Happy Sumo II

If you are trying to find me on any given Friday or Saturday night, chances are you can probably find us at Happy Sumo. Even with their 50% off VIP night, we are probably keeping them in business. We took Bobby along this time, and absolutely love having him here in Utah. He is such a mini Kev.

This time we ventured out and got the sorbet line-up and the tempura banana split. Both worth the trip there, and at half off, you really can't go wrong.

I feel so lucky to have married into a family that I love to spend time with. I worried so much before I got married that I would fight with my sister-in-laws or get annoyed with my brother-in-laws but it doesn't happen. I really love them, and that is so good.

Lithuania

Sister Jessica opened her mission call on Saturday night to the Baltic mission - serving in Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia and speaking Lithuanian.

She was so shocked when she opened it that she laughed and cried all at the same time. All of us there kept screaming, "Lithuania?" "The Baltic?" and immediately opened our iPhones for a map of this place we had never heard of.

To say I am proud of her would be an understatement. I am so full of joy, in an indescribable way. If you want to see my cry in the near future, just ask me about Jessica leaving on her mission. It is foolproof and works anytime, anywhere. As of late: fast food drive through's, grocery store parking lots and the office. I love that girl so much.

Project Runway Season 8

Not too long ago I blogged about watching Season 7 of Project Runway. Right after I finished it they posted Season 8, and needless to say, I finished it last weekend.

I liked Season 8 even better, because a lot of the designers created clothes I would actually wear. It was really inspiring to hear their different backgrounds and stories and especially to see what they created. What they could do in such a short time span is really incredible, at least worth watching one episode.

Being inspired, I decided to start sewing again. I took a clothing class in High School but I haven't really done much yet. I ordered fabric this morning, and am so excited to start some simple projects to start out. Do any of you know of some great sewing blogs with tutorials? I am going to need all the help I can get.

Family

The month of June, my entire family was together. I used to take those times for granted so much, but when my sister Lacey moved away to college I felt the first sting of separation. If I ignore it, I can pretend that we are all okay without each other. But when I stop and think about it, even for a minute I break down a little. (SometimesinthegrocerystoreparkinglotsorryKev).

The truth is, that we are all okay without each other. We can survive. But there is something about togetherness, when all of us are there, all at once, all in the same space. That's the right thing, I think.

We are not all together any more, and some of us are leaving for a year and a half. So maybe that is why I keep looking at these pictures of the lake, just to remember what it is like to be all together. Even for a little while.

YRead

I was asked by the YRead blog (the BYU Bookstore's new blog) to do a guest post on my thoughts on the need for American literature in lieu of the holiday weekend. Although the blog itself is new, it is already an ideal place to visit for people who are booky or people who need to be encouraged to become booky.

American literature is my very favorite genre. Although I enjoyed my British, French and Russian lit classes, there is nothing as fresh or beautiful as American.

I ended up writing something very personal and honest about American literature drawn from my own past and love of books. Feel free to read my post here.

And I hope your fourth of July was as sparkly as mine was.

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on learning the pledge

My first day in American school started out with The Pledge of Allegiance. As though I wasn’t already frightened enough, what with a huge round of immunizations the day before, boys in my classroom (I previously attended an all-girls private school) and being introduced by my teacher as the new girl from Japan (not Japanese, not even a little bit) - I had never heard of The Pledge of Allegiance. Everyone stood up and faced the flag with their hands on their hearts and I lost it. Every overwhelming aspect of that day so far was felt, and the fact that I didn’t know what we were doing with our hands over our hearts seemed to be the hardest of all. I felt my eyes well with tears, and ran to the bathroom to sob.

When I got home that night, I was determined to memorize that thing. My mom printed it out for me from the internet, and I studied it all night. I had always been good at memorizing poems, and when I recited it to my dad over the phone (he was finishing up business in Japan), I had never been so proud. I showed up nervous for class the next morning, and stood up proudly when the class did, placed the right hand over my heart, and almost yelled The Pledge with my class. I felt like everyone was watching me, ready to see me mess up and start crying again, which made me want to say it even louder.

Looking back on that experience, I feel so grateful for a country that believes that we are “One nation, under God.” Until you live without that, I don’t think you can fully appreciate it.

I hope your Fourth of July is wonderful.

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Shower for Miss

Last night my mom and sisters and I threw Melissa a baby shower. We are not boy experts, having only one in our family and all nieces so far, but it was fun to plan something for a baby boy. We had so much good food, talked for hours and patted her tummy more times than she probably cared for.

My biggest regret is not getting a picture of her cute pregnant self. (I also neglected to get one with Allison - (Hi Allison! I know you are reading this) or Hills.

I drove my sister Lacey home after the shower to her in-laws where she is staying for a few days. Out of nowhere a deer ran out from some bushes in front of our car. Luckily we stopped in time, but really, we barely missed it. We sat there for awhile with our hands on our hearts in the middle of the road and kept asking each other, "Are you okay? Are you okay?"

