someone post here already? I have gotten a little bored with blogging and don't have much to say. But I check back here sometimes, hoping I'll see something new.gateway arch - st. louis - some random hot guymissouri botanical gardens - really lovely - made me sneezeThere. That's better.

there's a recession on

2009-04-15T16:30:00.000-05:00

Last week, we noticed several of these signs springing up in our neighborhood.I'm definitely interested, but a little confused. Not quite sure whether there are just so many children available for sale that the event is going to be huge (there are, after all, more than 100 families in on the venture), or if the actual kids being sold are expected to be larger than average. I think more careful

happenings

2009-04-13T22:15:00.005-05:00

One happy Easter weekend, the idea could strike you that it would be fun to dye Easter eggs using random foods and spices. I say, let the idea pass, and buy yourself a nice $.99 box of dye tablets. It was an interesting experiment, but mostly it was a pain in the butt. And in the end, all you'll have to show for your efforts are a few hard-cooked eggs covered with a clumpy film of spinach.Instead

broadcast yourself

2009-03-19T15:44:00.006-05:00

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that the stall adjacent to mine in the restroom at the public library is the wrong place for this phone conversation:"Hi. Where are you?""Oh. I'm still at the library.""I'm actually [lowers voice]... I'm actually just calling to tell you that Shawn is cheating on you."[Bathroom noise]"Well I've heard about it from two very reliable sources.""No, I'm not..

excited about nothing

2009-03-15T22:35:00.005-05:00

Do you see this? All those little spaces on next week's calendar are blank. No plans. No appointments. No meetings. Not even any to-do lists. Just two precious words: Spring Break. Hallelujah. Can I get an amen?

i know you thought about it

2009-02-16T10:39:00.002-06:00

It's not too late to add your six-word love story here. You know you want to try it. And I can't wait to read it.

summing up love

2009-02-13T06:00:00.003-06:00

A couple of years ago Smith magazine asked people to sum up their life story in six words, and submit their "six-word memoirs" for publication. The resulting collection, Not Quite What I Was Planning, was a fun read-in-the-bathroom sort of book, not that I read while I'm in the bathroom, because I don't, except for sometimes the newspaper. Anyhow. There were some good submissions, for instance:"

get excited

2009-02-10T21:41:00.004-06:00

It's kind of like Oprah's "Favorite Things" episode, except with less squealing and crying. Also you should know up front that I'm not giving anything away. So basically it's nothing like the Oprah bit. You're still welcome to scream and cry if that's your thing.I give you: Lex's Favorite Things At This Exact Moment (TM). Favorite grocery store: Aldi. Will the day ever come when I make it through

it's still just once a year, right?

2009-02-03T11:45:00.005-06:00

This is pitiful. A thousand people freezing their butts off waiting to worship a rat. What a hype. Well, it used to mean something in this town. They used to pull the hog out, and they used to eat it. You're hypocrites, all of you! You have a problem with what I'm saying, Larry? (from Groundhog Day)I watch it every year. Yes, every year. And while half of me finds it annoyingly stupid when

hello, beautiful

2009-01-21T22:04:00.007-06:00

Oooh. A warm sunny day. I'll take it.Two things today:(1) Thanks for all your kind words. They are just words, you know, but for some reason they mean a lot when they are offered up in support.(2) Totally unrelated: figured out this weekend which of our neighbors this crazy lady was looking for, all those months ago. Pretty sure he does broker illegal transactions in the middle of the night.

world spins madly on

2009-01-16T07:15:00.001-06:00

Things have been gray here. We experienced a tragic loss, and I had to fall off the face of the earth for a little while to figure out how to deal. This will sound silly but I am serious when I say I appreciated your phone calls that I didn't answer, your e-mails that I didn't reply to, and your invitations that I didn't accept. Now that I am starting to rejoin reality, I feel lucky to have so

the evolution of a tradition

2008-12-13T19:18:00.001-06:00

December 2003: I learn the art of making lussekatter (saffron pastries) from Swedes. It's part of the celebration of Luciadagen, which becomes my favorite Swedish holiday. I think to myself, "Self! Wouldn't it be fun to make this a tradition at home?"December 2004 and 2005: I spend hours in the kitchen trying to replicate the joyful baking moments of yesteryear. I end up with mediocre imitations

recipe exchange

2008-12-02T21:11:00.009-06:00

A good Thanksgiving recipe:

in review

2008-11-11T21:50:00.006-06:00

**We lived through a ladybug invasion and emerged victorious. And by "victorious" I mean that all our efforts to stop the invasion were totally futile, and then suddenly one day the bugs were just gone. I never thought of ladybugs as pesky until I spent an entire morning relocating armies of them, only to have Shay find this many (plus a few not pictured - casualties of the war, you know) in our

what? no sticker?

