Flashback Friday: Mary the Phlebotomist

So I had my annual physical today which unfortunately included blood work. This didn't used to bother me as I had grown used to the magic that was Mary the Phlebotomist. Unfortunately, however, she has gone to work elsewhere so I was forced to endure the poking and prodding of her replacements. A 30-minute-plus torture session that included an honest-to-goodness fainting spell (I've never had that happen before) and these lovely tokens of battle:

Flashback Friday: Summer 2011

Wow. That was fast.

Flashback Friday: Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!

Last year, I celebrated like this:

This year I'm in San Francisco hoping for a glimpse of this:

So that next year I might wear this legitimately, if ironically:

Flashback Friday: London Calling

So remember that one time I lived in England? I do, it seems like it was just twenty-four days ago.

Psych.

I don't mean that time. I'm mean the time before that time.

Well, this week marks the five-year anniversary of the beginning of that best decision of my life, so I wanted to give a quick shout out to all the awesome friends I made and a nod of thanks for all of the amazing, life-changing things I experienced from January through April 2006. If you look at any of my posts from that time, I think it's obvious we rocked the Argyle socks off London. (Then London rocked the Argyle sweater off Stephanie. Rude.)

Side note: I'm in San Diego for the week for work and I am SHATTERED, but I didn't want to fail on my first week attempting to resurrect Flashback Friday, so I compromised and made this post short and sweet. Don't think the brevity is a reflection of the awesomeness of this subject though, because it's not. It just gives me an excuse to bring it up again. (Because, if you actually looked at the posts I mentioned, you'll see I was just about as awesome at consistent blogging as I am now. Oh the stories I have yet to tell...)

Flashback Friday: 2009 Year in Review

I tend not to make New Year's Resolutions--officially at least--but one thing that never fails to make my nonexistent list is journal writing. I am officially the world's worst journal writer. My paltry attempts to jumpstart my chronicling could literally fill a bookcase with beautiful notebooks full of empty pages.

So my first unofficial goal of 2010 is to sketch out a little more of my life than I did in 2009, which is sadly best represented through my (usually sketchy) facebook statii:

In January, Meagan Brady:
6 • writes on steamy mirrors and frosty windows
12 • dreamt about the freshman dorms and woke up feeling young again...
18 • spent 24 of the last 48 hours in InDesign and now feels InDesposed...
21 • coughs a second-hand smoke serenade
23 • buys plane tickets to Seattle from her Denver hotel room. She loves her job but misses her bed...

In February, Meagan Brady:
3 • never did like rodents. She supports Spring and the right to bare arms.
9 • prickles at needles.
13 • bad grammar makes me [sic].
17 • can't wake up in the morning 'cause her bed lies vacant at night...
24 • attempts to clean her room. Again. (Once more unto the breach, my friends.)
27 • has been reduced to checking under her bed for monsters. Thanks a lot guys.
27 • sighs over sushi. Yum.

In March, Meagan Brady:
3 • is walking the dog. And her puppies too.
5 • once was blind but now she sees...
7 • wishes she could start every day with a baptism.
9 • thinks there's nothing quite getting an early start Monday morning...
10 • would rather be the second mouse...
12 • is sleepless in Seattle. Sans Tom Hanks. But with a sweet Meg Ryan early 90s-esque windblown 'do.
15 • is still sleepless in Seattle, but on a plane stuck on the runway. Not as cool.
16 • has a tummy ache from too much water and too much laughing.
21 • misses Sammy
23 • is manic mondaying. per the usual.
26 • is surprised at the number of pics that were on her camera. Oops.
30 • never knew that late nights + 'special brownies' + Mexican train = mayhem housed in faux Spanish accents. Fabulous.

In April, Meagan Brady:
1 • prepares to mess with texas...
4 • kind of loves Southern accents...
11 • soaks in rain and baseball. Love it.
15 • feels talking politics might make for more inane conversation than the talking about the weather. At least for today.
18 • knows way more about css files than she ever really wanted to...
19 • does not speak HTML...
21 • made her bed at 9 p.m. and it looked so comfy she got right in it!
26 • is going through tissues faster than Kleenex can chop down trees.

