mike and melissa

2011: A Literary Review

2012-01-06T15:12:00.002-05:00

For some reason all I can think of when I see the above image is Desmond punching the numbers into the computer every 108 minutes on LOST.

Anyway.

I've noticed that some people (book bloggers, mostly) do these kinds of annual reading recaps. I've always enjoyed reading others' annual literary reviews, so I thought I'd make one of my own. I'm not sure anyone else will get anything out of this post - this is just something for me to keep track of my nerdiness. But I had fun compiling this list so I thought I'd post it.

Note: This list was not comprised out of books released in 2011, but rather of books I read in 2011.

And so, here is Mel's Great Literary Review of 2011...

Best Book of 2011: Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Worst Book of 2011: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.

Most Mediocre Book of 2011: Caleb Williams by William Godwin. I honestly can't remember hardly anything about this book, it was that bland.

Most Unenjoyable Good Book: Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. (Unabridged.) It really is a great book and one that is worth reading, but I did not enjoy the process of reading it.

Most Enjoyable Bad Book: Wither by Lauren DeStefano. I enjoyed laughing at this book more than I enjoyed reading it.  I had fun with this book, probably not in the way the author intended, but oh well.

Pleasant Surprise of 2011: Outlander by Diana Galbadron. I was seriously expecting to loathe this book with a hatred to rival my loathing of the Sherbert Land level of MarioKart. Instead, it turned out to be a more Wario's Stadium kind of book.

Book I Can't Believe I Waited Until 2011 to Read: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. (This is also my runner up for Best Book of 2011.)

Shakespeare Texts Read: Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, plus all the sonnets. (I was in a Shakespeare class; I'm not usually this Bard-tastic.)

Book I'm Ashamed to Admit I Read: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer.

Book That Improved The Most Upon Re-Reading: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I absolutely despised this book after my first read-through. I gave it another shot and my rating went from 0 stars to 1 star.  That's a 100% increase, so congratulations to Mockingjay.

Book I Can't Believe More People Haven't Read: Ghostbread by Sonja Livingston. I seriously do not understand why this is not at the top of every reviewers recommendation list.

Best Feel-Good Book: The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. This book offers the warm, life-affirming kind of good feeling, not the superficial, hollow one.  It's like finally hugging a loved one after being apart for a long time.

Books I Re-Read in 2011: The Giver by Lois Lowry, The Quiet American by Graham Greene, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins, the Harry Potter Series by the Goddess of All Things Fabulous herself, and all the Shakespeare reads except Merchant of Venice and most of the sonnets.

Books I Expected to Like More Than I Did: Divergent by Veronica Roth. Legend by Marie Liu, and The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.

Awesomest Book Character of 2011: Flavia de Luce in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley.  Flavia seriously rocks.

Scariest Book Character of 2011: August Rosenbluth in Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Greatest Disappointment: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen. The book itself wasn't a disappointment, finding out it was at least partially fabricated was.

Most Controversial Book of 2011: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. I wasn't as put off by this book as everyone else was, but I think that's probably because I am not a mother. Still, it's pretty easy for me to understand why this book pissed everyone off.

Books I Read that I Can't Come Up With a Category For: The Chosen by Chaim Potok, and The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton.

Book Released in 2011 That I Can't Believe I Haven't Read Yet: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. (Note: This is high on my to-read list of 2012.)

Conclusion: A solid 2011. Bring it, 2012.

If We Had a Christmas Card*

2011-12-15T14:45:00.000-05:00

This is what it would say:

Melissa's version: "Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings from South Bend, Indiana! 2011 has come and gone, and with it another year of school, work, vacation, projects, laughter, and the usual plots for world domination. Mike is currently taking his second-to-last final of his second-to-last semester, so it is up to me, Melissa, to write the annual review.

2011 was a very meat-and-potatoes kind of year, all things considered. Mike keeps busy finishing up Law School at University of Notre Dame, working at South Bend's Legal Aid Clinic, working with the youth at our church, watching football, listening to NPR, and trying to beat Melissa at MarioKart. Melissa keeps even busier working full time at Notre Dame's Office of Graduate Studies, earning her MA in English from Indiana University at South Bend, also working with the youth at our church, writing, and convincing Mike that we need even more books in our apartment. They are both very much looking forward to their respective graduations this coming May, that is, if Melissa finds time to finish her thesis. (Side note: we are now accepting suggestions for ways to survive without sleep.)

Believe it or not, we also did stuff besides working on our scholarly and professional goals. (Yes, MarioKart qualifies as a professional goal.) 2011 saw us in Washington DC, Southern California, Salt Lake City, Portland, Pittsburgh, and even in a protest rally in nearby Chicago, though we only lasted a few minutes at that one. Summer brought on a unique challenge when Mike's clerkship took him out-of-state for a few months, leaving Melissa to plot for world domination on her own in South Bend. We are both now exceptional Skypers, and have vowed to never repeat the lonely experience. Still, Melissa made sure that 2011 was filled with Thai food, poetry, and card games, while Mike made sure we didn't forget to eat our vegetables or miss a re-run of Seinfeld. We are happily looking forward to another year of laughter, fulfillment, and arguing over the correct usage of the word 'renown.' We wish you a wonderful holiday season, and cordially invite you to our home any time you wish to play Bang!"

Mike's version: "We're still here, suckers!"

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas,

Mike and Melissa Wilde

*Which we don't (in either version), so don't feel badly if you didn't get one because no one else got one either.

Movie Trailers Done Well

2011-11-14T13:11:00.001-05:00

I love movie trailers. It follows, then, that I would appreciate movie trailers that are well made. My definition of a well made movie trailer is:

-One that does not give away the ending of the movie.

-One that does not assassinate the plot or any key story lines before I've even seen the film.

-One that does not set up unrealistic or misleading expectations. (To this day I am convinced this is why M. Night Shyamalan's The Village did poorly at the box office. The movie is brilliant, but poor advertising made audiences expect a horror/thriller flick, and were therefore confused and annoyed when they got a love story. Never mind that it's the greatest love story since Romeo and Juliet.)

-One that does all the above and still manages to show why this movie is different from every other movie ever made (read: why I should see this rom com instead of the 83460879074 other rom coms being released this year. Without revealing the ending.)

I think this is actually harder than it sounds. Movie trailer creators have to cram an entire movie's themes, energy, mood, and conflict into a couple of minutes, maximum. And yet, some really pull it off. Great movie trailers are their own stand-alone versions of entertainment, not just advertisements. Which is why I like them.

So what movie trailers rock? Well, the brand new Hunger Games trailer sure does:

And, just for fun, here are some of my other favorite movie trailers. Enjoy.

(What? you thought I'd get through an entire post without referencing Harry Potter? Pssshhh.)

Picture Book Recommendations

2011-11-03T14:07:00.000-04:00

November 2011 has officially been declared picture book month. I think this is great. Picture books are often overlooked in favor of their more "mature" counterparts, but they shouldn't be forgotten. None of us literary omnivores would be who we are today without picture books. They definitely hold a place on any bookshelf. To commemorate this oft-overlooked category, I bring you my top ten favorite picture books of all time. Enjoy.

10. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. Because what kid doesn't need to know that they're loved even when they're grumpy?

9. The Legend of Lightning Larry by Aaron Shepard. Read it with a glass of lemonade.

8. The Mask of the Dancing Princess by Judith Gwyn Brown. Gypsies, dancing, royalty... what more could a little girl ask for? (Plus, the illustrations are pretty incredible, especially since kids books usually have more cartoony-type images.)

7. The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base. If you have not read this book, DROP EVERYTHING AND READ IT RIGHT NOW. Interactive reading at its finest.

6. Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard. Funny and thoughtful for kids and adults.

5. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. This book actually doesn't have a single word in it. Still, it's one of my favorites.

4. Where's Waldo? by Martin Handford. Again, no words. Again, fabulous fun.

3. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Because of the incredible imagination this kind of book endorses.

2. The Monster at the End of This Book by ~~Grover~~ Jon Stone. I'm pretty sure our childhood copy had pages falling out by the time we were through with this book, we read it so many times.

1. It's a Tie! The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs and The Frog Prince Continued by Jon Scieszka. These are my all time favorites from growing up. I plan on owning everything ever written by Jon Scieszka and/or illustrated by Lane Smith, they're that good. Don't believe me? Read it yourself. I dare you to not fall in love with these books.

This walk down memory lane has got me feeling suddenly nostalgic. I sense a re-reading of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Magic or Sideways Stories From Wayside School coming on.

What were your favorite picture books when you were a kid?

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T22:01:00.000-04:00

This year for Halloween we are muggles... or are we?

Mike and I Made A Pact To Never Say Anything Gushy and Gross to Each Other On Facebook

2011-10-21T17:02:00.003-04:00

...But there was nothing in that deal about blogger. Mwahahahahahahaha.

Many thanks to the Pittsburgh Wildes for making this gross and gushy photo possible.

Judging Books By Their Covers

2011-09-29T10:47:00.015-04:00

To me, when it comes to book covers, less is more. I think book covers often detract from the book itself, rather than adding to it, or adequately reflecting it. I've been known to throw book jackets away (Divergent, most recently) preferring the simple hard back to the flashy outside. (I often have a similar feeling when it comes to people, but that's another discussion.) If it were up to me, most book covers would look something like this:

No loud colors, no distracting images of angsty teenagers gazing into the distance, nothing to give you false impressions of what's inside.

It's rare that I like any pictures or images at all on books, but if one must be present, something simple and alluring like this would be awesome:

And something like this would be horrendous. Had this been the cover of my first Huck Funn book, I never would have read it, as I would have immediately assumed that Twain's target audience was 6-year-old boys.

Some book covers are awesome, even with an image. This one I think perfectly captures the mystery, terror, and grotesque intrigue of Dracula:And this one is disturbing and fabulous, just like the book:

And this is another one that I really like. Dominoes are an unexpected, yet somehow perfect fit for both the story of The Book Thief and WWII in general. Plus, it reflects a key scene in the novel. Well done.

Sometimes I think one image doesn't quite do the novel justice, but a slew of images might. Here are a bunch of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone covers from around the world. I'm not sure any single image is perfect, but altogether it kind of works...

So what got me thinking about book covers? Well, to be honest, this did:That, my friends, is the newly released cover to Penguin's Deluxe edition of the classic Wuthering Heights. I am torn. I really like Heathcliffe, but I can't get past the nightmare-before-christmas feeling I get when I look at the whole jacket. The gothic thing is cool, I guess... I'm just not sure it's capturing the novel very well. Maybe they're just trying to attract a new young crowd of readers? What do you think?

This got me wondering about what other covers have been attached to Wuthering Heights. Here are a few a quick Google search found, sorted from worst to best:

Worst. Too Nancy Drew for my taste.

Too Twilight.Too boring.Getting better, but this still feels too boring.Okay, getting better...Me likey...Lovely. Strange and hypnotizing and dangerous and irresistible all at the same time.

So anyway, those are my thoughts this Thursday afternoon. What kind of book covers do you like/dislike? Do you like the cover of your favorite book as much as you like what's inside? Why(not)?

(Here are other covers of the newly released Penguin Deluxe editions of classics. I kind of love the Scarlet Letter one, but am not sure Jane Austen would have liked the new Pride and Prejudice cover...)

It's Late and I'm Punchy...

2011-09-07T23:11:00.001-04:00

...so you get a post.

I belong to a super exclusive club. It's the kind of club that is so hard to get into, few even attempt it. The kind of club that takes months and months (18 of them) of disciplined training and blood and sweat and tears to enter. The kind of club that completely reinvents your soul before they let you enter. But it is also the kind of club where, once you're in, you're in for life, Sopranos style. And once you're in, every other member of that club will always have your back.

Though this may sound like Hell's Angels, this is actually the club of returned sister missionaries.

Now I know all about the assumptions people have about sister missionaries.

Assumptions:
1. We are all extremely conservative (religiously, politically, grammatically, etc.)
2. We do not have a sense of humor. At all. No laughing. Ever. (Though smiling is critical - it's all a part of the 'sweet sister' thing.)
3. We're a few Marlboros short of a pack, if you know what I mean. (Am I allowed to use that analogy when talking about missionaries?)
4. We're probably ugly.
5. We like rules, and we follow rules religiously. (Ha.)
6. We generally have an unusual helping of self-righteousness. (By the way, did you read your scriptures this morning for at least 800 hours like I did? No? REPENT!)
7. We really need a date. BADLY.

The list goes on, but you get the idea. Don't deny it, you know people who have these kinds of assumptions. I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with people who, when it comes out that I served a mission, start twisting uncomfortably in their seats and avert their eyes, as if they're just not sure what to do with me anymore and are silently planning their escape, lest I try and commit them to read the Standard Works by Friday. (Okay, I'm probably just inventing that last part in my paranoid head, but I am definitely not inventing the awkward silence.)

It's gotten to the point where I sort of gloss over that particular part of my personal history and quickly move on to something else when meeting new people. It goes something like:

Person X: "So how come you speak Italian?"
Mel: "IservedamissioninItalydoyouwantsomemorecakeorhowaboutsomeicecreamwehaverockyroad?"

This is not because I am ashamed of being a sister missionary. I'm not. I just don't want the potential friend to write me off because they think I am too righteous/unfunny/dumb/pious/conservative/will-call-them-to-repentance-at-any-moment-ish.

SO. I have decided to debunk these false assumptions ONCE AND FOR ALL. Prepare your minds for explosion.

THE DEBUNK:
1. We are all extremely conservative.