2008-10-31T07:15:00.001-05:00

If I had known voting early would be so anticlimactic, I probably would have braved the long lines with everyone else on November 4th. But what's done is done. And I'm glad it's done. For one thing, this has been the longest presidential campaign known to man, and it is delightful to finally glimpse the light at the end of the tunnel. For two things, I'm excited about some of the choices on the

going out on a limb

2008-10-21T21:38:00.004-05:00

I've neglected the blog world for a couple of weeks. Now, finally, I emerge from my blogging silence to cover this important topic: turkey legs. At every city festival and local fair there is aways some group of upstanding citizens selling smoked turkey legs. They are gigantic and meaty and they actually look yummy in a sort of medieval way. Unfortunately they are usually being sold in close

the death of a nice idea

2008-10-09T22:01:00.004-05:00

Sorry, but someone else is going to have to take on the burden of saving the world. Carpooling, apparently, is not for me.My commute to work takes around 30 minutes. In August, someone from work moved into my neighborhood, and asked if I'd be interested in carpooling. I clapped my hands and jumped for joy and said yes, of course I would. For the first few days, it seemed too convenient to be true

etiquette

2008-09-25T07:10:00.002-05:00

Dear friend at tennis class:The etiquette advice we received on the first day of class is not meant to be all-inclusive. For instance, it did not include anything about ball management, and we all know how important ball management is to a smooth game. If you need things spelled out in detail, let us add a point #5 to this list. 5. Extra balls should be kept in a pocket or ball clip, in your hand

simple pleasures

2008-09-23T21:37:00.008-05:00

Here are some reasons why, if you are ever in Lawrence on the last Saturday of the summer, you should pull yourself out of bed before dawn and go straightaway to Monarch Watch's annual monarch tagging event at the Baker wetlands:-everything (including gigantic, icky spiders and their intricate, icky webs) will look enchanting when the sun rises and the dew glistens like crazy.-you will see

30 days has september

2008-09-19T11:42:00.003-05:00

September has been the Jekyll and Hyde of months. The first couple of weeks were gloomy. Constantly cloudy. It rained non-stop for a solid week, and last Friday we capped off the fun times by hunkering down in the basement during a tornado warning. I'm more of a desert creature, you see, and I thought I just might go insane if I had to go another day without seeing the sun.Then, just as I was

untapped talent

2008-09-09T08:04:00.010-05:00

I have only played tennis a handful of times in my life. My earliest game of tennis involved only me and took place in my back yard. On the lawn. With a badminton racquet. It happened this way partly because there was not a proper tennis racquet to be found at my house growing up, but mostly because, let's be honest, I wouldn't have known the difference if I had found one.Yet somehow I always

life rolls on

2008-08-17T22:43:00.004-05:00

Hello, internet. It's been awhile. Let me tell you how it is to have my husband home after a month of separation. It's bliss. Also I will tell you what it's like to be working again after a summer off. It's a lot different than not working. Lastly, let me tell you about the sweet potato french fries and smoked chicken wings at Vermont Street Barbeque. They are delicious.But enough with the chit

today is a very good day

2008-08-04T09:00:00.003-05:00

Even the edited version of Love Actually did not manage to win me over. It does have its great moments though. The introduction scene, for instance, is fabulous, and I think about it pretty much every time I'm in an airport. I love a good airport reunion. Your clothes are all disheveled and you've got a nest of plane hair on top of your head, but the person waiting for you is happy to see you all

it must be just me

2008-08-01T23:47:00.006-05:00

Here is what I learned today:If a friendly sales associate calls you from Borders on Friday August 1 at 8:30 p.m. and says,"Hi, the book you ordered has come in and you can pick it up any time."...and you say, "Great, what time to you close tonight?"...and she says, "Actually, there's a special event at the store tonight, so we won't close until after 1:00 a.m."...and you are thinking, "Perfect,

dear lufthansa:

