Meeting Friends

10 February 2012, 1:17 pm by Giggles
Categories: Books, Relationships, Science & Tech

“I need to go meet my friend” doesn’t necessarily mean I am going to meet up with them at some designated place that we have both planned. It can also mean that I actually have to go physically meet these people who are my friends, giving them a “long time no see” type of hug when we’ve never seen each other before. But that’s the way things work some times.

Like when I met Heidi. She and I met on an online forum months before I finally got up the courage to say hi to her at her work.

My favorite example is my husband (he’s my favorite example for a lot of things). We met through emails two months before we met in person. And you can see how well that went. :heart: 😉

And last night he and I both went and met another friend of ours, Meg, whose blog I started reading in 2008 and then started commenting on and then we emailed a few times and she put some things I wrote on her blog. She’s just wrapping up a national book tour via Amtrak and her train was stopping in our town on her way home. So we met her at the station and it was just like old friends. Private book talk/signing in a sleeper car.

Old friends meeting for the first time. That’s one of the benefits of technology.

4 Shared thoughts

The Post “Kick-Off Show” Show

5 February 2012, 8:26 pm by Giggles
Categories: Random

We like watching the post “kick-off show” show every year, especially the commercials. It’s a great excuse to eat southwest egg rolls, homemade calzones, potato chips, grapes and carrots because we’re sensible like that, and cream puffs. We’ve got cheesecake in the fridge too, if we can find space to eat it (although it seems it’s definitely worth it to buy the name brand cream cheese, add that to my list of products I buy by the brand). We know how to do this right.

And that winning touch-down was one you just really had to sit down for, if you know what I mean.

Go Indianapolis Colts!!! (or something)

3 Shared thoughts

Retire to the drawing room after dinner

1 February 2012, 8:57 am by Giggles
Categories: Random, Relationships

I’ve noticed something since getting married, something that now that I think about it was going on the whole time, but it really stands out now.

Remember how back in the old days, after dinner was over the men would retire to the drawing room to do their manly things and talk about manly topics while the women retreated to the parlor to twitter about womanly things? Take away the specific rooms for the purpose and it still happens today.

Now that we’re married, when we’re talking with another married couple, we can all be standing right there together but the guys are supposed to be having their conversation while us womenfolk are supposed to playfully roll our eyes at their crazy conversation and have our own little “talk a lot, pick a little more” conversation on the side.

There are two problems with this for me.

First – I don’t like small talk. That whole “cheep cheep cheep” stuff is not for me. I generally want a conversation with meat and substance that requires more brain power than idle gossip does. I am not saying all women ever talk about is superficial. There are some women I always have meaningful conversations with. And there are times when the conversation does not need to solve all the world’s problems. However, when I’m in this particular situation, more often than not, the other woman does not want to have a conversation on the level that the guys are.

Second – I like talking with my husband. The conversation he’s having, no matter who it’s with, is the one that interests me, the one I want to be a part of. The fact that he frequently mentions conversations he’s had with me in the past is all the more reason to be part of his current conversation. It’s amazing what I say that he remembers. I married him because I like talking with him, not because he seemed like a great guy to abandon at the door upon arriving at get-togethers while I go off and do my own thing. I mean, who wouldn’t want to talk to this guy? 😉

So now I’m stuck in a predicament. Because I can tell from the other wife’s body language that she really doesn’t want to be part of the conversation her husband is having and I sort of feel bad leaving her to be a unicycle while I go off three wheeling with the other conversation. But at the same time I really want to talk about what my husband is talking about.

Darn that drawing room!

5 Shared thoughts

The List

30 January 2012, 9:26 am by Giggles
Categories: Happy Things, Relationships

Several months ago the lesson for the young women at church was on setting marriage standards. The young women were to think of those qualities they wanted and didn’t want in a husband and make a list.

I remember making a list way back then. It wasn’t the deepest of lists, but as my life went on the list, while not necessarily written down, was refined greatly. Being left-handed was on the list at the beginning, but was considered bonus points. Being musical was a bonus item too.

While I’m not looking for a husband at this point, I decided to write a list as well, as if I were. The first three items on the list were deal breakers for me, and were really the entire list before I got married. The rest of the items were specific ways of fulfilling the first three.