In May, Meagan Brady:
4 • thinks a little bit of mascara goes a long way to improve a Monday morning...
12 • is hoarse from cheering. Orem LAX is going to state!
16 • wishes flying were as fun as it used to be.
17 • 's birthday was earth-shattering. Well, at least earth-quaking...
27 • wants to sit on the front porch and eat a popsicle. So she is.

In June, Meagan Brady:
2 • is an 'uncle' again!
11 • hasn't been this tired since Winter Semester Finals Week 2004.
18 • only wants to play all day!
22 • STRESSES ALL THE TIME.
23 • burns things to melt stress. Thanks, friends...
24 • has been transformed...
25 • intends to live forever. So far, so good.
29 • + 2 weeks in July = East coast(ish) vacation(ish).

In July, Meagan Brady:
7 • might be leaking a little bit...
7 • is missing her flight. Right. This. Second.
9 • loves how her prairie diamond sparkles in the sunlight.
14 • just stopped at a red light and saw police in vests with drawn weapons start canvassing a neighborhood on Chicago's south side.
14 • waits for Harry Potter and reflects that she didn't stop to think about the consequences of wearing a black jumper and sweater, grey tights, and Mary Janes when she got dressed this morning...
16 • relaxes with a Boston cooler after a day of far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise, and imaginative, rambunctious cousins.
17 • eats lunch in the original greasy spoon cafe after literally running into Sister Tiffanee Barker in Kirtland, Ohio.
17 • 's car broke down in Buffalo, so she's chillaxing in the lobby of a hotel where she doesn't have reservations...
17 • arrives safe and sound in Rochester with a story that will make you cry with laughter.
19 • flies home with a ten-hour layover in NYC. Oh the possibilities...
19 • flops into Jet Blue seat 12F after a day of Liberty and Ellis Islands, Ground Zero, Trinity Church, the Manhattan Temple, Central Park, Times Square, and a hotdog outside Grand Central Station.
21 • endorses Photobooth as the next big thing in ab workouts...
22 • may or may not be watching Killer Klowns from Outer Space, but she's also eating homemade raspberry shortcake. So...
23 • dropped $1300 on a housing deposit and is starting to realize just how poor she's gonna be for the next 12 months...
29 • is ranch dressing. (As in dressing for the ranch...)

In August, Meagan Brady:
3 • braces for another 24-hour crush.
3 • thinks she might be hyperventilating, but can't get enough oxygen in her brain to know for sure.
4 • appreciates people who help her talk it out and walk it off...
5 • came blearily stumbling in at 2AM to find a bottle of Pine-Sol in the fridge and a bottle of white grape juice on the counter. Her sixth sense says that someone has it in for her. Or maybe it was just 'The 6th Sense'...
13 • did the math. She has time for 38 more 24-hour crushes plus one 12-hour fling. Hmmm...
17 • sure does some stupid things for being such a smart alec...
21 • is going to the doctor. There will most likely be blood involved.
23 • takes masochism to a whole new level.
25 • needs a break from work ASAP.
28 • just blew through a 200-page manuscript in two hours. It's amazing what eight hours of sleep does for the brain...
29 • loves the smell of asbestos in the morning...
29 • may have used Lysol wipes instead of baby wipes to get all the dirt off her face. So this is what a chemical peel feels like...

In September, Meagan Brady:
1 • sold her car and did three loads of laundry this morning. She hasn't been this productive since that one time she cleaned her room back in 1997...
4 • is a speed demon. A safe speed demon.
13 • wants to go on a scenic drive. Probably not in the middle of the night though...
14 • can finally plan her London debut outfit based on the weather.com 10-day weather report.
18 • limps like a gimp from a charlie horse, of course.
21 • hates the sound that goodbyes make.
23 • made it to London. Sans luggage.
24 • has no dishes. So she's alternating Cheerios straight from the box and milk straight from the carton. Judge if you must...
25 • has luggage! And dishes! Now life is just a BOWL of Cheerios...
27 • loved Baroque night at St. Martin-in-the-Fields just as much as ever. Broken back night not as much.
27 • was an English major, so she's just going to say Happy 18th Birthday, Mom! (For the 32nd time.) All you math majors can solve for 'x'.
29 • dreams of Cortisone shots and memory foam mattress toppers...
29 • needs to pick out a first day of school outfit. Strangely, having an entire wardrobe of only four choices doesn't make the process any easier.