2008-07-29T09:53:00.005-05:00

I'm all for labor unions. I can even support a well-coordinated strike when necessary. But you listen up when I say that if you do not get my husband back to me on August the Fourth, as originally planned, I will probably cry. And you will probably lose your standing as my very favorite airline.That's all.Lex

blogkeeping

2008-07-26T16:09:00.004-05:00

There are a few housekeeping-type items that have come to mind lately. Allow me to bore you with them.(1) I love that so many friends and friends-of-friends are blogging these days; however, I can't quite keep up with you. Don't feel slighted if I don't add your link to to my sidebar. If I know you and I like reading your blog, I keep track of you by adding you to my google reader account. (If

summer entertainment

2008-07-19T15:06:00.005-05:00

Stop everything. Have you seen North & South? If you haven't, you should. Tonight. Or maybe right this very minute. This BBC mini-series-turned-DVD has long been on my list of things to maybe, possibly watch sometime, when I ran out of other options. Once last year I even brought it home from the library with the best of intentions. Unfortunately every time I picked it up and saw the label Two

a sunday sermon on divine intervention

2008-07-13T19:56:00.007-05:00

I'll let you in on a bit of my (somewhat pathetic) pleading earlier this week. The wording has, of course, been paraphrased."...and thanks for this, and that, and gosh I'm so blessed and blah blah blah. Okay, so it's true. But really. Let's be honest with each other here. I feel stuck in a big fat rut today. This whole business of living on a different continent than my husband is wearing on me

oh, you shouldn't have

2008-07-04T09:45:00.007-05:00

It sounds like there are going to be festivities and fireworks displays all over the U.S. today. To be honest, it's a little more fanfare than I expected to meet on my return to my home country, but uh... okay. I'll take it.I am home from Slovenia and am mostly unpacked. What a great trip it was. A few things I am missing already:*waking up in this lovely pastel-colored city:*eating sour yogurt +

mullet of the day

2008-06-30T02:59:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to share the joy. I have no other words for this.

the slovenian life: your burning questions answered

2008-06-24T07:07:00.001-05:00

Q: How is Slovakia?A: I will surely let you know how it is, if I ever go there.Q: You're in Slovenia? Why the... ?!A: It's because of Shay. He became interested in the coutries that formerly made up Yugoslavia when he was a missionary in Croatia. Now he's working on a PhD in history and focusing on eastern Europe. He studies languages in order to do research from original sources in the coutries

checking in

2008-06-20T03:29:00.007-05:00

Since Shay started school on Monday, I've been left to my own devices for about 4 hours a day. It's an invigorating feeling to find my own way around all this newness. I've loved seeing some of the sights off the beaten path.Still, I am hardly a city girl, and I am excited for a side trip to somewhere quiet. We are heading out to Bled Lake today. Let's all hope for good weather, shall we? Because

planes and trains and automobiles

2008-06-17T03:46:00.009-05:00

We spent a day and a night in Vienna, and then took a train to Ljubljana. My gosh, I love trains. I sat with my nose practically pressed against the windows, oohing and aahing at the greenness against jagged mountains, the old walled cities, the idyllic villages in gorgeous valleys, the castles tucked away in the hills. Most of the locals were reading the newspaper, thinking, "Ho hum, just

leaving on a jet plane

2008-06-10T05:30:00.005-05:00

We're off to Slovenia tomorrow. Shay is starting summer classes at the university in Ljubljana, and I am tagging along for three weeks. Shay has a class schedule, government funding, and a basic grasp on the local language. I have a Lonely Planet guidebook, a camera, a tight budget, and a basic need to visit new places. So maybe the resources aren't evenly distributed between us. But I expect we

and on the sixth day, there was perfection

2008-05-31T21:02:00.003-05:00

an early-morning bike ride to the farmer's market with shaya couple of hours at the library reading newspapers and magazinesalmost finished the crossword puzzlea tasty lunch full of farmer's market exploitsthe first swim of the summera great book to read in the sungames and dessert with friendssummer, i think you and i are going to get along just fine.