Mormons in general are often conservative. However, just as there are a good chunk of LDS folks who are not conservative, there are also a good chunk of sister missionaries who are not conservative. Don't assume that just because a woman served a mission she won't drink Mountain Dew. Or is pro-life. Or whatever. Sometimes it will be true. Sometimes it won't. But assuming all sister missionaries will vote for Mitt Romney, for example, is a mistake.

2. We do not have a sense of humor.

FALSE. Some of my favorite funny friends I found in my mission companions. The kind of people who make my stomach hurt from laughing with their sharp and wicked observations, and who I still adore for their incredible senses of humor, among other things of course. So this assumption just isn't true.

3. We're not very smart.

FALSE AGAIN. This argument (and the next) usually stems from people thinking that women only serve missions because we have "no other options." As if missionary service was somehow less enticing, less self-building, and less educational than anything else the world has to offer. I do not know a single returned sister missionary who is not smarter because they served a mission. (And, they were all pretty dang smart to begin with, so there.)

4. We're probably ugly.

After announcing that I planned on serving a mission, one well-intentioned woman exclaimed, "But you're too pretty to serve a mission!" I've never been so insulted. Serving a mission has nothing to do with your looks. To imply that God only has use for homely girls in His missionary work is to limit God's value for women and our potential for good. Not every girl will serve a mission. In fact most don't. That's okay. There are a lot of great things young women can choose to do besides serving a mission. But it doesn't mean that missions are the lesser choice between serving and not serving. It is not only an option for those "without prospects." (Oh I hate that phrase.) It is a mighty and holy calling given by God. If you want to argue with God about who he chooses to fulfill His work, take it up with Him. But I'm willing to bet that He cares a LOT less about my acne than he does about my willingness to to what He wants me to do. Grumble grumble.
5. We like rules, and we follow rules religiously.

Sometimes. Sometimes not. Personally, I hate everything that feels confining. But again, this will vary, just like it does with other human beings. (What? Sister missionaries are human beings too, you say? GASP!)

6. We generally have an unusual helping of self-righteousness.

Well, I am amazingly awesometastic. It's not my fault you're not as awesome as I am. Just kidding. (Really.) This is false too. If you get this impression from someone, I'm guessing it's coming from other problems besides the mission. (And [hint] this particular character trait probably made all their mission companions want to strangle them too.)

7. We really need a date. BAD.

Please, please, please, please, whatever else you do, PLEASE do not set us up with your neighbor/friend/brother/cousin/roommate/professor/dog washer/etc. Being married I have now escaped this trap. But I didn't like it when I had it, and I don't know anyone else who likes it either. Just because a woman is 20-something and single, her romantic future will actually survive if you just leave it alone. (That cracking sound you hear is your brain exploding.)

So here's the take-away: To stereotype is to be ignorant.

One last nugget that doesn't really have anything to do with the aforementioned seven points: When referring to a group of missionaries that includes both sexes, please do not ever use the phrase "Missionaries and Sisters." It is extremely insulting. Just don't do it.

Here's the thing. Missionary service is incredibly demanding. It's grueling. It's draining. It's thankless. It's rejection. It's challenging. It's tedious. It's lonely. It's relentless. It's getting hit on by drunk men at bus stops. It's waking up before you're ready every single day. It's getting weird looks at the grocery store. It's getting lost in dangerous parts of town. It's being chased by wild dogs. It's a lot of hard things. (No wonder so many returned missionaries suffer from PTSD.) But it's also liberating, defining, insightful, growth, patience, dedication, confidence, charity, and a lot of other good things. A mission is just a lot of things and is kind of a big deal. So can you see why returned sister missionaries get bugged when this mammoth experience gets boiled down to: "Well, you just didn't have anything else to do, did you honey"?

Let's change the perception. Sister missionaries are cool. Next time you meet one, don't assume her spirit is too sweet for you. Give her a shot. You might like her. And if she's anything like the sisters I served with, you are in for a treat.

I am sister missionary. Hear me roar.

Aaaaaaand It's Not Summer Anymore.

2011-08-19T10:14:00.000-04:00

Oh, hey. Well, it's been about a month since I've posted, which I guess means I should give another life update...

-Mike just finished an out-of-state clerkship which occupied him for a good chunk of the Summer. (Read: we have become really good at Skype.) My work was here, so unfortunately I couldn't go with him. It was a long Summer, and I'm glad it's finally over. The rudest trick was played by Mike's car when it decided to break down 3 hours from home, delaying his homecoming for 24 more hours. (Sidenote: Anyone want a buy a car?)

-Did you see IT? You know, IT? The most anticipated movie EVER? Of course I am referring to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It took me a long time to accept that the movies were never going to live up the expectations I had for them, but once I started accepting the movies as different but plausible interpretations of the books, I started liking them more. And more. I'll give this last movie a solid score of 93%. It was grand. (Although, WHY do they INSIST on getting all the eye colors wrong?? Harry's eyes are GREEN, not blue. Voldemort's eyes are RED, not blue. And young Lily's eyes are GREEN, not brown. How many times did the books and movies say that Harry had Lily's eyes? If you're going to get it wrong, at least get it consistently wrong. With all the editing technology available now days, this is an inexcusable error, as I'm sure any true fan would agree.)

-School is starting next week for both of us, and I'm a little nervous. I just got my husband back, and I'm afraid I'm just going to have to say goodbye again once the crazy demands of work/school pile up, occupying every spare minute of our lives.

-I am a little obsessed with Adele's song "Fire to the Rain." It. Is. Awesome.

-Also obsessed with yellow curry. Seriously delish.

-I recently bought a huge bottle of shower gel that was advertised to be lavender scented. This bottle is big enough to last me 6 months, and I like the smell of lavender, so it was guaranteed to be a win-win, right? Turns out, it actually smells like cleaning chemicals. Think Clorox mixed with Windex with a little vinegar thrown in. It's going to be an interesting 6 months.

-Mike asked if we could limit the number of times I forcibly expose him to Shakespeare this year. I may have gone overkill last year... Sorry Hot Buns. :)

-Want a laugh? Check out these language crimes. (It might only be funny to English nerds like me, but I think it's hilarious.)

-Apparently Stephen Colbert is going to be the next Mormon convert.

-Have you seen these promotional photos of Peeta and Gale for the upcoming Hunger Games films? I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

So, apparently this post went from a life update to random links. Oh well. See you next month. :)

In which I depart from the recent travelogues and other meaningless dribble and talk about something that I really care about and you should to.

2011-07-27T12:39:00.020-04:00

In case you haven't noticed, I have become a boring blogger. I used to post my inner musings and funny stories, full of wit, humor, and a healthy dose of sarcasm... but alas. No longer. The reason for this is two fold:

1) We began getting hit with an obscene amount of asian spam every time we posted.

2) I realized people were actually reading what I wrote. (Gasp!)

The second reason might not seem like a big deal to you, but I am (and always have been) fiercely private and fiercely protective of my personal space. Therefore, the realization that my thoughts were being so widely accessed made me uncomfortable. (I don't think our blog is famous or anything, but come on, we all know how much blog stalking goes on over the Internet. I do it myself. Check your traffic feeds - you might be [un]pleasantly surprised.)

HOWEVER. I decided to break my self-imposed silence and talk about something that I really care about.

Ahem.

I was standing in the checkout line of the supermarket yesterday, trying to remember last-minute what it was on my grocery list that I was undoubtedly forgetting, when my eyes skipped over the magazine stand on my left. Each cover presented glossy images of hyper-thin young women demurely smiling/attractively pouting/seductively gazing back at me. One image in particular stood out: it was of a girl with rail thin arms and protruding ribs leaning her bony behind against a headline that read "Lose 5 lbs by Friday!" For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off that woman. She was so freaking thin. My eyes glanced back to my shopping cart, and I mentally calculated that I would have to throw away 97% of the food in there and settle on meals of lettuce and tomatoes for the next few months before I would look half as thin as her. It was unsettling. I've seen these kinds of unrealistic and unhealthy messages before in magazines, on billboards, in movies, in music videos, in advertisements. This is not new to me. Women are bombarded with garbage like this every day. But for some reason, yesterday it just made me sick. And I am still thinking about it.

(Side note: Do not Google "models" unless you want to be greeted with copious amount of soft p0rn.) (Related side note: The messages sent by the media regarding women and sexuality is also a topic worthy of discussion, but this post will focus only on the Skinny factor.)

Now I know some thin women, of which many are truly beautiful. But I do not know ANYONE (who is healthy) who looks like that. Why is it, that when we see a girl who is either horribly sick or suffering from an eating disorder (which is, of course, the same thing, as my favorite author pointed out) our reaction is not to help the poor girl but to slap her on a magazine cover? Instead of driving the girl straight to a hospital, we use this unhealthy woman's manipulated image (and all those images you see are very much manipulated - see the video below as a demonstration) to convince consumers that:

1)You do not look like this (manipulated photograph of an unhealthy) woman
2)You should look like this (manipulated photograph of an unhealthy) woman
3)You need to get PRODUCT X in order to look more like this (manipulated photograph of an unhealthy) woman

No wonder our views of beauty are distorted. That kind of logic feeds off of insecurity and produces reduced self-confidence and even self-loathing. These industries, and others, are manipulating women’s insecurities about their bodies for profit. This is terribly wrong.

The message being sent is that there is a direct correlation between your size and your worth: the thinner your ankles, the lovelier you are. But being beautiful and being skinny are not the same thing. They are two different things entirely. But the line between the two is blurred for many, many women, and this needs to stop.

Needless to say, I have been thinking about beauty and what it means to be beautiful. When I think of beauty, the first thing I think of is my three sisters. They are each exquisitely, spectacularly, breathtakingly beautiful women. Truly. They are attractive, yes, but that is not what makes them beautiful. Do you know why they are beautiful? It is because they are smart, brave, loyal, funny, unique, driven, honest, hard working, kind, giving, and a thousand other things that I value and admire. This is not a result of throwing up. This is a result of their choices and their character. This is what true beauty looks like: If you don't think they are stunningly gorgeous I will punch you in the face. (Kidding... sort of...)

So while I was thinking about all this, and disturbed by the discrepancy between true beauty and what is being presented (and widely accepted) as beauty, I received an email from my friend, Liz (holla!), telling me about a non-profit organization based in Salt Lake City called Beauty Redefined. They fight against these negative and incorrect conceptions of beauty. Their website states:

We have a passion for helping girls and women recognize and reject harmful messages about their bodies and what “beauty” means and looks like. Beauty Redefined represents our work to take back beauty for girls and women everywhere through continuing the discussion about body image, women’s potential and media influence.

Needless to say, this was exactly what I needed in order to regain my faith in mankind. Check out the billboards that will soon be popping up in Utah, courtesy of BR:

That's more like it.

Mead said, “A small group of thoughtful people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

I realize it will be an uphill battle, but the concept of beauty needs to be changed. It needs to be righted. And we can change it. Don't buy into the messages that tell you that you aren't good enough if your nose isn't straight or your fingernail polish is chipped. It isn't true. Our choices make us who we are, not our earlobe size. We are more than our reflections. If we truly believe that, the belief will spread. And, maybe one day, we can stand in checkout lines at the supermarket and turn to see only positive images of healthy, poised, and confident women smiling genuinely back at us.

If you've read this far, rock on. I will congratulate you by promising to revert back to posting nothing but mindless dribble and the occasional book review for at least six months.

Ah, one last nugget: Check out the below video produced by Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty (another great cause joining the fight to change the perception of beauty) for a glimpse into the process it takes before a woman gets put on a billboard.

Source

DC

2011-06-11T15:39:00.001-04:00

Over Memorial Weekend, Mike and I traveled through miles and miles of back country like this:
And through Lima, Ohio (proof below... fellow Gleeks unite!)
And through Pittsburgh (where we got to visit for a bit with our favorite Pittsburgh-ites) until we got to Washington DC! It was fab. We stayed with Mike's sister and fam for a few days, played lots of games, ate lots of really good food, and did a lot of fun touring downtown.

Jefferson Memorial

Lincoln MemorialTickling breakReading breakThere were a LOT of motorcycles in DC. It was pretty entertaining to see the different things written on their leather vests (Masonic symbols, Vietnam/Iraq veterans, "bikers for Jesus," etc.)
Our niece and nephew were good sports as we walked all over the city, always smiling and laughing despite the heat, and always up for a good knock-knock joke.The Supreme Court! So freaking cool.

I love the subway. I know it's weird, considering how dirty and gross it is, but I just have a thing for subways.

On Memorial Day itself we went to Arlington Cemetery. It was really neat to be there on the day we honor those who died for our freedom. We even got to see the 21 gun salute!

Mike ate the Washington Memorial.

The Capitol!

My one request was to go to the Library of Congress. I didn't know Mike took this picture, but I think it pretty well captures my joy/awe. Did you know they have a statue of Shakespeare there?

Not pictured:
--The nasty smell of the lake in the Constitution Gardens
-Our sweat drenched clothes
-Bang!
-The most awesome used bookstore. Of. All. Time.
-Ecuadorian (or was it Salvadorian?) and Thai food
-Potomac River
-Union Station
-Our corny gifts

We had a great time and loved being there. We wish we could have stayed longer! Thanks for letting us come take over your weekend!

Book Reviews

2011-06-02T13:21:00.003-04:00

School's Out! I have time to read again. It's great. Here's the latest...