In October, Meagan Brady:
1 • saw Les Mis again last night. It was awesome. And as always, it reminded her how fabulous Orem High's production was. Now I am homesick. ):
1 • is here to audition for the role of kicker.
6 • thought it was just a drill, but those fire trucks were pretty real...
15 • is the blog-stalker from London showing up in your analytics.
20 • spent the morning with a first edition of the Book of Mormon in her hot little hands.
30 • is Mrs. Peacock, in the Library, with the Candlestick.

In November, Meagan Brady:
2 • thinks she has Daylight Savings to thank for her internal clock being reset to Mountain Standard Time...
3 • broke a World Record today. And saw Colin Firth. But not in that order.
8 • burns the candle from both ends. And up the middle. With a blowtorch.
11 • picks herself up off the floor after a pudding oh-so-appropriately labeled as 'chocolate overload'...
13 • is a mover and a breaker, apparently...
16 • plans to celebrate her half-birthday in style.
18 • has become nocturnal of late.
20 • gives you everything just by breathing...
24 • was on Team Jacob before you were. Or would be, if she cared enough to pick a team. But she doesn't. Obviously.
28 • sends good vibes to Provo from across the pond. And you can bet she's decked out in Cougar blue!
29 • now knows that someone whispering German sweet nothings into her ear isn't romantic, but rather...wet...

In December, Meagan Brady:
3 • is doing the same thing she does every day.
5 •loves when people break into spontaneous yet meticulously choreographed song and dance. And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die!
7 • just sold herself for £12...
10 • comforts herself that the 3-degree weather back home can be offset by long, hot, high-pressure showers...
12 • packs her suitcase full of goodies for all the good little boys and girls back home...
13 • IS FLYING HOME IN TWELVE HOURS!!!!!! (Er, not that she's excited about it or anything...:)
15 • is home, she's safe, she's alive (:
16 • takes here a nap, there a nap, everywhere a nap, nap.
20 • has missed all the fun stuff you can do in a car.
20 • did not mean it like that.
21 • used to play sports. Then she realized you can buy trophies. Now she’s good at everything.
22 • loves her some Cougar football!
23 • catches her breath at the shock of electricity that passes between us...
24 • orders her Christmas Eve pizza Good King Wenceslas-style: deep pan, crisp, and even...
28 • must. sleep.
28 • lives vicariously through herself.

Flashback Friday - September 11th

I feel like I need to do something to commemorate the anniversary of September 11th, but I doubt I could find the language to do it adequate justice. Words come easy: terror, courage, faith, fear, love, pain, strength, sadness, disbelief, regret, patriotism, freedom, but combining them into a cohesive, fitting tribute escapes me.

There is a term in psychology called Flashbulb Memory. It defines a memory that is formed during a moment of extreme emotion. The memory takes on such preciseness that it resembles a photograph in quality. Personal events such as car accidents, the death of a loved one, or a wedding day can become flashbulb memories, but they often are the result of shocking or unbelievable events that carry significance for an entire nation or even the world. The most universal flashbulb memories are the assassinations of JFK and MLK and September 11th.

I can still vividly remember, as I sure most of you can, where I was, what I heard, and how I felt. Time, however, changes things. Facts later revealed, wars later fought, sites later seen, and stories later heard all have added weight and significance to my initial flashbulb memory.

I am a horrific journaler, but 2001 happens to be one of my more prolific chronicling phases, and it is interesting to go back and read what I wrote that day while I and the world were still in shock and, some might say, blissfully unaware of just how far and deep the shock waves would ripple and spread from the wreckage at Ground Zero:

September 11, 2001

Today America was attacked by terrorists.

I was doing my hair this morning when a lady called in [to the radio station] and said a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. I thought it was bad weather or something. I took Taylor to piano and while we were there a plane crashed into the other tower. They said it was terrorists.

Soon, a plane crashed into the Pentagon. Another plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Later, we learned a man called his wife on her cell phone, he knew they would die, so he said they were going to do something about it.

Osama Bin Laden is the suspect.

Both towers collapsed to the ground and thousands of lives, including those of rescuers, were lost.