summer of saturdays

2008-05-30T21:03:00.008-05:00

I have a great job working for the public school system in a nearby city. Give me a pen and a legal pad (because who doesn't love those cheerful yellow legal pads?) and I can make a nice list of things about my job that make me happy. But I'm probably not the only person who has ever felt, at the end of a year in the public schools, like summer break was the greatest perk of all.Oh, summer

random visitor

2008-05-20T17:49:00.005-05:00

3:05 a.m.Me: "Shay. Wake up. Someone. Knocking. I don't want to answer it." (How dependent I've become in a few short years....)Shay: [mumbling and dragging himself to the door]... [looking out peep hole to see a strange woman dressed like an 80s punk rocker, only with more piercings]... [warily opening door]Scary stranger, quietly: "Are you Nate?"Shay: "Nope."Scary stranger: "Oh."Shay [in his

finals week widow

2008-05-13T12:13:00.007-05:00

Shay has been busy with school these last weeks of the semester, and he still has a few more days to be holed up studying and translating things and writing papers before he can come out and play again. I, on the other hand, am getting down to a point where I am deliciously un-busy, and I want to celebrate that fact every single day. The timing is not good. It takes extraordinary amounts of

we need to talk

2008-05-06T12:51:00.003-05:00

Dear Blog,Let me preface this by saying: it's not you. It's me.I haven't been as interested in you lately. I used to think about you almost every day, but these days life rolls on for a week or more without you even crossing my mind. When something funny or interesting or exciting happens, I don't always think to share it with you. You're a patient listener, and I know you think I am fabulous and

on being mormon

2008-04-21T16:34:00.010-05:00

It's the end of a busy time at work. To celebrate our survival skills and to reward us for dealing gracefully, my boss planned a little retreat for our department for our inservice yesterday. I say retreat and not "retreat," since it was nothing like those mislabeled "retreats" with contrived get-to-know-you games, endless meetings, crowded sleeping arrangements, and not a single five-minute

grow something wild and unruly

2008-04-15T21:54:00.005-05:00

Springtime makes me a little bit crazy.Exhibit A:I am compelled to stop and swoon when I see these tiny, sweet terra cotta pots with the modest label "GROW KIT." Not only do I swoon, but I buy an armful of them before I even realize what's going on. They bear pictures of chives. Basil. Strawberries. And more. I have no idea what is in them. Could be just dirt for all I know. I have no idea what I

coulda woulda shoulda

2008-04-10T17:48:00.007-05:00

If I were having a viewing party to celebrate the return of "The Office," I think it might include:* Chili's take-out* stapler jello* warm soft pretzels* lemoñadé* Angela's double fudge brownies (or sugar plum fairy wands!)* a jar of jelly beans from the reception deskEach person in attendance would have to wear a label on his/her forehead with a different racial/ethnic group written on it, and

celebrating

2008-04-08T02:04:00.004-05:00

It's 2 a.m. and we are finally winding down with some soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. We loved watching Kansas win the national championship game in overtime tonight. I still can't believe they pulled it off, but I'm glad they did. We watched the game from Allen Fieldhouse and my ears are still ringing from the loudness of that place. We went downtown afterward with a group of friends and

that kind of day

2008-04-02T17:47:00.008-05:00

A direct quote from the last e-mail I sent from work today - a sort of plea directed at my boss:Input? Ideas? A large object with which I can club myself over the head? I’d appreciate any of those things today.Best,AlexisYes, it’s been that kind of day. A want-to-club-myself-over-the-head-in-frustration kind of day.It comes on the tails of yesterday, a day in which I woke up with a start after

adoption tag

2008-03-30T17:24:00.001-05:00

I can't pass up this tag from our friends Holly and Chase, who are working their way through the adoption process. They keep hearing from others that networking is one of the best ways that parents considering placing a child for adoption can be connected with families who are looking to adopt. So, I've been tagged to pass on the link to Chase and Holly's newly-created adoption blog. We are super

weekend edition

2008-03-22T19:25:00.004-05:00

Whew. Shay and I have definitely enjoyed the week-long break from our regularly scheduled lives. My parents flew in a few days before our spring break started and they stayed with us until Wednesday. The weather was basically wretched the entire time, for which I apologized daily, as if it were as much a matter of my control as the thermostat setting. But my parents were good sports and we still