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen: The best part of this book was the setting. You gotta admit, a depression-era circus train is great fodder for story telling. My favorite character was Rosie, the Polish elephant, although the human characters also managed to draw me in with their dreams and their flaws. I also really liked the ending. There were unfortunately a few too-graphic parts, which make me hesitate to recommend it to anyone though. B-

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa: I was nervous going into this book, since it was originally written in Japanese. Translated novels feel more impersonal to me, due to the additional step placed between the reader and the author. However, this book still managed to win me over. It's a short (only 164 pages) and simple story of friendship. This is a feel-good book the way feel-good books were meant to be written; not fluffy and hollow, but warm and life-affirming. Definitely a worthy read. A-

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: Oy vey. The more time goes by, the more I realize how much I really dislike The Historian. This book is, in a word, disappointing. It had all the ingredients (suspense, intrigue, romantic tension, secrets, etc.) but it just didn't work for the following reasons: 1)Length. It should have been half as long as it was. 2)Character development. The characters all resembled each other way too much, and most of the characters served no real purpose. 3)Plot. Oh man, I cannot tell you how incredibly disappointing the finale was. You plod through page after page just to find out what the big secret is, and then the big secret reveals itself to be... something spectacularly stupid. I think I laughed (guffawed?) out loud out of frustration. Not worth the 600+ pages it took to get there. There are plenty of well-written, perfectly chilling gothic novels out there. This is not one of them. D

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley: I started reading this book because of its title. You have to admit, that is an awesome title. The main character, Flavia, is pretty awesome herself. She is as clever as she is cunning, and drew me in with her sharp wit and wicked observations. I think I was so taken with Flavia that I felt let down by everything else. It was a good story, just not as good as it could have been. Flavia herself is freakin bomb. But nothing else in the story lived up to her. I liked it well enough, I just think Flavia deserves the extraordinary. B+

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: Confession. I have not actually finished this novel. I'm not sure I want to though. I'm only about 50 pages in, but from what I can gather so far, this book seems to be about justifying affairs. And that's it. No deeper message, no social commentary, no nothing. I don't like any of the characters (they can all go jump off a cliff for all I care) and I'm not really interested in reading about their inner angst. Is there a reason I should finish reading this?

Next on my list:
Well-Manered Assassin by Countess Aline Romananos
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (don't judge.)

There is nothing in this world that I don't want to do as much as I don't want to do the dishes right now.

2011-05-04T21:26:00.007-04:00

So I'm blogging instead.

Randomness:

-A few nights ago Mike went to bed while I stayed up late to finish a research paper. When I finally went to bed, Mike sat up and started talking to me for a few minutes. The conversation culminated in his congratulating me on becoming a 2L. (That's a second-year law student, in case in you didn't know.) Yes, he was sleep talking. This is a common occurrence in our house.

-One of my dearest friends, Tin, had her baby! Welcome to earth, Kylie. (If you don't know Tinathan, repent. Drop whatever you're doing, go to Portland, shake their hands and apologize for not introducing yourself sooner. Don't worry, they'll forgive you. They're cool like that.)

-Boston Rob is killing it on Survivor. Work it, Rob.

-I despise the word "inappropriate."

-I love, however, the word "persnickety."

-I am getting the itch to go on vacation. Like, somewhere awesome. Like Thailand, for example. Or Mexico. Really, I'm just sick of being cold all the freaking time. And Thailand would definitely qualify as awesome. Who's with me?

-A Coca-Cola can exploded in our fridge. I have no idea how this happened. I'll let you imagine what the inside of our fridge looks like right now. It's awesome. And not in a Thailand way.

-Mike is growing sugar snap peas in an old Progresso Soup can on our windowsill right now. They look promising, but I'm suspicious that they might taste like hearty chicken and wild rice.

-Today is Star Wars day! May the 4th be with you all. Here's a funny video for all you jedi warriors out there. (No seriously, watch it.)

-Mike and I have been listening to the soundtrack from the movie The Way Back. Have you seen it? I have yet to meet anybody else who has, which is really a shame since it is an absolutely beautiful film. Go get it from Redbox. Immediately. Then, let's talk.

Okay, okay, I'll go do the dishes now.

I. Can. Hardly. Breathe.

2011-04-28T13:28:00.001-04:00

EEEEEEEEEEEKK!

Survey

2011-03-24T12:22:00.003-04:00

So, I'm writing a paper right now about fear, and I need some help. I've already got a good chunk written, but to complete it I need to know...

What are you afraid of?

(All types of fears, large and small, are acceptable answers. For example: heights, darkness, swimming in the ocean, rejection, republicans, Barbara Walters, clowns, relationships, elevators, being alone, death, E.T., hippies, etc.)

Ego Boost

2011-03-06T17:38:00.001-05:00

"You look beautiful!"
-Said to Melissa by the 6-year-old boy sitting in front of us at church.

Food: Let Me Count The Ways

2011-03-03T12:50:00.004-05:00

I'm a big fan of food. Big huge fan. Seriously. So I was thinking of all my favorite foods and thought I'd make a list of the 5 best things I've ever eaten. Here they are:

BEST FOODS I'VE EVER EXPERIENCED
5. Mangoes and Coconut Juice in Rio de Janeiro. Paradise in every way.
4. Una Pizza Margherita at the Pizzeria in Firenze at the end of the markets. This eating experience is most enjoyable if you are seated in between Sorella Roper and Sorella Jones.
3. My Mom’s homemade whole wheat bread with homemade strawberry jam (comfort food).
2. Nutella* e bucaneve. I downed embarrassing quantities of this between July 06 and October 07. *Note: Must be Italian Nutella.
1. Dutch oven peach cobbler with homemade ice cream. My aunt and uncle used to make this every fourth of July. The memory still makes my mouth water.

Ahh food. How I love thee. However, just as some foods can leave our minds spinning with the delectable flavors and scrumptious textures, some other foods make me want to cut my tongue off. Here are the worst foods in existence:

WORST FOODS IN EXISTENCE
5. Eggnog. Never tried it, never will. My sensibilities just can’t grasp the appeal of drinking something with the word “nog” in it. It just gets worse when you consider that its primary ingredient is raw eggs.
4. Meatloaf. I’d rather eat grass.
3. That oyster I ate in Chicago. Angie said it best- it’s like snot in your mouth. Also that mussel I tried in Brussels had the same effect. Really, all seafood gives me the creeps.
2. Anything at the MTC. Ugh. Gag me with a spoon. I seriously don’t know how I survived. True story: the elders in my MTC district thought I had an eating disorder because I ate so little. I didn’t have an eating disorder, I just really, really, really, really hated the food. The only reason I didn’t wither away in the dark brown halls of the MTC is thanks to the chaco tacos I got from the vending machines in the basement. (Along the same lines, the Cannon Center at BYU is equally bad. Makes sense, since they’re supplied by the same manufacturer as the MTC.)
1. Chestnuts. Just the smell has the effect of making me severely nauseous. I’d say more, but I might lose my lunch. Shudder.

So what's the best thing you've ever eaten? And where should a lover of all good food go to acquire said best thing you've ever eaten? (Or, what's the worst thing you've ever eaten, and why did you eat it in the first place??)

Hunger Games: The Cast

2011-02-09T14:26:00.012-05:00

What's a sure way to get me to blog ? Make fun of my shampoo. This post exists for the sole reason of replacing my shower as the first thing I see when I open the old bloggity. Take that, world!

Anyway, you may or may not have heard that Hollywood is turning the famous Hunger Games series into films. Supposedly, the first film is going to be released around March 2012. Naturally, this has got me thinking about my ideal cast. I don't know about you, but I have very distinct mental images for each of the characters I read. I haven't really connected with a character until I can figuratively see them. And I'm not just talking about height and hair color- I could tell you exactly what (my version) of a character looks like down to their shoelaces. Seriously. Sometimes I'll meet someone who is the flesh and bones reincarnation of a book character (like the woman who used to be in my ward: She IS Skeeter from The Help.) I don't know where all this ranks on the weirdo scale, but it's the truth. For example, I think Michael Caine is absolutely superb as Thomas Fowler in The Quiet American, and I think Edmund was perfectly cast in the most recent Narnia films. However, Ralph Fiennes is all wrong as Voldemort (not nearly skinny enough). And Michael Gambon is simply an impostor pretending to be Dumbledore.

I tell you this to raise my credibility as a casting director. I hope some of your mental images of the characters from The Hunger Games match mine, but if not, we'll just have to duke it out over a midnight showing of the film. :)

So here you go, my ideal cast of The Hunger Games:

Jonathan Rhys Meyer as Gale.

That guy from Gilmore Girls as Peeta

I couldn't find a perfect Katniss, but this girl is close. Imagine her with dark hair. And less of a smirk.

The chic from Gladiator as Mrs. Everdeen

Elle Fanning as Prim.

Paul Bettany as Darius.

Rachel McAdams as Effie Trinket.

Jude Law as Cinna. Really, Jude Law as anything.

Rue.

Foxface.

Thrash and understudy for Gale.

Glimmer.

District 1 Tribute (Can't remember his name.)

District 2 Tribute.

Other District 2 Tribute.

Thoughts?

**Update: I originally omitted President Snow and Haymitch from the list because I couldn't find any actors that suitably fit the role. I'm still having a hard time with it, but here are some options.

Brendan Gleeson as Haymitch.

Okay, hear me out. Whoever plays Pres. Snow has to have very distinctive eyes. Daniel Craig certainly fills that need, but, obviously, he is way too young. So here's my plan: Kidnap Daniel Craig, put him in a time machine that makes him suddenly age 30 years and then pull him out and give him a lot of bad plastic surgery. It would ruin his career as James Bond, but we would have our Snow. It's a flawless plan.

His/Theirs/Hers

2011-02-03T18:50:00.005-05:00

Welcome to our shower.

To many of you, it probably looks like a normal shower, but look closer.

Products that are exclusively HIS: 1

Products they SHARE: 2

Products that are exclusively HERS: 17

I know girls need more beauty products than men, but can I get some validation here? 17 to 1?

"Winter Weather Emergency"

2011-01-08T23:22:00.010-05:00

According to South Bend's mayor, today was a winter weather emergency. Yep, South Bend waited until I moved here to get its most snow in a single day EVER. Awesome, I know. We made the best of things and went out and played in the craziness with our friends, the Shaws. Incredibly enough, we engaged in very un-Wilde-like behavior and decided to take pictures. Here are some...

What we woke up to this morning:Jumping in...

Getting ready to build a snow cave My Hot Buns sticking out of the snow What was Mike's project, you might ask. Well, here's the answer:

This project inspired a more enhanced vision. Yep, those are Mike's feet sticking out of the bottom of that snow hill. You can probably guess where this is going.Mike W. dug at one end while Mike S. dug at the other end...Meanwhile LaShel got stuck in the snow :)And I got artsy fartsy. Or something.The final masterpiece... (excuse the narration. I have learned that my video voice-overs are more awkward than helpful. :D Oh, and I have since realized that we are now in 2011, thank you very much.)

We all crawled through just to say we did, and then we warmed ourselves up with some delicious hot cocoa.

Wildes Shaws

A lot of snowy-place natives are acting like the three feet we got today is small cakes, but to this California girl, today was quite the event. Oh, snow. I kind of hate you. Really, you're very pretty, but I HATE being cold with all my soul, so that kind of puts a damper on our relationship. But we had fun with you today. (Now I'm just hoping church gets canceled tomorrow. How about it, weather?)

Yesterday vs. Today

2010-12-18T15:22:00.004-05:00

Let me paint you a picture. Yesterday Mike and I were living off of tylenol, coke, and chocolate. Yesterday we had no clean forks, spoons, bowls, plates, or socks. Our pile of laundry was almost as tall as me, and twice as wide. (Mike named this week the revenge of the clothes you never see.) We had puffy eyes from lack of sleep (though the pink eye is gone, thank heaven.) All surfaces in our apartment were covered in various textbooks, notes, outlines, pencils, homework, old bits of paper, articles, rough drafts covered in unintelligible scribbles, chapstick, highlighters, pain killers, unopened mail, tissues, various half-drunk caffeinated drinks, and laptops.

Then Mike finished his last final exam, and we both turned in our last final papers. Oh blessed "submit" button, I love thee.

Today we resemble human beings again. We are well rested. And showered. You can see the top of our desk, kitchen counters, and most of our dining table. Today the laundry is at most half as tall as me. (I'm working on it.) Today we had food for lunch. Today we watched football. There is not a dirty dish in the house. Or a sign of law, economics, or the French Revolution. And today I realized that Christmas is next week.

Finals are over. It's Christmas break.

Sometimes life is awesome.

Voldemort

2010-11-28T20:38:00.002-05:00

Two Voldemortish items of business:

1) I look like Voldemort. I have pink eye in both my eyes. It was a nice excuse to stay home from work at first, but now I'm very much sick of having sore, itchy red eyes all the time. I was majorly stressed since we were going to Pittsburgh for Pie-day, and was worried I would pass this highly contagious infection along to my little nieces and nephews. BUT, we made it back home without passing it along to anyone else! I consider this a massive victory. Thank you to whoever invented hand sanitizer and antibiotics.

2) We, along with the rest of the muggle population, saw the latest Harry Potter movie. We did dress up... as Wolverine and Bella Swan. We figured, as long as we represented famous movie icons we were good to go. (Forgot the camera though, sorry... though by this point, is anyone surprised?) We both liked it, though the lack of closure left me antsy for the next movie to come out. Speaking of Voldemort and eyes, is anyone else bugged that Voldy's eyes are blue in the movies instead of the clearly established red eyes in the books? This is a gross error, in my opinion. But I digress.

Non-Voldemortish item of business:

1) Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. :)

H A double L O W double E N

2010-11-01T19:24:00.002-04:00

It started out as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, but ended up as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolverine.

Catch Up

2010-10-19T12:36:00.008-04:00

HOLY FREAKING COW, life has been wicked chaotic lately. Seriously, I think I must have been taking crazy pills when I signed up for this full-time work and full-time school business. It's madness, I tell you. Between the craziness we have managed to squeeze in some fun things. Here's an update...