I couldn't believe it. I cried on the way to school. It is the first ward of the new millennium. I can't understand how people can be so evil.

We watched the news all day at school and saw the events as they happened. It was horrible. You could see people jumping out of the towers.

Suddenly, I don't feel safe anymore. America has been attacked and I don't know what is next.

I had seminary last and we talked about the Second Coming and how this is one of the signs, but the end is not here yet.

Today is 9-11. It is a symbol.

I hope that we can forget our differences and band together against this threat.

Freedom suddenly has a whole new meaning to me. I can no longer take it for granted.

Flashback Friday - Flash Forward

I submit that this is one of, if not the best Jim Halpert/Dwight Shrute pranks:

I'm with Brad Paisley in thinking this would be one sweet trick (and pretty useful too), but I'm 99.9% sure a letter from Future Meagan isn't coming any time soon.

But thanks to this sweet site, I can write to Future Meagan. You should try it too!

It's also cool to read (with caution) some of the public entries.

Flashback Friday - School Daze

Having completely forgotten that BYU graduation was going on (although the insane traffic should have tipped me off), I headed down to Provo last night for some Jdawgs and baseball goodness.

It's true that the sea of caps and gowns made me feel a little nostalgic, but it mostly made me excited to start school again. Which then got me thinking about the last time I was a beneficiary of the British education system:
This is the school I went to for 3rd and 4th grade. As you can see, I was quite the fashion maven in the mandatory plaid shift dress and matching polyester jumper. (The fluorescent green fanny pack was optional and my own fantastically successful attempt at accessorizing, thank you very much.)

But wait, there's more!

Here we are wearing the mandatory blazer with the embroidered school logo on the breast pocket, the mandatory straw boater (replaced by a mandatory black felt bowler in the winter months), the mandatory white knee-highs and Mary Janes, and my absolute favorite mandatory accessory: the black patent leather briefcase (which replaced the brown leather satchel that was mandatory in Form 2).

And to accompany the mandatory uniform, mandatory report cards at the end of every term:

Some highlights:

• Nine-year-olds being graded on elocution. As you can see (if you click to enlarge), I had "great enthusiasm for verse and learn[ed] and perform[ed] [my] recitations with confidence." To bad entertaining a crowd with ease didn't stick. I could be a rich woman.
• In music class, I made "very pleasing progress with [my] recorder." This is because I was a proud member of the recorder club. We blew. In a good way...
• My "unexpected and disappoint[ing]" maths score was prophetic.
• My "uninhibited gusto" in art made me lose ten house points later that year when I went a little "gusto" with the papier-mache paste. Totally worth it though.
• And the best news: I got my highest marks in history (96%). Hopefully my penchant to "participate freely and spontaneously in class" serves me well come this September...

Flashback Friday - Spring Break

{oops...wrote and forgot to post this...}

Okay, yes, I've taken a bit of a vacation from Flashback Fridays. Time to repent. So let's talk about vacations. Specifically: Spring Break.

My family has been on Spring Break this week, and while I love spending time with the fam, it's wreaked havoc on my work schedule. Which meant I had to spend a significant part of my weekend catching up in my basement office instead of enjoying the lovely spring weather ):

Not that not having a Spring Break is anything new. Bless you BYU, but having negative percent vacation days during winter semester is one of your biggest failures.

So one semester, we decided to take matters into our own hands. The result:

Spring Break 2006: Barcelona

During study abroad, several members of the LC took advantage of a long weekend and low airfares to travel and dispersed to Austria, Scotland, and Sweden (I think), etc. We chose Spain.

Fun Facts:

• With two whole semesters of Spanish under my belt, I was the most fluent of our group. This fact has Justin in hysterics whenever he thinks about it now (post-Bolivia mission).
• The Mediterranean sun--even in early April--gave me one fantastic sunburn. Strangers pointed and winced everywhere we went.
• The valet at the Hilton was hot.
• A glimpse of the Picasso museum, a tour of Gaudi architecture, a stroll down Las Ramblas, and a sampling of Paella and Spain's best export (chocolate con churros) were all on our list of things to do. But let's be honest, all we really cared about was the beach:

Flashback Friday - Seattle

I'm going to Seattle in a couple weeks. That got me thinking about how long it's been since I've been back (6 years), which got me thinking about the reason I was there last time (choir tour), which got me thinking about my most* favorite class senior year (choir).