grand opening

2008-03-12T18:41:00.001-05:00

The Wood Bed and Breakfast is officially open for business. We have parents coming to visit tomorrow, so we've been putting the finishing touches on the guest facilities this week. This mostly involved (1) vowing to not use the extra bed as a shelf any more, (2) clearing out three square feet of closet space in the extra bedroom just in case our guests, I don't know, bring clothes with them, (3)

rosier in retrospect

2008-03-10T10:09:00.003-05:00

The day you get this e-mail is the day you start to remember planning a study and writing a thesis as being more enjoyable than it actually was."I am writing regarding the review of manuscript# AJSLP-08-0001, 'The Influence of Morphological Awareness on the Literacy Development of First-Grade Children' submitted to American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Two expert reviewers, the Associate

the catchall post

2008-03-08T09:20:00.004-06:00

Been awhile since I posted. Wondering what's going on? Not a lot. Here are the issues of the day as I see them:1. Shay and I have been trading off being sick for a couple of weeks. Ick. I'm happy to announce that everyone in our house is now healthy. We're excited to air out the house today and clean all those germs away.2. My lovely friend Heidi gets the gold star for being my first visitor from

good news

2008-02-28T16:00:00.001-06:00

Word on the street is that the days of the Relief Society "Good News Minute" are coming to an end, by direction of the General Relief Society Board. We don't have such a Minute in our ward here, so I had almost forgotten about it, but they have certainly done this in every other ward where I've lived in the last several years. If you're unfamiliar with the Minute, it occurs at the beginning of

today we salute you, mr. piano tuner guy

2008-02-26T17:28:00.011-06:00

We've been saved from the horribly discordant sounds that have pervaded our house lately, by an unlikely hero in a flannel shirt and unibomber shades. When he showed up to tune our piano, I was so impressed with his charicature-like appearance and his hilarious seriousness about the job that I could not help referring to him for the rest of the day in the style of the Bud Light "Real Men of

the best things in life

2008-02-20T15:49:00.013-06:00

Let us treasure up in our soul some of those things which are permanent…, not those which will forsake us and be destroyed, and which only tickle our senses for a little while. – St. Gregory of NazianzusI suppose every once in awhile we get the chance to prove to ourselves whether we just like to say that money and possessions don’t matter that much to us, or whether it is actually true! Such is

on the saturday schedule

2008-02-16T10:50:00.007-06:00

On Saturday mornings I have a standing appointment with a real breakfast and the newspaper, two little luxuries I don't always have time for during the week. I leave so early on weekdays that my breakfast preparations often consist of pouring dry cereal into a ziplock (go Quaker Oat Squares!) so that I can snack later in the morning. And on busy days sometimes the newspaper goes straight to the

dear santa:

2008-02-11T21:17:00.000-06:00

you were pretty good to me this year, so i just wanted to say thanks for all the gifts. also, um, just for future reference, the next time you are thinking about delivering a fleece jacket or a fleece anything for that matter, will you stick to colors other than black? or else, could you also supply the necessary 82 refills for my lint roller and perhaps leave me an elf too, to provide the daily

small talk

2008-02-08T10:00:00.001-06:00

I do not like small talk. Maybe I am just socially inept, but I'm not always sure how to respond when people try to fill silence by talking about mindless things neither of us cares about or, worse, by asking me questions that they do not really need/want an answer for. A scene from today:Me (to co-worker): If you can stick around for a minute, I'll print a copy of this for you.Co-worker: Okay,

snow day

2008-02-06T15:12:00.001-06:00

I find out at 6:30 this morning that I'm not required to report to work, due to extreme weather. I look out the window and to me, the weather does not seem that extreme. But instead of arguing, I slip back into bed. No complaints from me. Today has been fabulous. To make it an official snow day, Shay and I created the most hideous snowman ever to grace the neighborhood. We named her Lumpy

off to see the groundhog?