ITHACA

I met up with some of my favorite people of all time for a little reunion in upstate New York. It was fab. We toured Cornell, ate lots of yummy food, went to Ithaca's Farmer's Market where I enjoyed the hippy feel of the locale, saw more recycle bins than I've ever seen at any one place before in my life, did a little Arrested Development, planned the movie of our lives (complete with cast lists), embarked on nature hikes, found an old barn-turned-used-bookstore where I seriously scored some great finds, went to a spa and got professional massages (which I highly recommend), and just had a grand old time. Photographic evidence (thanks Tin):

So, the old president of Cornell had his own private library.That's right. HIS. OWN. LIBRARY. I know, awesome. As soon as I saw it, I knew I HAD to have one. So, I either have to buy more books (right, Mike?) or become the president of Cornell. I'm okay with either option.Ithaca is gorgeous. (And gorges. Ha.) The colors reminded me of when Mike and I were in Pittsburgh last October. Eastern America is just so lovely in fall. Okay, is this little girl not adorable?!?? Seriously. SO cute.

Lion King

After coming home and un-burying myself from homework, Mike and I went to Chicago to see Lion King! I LOVED it, and Mike didn't hate it, so it was a success. Their costumes are incredible. The giraffes are still my favorite. I've been singing African songs in my head ever since (and wishing L-to-the-izzie were here so we could jam African style. She's the only other person I know who knows all the lyrics.)

HALLOWEEN

We carved pumpkins and were very proud of ourselves.And here's a close up:

Another note- This is very important. I don't know what to be for Halloween, and we have exactly 4 days to figure it out. In need of input. Please help.

That's all for now. Maybe I'll blog again before the semester ends, but I make no promises. From here on out I will be inseparable from the schoolbooks. Wish me luck with midterms.

Company!

2010-09-20T13:16:00.011-04:00

My dad recently had to travel to Chicago for a conference. When my mom found out he was coming to Chicago she decided to come with him too! My little sister Lindsey, not wanting to be left out, came too, and then my little brother decided not to miss out on the fun, so he came out from BYU as well. It was grand. Their arrival coincided with Mike's arrival home from some interviews out of state, so my foxy dish of a husband met up with the fam (also foxy and dish-y) in Chicago and led them out to the boonies so they could see our humble abode.Once they got here we promptly lunched. We then went straight to the College Football Hall of Fame. Mike couldn't get over the irony that we were missing football games to go to the football hall of fame, but I was happy for the break from football. Also ironic. I've never really understood what the fake people are supposed to represent. But I guess it makes for some good pictures.

Practicing the kick off.Notice the ND and BYU flags next to each other.All Cougar Alumni/future Alumni. (Wow Nathan looks really tall here. He is quite tall, but not Goliath tall.)Then we went to campus and gave the grand tour. Luckily the rain held up while we walked around.Where Mike spends most his days:Outside a lecture hall in the Law School.Our "judging" faces in the courtroom.

Mike's official desk.Outside the Law School side door.

I really thought that bird was going to bite Linz. I'm glad it didn't.Dad and Knute.Nath and the famous Touchdown Jesus.We drove back to Chicago that night and went to Carmines for dinner. Their ravioli was DANG good- and that's coming from a major pasta snob. (I'm pretty sure we all had bread in our mouths for this picture.)

(Apparently this half of the table was able to swallow in time.)
Our photographers (Mom and Linz) had to catch a plane early the next morning, so we have no photos to document when I put the wrong address in the GPS and we ended up in the hood instead of at church the next morning. (True story.) We also have no photographic evidence of our trip to the top of the Hancock Tower, or the delectable lunch at the Cheesecake Factory afterwards. But we still had fun. Thanks for coming everyone! Come back again soon!!

Literary Heroines Who Ended Up With The Wrong Man

2010-09-08T11:23:00.005-04:00

I saw this on a friend-of-a-friend's blog, and thought the idea was so brilliant that I made my own list. This is only my opinion, so please feel free to disagree and/or to add to the list! And now, without further ado, I bring you my list of literary heroines who ended up with the wrong man:

1. Jo March from Little Women
I don't care what anyone says, Jo and Laurie were meant for each other. I think my heart died a little when Laurie married Amy, and Jo ended up with the old boring guy.

2. Marianne Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility
I know he's a royal jerk, but I wish Willoughby could have straightened out and committed to Maryanne. They were such kindred spirits. And I wish Colonel Brandon could have ended up with someone who really loved him in return, and was not so obviously more compatible with someone else.
3. Olivia from Twelfth Night
Olivia and Orsino are both so dang melodramatic- they would be perfect together. (Granted, this paring would leave Viola and Sebastian together, and that wouldn't be very kosher seeing as they're twins and all.)
4. Mary Bennett from Pride and Prejudice
Poor girl. She and the awkward Mr. Collins would have made such a delightfully righteous couple. I was always secretly hoping they would end up together, but alas. He ends up with poor Charlotte.
5. Elizabeth Gilbert from Eat Pray Love
This is cheating a little bit since Liz is not a fictional character, and I really have no right to tell real people who they should be with. (Though I do claim the absolute right to completely dictate the lives of fictional characters.) Anyway, I was bugged that she decided to try and make it work with the wealthy, foreign businessman. Hasn't she ever seen a chick flick? The steamy foreign affairs never last.

6. Tommy from Never Let Me Go
This is also cheating as Tommy is a hero, not a heroine. Still, I was so sad that Tommy and Kathy didn't get more time together. Freaking Ruth.
7. Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind
This one is tricky since she ends up with no one. But I would have liked to see a reconciliation with Rhett Butler, her obvious match. It was implied that they do eventually return to each other, but this reconciliation has never been actually produced on print or on film. I'm still waiting for closure.

8. Christine Daae from The Phantom of the Opera
Don't get me wrong, I don't want to doom Christine to a life with an unstable stalker, sexy as the Phantom's voice is. I'm just not the biggest fan of Raul. He has no personality in the book, and he's not much improved in the movie either.
9. Katniss Everdeen from Mockingjay
I won't spoil the ending here for those of you who haven't finished it yet. Suffice it to say, WHAT THE CRAP.

10. Rory Gilmore from Gilmore Girls

Total cheating: This is a TV show, not a book. But I still think Rory should have ended up with Dean. I couldn't close out this list without throwing that in there.

I Think Mike Needs More Sleep. Or a Kitten.

2010-08-30T15:49:00.004-04:00

This is how Mike entertains himself these days when he takes a break from studying. (I believe his favorite part is from about 0:40-0:55.)

He probably watched this next one at least 50 times. Not joking.

It's only the second week of school and already Mike is laughing at cat videos. I'm not sure this is a good omen for the school year. Regardless, we are now in the market for a treadmill.

Book Reviews

2010-08-18T10:28:00.005-04:00

I've been reading lots of fluffy books lately as a preemptive strike against all the heavy literature I'll be tackling soon in grad school. Here are my thoughts. Enjoy! (Side-note: I have a tendency to write WAY more than necessary when doing book reviews, so I challenged myself to limit my reviews to no more than four sentences. This turned out to be a challenge of astronomical proportion, and resulted in a high overdose of commas and semi-colons. Let it be known: I have much more to say about each of these books, especially Catching Fire, but I stuck to my challenge. Go me. End of side-note.)

Austenland by Shannon Hale

I'm an Austen fan, don't get me wrong, but I only thought this book was so-so. It was occasionally witty, but not charming enough or engaging enough or funny enough to be at all notable. Basically, I finished the last page, put the book down, and promptly forgot all about it. (Sorry Hale fans.) C-

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

I think I would love this book if I were 10 years old. This is a good thing, as 10-year-old girls are the targeted audience. From an adult perspective, I thought it was a little boring... but I would still recommend it as a fun fairy tale to my little sister and my nieces. B-

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

For a book about running, The Maze Runner took forever to get going. Although I disliked Thomas (the main character) for his annoying mood swings and narrow mindedness, I did like many of the minor characters, even though they were never quite developed enough. The most redeeming feature was the epilogue, which gave me hope for book two. (Did anyone else get LOST flashbacks while reading this? Unexplained phenomenons going on all over the place, survival theories, exasperating main character in Thomas/Jack, a severe lack of answers, etc.) (This LOST query does not count in my 4 sentences.) C-

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Arg. I loved Hunger Games. Catching Fire was irritating though. Too many things were told, not shown; all of the characters were stagnant; the plot was just a repeat of Hunger Games... I was disappointed with this book, but that still didn't prevent me from preordering book three on Amazon. C-

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

Hmm. I do believe it's possible, normal even, to be a married woman and have male friends... however, I would have a really hard time if my spouse acted the way Becky Jack acts with her devilishly handsome, disgustingly wealthy, impossibly charming soulmate. I don't think I'm alone on this, so let's take the book for what it is: A licorice and chocolate gummy bear cupcake. Totally and completely implausible, but kind of enticing in a weird and mildly unwelcome way. So, behind the bizarre sugar rush, I thought the characterization was good, the writing was funny when it wasn't overdone, Hale writes emotions well, but the story seriously dragged- she should have cut about 150 pages (I almost stopped reading halfway through because the novel just wasn't progressing)... all in all, I can see a lot of people taking this book too seriously and fleeing to the Ensign for comfort, but if you can get past the pretense you might enjoy it, so long as you don't fall asleep while reading. (I am aware that this review only barely qualifies as 4 sentences. Deal with it.) C

Next on my list:

-Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins which comes out next week!!!!

-School Stuff.

PS- Thanks for the book recommendations! I plan on reading all of your suggestions, though it may take some time to get through them all. :)

Mastering

2010-08-07T17:16:00.002-04:00

So, I applied to Indiana University's English MA program on a whim, and I got in! Yay me! I have to confess, the prospect of doing both full-time work and full-time school is a little daunting, but heck. Right now I'm just excited. Go Titans!

1

2010-08-01T12:38:00.011-04:00

Today is our first anniversary! Go us. To celebrate, we drove to Lake Erie this past weekend, went swimming, hung out on the coast, and generally enjoyed the lake.

We particularly enjoyed the twin power plants on the north and south ends of the lake, and wondered if they were why the water was so warm...

On the way back we stopped in Shipshewana, our local Amish community, and picked up some yummy homemade bread, homemade raspberry jam, and homemade cheese curds. I am especially enamoured with the jam. Soooo good. After we got home Mike surprised me with flowers!

Today, our actual anniversary, Mike surprised me yet again! We were going about business as usual (teaching the 3-4 year olds at church) when two of the kids in our class had to go to the bathroom. This is highly usual, and so I took them to the bathroom without suspicion. When we got back, I opened the classroom door and was greeted with a rousing chorus of "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY" by a dozen 3-year-olds, all holding a long stem rose. It was probably one of the cutest things I've ever seen. Mike, you get ten out of ten points for cuteness, plus a bonus point for hijacking the cuteness of a bunch of 3-year-olds.

All in all, it's been a great day and a great year. Here's to many more happy anniversaries!

She-Kah-Go

2010-07-23T08:48:00.000-04:00

Over the holiday weekend we went to Chicago for a reunion with Mike's family. It was great to see everyone! Here's a photo recap. (Most of these pictures I've stolen from others, muahaha.)

The "Bean."

Playing at the splash pad thingee. (Jeff, Mike and I were enjoying sushi while this was going on.)I believe this is the 'preying mantis' shot... (I think Ben wins the Best Imitation award.)Sam found some dirt.The kids buried Mike at Lake Michigan. Mike and a sleeping JJ.
Waiting for the fireworks to start.Mike, Claire, and a great looking chocolate cupcake.Bob and JJ enjoying the fireworks.Us on the boat tour where we got a good feeling for the history and architecture of the Windy City.
At the Museum of Science and Industry! This museum was one of my favorite parts. They had this massive sub that was really captured from the Germans in WW2, plus hundreds of other displays. Plus, this is where our nephew Sam decided he liked me. It's always a victory when you win over a kid. (I just hope he remembers that he likes me next time he sees me...)
At Taste of Chicago. As you can see, it was packed! The watermellon was particularly yummy on such a hot day. Relaxing with The Buns.At Navy Pier, where Mike enjoyed his oysters and I enjoyed my Hagan Daas.Skyline. The rest of the crew went to Nauvoo after this, but we had to go back to work so this is where we parted. Thanks for the fab trip! It was great seeing you guys!

It's Like America, but South

2010-07-07T21:29:00.004-04:00

Guess what? We went to South America. I know, awesome. So here is a (comparatively) brief recap of our awesome trip.

There was only one bad thing that happened the whole trip: Delta cancelled our flight out of Chicago and therefore made us miss the first leg of the trip. The tragedy is that the first leg of the trip consisted of Machu Picchu. Yes, we missed Machu Picchu because of Delta. Talk about disappointment. Delta, you're fired. Mike and I eventually made it to Peru and hung out in Lima for a day while we waited for his parents to return from Machu Picchu (their flight wasn't cancelled. Freaking Delta.)

On the bright side, Lima's not such a bad place to kill time. We walked around downtown, went to the Gold Museum which it turns out has nothing to do with gold, saw some Aztec ruins, and had some pretty dang good Peruvian food. (Dad, it's just as good as Inca Mamma's. :D)

So here we are in Peru:

Mike spent a large portion of every night writing a big paper for law school to try and get on a journal. Amazing diligence, Hot Buns. Once we met up with Bob and Deanne, we traveled to Brazil. Our first stop was a city in the Amazon called Manaus. Our sweet lodge was so remote we had to take a boat to get there.
Our lodge greeted us with frogs in the sink. Nice touch.