  • Someone I enjoy being with
  • Strong faith that he honors
  • Someone who wants to marry me in an LDS temple
  • Strong belief in education (and okay with me having as much education as I do even if it means I have more degrees than he does)
  • A hard worker (so much more important than money)
  • Protective of me
  • Honors and respects me
  • Challenges me mentally
  • Their family likes me, I like their family. My family likes him, he likes my family.
  • Brings out the best in me

Knowing what you want is a good thing. I got what I wanted. Six years ago Saturday Brett first introduced himself to me. Six years ago today I said hi back. That’s why I married him. :heart:

6 Shared thoughts

Nerd for Life – Toes in the sand!

27 January 2012, 9:28 pm by Giggles
Categories: Family, Happy Things

Tonight we watched the final episode of “Chuck.” It’s been five wonderful seasons. What a wonderful story. I wore my Nerd Herd shirt to work today.

We’ll definitely miss it. No telling how many times we’ll go through the DVDs, partially because we’ve lost track of how many times we’ve already watched them. The perfect ending though. Team Bartowski is going to be just fine.

One of these days Brett and I will sit on a beach and tell each other our story and laugh. Our story starts six years ago tomorrow. Toes in the sand!

6 Shared thoughts

Museum of You

27 January 2012, 4:52 pm by Giggles
Categories: Folks, Life, Questions

The American History Museum this week asked online, “If there was a museum of you, what would be in it?”

Which is a very interesting question. Do I get a whole museum or just a display in the larger museum of humanity?

When you walk into someone’s home you get an instant feel for who the person is, or at least you should. Someone once said, upon walking into my parents’ home, “You are museum people.” And we aren’t really sure what that meant. We do love museums in our family, but we can’t figure out what it is about the house that indicated as much. Right now when you walk into our home you see we love books. You see our wedding pictures. You see my quilts. You see the piano, the computer. You see things indicating our faith. You see a few things we’ve picked up in our travels. All these things tell you about who we are. They are physical artifacts that show what our personalities are. The easiest way to make a museum of me would be to turn our home into a museum.

If I just get a display though in the larger museum of humanity, I’d have to pick a few items. Having been to many museums I imagine you’d include one of my journals with it open to a specific page so you could read it and see my handwriting. I’d like my wedding dress, the one I got married in, to be on display. And one of my quilts, the spool one, whether I finish it or not. My diplomas would be there, and some of the notes my students have written me over the years. I’d want some running shoes and my scriptures as well. And photos. You could do a collage in the background of some of the photos I’ve taken.

And maybe there are a few things I’d like to be able to display that I still need to do with my life. I should probably get working on those.

But why would there be a display about me? What have I contributed to the world? How could you show the difference my life made in the world? That aspect of my life I’m not sure how to display.

What would your display in the museum of humanity have in it?

6 Shared thoughts

Be Still

26 January 2012, 5:22 pm by Giggles
Categories: Gospel, Life, Musings

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalms 46:10

Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God.
Doctrine & Covenants 101:16

Being still is harder than you’d think. And not just for small children. Last week I set a goal to be more still. If I didn’t specifically say, “I’m going to be still right now” then life kept rushing past and dragging me along with it.

Yesterday I found myself with a case of the hiccups. And I realized that it was because I was going too fast. I’d eaten lunch and it gave me the hiccups. I hadn’t even eaten that fast. Anyone watching would’ve thought it was a nice leisurely pace. But inside I was racing (and getting a lot of research done).

So I paused. I became aware of my breathing. I slowed it down. I thought of the air moving in and out. And the hiccups disappeared.

Sometimes I think I believe I get more done when I’m rushing around like crazy. But do I appreciate it? Is it my best work? Is it, in all honesty, what I’m actually supposed to be doing? Slowing down allows me to determine the difference between the good and the best. Slowing down means I might not actually get to everything, but if I got to the best things, the good will take care of themselves.

And slowing down, being still, is when I recognize the ever present hand of God in my life.

Be Still, My Soul

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: The hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Text: Katharina von Schlegel, b. 1697; trans. by Jane Borthwick, 1813-1897

I will be still and know God.

4 Shared thoughts