2008-02-03T15:30:00.002-06:00

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow yesterday and predicted six more weeks of cold, gray winter. It doesn't seem like much of a reason to celebrate. For the sake of tradition, we celebrated anyway. Are you looking for something to fill the gap between New Year's and Valentine's Day? Then you, too, should observe the day of the weather-predicting rodent with some kind of festivity. I always enjoy

mourning, but thankful

2008-01-28T19:15:00.002-06:00

So many loving tributes to President Gordon B. Hinckley floating around the blog world today. I have loved reading them, so thanks for writing them. He has served as the prophet of my church for half my life.Thanks, President Hinckley, for the years of tireless service. Thanks for the wit, the optimism, the Perpetual Education Fund, the many new temples, the media smarts, the consistent messages

just me posting about me again

2008-01-27T23:06:00.001-06:00

Catlin passed along a google image tag and I wanted to play, too. Now I am finally getting around to it. You are supposed to type your answer to each of the questions below into google image, and post a photo from the first results page. Here's what I ended up with:age you will be on your next birthday:your favorite food:your middle name:your college major:your favorite color:a place you would

good beginnings and great people

2008-01-21T23:07:00.001-06:00

I had a tiny moment of panic when the sun woke me up this morning. Did my alarm fail me today? If the sun is already up, why am I not up? Then, I had one of those blissful moments, where I realize it's a holiday, and I have absolutely no plans, and I can sleep as long as I please and then stay in bed reading until noon if I feel like it. I fell back asleep in a matter of seconds, and I'm sure I

my new favorite team: the flying whatevers

2008-01-17T20:05:00.001-06:00

Forget about the undefeated KU basketball team. The real action this season is sure to be found at Holcom Sports Complex, where Shay's city league basketball team had its debut this week. There are some pretty bad team names on the roster (Dynamite Chickens? Not Applicable? Cutthroat Connection?) but Shay's team is probably worst of all. They are to be known as the Flying Mazzagattis. or

raindrops on roses

2008-01-11T22:53:00.001-06:00

I've been saving Holly's "favorite things" tag for a rainy day. Today it probably won't rain. But it rained yesterday. Plus, I feel like blogging but have nothing to write about. Here are eight of my favorite things, in no particular order:1: public libraries. I love them. Have loved them for a very long time. At our current public library I probably check out a good 20 items in a month,

schrute bucks for screenwriters

2008-01-10T22:33:00.001-06:00

What is with this writer's strike? I am not a huge TV watcher but I miss coming home to "The Office" on Thursdays. They have (or had) such a great writing staff. Come on, greedy studio folks. Just give them their share of the cash, for the love of all that is good and funny.Some "Office" wisdom to hold me over:Michael Scott: Abraham Lincoln once said that "If you're a racist, I will attack you

lex and shay's holiday stats

2008-01-05T12:45:00.001-06:00

The visit to the Homeland was highly enjoyable and, all things considered, the holiday vacation was a huge success. And here are the cold, hard numbers to prove it:number of days with warmer temperatures than we would have enjoyed in Lawrence: at least 9meals eaten at much-missed fresh-mex establishments: 3pounds gained by trying to attend every family and social event over the holidays, all of

merry merry christmas!

2007-12-23T21:18:00.000-06:00

How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is given;So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His Heaven.So many gifts to appreciate this Christmas, most especially the gift that is at the root of all this holiday hooplah. It means more to me every year.Shay and I are heading to the airport early tomorrow morning and will be spending Christmas with family and friends in the Homeland. I'm

the essential

2007-12-18T17:37:00.000-06:00

It was subtle but I'm pretty sure my neighbor gave me the eyebrow when we passed each other and exchanged pleasantries this morning. Could it be because I looked silly dashing out to my car clutching my keys in one hand, and thisin the other hand? Perhaps.I usually give makeup my best shot when I first move to a new place or start a new school year or begin a new job. First impressions, you know.

taste of success

2007-12-13T19:36:00.001-06:00

Happy Lucia Day! They are not perfect, but this year's lussekatter look and taste much better than last year's disaster. They are saffron-yellow and soft in the middle and toasty on top, and just looking at them makes me happy.We also made pepparkakor, thin and crispy gingerbread cookies with a hint of orange flavor... mmmm! After the Lucia buns I wasn't up for converting another recipe from

lovin' lucia

2007-12-12T09:00:00.001-06:00

adorable graphics from Graphic GardenI fell in love with Luciadagen when I was an exchange student in Sweden. It comes on December 13th and is the holiday that marks the beginning of the Christmas season for Swedes. (Short bits about it here or here.) It is basically a celebration of Santa Lucia as a "bringer of light" character. When I ask Swedes what Lucia's story is and how an Italian saint