Bob eating lunch with one of the neighborhood parrots.We made friends with the local wild Amazon monkeys

Then we fished for Piranhas......and caught one! (Actually just our guide caught piranhas. We caught a couple sardines though.)Manaus
We went Caimen hunting one night, and caught a young one.
Don't worry, we put it back after we all took turns holding it.
Some local "Natives" did a traditional dance for us, and pulled Bob into the fun :)
We visited a local "floating village" on the river. Everything is on stilts to accommodate for high/low tide.
Vacation in a nutshell:Merging of the waters! They really don't mix- it's pretty amazing.Swimming in the Amazon! Yes, we really went swimming in the watery home of piranhas, crocodiles, and boa constrictors, and lived to tell the tale.Our last day in the Amazon we went on a Jungle Walk. We saw all sorts of creatures and plants, including these huge (and very heavy) turtles.Jungle swing! These are the same kind of vines Tarzan uses to swing from tree to tree.Goodbye Echo Park!I believe the sidewalk is supposed to represent the merging of the waters.The boat returned us safely to civilization. We then toured the Manaus Theatre in the center of town.Mike has a mission companion who lives in Manaus who we were able to meet up with one night.Our super ritzy hotel :)After Manaus we flew to Salvador, Mike's old mission stomping ground, where he is still known as 'Elder Wilde.'
We consumed a large amount of coconut water, which is exactly what is sounds like- some dude pulls a coconut out of a cooler and cuts a hole in the top with a machete and sticks in a straw and you drink. YUM.

Annarita (one of Mike's converts) and her boyfriend fed us dinner one day.
Then her boyfriend (I can't remember his name...) let Mike and Bob ride his motorcycle- wicked gnarly.
I thought it was interesting to see how some people lived in nice apartments:
Passable apartments...Not so nice apartments...And super run-down holes. I guess that's Brazil for you.You can see the big elevator in the back- it takes you down to these markets on the coast. Very cool.

Fried beans and shrimp - still in the shell. Don't know why I'm smiling.Another family Mike baptized from his missionary years.
Part of the underground crypt in one of the cathedrals we visited.
Our crew with Sara Jane, a girl Mike baptized who kindly showed us around Salvador and prevented the market venders from ripping us off too bad.
I like Brazillian phone booths better.
After Salvador, we went to Iguasu Falls! They really are amazing. See for yourself.
The scene inspires romance to all who encounter it...

Sorry about the sqinty eyes. It was really misty.
You Portuguese speakers out there will appreciate the humor in this translation. (Apparently "leve o brasil no peito" means "keep Brazil in your heart" or something. I like their version better.)The next day we went to the Argentina side of the Falls. I think the Brazil side had more cool views, but Argentina has Devil's Throat- which is simply incredible.We took that little boat for a Maid of the Mist type venture into the water and got appropriately soaked.I am convinced that the bridge you take to Devil's Throat is not safe. But still, it gets you right to the edge.

Brazil is obsessed with pregnant women. Statues like this are everywhere. It's creepy.
Next stop, Sao Paulo! We didn't stay very long, but we managed to get in a trip to il tempio.

The drink of choice in Brazil: Guarana!Their avocados are the size of my head.Some lady trying to sell necklaces to Bob. I think she needs a lesson in supply-demand economics.
Last stop: Rio! Here we went to the Cristo Redentore statue. Unfortunately, it is currently completely covered in scaffolding. We enjoyed the view anyway.

Even though it was very cold and windy this day, Mike decided to go swimming in Ipanema Beach. And he's glad he did.We stopped by the botanical gardens in Rio. Here we are in a bamboo garden
Apparently we have a lot of smoochy pictures.
Sunset in RioWe found this monkey chilling on our balcony one day. Famously colorful stairs in downtown Rio:
Acai! Travelling to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain:Smoochy pictures run in the family. :)
Breakfast everyday.The markets in Rio. Brazil's version of Banana Stands.
Braving the rains in Rio.At the National Museum:
Enjoying our last serving of coconut juice before coming home.
I will miss the mangoes, coconut juice, exotic flowers, inviting beaches, friendly people, and cobblestone streets.
Mike is not going to miss navigating the entire country for us. :)

Goodbye South America!
(Here's one last video of Iguazu:)

Phew! Now do you see why it took so long to blog about this?? We did so much every single day, it's hard to boil it all down to a blog post. Suffice it to say, it was the trip of a lifetime. Thanks Mamma and Poppa Wilde!

Book Recommendations

2010-07-01T10:05:00.023-04:00

I think most of us bookworms have a list of literature that one has to experience in order to qualify as a person. I know I have such a list. Since I am often asked for book recommendations, I thought I'd share my top ten most favorite life altering absolute best books of all time. (Bear in mind that my own to-read list is approximately 80 miles long, and this list is subject to change.)

10. The Quiet American by Graham Greene

This novel is subtle, calculating, and perfect. It is as superbly written as it is insightful. This novel is for anyone interested in the peculiar politics of morality, the detached discussion of existentialism, the dangers of good intentions, or the brutal story of the Vietnam War.

9. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Finish it, and it might change your life. Don't finish it, and you'll think it was a elementary, albeit innovative, story about a boy and his tiger.

8. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Speaking of magic... I know a lot of people will make fun of me for including Harry Potter, but I think this series is fabulous. So many masterpieces are intentionally made only for the grasp of mature adults, but Harry Potter takes complex, abstract themes (courage, loyalty, bravery, love, evil, and the power of choice) and makes it accessible to kids, helping them both understand these concepts and aspire to good, all while spinning a wildly imaginative and breathtaking tale. I just love me some Potter. (PS- for those of you who would like to see the newly released trailer for the next movie, click here.)

7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I love this book for the same reasons the rest of the world loves it: Its hilarity and passion, and its alternately heart-warming and heart-wrenching illustration of honor, innocence, and injustice. Atticus Finch remains perhaps the greatest literary hero of all time for reminding us that some things are worth fighting for, even if there is no chance of winning.
(I struggled between choosing this or Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns, but TKAM won out by a hair. Let it be noted, CST is also a worthy read.)

6. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

I love this book for its shockingly obvious description of temptation. Eye-opening and dark, this novel nevertheless inspires the reader to lead a holier life.

5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I've been fascinated by the Holocaust for a long time, wondered at its magnitude, been appalled at its destruction. But I have never been so heart-broken by its horror as I was while reading this novel. This is why stories deserve to be told: Because they hold the transformative and revelatory power that enables us to empathize with others whose experiences we have never shared. So read Liesel Meminger's story. You won't be sorry.

4. Othello by William Shakespeare

I love this play for its dialogue on identity, evil, redemption, and choice. It is brilliance spewed on paper (and my absolute favorite Shakespeare piece.)

3. Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

This is, quite simply, the best (and, I think, the most important) humanitarian book I have ever read. Rather than depress the reader with the enormity of problems preventing women from flourishing in much of the world, the authors argue that there are ways, good ways, to contribute and change the world for the better. Half the Sky is hopeful and determined, not discouraging. Most importantly, it provides strong motivation in its pages for everyday people in the West to act. I wish I could do this book justice with one paragraph. For more information, click here.

2. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

This book illustrates how a life can be affected by prayer, faith, and love. I love this story for its portrayal of justice, perseverance, loss, and loyalty. I also loved the discussion on the nature of family. Beautifully written, beautiful message.

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry

Yes, the Giver holds the number one spot. For me, This book marked the first time I read not for enjoyment or for escape, but for growth. This book was the first to change me, and thus ignited my literary love affair. I have loved it ever since.

I have a similar list for movies, but I'll save that for another day. What are your favorite books of all time? If you tell me, I'll likely read them.

PS- Believe it or not, I actually have started the Brazil blog post (despite the fact that we are still under attack by the Asian spam.) For some reason, the old bloggity blog is taking about 30-40 minutes to upload each batch of 5 photos. This annoyance is magnified by the fact that we have literally thousands of pictures to sort through. Any ideas on how to speed up the process?

PPS- I have no idea what's going on with the spacing in this post. It's driving me insane.

PPPS- Happy eleven months, Hot Buns!

Vuvuzela Concerto in B Flat

2010-06-25T09:06:00.004-04:00

I know, I know, pictures from our South American adventures are coming...eventually. Truth be told, we've been attacked lately by a gargantuan amount of Asian spam, and it's kind of freaked me out and made me a little anti-blogging. I'll return one of these days. This was too funny not to post though:

Out of Whack

2010-06-07T08:37:00.005-04:00

Mike: "What day is it?"
Mel: "I have absolutely no idea."
Mike: "Me neither."
Mel: "I'm pretty sure it's June..."
Mike checks the phone and we find out that we are indeed several days into June. We have no idea how this happened.

Clearly, we're still recovering from our crazy last few weeks. Hopefully soon I'll fill you in on Mike's birthday, his 1L graduation, our South American adventures (complete with a persuasive argument on why we hate Delta and why you should too), LOST, last minute trips to Texas, Harry Potter, and our totally awesome tan lines. Until then, we'll likely be asleep.

Peace out.

Old

2010-05-10T14:50:00.002-04:00

This baby was born XX* years ago today. And I'm really glad he was, because he turned into this foxalicious stud who later
asked me to marry him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOT BUNS!
Love, your biggest fan

PS- I cannot get over how cute Mike is in this picture:

*Actual age undisclosed.

Craigslist Gems

2010-05-03T10:40:00.005-04:00

Today I went on Craigslist to hopefully find some lovely, original (and very inexpensive) art to maybe hang in our home. Here's the best that I found:

South Bend's Craigslist just isn't inspiring me for some reason. Besides, I'm not sure Mike would want a painting of Mad-Eye Moody in our living room.

On to merrier things. Mike and I are heading here in 10 days and I am very, very excited:

Hair Woes

2010-04-21T11:29:00.004-04:00

I was born with very, very dark brown hair. I inherited it from my dad. And I love it. I really do. In my mind, the darker, the better.

Lately, however, I've noticed a disturbing trend. Ever since I got married, my dark hair began to grow in lighter. Proof:

Pre-marriage:

Engaged-- Still working the dark hair

Post-marriage:

Has anyone ever experienced this latent-hair-color-changing phenomenon? It is most unwelcome, and if anyone has any advice on how to get my raven locks back, please share. I'd appreciate any and all suggestions.

Poland

2010-04-19T09:35:00.003-04:00

My cousin posted this segment of an article from the NY times, and I thought it was really one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. I had to copy it here. (Hope you don't mind, Brigham!)

"I have no idea who Roger Cohen is. Some columnist for the nytimes. Married to Frida Baranek with four kids. A foreign correspondent. Whatever.

I know of him now because he wrote an article about the recent plane crash and death of the Polish president and other major leaders near Smolensk. Such a sad coincidence for it to occur in Katyn! Cursed place. Cohen talks about the event and its meaning. He presents the hope that Poland and Russia will be better friends now and describes some poignant moments in their relationship.

And then...Roger Cohen shares four paragraphs of epic depth and and eloquence. Read them and then say, "wow":

Poland should shame every nation that believes peace and reconciliation are impossible, every state that believes the sacrifice of new generations is needed to avenge the grievances of history. The thing about competitive victimhood, a favorite Middle Eastern pastime, is that it condemns the children of today to join the long list of the dead.

For scarcely any nation has suffered since 1939 as Poland, carved up by the Hitler-Stalin nonaggression pact, transformed by the Nazis into the epicenter of their program to annihilate European Jewry, land of Auschwitz and Majdanek, killing field for millions of Christian Poles and millions of Polish Jews, brave home to the Warsaw Uprising, Soviet pawn, lonely Solidarity-led leader of post-Yalta Europe’s fight for freedom, a place where, as one of its great poets, Wislawa Szymborska, wrote, “History counts its skeletons in round numbers” — 20,000 of them at Katyn.

It is this Poland that is now at peace with its neighbors and stable. It is this Poland that has joined Germany in the European Union. It is this Poland that has just seen the very symbols of its tumultuous history (including the Gdansk dock worker Anna Walentynowicz and former president-in-exile Ryszard Kaczorowski) go down in a Soviet-made jet and responded with dignity, according to the rule of law.

So do not tell me that cruel history cannot be overcome. Do not tell me that Israelis and Palestinians can never make peace. Do not tell me that the people in the streets of Bangkok and Bishkek and Tehran dream in vain of freedom and democracy. Do not tell me that lies can stand forever.

Ask the Poles. They know."

Book Reviews

2010-03-31T14:50:00.002-04:00

The Help by Kathryn Stockett: Stockett's debut novel is phenomenal. Set in Jackson, Mississippi on the cusp of the civil rights movement, this novel tells the story of three very different women (1 white, 2 black) and the lengths they go to stand up for what they believe in. My favorite aspect was the way Stockett so vividly captures life in a small southern town. Her characterization is superb, giving strong insights into women and our behavior. Her language reminded me of Zora Neale Hurston in Their Eyes Were Watching God (also fantastic.) The novel is serious in nature, but Stockett infuses it with such rich observation and sly humor that I found myself laughing out loud at parts. Best of all, Stockett illustrates our underlying commonality and humanity and shows that, despite our differences and mistakes, our future is hopeful. A-

Beloved by Toni Morrison: My Grandpa once told me to give every novel 50 pages. After 50 pages if you still can't stand it, put it down and find another book. Since this novel won the Pulitzer, I gave it 150. Then I put it down and found another book. (I willingly and happily attest to the incredible calibre of Morrison's writing, and would recommend it to anyone trying to understand the mentality of "emancipated" ex-slaves. For me, the darkness of the novel bled from the pages into my mind and I was having difficulty shaking off the depression I felt. Maybe I'll finish it later in Summer when it's not perpetually gray outside, making me already predispositioned to be sad.)