I've been in a few choirs in my day, but let's face it: I can't sing a note. But that's okay, because we all know the "most obvious reason [for choir is] the flirting between the sections." (Don't you love how I just quoted myself from my senior yearbook...)


That's right. I caved to nostalgia and broke out the old yearbook. (Conveniently located on a shelf in my room after I dug it out of a box of junk in the garage a couple weeks ago to try and identify some facebook friend requests. I can't believe I've already forgotten so many.) Seems like I'm not the only one whose eyes weren't always on the music:

"I love concert choir because of the altos I am privileged to sing with." - Darrell M.

The altos (:

And of course we loved the basses and tenors right back (:


But you had to be careful of where and when you looked, and "watch out for the big eyes or [you'd] end up on [Ms. B's] hit list!" - Steve B. and Johannes G.

Good times. Good times.

Fun Facts:

• One time, Adriane and I snuck to Taco Bell during a concert because we were starving. Of course we still had our choir robes on because we had to sing again, so we elected to go through the drive in because it was faster and less conspicuous. Obviously we didn't expect the cashier at the pickup window to openly laugh at us. Or to point us out to all the other workers so they could come over and join in. (But that's just what he did.)
• I also loved how it was kosher to be late to class as long as you brought Ms. B a snack. (The snack didn't have to be kosher.)

On an unrelated note, this is a pic of me at the Seattle Temple. My hair has passed this point and is officially the longest it's ever been. (Obviously now I just want to cut it all off again.)

*And by most I mean not so much...

Flashback Fridays - Puppy Love

Right now we have two black labs named Samson and Delilah and we love them.


I really do think it's true that pets make you live longer more fulfilling lives. Sammy and Lilah are hysterical to watch and interact with and super smart too. They've figured out how to open the door to their room and will surprise me while I'm working a couple times a week. Yep, I love pets.

Which is a good thing, because we've had a lot of them. This is Ian with our Rottweiler Marco back in 1999. He was one of our favorites. His favorite game was to knock Ian down flat on his back and lick face off. It was Ian's favorite too. Sort of. Our favorite game was to give Ian Marco's leash and then kick a pear down the street and watch them go. Ian liked that one even better...

Fun Facts:

• The first pet I can remember was our cat Tiger. We had him in Canada. Taylor's favorite game was putting him in a grocery bag and swinging him around her head. He loved that.
• Then there was my cat Scamper. His favorite game was pretending he was a mountain lion. The mountain lions didn't like that so much.
• A few months later Tay and I got golden retriever puppies that we named Sinbad and Samson. (Obviously I really like that name.) One day I was walking Samson and he found a bird that had fallen out of its nest. I rescued it and named him Tweety and kept him in a fish tank on our back deck. His mom actually found him and fed him Box Elder bugs every day. He was almost big enough to fly when Scamper decided to include him in a game of mountain lion. Tay and I planned a wonderful funeral.
• It was also during this time that Tay and I were big on herpetology. Our record was 13 lizards, 7 horny toads, and 4 snakes at once. We kept them in ice cream buckets in the barn.
• Then there was the time I went to England leaving behind a dog and two cats. Four months later I came back to two guinea pigs and two bearded dragons. Ian's favorite game is letting the dragons out to run around my room. It's my favorite too. Not.

Flashback Friday - Changes

I got carded a couple weeks ago. I don't feel old enough to be flattered by that, but I thought it was funny. (Especially since I was buying canned air at the time.) Later, as I was relating the experience to a colleague, she asked me how old I really was, and I honestly had to think about it for a second. Forgetfulness like that makes me feel too old:


My mom always says she's an 18-year-old living in an [insert real age here]-year-old body (I've been sworn to secrecy on this) and I think I her that more and more as time passes. Every once in a while something will happen like my baby brother gets his license, or I have a five-year high school reunion, or they start playing Chicago on the oldies station, and time slaps me upside the head because I haven't been paying it enough attention. Sometimes this makes me sad, sometimes I am proud, sometimes I feel nostalgic, and sometimes I get so excited I can barely hold it in. But it is always disconcerting.