so this is an ice storm

2007-12-12T07:52:00.002-06:00

The ice storm came but it did not hit Lawrence nearly as hard as it hit other parts of Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The weather is being blamed for 23 deaths yesterday in those states - mostly car accidents, I think. Here in our neighborhood we had some cool-looking trees, but the roads were not bad and we never lost power. Like Melis suggested, we went shopping once things calmed down, and

ice day

2007-12-10T20:30:00.001-06:00

This is what the weather man is telling me:AN ICE STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TUESDAY NIGHT.FREEZING RAIN...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL CONTINUE ACROSS EAST CENTRAL KANSAS THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH LATE TUESDAY EVENING. SOME SLEET IS EXPECTED TO MIX IN WITH THE FREEZING RAIN TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AROUND AN INCH OF ICE WILL ACCUMULATE.THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS

apology accepted

2007-12-04T18:53:00.001-06:00

-after a long and dreary cold spell, today turns out sunny and beautiful. in the afternoon it's warm enough to merit running the a.c. in my car, but instead i just bask in the warmness. literally t-shirt weather outside. it felt fabulous.-tuesday is the day i see kids at community preschools. sometimes it's a hectic day, but today all kids on my schedule are perfectly behaved and so lovable and

you'll think i'm joking

2007-12-03T20:42:00.002-06:00

This post has been edited by the author for several reasons. It basically stated that my day was not good and that most of it was spent making sure that a repeat sex offender went to jail today. Don't get too alarmed. I wasn't attacked or hurt. Only traumatized. The end.

attention parents: do not try this at home

2007-11-29T23:37:00.003-06:00

I have no real credentials to justify this offering of parental advice. I'm not a parent. But, I do spend a good chunk of my week observing the results of other people's parenting. Also I deal with a lot of paperwork. And I have this to say about naming children: when you give your child a name, be kind. Do not make it unpronouncable. (T'Qhajani? Not okay.) Do not use multiple apostrophes in one

look, we're crafty!

2007-11-25T23:30:00.000-06:00

I generally avoid shopping on "black Friday," but this year I spent the afternoon strolling shamelessly around Michael's, purchasing items often associated with craftiness - hot glue gun. acrylic paints. floral wire. ribbon. Who am I, you ask, and what have I done with the craft-averse person who used to live here? Not sure. I guess Christmas is a special occasion.Every holiday season Shay and I

oh, the first snowfall of the winter

2007-11-23T13:09:00.001-06:00

When I left for work Tuesday morning it was autumn. By the time I got home that afternoon, it was winter. It came that fast. By Wednesday we had our first snow storm. The snow didn't really stick to the ground, but it looked amazing falling from the sky. As I drove around running errands, I simultaneously mourned the end of a fabulous autumn, and got excited about all that's good about winter. If

i see where they're goin' with this...

2007-11-15T17:25:00.002-06:00

I can't help it - Brian Regan makes me laugh. And, I like to laugh. So, I like Brian Regan. We are off to nearby Lincoln, NE this weekend, to visit a friend and to enjoy some live Brian Regan stand-up action. This clip about the Pop-Tarts is old but it is still a favorite.

the heart of life is good

2007-11-13T16:18:00.001-06:00

I have been a lazy blogger. Sometimes I check my own blog hoping to find something new here. It's strange how I always find the blog looking just the way I left it.We've been busy. We are happy. My favorite things at the moment are singing at the top of my lungs on the drive home from work, playing Boggle with Shay and kicking his trash consistently, and walking up the street where we live and

rock chalk jayhawk

2007-11-04T18:20:00.001-06:00

Everything about KU has been pretty easy to love - the stately old buildings, masses of trees and a lot of gorgeous open space, great sports teams, a very spirited and supportive community, lots of history, decent school colors. The only major obstacle to KU conversion that I have run into is their goofy mascot, the Jayhawk. This cartoonish, grinning, made-up bird seemed a bit cheesy at first.

good for a "laugh"

2007-11-01T18:20:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Robin's blog for introducing me to The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. I found it "hilarious."If I ever started a poking-fun blog (I seriously almost put "poking-fun" in quotation marks, but stopped myself), the topic would be... misplaced modifiers! Yay, my favorite linguistic phenomenon! I would include such delights as the gas station sign that said "We cannot sell gasoline

best things about today

2007-10-26T23:52:00.001-05:00

1. Gerber daisies from a boy2. Not setting an alarm for the morning3. A fun short haircut, just for a change4. Catching up on book club reading5. The leaves in Lawrence finally showing some great colors6. Trying a new restaurant

nostalgia

2007-10-23T22:24:00.001-05:00

Shay and I got up early Sunday morning to watch a meteor shower before the sun came up. It made me think of the days with the roommates. Heidi's dad used to keep our apartment apprised of the important events of the time, such as the need to celebrate days like 03/03/03, and the best middle-of-the-night times to catch a certain meteor shower. During one such middle-of-the-night occasion, we were

happy weekend!