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown: This novel was pretty much exactly how I thought it would be. Charming, wealthy, brilliant guy and charming, wealthy, brilliant girl team up to outsmart the bad guy. They have a series of interactions where no one important dies, until the grand finale where good conquers evil. The end. On the bright side, the history is tremendous. This is why Brown has such a great following, and why I think Brown should be a historian, not a writer. The negatives: His plot is obvious since it never changes in any of his novels, his characterization is cliche at best, his theme is widely used and much more eloquently given in other novels. It's entertaining enough though, I suppose. I'm just not a fan of Brown's formulaic style. C-

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant: Most people I've talked to either hated this book, or liked this book. No one loved it though. I can see why. The story is intriguing and the characters are compelling, but the novel was too uncomfortable to love. This discomfort has two parts. The first is her focus on menstruation. I know a lot of a woman's worth in those days was based on her fertility, but seriously? Did she really need to focus 200 freaking pages on menstrual cycles?? Why did she name the novel after the area where women went to bleed? Does she really think there are no other means besides menses that define women, even in that patriarchal age? It was way over the top and kind of grossed me out. The second part that I had a problem with was Diamant's portrayal of certain historical figures, namely Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. I believe in prophets, both in ancient times and today, and while I know these men are just people with faults and weaknesses like the rest of us, I do not believe God would have called them to be prophets unless they were worthy. Not perfect, but worthy. So I had a problem with Diamant's inclusion of such things as masturbation. To be fair, Diamant skillfully infused her characters' thoughts and actions with the familiar biblical tale. Plus, Diamant did an excellent job of aging the language of the novel with her characters, until we ultimately hear the words of a wise old women who has finally found peace. I have to give kudos to Diamant's imagination. It was well written and makes you wonder about the lives of the women who walked along side these ancient prophets. So there were definitely redeeming features. Not my favorite though. B-

Half the Sky: Turning Oppresion into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn: Every woman (and man, for that matter) should read this book. I started writing a review, but then it became too long and I realized the issues discussed in this novel deserve their own post. Stay tuned. A

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: All I have to say is, do NOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES even ATTEMPT to do the following: Pick this book up about a half hour before bedtime on a Sunday night. You will be up far too late and then be a complete zombie at work the next day, useless since what brain power you have left is entirely devoted to returning to this book until you can finish it. This novel is supremely enticing and wildly suspenseful. The main character, sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, is strong, spirited, and determined. The premise is dramatic with it's cold government, starving citizens, and a deadly game wherein the "tributes" fight to the death. It's a sort of post-modern Survivor meets Communism meets the Apocalypse. This book, while fitting in the YA category, asks challenging questions about the nature of entertainment, exploitment, and humanity, and the cost of love. Addictive and satisfying, I highly recommend it. (Just don't expect closure.) A

Next on my list:

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Clearly I'm on a Suzanne Collins binge.)

Any other suggestions?

This post has no title. Or coherency.

2010-03-25T19:20:00.007-04:00

So we finally decided to spend our Christmas money and got an ipod touch. It's been our favorite toy these last couple of weeks. Our favorite apps include Risk, Mobsters, Scrabble, and Pandora. I'm not sure we've done much else with our lives lately. It's been great.

We do have one bit of news: Mike got a job! He'll be a law/econ professor's research assistant over the summer here at Notre Dame. We feel pretty lucky since jobs of any sort are hard to come by these days. It will be fun to both be working on campus all summer. Good job Hot Buns.
And my lunch hour is now over.

I'm Melissa Wilde and I Approve of These Products.

2010-03-05T11:30:00.004-05:00

I don't actually have much to blog about. I just wanted to write a new post so that I didn't have to see Vienna's face every time I looked at the bloggity blog. (In an ironic twist of events, that post garnered more comments than any other post I've ever done... Closet Bachelor (un)fans unite!)

ANYWAY. I guess this post has to be about something... So here are some products that I endorse:

1) MILK. Milk ranks up there with Michelangelo's David, Shakespeare's Hamlet, the Bible, and Mike's kisses in my book of perfect things. Milk is happiness. I love milk. Cold, tall glass, fat free please. In college I would keep 2 gallons in my fridge, and 1 at my sister's house a few blocks away. It's the perfect drink. Not only does it go with everything, but I'm convinced that it makes whatever you're eating taste better. For real. Try it. I love milk. 2) Dove. I am a big fan of Dove products. This affinity is twofold. First, I like Dove for practical reasons. They have high quality products without being costly. Their products always smell good- Always a good thing. Second, I am a huge fan of Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. It's about time a company took a stand and stopped promoting unrealistic and unhealthy body images as the ideal to women. I am impressed and encouraged with Dove's desire to promote self-esteem, self-respect, and confidence instead of bleached hair and size 0 waistlines. Dove has earned my allegiance with this campaign, and I happily support them.

3. Spicy Cilantro Hummus. This is a new addition to my life and I love it. Sooooo good. Seriously. My favorite dipping tools are pita bread and whole wheat crackers, but you could just as easily use tortilla chips. I'm still in the honeymoon phase with this one, but I suspect it will become a regular item in our home, like the above two products. Check it out. Your life will never be the same.

And that's it.

Her?

2010-03-02T09:00:00.003-05:00

(What? Don't judge me.)

Insomia/Chicago

2010-02-23T00:09:00.010-05:00

So I can't sleep, and the camera happened to be right next to me, so I decided to undertake my first real blog post. The subject of this illustrious first-ever blog post: the evolution of the common-law doctrine of promissory estoppel.

Haha! I bet you believed me, right? I didn't think so. Chicago was the real answer. Both Belle and I are the type of people that naturally hate fake holidays like Valentine's Day, which is fine when you are single, but doesn't work so well when you are married and have a built-in Valentine. So instead of chocolate or hearts, we decided to give each other what we really wanted: a vacation. We went to Chicago for the weekend! Belle really likes cities, and I really like excuses to spend money, so this had success written all over it.

I've always wanted to take the train to Chicago for no apparent reason, so we did it! We got on the train Friday after work, and took it to Chicago where we spent the night and then saw everything we could see in a day.

We started out day at this little bakery, and this was the view from where we ate.

After that we went to the Chicago Art Institute, which to our great delight had free admission for the month of February. I'm not really into art things, but we all know Georbes Seurat’s famous pointillism painting, “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.” Or as I know it, the cool painting that is just little dots. For those of you that care, we took a close-up picture of it so you can see the detail.

After the museum, we went the Chicago bean. Which I just found out is really called Cloud Gate. We thought it was really fun, and I ran into this handsome man in the reflection...

Back to spending money... I love oysters. The fresh ones, on the half-shell. I went through all of the trouble of finding a place that had half-priced oysters only to find out once we had sat down that the deal didn't start for another hour. Oh well. When we got married, I made Belle promise me that she would eat at least one oyster in her lifetime. She is off the hook for the next 60 years because she did it this weekend!

They really aren't that bad, and even my fish-phobic wife said that the taste was good, but the texture was weird. Great job babe! It only takes once to get hooked!

We also went the Shedd Aquarium. In case you hadn't guessed yet, it is an aquarium.

There is a great view of the skyline just outside of it, but we asked a stranger to take a picture of us, and this is what we got...

I think together we make up a whole head. Now just mentally photoshop a beautiful skyline behind us. Yep, that's it... perfect!

It was a great weekend. Love ya babe.

And finally, a tribute to my mother.

(forgot to take it off of video...)

Grumpy

2010-02-22T10:11:00.003-05:00

A snow storm hit last night for no other reason than to irritate me.

Come find me in Spring. Until then, I'll be busy cursing the heavens.

Book Reviews

2010-02-19T11:04:00.011-05:00

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows: This epistolary novel was most excellent. The quirky characters, witty prose, and extraordinary plot were wonderfully enrapturing. The last chapter/letter wrapped things up a little too neatly for me- it seemed out of place with the rest of the novel. The characters seemed to have a few too many personality traits in common with each other, if I'm being honest. But for the most part I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s hard to find a light-hearted novel that isn’t written in a light-handed way. This book, however, was delicious from its inception to its conclusion; From its defense of humanity in postwar Europe to the quiet love story it reveals. It felt very human (read: not contrived.) Very well written. It was a welcome reprieve from the more heavy books I’ve read lately. A-

Stalin's Children by Owen Matthews: Speaking of heavy, I now bring you to Russia. This family memoir traces the lives and stories of three generations: How they were liberated, betrayed, freed, inspired, broken, and ultimately survived. Owen Matthews is a wonderful storyteller. Really magnificent prose. He does a good job of painting the various shades of Russia, depending on which decade/social class/ethnicity you happen to belong to. He gives a remarkable account of Russia's political history in the 20th century, and clearly shows how those politics affected the people, a remarkable feat considering the vast decades the novel covers. Matthews captures these changes, and shows the heart of Russia with insight and intelligence, all while portraying the resilience and instinct for survival that Russians have garnered through their experiences. Now for the less than stellar aspects: His family certainly has impressive stories, but I couldn't shake the feeling of sadness I felt while reading, even when reading of undying faith, fortitude, and determination. This novel was just as much about loneliness and loss as it was about courage- which is not necessarily a bad thing. Russia certainly has seen dark days. I just thought the tone was a little too heavy. Matthews tells an extraordinary story, and then seems to wonder if it was worth it. I finished the novel glad that I had read it, but equally glad that it was over. B

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner: I'm a little late on reading this one. It was "the book" about 5 years ago, and I only read it now because it happened to be in Mike's backpack while we were traveling and I wanted something to read. So this is probably not new to you, but here goes anyway. With only cold logic, Levitt turns economics into something illuminating and interesting, and invites his readers to dare to ask questions and look for connections in the world around us. I appreciate his goal- I generally like books that urge people to think more. I didn't agree with everything he said, but I still enjoyed reading his insights on tough subjects (abortion, crime, cheating, racism, and parenting, to name some.) It's not often that an author will take these difficult subjects and compare them to say, sumo wrestling. But Levitt does, and manages to do so without coming across as a complete idiot, so I guess that deserves praise. Applaudable and interesting, despite being a little pretentious. B+

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: This book broke my heart. Narrated by Death in World War II, this novel tells the story of a young girl named Liesel. I won't get into specifics because if I do I'll start bawling my bloody eyes out (which would be awkward since I'm at work right now.) Incredibly touching, poignant and painful, mesmerizing and compassionate. This novel reminds us of the power of words- the good they can do, as well as the evil they're capable of. What would Hitler have been, after all, without words? As this book reminds us, what would any of us be? This novel is about as close to perfection as it gets. A+

Next on my list:
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Beloved by Toni Morrison

Meet Jake.

2010-02-12T09:45:00.005-05:00

This is Jake. He is my studly brother. Yesterday he got a letter from this guy:
Asking him to go here (Dallas, to be specific):

And become one of these for a couple of years: And I am very excited for him. (And very happy that he doesn't leave for a few more months so that I will hopefully get to gnarl him in ping pong one more time before he goes.)

To learn more about what Jake will be doing click here.

Icy Parking Lots Are Awesome

2010-02-11T14:25:00.004-05:00

Father John Jenkins, President of the University of Notre Dame, drives a royal blue Toyota Avalon.

I know this because he almost ran me over with it today.

Okay, I confess: To say that Father Jenkins almost hit me is being a little melodramatic. Truth be told, one could make an equally sound case arguing that I almost hit Father Jenkins car. Regardless, there was an incident involving me, Father Jenkins, his car, and an icy parking lot earlier this afternoon.

I shall refrain from further elaboration.

Kleenex Olympics

2010-01-29T10:58:00.003-05:00

Number of kleenex boxes completely used in the month of January: 7

Beat that, world. I hearby award Mike and I gold medals in the runny nose event.

*Speaking of gold medals, I am very excited for the upcoming Olympics. It makes me wish we had DVR or TVO or something... or a television that had more than 4 channels and gave a clear picture for that matter. Are the Olympics going to be on hulu?

Vay-cay

2010-01-22T13:58:00.013-05:00

A month ago Mike and I headed west to celebrate Christmas California style with my ENTIRE family. Since my brother, Nathan (see Exhibit A) recently got home from his 2 year LDS mission to Philly, everyone made the effort to all be together.

Exhibit A

Christmas was great and all, and we did a lot of fun things, but the real highlight was just being together. We're usually spread out all over the country, so I enjoyed the proximity while it lasted. Here are a few pics from the all-too-quick trip home:

Apparently I missed the Make-A-Funny-Face memo. I can't decide if I like Mike's or Soph's face more here. Sporting our nerdy glasses after seeing Avatar in 3D:

It's not a trip to Cali without good Mexican food (pictured below) and In-N-Out (consumed too quickly to get the camera).

What really happened all week: LOTS and LOTS of card playing. We headed to the beach and explored the tide pools one day.

Favorite conversation of that day:

Undisclosed Person A: "What do hermit crabs eat?"

Undisclosed Person B: "Extroverts."

I think I was trying to smile like Soph here. She wins. Nothing tops that face. Or those leggings. Work it, Soph.

Apparently my family doesn't do "normal" pictures (in case you couldn't tell from the above display.) We Moorheads are way too quirky for that. Good thing too- everyone needs a little crazy in their lives. Luckily for us, we have crazy in abundance:

And my personal favorite:

Who wouldn't want to spend a week with this little person???

All the nipotini:

The rents

We managed to keep it together long enough to take ONE normal picture: We did more stuff (Newport Coast, jigsaw puzzles, kid parties, ping pong, Nintendo 64 (yes, seriously), embarked on the quest for the perfect rice cooker, movies, TTR, etc.) but these are all the pics I have. It was great to be home, and I was sad to leave.

We didn't have to resume life right away though. We made a pit stop in Utah to see the Wildes before returning to the Bend. Although it only lasted a couple days, we managed to fit quite a lot in: Bang, Thai food, opening MORE wedding presents, Market Street, Wii Mariokart, shoe shopping, humongous family photo shoots, and 24 marathons made for a great end to our Christmas break.