That's why I love, love, love, this picture:


This is a picture me at eighteen months. But let's be honest, besides the height difference (one of the few times it's actually noticeable--yay!) this could have been taken today. Matching sweats? Check. Wild and crazy hair? Check. Kicking back in the office? Check. Lunch at my desk? Check. (I even had ravioli today.) This reminds me that while change is inevitable (except from a vending machine), some things--hopefully the best things, the essentials--don't have to change too much. (Also that I have been prepping for this job for over two decades.)

Fun facts:

• I was born partially deaf in one ear and have never regained full hearing. This made me speak with a lisp when I was younger, and while it has faded, I recall one home video in particular where I was trying to catch Shultze (a puppy named after Herbert Schultze by my Grandpa, a veteran who retired from the U.S. Navy as Chief Petty Officer. He recognized men of honor on both sides.), so I ran around yelling "Shul-thee! Shul-thee!" It's pretty cute, but I'm glad that's one thing that has changed (:
• I learned to read at a very young age and was reading Green Eggs and Ham out loud to my mom less than six months after this picture was taken. I've never stopped. (Reading in general, or Dr. Seuss in particular.)
• My grandma still has that booster seat. It's seen her through over twenty grandchildren and at least ten great-grandchildren.

Both these pictures remind me that even though I still cringe when I see Ian behind the wheel of his car, or think that I don't know enough to be a high school graduate, let alone have a Bachelor's degree, or vividly remember dancing around the house with my mom to her brand-new Chicago 17 cassette tape (probably even in those same purple sweats), I don't have to feel like I'm getting too old for any of those things.

Instead, like the namesakes of Bill Watterson's iconic duo, I can enjoy the faded, "70s" color of the past for what it was and be grateful for what it still is because "there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice."

And for the things that have changed, I can "take my [next] voyage. A great leap in the dark."

Flashback Friday - Sick Leave

Flashback Friday apologizes for missing its usual post.

The author has been stricken with pneumonia and/or whooping cough (apparently it still exists.)

Flashback Friday will return on its regularly scheduled time next week.

Thank you, and good night.

Flashback Friday - Oh Canada

I'm on a business trip in Denver. My company is here exhibiting at a conference, and while I have worked several conferences over the years, the last time I exhibited at a conference was the summer of 2003 in Toronto. And the last time I was in Canada before that was when I lived there. So let's talk about Canada.

This is a picture of me when I was three. I loved that dress. We were getting family pictures taken and my mom took Tay and I to the store for new dresses. I had a total prima donna moment when I walked into the girls' section and saw this beauty sparkling on the rack. I begged my mom to let me get it but she said no. This was the first time I remember (at least consciously) the power of a temper tantrum...

A few months later, my mom and dad got a babysitter so they could go to the company Christmas party. I think I hated the babysitter, because I ran upstairs and put this dress on and begged my parents to take me with them. They said no. This was the second time I remember (at least consciously) the power of a temper tantrum. (This was also the time I discovered just how boring corporate schmoozing can be. I spent the entire night asleep in a chair in the hotel lobby.)

The next summer, the dress was too short, but I continued to wear the jacket with everything else I owned. One day, we were sitting outside next to a fountain. I started walking around the edge with my arm stretched out for balance. My mom said no. This was the third time I remember (at least consciously) the power of a temper tantrum. (This was also the time I earned the honorary middle name of "Grace." I started going faster and the next thing I knew I was sputtering to the surface in the middle of the fountain and my beautiful jacket was drenched in highly-chlorinated water.)

That dress and jacket combination saw me through a lot of "Grace" moments:

• My first broken bone. (I fell off the fire pole at the playground and broke my ankle.)
• My first crush. (I ran my brand-new bike into a tree trying to show off for him.)
• My first TWO sets of stitches. (I still have a dent in my head and a bump on my knee as proof.)
• My first marriage. (It ended amicably.)

Fun facts:

• We had an underground storage room in our living room. (It was great for reenacting Daniel and the Lions' Den. And Tom Sawyer. And Nancy Drew. (We were very well read (to).))
• We had AstroTurf instead of grass in our backyard. (We were the Brady Bunch.)
• We went to joy school where I remember learning how to spell "hippopotamus" and eating green eggs and ham on Dr. Seuss' birthday. (This was also where I met my first husband.)