2007-10-19T17:59:00.001-05:00

To celebrate, I think I'll post a bit from one of our favorite comic strips. Enjoy the weekend, everyone.

a few pictures

2007-10-15T23:43:00.001-05:00

that I wanted to post but didn't. Just for an added measure of randomness. Good times!

nauvoo or bust

2007-10-15T23:35:00.002-05:00

Our fall break trip ultimately took us to lovely Nauvoo, Illinois, and we had a great trip. If I were in a creative mood I would write something clever and create a magnificent slide show of the few pictures we took along the way. I am in no such mood, so I will just post pictures and thoughts in an incredibly random fashion!The first thing I have to say is that our camera functions on a

time to hit the road

2007-10-10T18:33:00.000-05:00

It's time for a vacation. I know this because a string of craziness at work and unlikely fiascos at home culminated yesterday, with the dramatic overflowage of a toilet in our house. Luckily by today everything plumbing-related has more or less been taken care of, and everything at work has been shelved for now. KU's fall break starts tomorrow, and I've taken some time off work, and Shay and I

going clubbing

2007-10-03T13:03:00.001-05:00

I love the idea of book clubs. I was hoping to join one when we moved to Lawrence, and a couple of weeks after we settled in, the wife of one of Shay's professors invited me to join her group. Score. I joined. I read. I said about ten words the first time we met. Maybe eleven if you count the "thanks" I uttered to the host when she handed me my dessert. I am so funny sometimes, in new situations

visions of tex-mex danced in their heads

2007-10-02T22:16:00.002-05:00

A new low point: I actually had a dream about the green chile chicken salad at Bajio. You know how you have dreams sometimes that are so nice, that you can't help being a little disappointed when you wake up and realize you were dreaming? The Bajio dream was right up there with that one where I win the lottery without buying a lottery ticket and then I spend the next year traveling around the

tag, i'm it

2007-09-25T12:25:00.002-05:00

I suppose you are not really a blogger until you have been tagged and have tagged in return. I was tagged by Catlin to list 8 quirks or habits or interesting facts about myself. Here goes:I wear blue a lot. I don't mean to buy things in blue all the time but I seem drawn to it like a mosquito to a bug zapper. I usually am happy with what I bought, though, so perhaps the bug zapper analogy is not

life's crucial questions answered

2007-09-21T12:32:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, when person number two million and seventeen asked me, "So is Kansas as flat as they say it is?", I knew it was time to reference this article. Awhile ago I checked out this little book that professed to include 100 interesting things about Kansas. In truth, only about half of the tidbits kept my interest long enough for me to finish a particular section. Anyhow, it was through this

navigational errors

2007-09-18T11:51:00.001-05:00

Utah may have some urban planning issues, but they were definitely on the right track with that whole streets-in-a-grid-system thing. If only the Lawrence founding fathers had been similarly inspired. I am still learning to find my way around town, and I actually managed to get a bit lost this weekend. It was most unfortunate. But what can I say? The layout of this town must have been patterned

ode to in-between

2007-09-12T20:27:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite times of the year, this stretch where summer blends into autumn. The air is cooler but the days are still, for the most part, magnificently sunny. Sweater weather! I am mostly excited about sweater weather because I have been running out of summer clothes since, I don’t know, June. My drive home from work looks like a calendar picture – the corn fields and wheat fields

last supper

2007-09-08T16:43:00.000-05:00

Cheerio to Tom, who is leaving the country this week and will be living in Japan for the rest of the school year. His imminent departure was the reason for this weekend’s revelry in Kansas City – not that we wanted to celebrate the fact that he is going away for a very long time (wink, wink), but we did want to send