The results of said massive photo shoot:

(No other photos of said adventures. Sorry.)

All in all, it was a great trip, and it ended way too soon. Mike and I were pretty lucky that we got to see EVERYONE in BOTH our families in the same week. Christmastime is the most wonderful time of the year, indeed. Can't wait to see you all again!

Today's Best Primary Quotes

2010-01-10T13:16:00.002-05:00

Is your nose a monster? (Right after Melissa blew her nose really hard)
Sometimes my brother wears a dress.
Lucifer? Like the cat in Cinderella?

Phone...

2010-01-04T09:25:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to let interested parties know that Mike's cell phone is currently the only way to get a hold of us. My cell phone just got commandeered by the Authorities, and our land line has become increasingly unreliable. If you've called our land line and we never called you back, sorry. We're not ignoring you, we just haven't got the message. So for now, Mike's cell is it. (Or, you could always revert to email. I'm usually better at email and other semi-anonymous forms of communication anyway.) If you need the number leave a comment and we'll send it to you.

Christmas post to follow once other people start blogging about it so I can steal their pictures. =D

(Here's one I've already stolen:)

Quiz Results and Christmas Cheer

2009-12-23T09:33:00.007-05:00

Obviously Oliver won. Oliver, If I had a virtual blue ribbon I would give it to you. Honorable mention also goes to Liz for being honest about the vegetable conflict. The rest of you must be death eaters. It's the only logical reason you'd be promoting the Voldemort/vegetable industry. Just kidding... sort of.

In other news, I am at work right now. Some people have really important jobs (like firemen, doctors, and of course admin assistants) and still have to work on holidays like Christmas Eve Eve. The good news is that I turned off my alarm this morning, and I have no intention of turning it back on until next year. Take THAT, world!! Tomorrow we will be flying to sunny CA to enjoy some warm weather and Christmas cheer with a certain Moorhead bunch. I just hope this doesn't impede our travels:

Freezing Rain / Wind

High 33°F
Feels like: 18°F
Wind: 26 mph
Precip 100%

Eek. Thank goodness for heaters that work and husbands who drive when you don't want to deal with icy roads. Our flight better not get cancelled because I can't wait one more day to hug these cute kids:

(Linz looks more like a foxy lady than a cute kid here... probably because she is a foxy lady...)

Merry Christmas!!

Quiz

2009-12-16T13:30:00.003-05:00

If you are reading this, then you must take the quiz.

No exceptions.

This means you.

QUIZ

1. Vegetables are:
A) Delightful
B) Healthy
C) Consumed only if Organic
D) Necessary
E) Good raw, but not cooked
F) Good cooked, but not raw
G) For Gardeners
H) Too Expensive
I) Avoidable
J) Only in grocery stores so vegans don't die
K) Annoying
L) What Food eats
M) Recurring in my nightmares
N) Pure Evil
O) Voldemort resurrected into 9 trillion horcruxes. (Yes, there is a level worse than "Pure Evil.")

Pittsburgh is STILL Da Bomb.

2009-12-01T15:48:00.003-05:00

Mike and I headed back out east again to celebrate Pie Day (The holiday formerly known as "Thanksgiving") with family. This time Mike's sister and fam came up from Virginia and Mike's parents and Aunt flew out from Salt Lake, and we all crashed at Mike's brother and fam's sweet pad for the weekend. It was basically a mini Wilde reunion with the younger half of Mike's siblings. In other words, it was pretty awesome.

What is not awesome is the fact that we have fallen back to our gloomy photo-less days and did not take a single picture the whole time we were there. Lame. We'll have to get back on track with that one. Alas, this trip was sadly undocumented on our end. (Maybe I'll steal some pics of the weekend off other blogs and claim them as my own... mwahahaha!) Anyway, here are the highlights of our gnarly (albeit photo-less) Pie Day:

-Pie. I LOVE pie. I cannot express this strongly enough. Despite my love, I had never attempted to make one before. It was just too intimidating to me. BUT, I decided to try my hand at it this year, and I made my first two pumpkin pies BY MYSELF. I felt very proud of how yummy they turned out. (Though leaving them uneaten while we drove 7 hours with nothing but Wendy's in our stomachs was a nearly impossible test of self discipline. I'm surprised we showed up with any pie at all.)
-Mike. Mike is a great person to take road trips with. The time passes much faster when you're sitting next to someone with such a foxy rump.
-Food. I love food, therefore I love Pie Day. This year did not disappoint. Lots of yummy food and leftovers made every meal a delight.
-Meeting Lucy. We met our new little niece, who I was delighted to see is a brunette. I'm rooting for more brunettes on the Wilde side, so good work Lucy.
-BANG! Mike introduced to me the game Bang when we were engaged. It took me a few rounds to understand how it worked, but now that I'm catching on more I'm starting to really like it.
-James and Bethany did a spectacular job of juggling everything you have to take care of when you're hosting, and they did it all with a newborn, a sick toddler, even being sick themselves (in James' case.) I was greatly impressed.
-Black Friday. I'm not usually a big shopper, but we scored big time on this year's day-after-Pie-day sales. We even got a pre-lit Christmas tree on sale for 75% off. We weren't going to have a Christmas tree since they are usually so expensive, but we ended up getting one due to the awesome price. I now feel very festive.
-Downtown. I love being downtown in cities during Christmas season. Pittsburgh had this huge Christmas tree and a skating rink, plus an impressive display of gingerbread houses. My favorite was either Noah's Ark, Cookie Monster, or Hogwarts. There was also this Santas from around the World thing that showed how the Santa character is depicted in other countries. Did you know that Santa is completely bald in China? And Santa is a woman in Italy? (La Befana per voi che conoscete la cultura Italiana.) Oh, and Santa is blue in Russia.
-Amish people. We drove through a fairly large community of Amish in Ohio on the way back to South Bend and we saw lots of Amish people. We thought it was cool.

That's about it. Thanks guys for such a great weekend! Next time we'll get the camera out of the bag AND use it.

Sudoku Rock Stars

2009-11-25T14:02:00.006-05:00

Mike and I have been on a sudoku kick lately. We have this system where we pair up and both attack the same puzzle at once and try to solve it as fast as possible. As you can see, the average score for an easy puzzle is 5 minutes, 6 seconds. Today we smashed all records with a smoking 1 minute, 41 seconds!!! We are officially in the top 1% of all easy level sudoku players.

Proof of our awesomeness/nerdiness:

WE BEAT SUDOKU. How many people do you know can say that? (Hopefully not many...)

Sneak Peek

2009-11-23T21:38:00.004-05:00

Remember my determination to make our apartment cute? Well, I'm only halfway done with the apartment makeover, but my mom wanted to see pictures of our new pelmet boxes that I MADE ALL BY MYSELF (this is your cue to congratulate me on my efforts) so here they are. They didn't turn out anywhere near as awesome as they were supposed to, but alas. It was my first go. Cut me some slack.

Kitchen:

Living room:
I really like my fabric (which I found on clearance and snagged the last yard-and-a-half. Go me.)

Inspiration from Pearl Street Interiors.

And now, to the spray paint!

Book Reviews

2009-11-18T16:45:00.011-05:00

It's been a while since I've done book reviews. Here are a few of the recent books I've read and my thoughts on them. Feel free to critique along with me (or against me as the case may be- I love a good debate!)

"Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton: I admit, I have a crush on Edith Wharton. She has such a tremendous ability to paint a society with alarming accuracy, shining light on the everyday nuances, aspects, and elements of a culture that make a society what it is, and yet are so intricately a part of that society that they often go unnoticed. One wonders what she would write about if she could see our society today.

This particular novel takes place in New York City during late 19th century, a time when the old New York City upper class is beginning to fade away, along with their fanatical attention to form, propriety, and family history (read: scandal.) This is a world where life is governed by intricate rituals; a world "balanced so precariously that its harmony [can] be shattered by a whisper"; a world where everything is labeled; where in order not to disturb society's smooth surface nothing is ever expressed or even thought of directly; where a dinner table's immaculate symmetry is considered reflective of one's outwardly perfect facade; and where communication occurs almost exclusively by way of symbols, which are unknown to the outsider and, like any secret code, by their very encryption guarantee his or her permanent exclusion.

This is the society in which Newland Archer lives. Newland is engaged to the appropriately conventional, lovely, docile, submissive, and transparent May Welland- the perfect reflection of what a young woman of her rank and age should be. However, Newland soon falls in love with May's cousin, the liberal Countess Ellen Olenska freshly returned from Europe where she left a disastrous marriage. The manner of her return, scandalous enough as it is, is nothing compared to the "unpleasantness" of her European mannerisms, and all of New York society, forever unforgiving and critical, deems her unwelcome. Torn between duty and desire, the life he has and the life he wants, Newland is forced to make a decision that will either define his life, or tear it apart... only which is which?

This novel would be worth reading just for it's historical value. Old New York's Golden Age is superbly captured. The struggles of the characters (Ellen's weariness and loneliness, Archer's frustration and silent self battle, May's quiet determination and ultimate strength) are all revealed to the fullest. The various sides of human nature in all their manipulation, beauty, and horror are all unfolded until we finally realize that in the end all we really have is our own ability to choose. What each of these characters choose is alternately heart wrenching and fulfilling, and ultimately reminds the reader that no matter what we choose, life goes on. This novel is every bit deserving of the Pulitzer it won. A

"The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield: This novel tells two stories: The dark and tragic story of wildly famous and notoriously reclusive author Vida Winter, and the story of a quiet girl named Margaret, who becomes Winter's sole confidant as Winter finally faces the secrets of her troubled and mysterious past. Winter's story is darkly intriguing, even if uninspiring. Margaret's story, however, is implausible and unsatisfying.

Here's why. The two characters come together due to Margaret's remarkable understanding of sibling relationships. Siblings are, in fact, one of the key themes explored in this novel. The problem is that Margaret doesn't have any siblings. How is she supposed to have any sort of understanding of sibling relationships? Okay, she had a twin who died at birth, so she technically does have one sister- BUT her parents successfully hid this knowledge from her for several years. So Margaret's supposedly big, black, empty hole inside of her comes from a girl she has no experience with, nor a single memory of. Heck, she didn't even know her twin existed for several years. It just doesn't connect. Therefore, the self pity and angst of "incompleteness" that Margaret suffers from becomes completely unbelievable. The whole time I just wanted to shake the girl and tell her to get a life. And a therapist. Thus, one of this novel's key points to both the theme, plot, and the character development is entirely without credibility, thus rendering the entire novel virtually without substance.

There are commendable bits to the book: The obvious parallels to Jane Eyre, Rebecca, and Wuthering Heights are praiseworthy. I appreciated the ongoing dialogue on the use and value of stories- which I thought redeeming enough to finish the novel. Even though her Gothic twists and turns failed to sweep me up in passion and scandal, Setterfield still manages to write with a clear, Victorian style which makes her enjoyable enough to read. If she is able to fill her gaping plot holes and work on her characterization, I think she has the potential to produce some truly riveting ghost stories. The Thirteenth Tale, however, fell flat. D+

"Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan: This was a recent book club pick here in South Bend. Here's the main plot: Mamah Cheney leaves her husband and two small children for the furious passions of famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. And it's based on a true story. Awesome. In one way, this story was exactly what I thought it would be: Infuriating. Infuriating because Mamah spends almost the entire novel justifying her unjustifiable affair; Infuriating because of her selfish views on love and marriage; Infuriating because her ideas of identity and reaching your potential are both understandable and yet horribly twisted; Infuriating because her take on the honor/commitment vs. progression/self-fulfillment argument portrays the two sides as if they were mutually exclusive; etc. My blood is boiling just thinking about it.

I could go on and on. But when I narrowed this entire novel down to one paragraph's review, I couldn't help but admit that it was also extremely well written. It put a new and interesting face on the fight for gender equality, and painted the cause of feminists in entirely new colors for me. Even though I think the new colors clash terribly against my personal feminist goals, they make me think about my pre-held ideas and convictions and really solidify what I believe is worth fighting and sacrificing for. And any novel that accomplishes that feat is worthy of recommendation. Just be prepared to scream out of sheer aggravation every fifteen pages. (Though I want to give it an F, I'll go with a... ) B-

I was going to review a few others, but I'm too tired. =D Here are just the final grades sans review:

"The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd: A
"The Color of Water" by James McBride: C-

"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini: A-

"Life of Pi" by Yann Mantel: A

Next on my list:

-"The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown

-"Stalin's Children" by Owen Matthews

-"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

Jumping on the DIY Bandwagon

2009-11-03T12:54:00.004-05:00

I've had it. I'm done. I can no longer live in a bland, color-less, personality-less, boring bachelor pad. The time has come for a serious apartment revamp. You may ask, "How in the world are you going to redecorate with a job that soaks up all your time and energy, and a salary that goes almost exclusively to savings?" Excellent question. But FEAR NOT virtual world! I am determined to bring some color to our apartment! It might take all my yard sale bartering skills, it might take patience to find the perfect material (magically 90% off), it might take all the creativity I can muster, it might take hours of convincing a certain spouse that a certain clock would really look better with a little paint, it might even require that I delve into the s-word realm (shopping- gross), but I WILL find ways to bring our apartment to life!!!
I SHALL CONQUER!!

We're Supposed to be Jellyfish

2009-10-31T22:20:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Pittsburgh Is Da Bomb.

