The Golden Compass

So, I am not much of a movie critic. Most of the time I come away from a movie thinking at least "I guess it was alright." Tonight we watched TGC for the first time and I did not think that.

After 45 minutes I was seriously tempted to turn it off - if you know me that's saying something. I always have to finish a movie. There were about 1,000,000 bits of information that seemed useless to the story and they were not coming together. The end started to come together a little bit but it was THE END. Basically, the whole thing felt kind of choppy and there were these crazy things going on with absolutely no framework for it all to fall into.

Am I crazy? No. I am interested to hear what you thought of this movie if you saw it.

my little conversationalist

(she was making a grumpy face for the camara)

I've become aware recently of how well my little 2 1/2 year old talks. We had the following conversation this morning:

Me: Do you want to help me vacuum your bedroom?

Ana: No, I want to do it by myself.
Me: By yourself? What will Mommy do while you are vacuuming?
Ana: You hold Baby Jack so he doesn't cry.

Last night she spent quite a while "fixing" Dave's and my hair. After she got done with mine, she looked at me with a smile, gave me a big hug and said, "Your hair is beautiful, Mama!"

I have always liked this valentine card. (Click on pic for more info)

And here is one that's a little more personal. I made it just for you. It comes from my exclusive Paint collection.

happy v-day!

My sister-in-law is a part of a home school group and yesterday I hosted a valentine's party for the preschool/kindergarten aged kids in her group. It was a lot of fun! We did sugar cookies, a game, exchanged valentines and then visited with the mom's while the kids played. It was low-key, but I had a good time doing it. I am really interested in homeschooling Ana, especially for her first few years.

Most years, Dave and I haven't really done much for V-day. Our first one, we just went out for milk shakes, and since then we've usually gone out to eat or something like that. But this year, I'm totally feeling the Spirit. I've been leaving Dave a valentine every day this week, and its been fun to try to think of little things he would enjoy. This morning I made pink, heart-shaped (or more like blob shaped) pancakes. Last night Dave and I had a nice night in, and tonight we're going out with some friends. Its been a really fun time for me.


Now, I just want to say that I LOVE my husband! I think he's handsome, smart and sensitive. He works hard so I can stay home, he fulfills his church callings, even when inconvenient, he reads his scriptures and prays, and strives to be led by the Spirit. He is such a good Dad and I know that he loves us all so much. Thanks, Dave for all you are! Happy Valentine's Day.

p.s. I really liked my wedding dress. I wish I could wear it more than once!

I should probably tell you...

I have been invited for an interview on March 12 at UW. I am pretty excited and I want to prepare like CRAZY to do all I can to make them love me and such. I am not dead yet for this application cycle...

Either way, don't forget to download the Mix from the previous post. If you want to. It's just right down there.

Feb Mix - Rainy Day

Receiving the rejection from U of U (See previous post) is what gave me the idea for this mix. Here is the artwork for it, as always made in the high-tech Microsoft Paint program:

To download the mix click here.

I won't go through the whole tracklist here. There are 12 tracks with the high point being a song from Jens Lekman that I got for free from his website a while ago. And, what would a rainy day mix be without a song from The Cure. It is the last song of the mix because it is really long. I guess you will just have to try it to see. Really, I'm not depressed, just going with a theme here.

Let me know if you download it or if there are any problems. It's my first time. Also, it should be all set up to work in itunes after you download the file and unzip it. Like I said, let me know if there are any questions.

Rejection

I got a letter from U of U last Friday (6th) that said I was rejected. It used nicer words but felt the same. I was very happy with my interview and thought I had done all the things they would like most. I am left wondering if I said dumb stuff in the interview and didn't know it or what. There are a lot of other well qualified applicants as well. Either way it was an emotional shock for Friday night and Saturday. Yesterday was pretty good and I was mostly back to normal nerves-wise today. We were finally confronted with the idea of applying again and waiting another year before getting in. I'll be old. There is definitely a lot to think about.

UW still has more Idaho interview dates in March than they did in January. Hopefully I will get to interview there and have another good chance this year. I could still get interviews at a couple other places. I will be kind of surprised if I get interviews anywhere else besides UW but it is possible.

productive

Its 2:00 and I:

*did yoga
*made breakfast
*cleaned and vacuumed both bedrooms
*cleaned off/organized my sewing desk
*cleaned kitchen
*made lunch
*showered and got ready.

Why so productive today? Dave's been on the computer all morning...

the reason i wanted to have children

to help with chores!
No really, she begged for a turn. I might as well take advantage, right?

Feeling a little bummed today. Dave got his first med school rejection in the mail last night. We moved to Rupert last April with such high hopes. He had a great job lined up, we were going to buy a Suburban, and live it up before getting into med school. Things have not quite worked out like we hoped. He ended up going with a different job that paid quite a bit less, we haven't been able to afford a second car, and his work hours are such to significantly limit the "living it up." He's working a 10 hour day today.

But, we're drawing closer to each other in our trials, and that is the most important thing. The Lord still has blessed us despite the challenges and frustrations that have come. I really shouldn't complain.

But today I'm feeling a little bummed.

home town

I've been in my hometown for the last few days. I went to my friend's wedding on Saturday night, then stayed until today. It was a good break.

*Went to the wedding with a couple girl friends. We go way back. The wedding was beautiful. It was lots of fun.

*My sister drove an hour to meet me there. Karianne and I chat a few days a week and it was so good to see her and her kids. Love you, sis!

*Spent an afternoon catching up with a few more girl friends from high school. We went to the playland at the mall and then chatted over breadsticks.

*Made a card table tent/house with my mom. Ana likes it. We just got the basic tent made and now I'm going to embellish it a little. Pictures to come.

*Saw a friend from college who I haven't seen in a few years. Ashley and I were instant friends when we met in 2004, and she just got back from her mission. I haven't seen her since Ana was a baby. Time sure does fly.

It was a fun trip, though I wish I could've seen/talked to more friends. I was having so much fun, I forgot to take pictures. Its good to be home, though. Jack has been completely happy since we got home an hour ago. Ana, too. And we all missed Dave.