Flashback Friday - Politics

In honor of the upcoming Presidential Inauguration, a story:

On Wednesday, January 21, 1993, William Jefferson Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd President of the United Sates of America. Three months later my family moved to England. (That these two facts share a causal relationship may or may not be completely accurate...)

But before we expatriated on principle, I was attending 2nd grade at The Meridian School in Provo. You may remember seeing it on 9th East just south of Gold's Gym (until it was torn down last year). This picture is of my first day of Kindergarten, but two years later, I was still wearing the same hideous uniform. (So just imagine me a depressingly small bit taller.)

January 21st dawned cold and cloudy, and Mrs. McDonald's 2nd graders shuffled a bit unwillingly out into the elements for morning recess (the beastly uniforms were also beastly cold). I was walking next to Phillip (Karissa, I believe you knew him), when he casually mentioned that his parents had voted for Bill Clinton. I (being daddy's little girl) stopped dead in my tracks and gasped:

"Your parents are Democrats?!?!"

Phillip proudly answered in the affirmative and I spent the rest of recess trying to avoid him in kissy tag for real.



Fun facts:

• We were living in Spanish Fork Canyon during my Meridian years, so every day we'd drive up State Street through Springville and passed the cemetery in south Provo. Tay and I would hold our breath so we wouldn't die/become possessed/lose our luck/boyfriends. My mom was concerned for our mortality and drove fast. My dad didn't want us to ever get married so he crawled passed. I remember him even turning around on one occasion for another go.
• I learned how to burn ants with a magnifying glass from Jonathon, another classmate. I heard later that year he caught the field on fire. (oops.)
• I also became a published author at Meridian. A poem I wrote was printed in the school newsletter:

Love Is
Love is flowers, love is sweets,
Love is little apple treats.
Love is cards with hearts of gold,
I hope you like what I've told.
Love is a kind of thing I like,
And I hope that you might.

(Obviously I didn't dedicate it to Phillip...)

Flashback Friday - The Beginning

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. Heck, let's make it a twofer to kick things off.

That's me. And that's my Uncle Jeff. I love this picture for three reasons: First, I dig how seventies it is. Especially since this was 1985. I mean, check out the afghan on the couch, and Jeff's shirt, and the lace curtain, and the yellow undertones. That's authentic vintage for you. Second, I love this because according to family folklore, only about three weeks before this was taken, when my mom was still prego, her car was hit by a drunk driver. My mom was in the passenger seat and Jeff was in the back. When he saw what was going to happen, he unbuckled his seat belt and reached around the front seat to hold my mom and her belly back from flying into the dashboard. (Awww.) Third, I love this because I'm pretty sure this is as close as I came to Jeff until I was a teenager because he scared me to death. He's a lawyer and pretty intense. (Obviously I didn't know about the car accident, otherwise I would have seen right through his gruff exterior to his mushy insides.)

And here's my official first photo.

Fun facts:

• I was born 9 months and 1 day after the parentals were hitched. My grandma thought this was scandalous. She called my mother on the morning of May 17, 1985 and told her that now it was okay to have me. At 11:55 p.m. my mother obliged.
• I was born completely bald and stayed that way for a good two years. Strangers would come up to my mom and ask what the boy in the pink frilly dresses and glued-on bows was named.
• My mom still wears those glasses. Just kidding. (Last year she got Lasik...)

Flashback Fridays

On New Year's Day, I was doing some troubleshooting on my Grandma Brady's computer when a slip of paper tacked to her bulletin board caught my eye. It was in her handwriting, and it said:

I can't remember. A big chunk of my history will be buried with me. My past will disappear.

I'm not sure if it was original thought, or if she read it somewhere, but it got me thinking about how horrific I am at keeping a journal. One of my resolutions is to be better from here on out, but that doesn't help with the past.

Enter Flashback Fridays.

On Fridays (hopefully every Friday), I will post a picture, description and some fun facts about my life. Sometimes they will be funny, sometimes not so much. Sometimes they may interest you, sometimes you won't care.

But I don't want my past to disappear...