2009-10-27T19:24:00.016-04:00

Three good things happened last week:
1- We had Fall Break. Coming from BYU- land of holiday-less, grinch-like scheduling- made this even more spectacular.
2- We went to Pittsburgh to celebrate our freedom from school/work.
3- We decided to use our camera for the first time in our marriage. (I am horrible at taking pictures. Fact: Every single picture on this blog was taken by someone else. In fact, I still have pictures from my mission on my camera. Not out of sentimentalism, but because I haven't taken hardly any pictures since then. I got home TWO YEARS AGO. Pathetic. So we decided to end this photo-less streak by taking lots of pictures of our cute niece and nephew.)

Pittsburgh is awesome. We started off our gnarly week with a trip to Chuck-E-Cheese where Mike dominated Deal or No Deal. Seriously. He got the best case. I'm so proud, babe. Bethany and Claire driving
James and Claire in the kids obstacle course thingee
Then we went out to the best Chinese food restaurant I've ever been to. (Judging from the look on Claire's face, I'm not sure she was as big a fan as I was though...)
We also went through "The Tunnel" (if you've been to Pittsburgh you know what I'm talking about) and went up the Incline. Mike and I took Claire and met Bethany, JS, and JJ at the top. The Incline is this wicked cool tram-like doohicky that takes you up this huge hill and offers a really amazing view of the city. I'm not sure if Claire or Mike and I liked it more.
See, told you the view was amazing.

We also went to the Allegheny Cemetery. Mike and I love cemeteries. I know it's kind of morbid, but cemeteries are some of the most peaceful places I've ever been. We walked and drove around and looked for the oldest person buried. That award went to Commodore Joshua Barney- born in 1759. WOW.
A constant source of delight was how stinkin pretty Pittsburgh is. Really- it's gorgeous.
Also, it's actually Fall there. Pittsburgh didn't skip autumn and go straight to winter in South Bend fashion. Notice the blue skies and be jealous. I am.
AND we went to COSTCO!!!!!!!!!! We have no Costco out here, so I was ecstatic to go. We even got dinner there- which may or may not have been equally exciting for me. Gotta love those Costco hot dogs and huge pizza slices.
Another night of fun was dedicated to pumpkin carving!
Mike kept calling it our "Love Pumpkin" since this is our first Halloween together.

Mike's self-appointed job was to separate the pumpkin guts from the seeds, which he then baked and ate. I was told several times that the point of pumpkin carving is to get to the seeds. This meant the "carving" part of pumpkin carving fell to me. I did the best I could.Cute little JJ
Not bad, eh?We put candles in our pumpkins and put them out on the porch, but apparently some of James and Bethany's shady neighbors aren't Irish fans because a couple of mornings later we woke up to find that someone had taken our pumpkin and smashed it on the sidewalk. Rude. (Bethany, it was probably the same people that were shooting guns when we were at the park feeding the ducks. That's my new hypothesis anyway. That or the drunk dude Mike caught stealing from the Chuck-E-Cheese counter. Or the woman who hit a kid with her car, as Mike witnessed outside the library.) So much for our love pumpkin.
We also spent a good amount of time trying to convince these brothers that they really do look alike. I can't believe that they don't believe us. Come on. Just look at them. (We had them cover their hair since one has short straight hair and the other has long curly hair. I think it adds pizazz to the photo, no? =D)
Claire looking so proud to be holding her little brother
They also took us to a famous Pittsburgh restaurant, Primanti Brothers, known for their HUMONGOUS sandwiches topped with coleslaw and french fries. I got the pastrami and mike got the turkey. I ate the whole thing- which, if you really know me, know that is a big deal.
THEN Bethany made the most fantastical caramel apples I've ever had. I got the camera about 3 seconds after Bethany brought the plate out to record this awesomeness, and this is all that was left. Tells you a little about how freaking awesome they were. (Please excuse the UofU plate. Go Cougars.)
We went to the zoo too. Usually when you go to the zoo the animals just lay on the ground and sleep while you meanwhile try to get a glimpse of their tail. Not so this time. It was sweet, man. I like zoos anyway, but I've never seen the animals so alive like they were this day. Next time you go to the zoo go in the late afternoon. The animals are so much more active.

The aquarium was totally gnarly too. We got to touch a sting ray with cheetah spots. And check out the other cool creatures we saw (Yes, I am THAT girl- the one that posts pictures of animals on her blog):
This is an animal, not a plant. You gotta admit, that's pretty gnarly.
(I am going to be a jellyfish for Halloween so I HAD to include this one:)
This lemur jumped onto the viewing glass. Sweet.

In the Zoo's pumpkin patch

One of our last fun outings consisted of taking a train ride! I think I look like I just ran into a door in this picture, but it was one of the only pictures we have of Mike and I with JJ (We would like to point out here that we are the first aunt and uncle he has met, which automatically makes us his favorite. Boo-yeah.)
The Wildes.
More Wildes.
On the train over the river
We found this old bridge and decided to walk over it.

As you can see, we definitely made up for not taking any pictures before. Go us.

Thanks guys for such a fun week! We'll be back next time we need a fix of this:

Our Wedding Pictures Came!

2009-10-17T22:14:00.002-04:00

So we (and when I say "we" I mean "I") already posted pictures from the big day, but we just got our cd full of all the pictures our photographer took, and there were several on there that I thought some others would be interested in.To be more specific, our photographer took quite a few pics of our nieces and nephews that I thought their parents would like to see. It's too bad she didn't get a pic of each of our nipotini, but she did get quite a few:

Evie
The Sophinator
Tee-rav (AKA "Havoc")
Little Jake
Kate
Tavia
Evie
Z-Bomb and Uncle Jake
Claire
Anne
The Fearsome Foursome
Rocky
Emma
Don Carlos
Ben
Rocky
Evie

Emma
Some of my favorite people of all time:Sugar and Spice...
Snakes and Snails... just kidding. I love these boys. We tried so hard to take a picture of these kids all jazzed up in their suits, but turns out asking 8 boys ages 5 and under who haven't had naps or eaten dinner yet is just too much to ask. However, the resulting photo is pretty awesome. All the other pictures make our wedding look like it was peaceful or something. In reality, it was pretty great- but it was also extremely crazy/stressful/caused-several-melt-downs-by-yours-truly/etc. I think this photo captures that chaotic side of it all in a really endearing way. In fact, this just might be my REAL favorite picture from our wedding. So here's to you, boys. I tip my hat to you.
Another good one:
The wedding party:

Buddies
More buddies
Mamma and Poppa Wilde
I really like this one.
Wildes

Moorheads

That's all for now!

Pregnancy and the Fighting Irish

2009-10-06T19:05:00.007-04:00

For the record, I'm not pregnant. But lately I have been SURROUNDED by pregnancy. Seriously. It's getting eerie. Get this:

First, Mike and I became whatever the Mormon equivalent of godparents is on Saturday after spending the weekend with a woman in labor. (This is quite the story in and of itself, but I won't go into details. Suffice it to say that mom and baby are doing great! But after witnessing firsthand what women go through to have a baby, Mike will be lucky if we ever reproduce.)

Then I got a message from my MTC companion telling me she had a dream that I was pregnant. And I quote: "Last night Mike kept rubbing your belly. You were playing with children and looking at them longingly. You were definitely prego. In my dream of course. Oh and P.S. We were in La Spezia caught in some torrential rains." (Hope you don't mind my putting this up here, Collega. =D)

THEN I started dreaming about being pregnant. I will refrain from elaboration.

THEN THIS shows up in my email:

Subject: Your Pregnancy: 18 weeks

"Hello from BabyCenter! Head to rump, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead..."

Yeah. Mike and I haven't even been married 18 weeks. Scandalous.

Turns out Mike had signed me up with the baby center thing as a joke, but STILL. The whole thing is just freaky if you ask me. So, the moral of the story is: We will be playing with your kids whenever the baby hungry feeling hits. You've been warned.

On to happier things.

Guess who got a totally exclusive tour of the Notre Dame stadium on Monday?!?? ME!!! The Dean at the Grad School where I've been working got us a tour by the ND security director! Even I, a less than faithful football fan, thought it was gnarly. He told us the history of the stadium, some cool statistics, and some neat stories about past coaches and players. Then he took us up to the top level of the press box where the guests of the President come to watch the game. He even took us into the President of the University's personal box to watch the games. It's a sweet dig, let me tell ya. Then we got to walk across the field, and even go into the locker room (which smelt like sweat and urine. I guess all locker rooms are more or less the same.) I even got to touch the famous "Play Like a Champion Today" sign! It was pretty sweet. Here are some pics:The locker room:
Manti Te'o is in our ward. I told my coworkers at the grad school that we were friends. I figured, I heard him bear his testimony once, therefore we're prettymuch BFFs.
For all you Rudy fans (I still have yet to see that movie):

South Bend-ness

2009-09-24T19:03:00.004-04:00

Whenever I get a new job I always make myself wait two weeks before deciding whether I like it or not. You can't really know until a couple weeks have passed how you're going to fit in, if your boss was just having a good day, if the rain was really a bad omen, if you're incredibly under qualified or spectacularly overqualified for the job, or if the co-worker chemistry is going to be easy or if it will take some patience, etc. Well, I've made myself wait even longer to decide if I like South Bend. And while I still have much of South Bend to experience, I've made some preliminary judgements. So here's the breakdown on the pros and cons of South Bend:

Pros:
- Our apartment. I love our little place. It's just right for two newlyweds. It's quiet, clean, and has great kitchen counter space, which I am really excited about. I especially love the pond in our backyard.
-Our ward. Everyone seems very friendly and welcoming. I've enjoyed it so far. Mike and I recently got called to be primary teachers (CTR 5-6 class) and we like being with those cute kids every Sunday, even when they jump from the window sill and over 3 chairs, sprint accross the room and steal the chalk from you and then proceed to draw all over their clothes.
-We live walking distance from a library. This is a dream come true for me.
-Notre Dame. It's a beautiful campus and hosts some great football games. Thanks for making us a little smarter (by letting Mike into the law school) and a little richer (for employing me.)
-We're close to lots of fun things like Chicago, and this really cool Amish district not too far away.

Cons:
-Our fire alarm goes off almost every time we turn on the oven. Today it even went off when I was using just the stove. Annoying.
-Bugs. I hate bugs with all my soul. Really. I honestly cannot convey the depth of my loathing (though I made a good attempt at describing it here.) And there are a lot of them in South Bend. In fact, I killed the largest spider in Indiana the other day which was inconveniently in my living room. (Mike, rudely enough, was at school and thus wasn't home to do his duty of s-word massacring. This necessitated some very brave action on my part. It took all my courage to get that close to it, but after smooshing it with a shoe (Mike's), drowning it in poison, and vacuuming the remains, I think it's dead. I was very proud of myself. Mel- 1, Bugs- 0.)
-Notre Dame. Yeah yeah, I know, it's on the Pros list. But the sheer amount of time it demands from Mike to read assignment after assignment merits its place on the Cons list too.

Okay, I think that's a good enough list. In conclusion, South Bend is a good place to live. We're having fun being poor. Wish me luck against the bugs.

(PS- I just realized how parenthesis crazy I went in this post. Wow.)

New Status

2009-09-18T22:04:00.003-04:00

EMPLOYED.

Yep, you're looking at (well, reading the ramblings of) Notre Dame's most recent hire: I am now the Assistant Finance Analyst of the ND grad school!!!

The Good News:
-Mike and I can commute together in the mornings.
-I have a super exclusive parking pass.
-All the other law school students wish their wives were this cool.
-I have a purpose in life other than doing laundry.

The Bad News:
-It's only 3 days a week. (So Don't Worry Bob, I'm still more than happy to do whatever you need me to do as well.)
-The job is only temporary. (1-3 months)
-I majored in English Literature. Hmmm.

I guess one could argue that I'm not technically "employed" if the job is only temporary and I am still applying for full time jobs, but it will keep me busy for now, provide us with some income, and give me an in at the university for other opportunities that come up in the future. Heck, we think it's worth celebrating- and we did, with smarties and kit kats.

Conclusion: I'm Awesome.

We Got Married.

2009-09-09T16:20:00.020-04:00

Alrighty dokey folks, here it is. The Wedding Post. Enjoy.

It started out the day before with a fantastic dinner in the JSMB's Wasatch Room. These, alas, are the only pictures I have from it.
And then we got married. In no particular order, here are many photos from said event:

How cute are these girls?

Everyone:
My Hubby.
I was so happy that so many mission peeps came and rocked our party with us! I am so sad that I never got a picture with my mission pres and wife though. This pic will have to suffice as my mission picture.
Mike and his best men, Taylor and Landon.

Some of you may be aware of the lengths we all went through to get eight boys ages 5 and under to smile at the same time...

I loved my bouquet. Thanks for saving the day, Mom.
And here are a bunch of pics taken by our fabulous photographer, Janae Bingham:

I think Mike looks so cute here- but I'm hardly even smiling. Oops.
Our photographer was big on what I call "pensive pictures." Not sure how I feel about them yet.

Our totally awesome cupcake tower, courtesy of So Cupcake. Thanks again, Marse.

Again with the pensive thing...

Quite possibly my favorite photo of the whole she-bang. Love the silhouette shot.
Also up there with my top 5:
Can't decide between the color and the black and white...I love my dress.

Ahhhhhhh!!!!! No more pensive thing!!! The cheese factor is just too much for me.

Another fav:And there you go.

PS- Finally getting your wedding pictures is pretty great, but becoming an aunt/uncle for the 17th AND 18th time in ONE WEEK is even better. We're excited to meet you, little JJ (James Jr.) and Lucy!

Proof That I Love My Husband

2009-09-05T23:33:00.004-04:00

I just spent 7 hours STRAIGHT watching football.

Go Irish.Go Cougars.Go us.

And now I am going to go help myself to an extra large oreo shake, thank you very much.