Today I am sitting at my desk, feeling so grateful for such an enjoyable night. For safety in the midst of deer jaywalks, and the fact that we can ask each other, "Are you okay?" Because sometimes the answer is no, but at least for now, we are all okay.

On Kindness

I think there is something that should be said about kindness.

I don't know what point in your life it is when you come to the mature decision that you want to be kind, but I wish I had reached it much, much sooner. You can teach good morals to your children, you can teach them how to dress, you can teach them politeness, but I think kindness is a decision each person has to make and I believe, it has to be an entirely conscious decision. You are not kind. You choose to be kind.

I say this because I married a very kind person. Or rather, a man who chooses to be kind. Every time I begin to say something negative about someone else I try to catch myself because of him. He never joins in the slandering. He listens, like a good husband should but he cannot add to the negativity. It is simply not in his nature. He is especially kind to me. So kind that, because I am not quite as good as him, I push his kindness on purpose at times - yet he always, always responds with kindness.

I used to want to be popular and beautiful and famous. But because of him, I really just want to be kind. Consciously kind.

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The Shack

"Each relationship between two persons is absolutely unique. That is why you cannot love two people the same. It simply is not possible. You love each person differently because of who they are and the uniqueness that they draw out of you."

This is not the sort of book I typically read. Most often I research my books ahead of time by reading reviews, or discussing them with my sisters - who read more than anyone. This time though, I was at the airport and a co-worker recommended the book to me.

I am on the fence about whether I liked it or not. I surely didn't love it, but I feel like there were some important things I learned from it. From a literary standpoint, it was a disaster. Most of it was dialogue for the sake of dialogue, when only one character was saying anything worthwhile. The main character struggles to develop because other characters are so strongly developed. Admittedly, this book has a lot of flaws.

I was reading it at the dentist, and he asked me what it was about. "Theology" I replied, although I wasn't entirely sure. It is a Christian book, but not really theology - I am not sure where I would put it. At the beginning it states that you can decide for yourself whether or not the events are true. I hated that. Either it's true or it's not - it was too bizarre to be creative nonfiction, and if based on real events, I am not sure what those events are. I was bothered that I couldn't place it in any genre, and that no truth is admitted.

Still, there were some beautiful, redeeming themes that made it a worthwhile read - (if you have already read the Western Canon :) So much was based on forgiveness, moving on, and most of all God's love. Although I definitely don't agree that God is a black woman who cooks all day, some of the text reminded me of God's own love for me. There is a part similar to the miracle of Peter walking on water. That has always been one of my favorite parts of the New Testament, because I think we are all so much like Peter. I also love any sort of fable or tale told within a story and there is a great one about an Indian maid.

Honestly though, I probably wouldn't recommend this book. There are so many more books that made me feel so much more alive than this one, although that was its blatant aim. However, if you enjoy reading Christian literature, you might love it.

Have you read The Shack? What did you think?

Emerson Lynn

This girl made my Lake Powell trip worth every second.

I promise, she is the cutest thing.

Upon Return

Earth's crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God,

But only he who sees takes off his shoes;

The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Upon my return from a week at the Lake,

this poem is the only thing in my thoughts.

The Help

"Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, we are just two people. Not much separates us. Not nearly as much as I thought."

I bought my first copy of "The Help" for my grandma for mother's day, 2010. My dad recommended it and asked me to buy it for her and write a note inside it from him, since he was in Connecticut at the time. I bought it without thinking about reading it myself, but after several friends and family members who were shocked when I told them I hadn't read it myself, I bought a copy for myself, and finished it in three days.

This is the kind of book where you fall in love with the characters. Usually when books are told from different points of view, I always have a favorite voice that I can't wait to get back to. (Think Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, or The Poisonwood Bible) But Aibileen, Minny and Miss Skeeter were all my favorites, in their own way. Their voices were unique and fresh and their characters very believable. I could feel their love developing throughout the pages in a realistic way. I felt a stronger appreciation for the sacrifices these women experienced in order to bring about a much-needed change.

That being said, I was disappointed for a few days after finishing it. I suppose after all of the hype it received I would feel different after reading it - that it would resound with me even weeks afterwards because of its profound prose and heart-stringed sentences. Then I realized that the beauty of this novel is its subtle truth. Kathryn Stockett didn't go overboard with her literature, nor did she underwhelm me. She told the truth. And after reading the truth, you don't just think about it for a couple days after finishing it - you think about it anytime there is a need for the truth in your life. It took some time for that to finally settle inside of me but now that it has, I can honestly recommend The Help to anyone who believes that the world is changed in small ways by simple people.

What did you think of The Help?

Hotel Room at the Wynn

I realize that not everyone wants to see the hotel room I stayed in on my trip to Vegas. However, I enjoy seeing hotel room photos on other blogs, because sometimes their simplicity translates into design that would work for any home. I also wanted Kevin to see what he missed out on by not coming :)

My trip was wonderful, but the next week I anticipate being even better. I am taking my first vacation since our honeymoon with my family on a houseboat in Lake Powell. Forgive me if posting is slow, and happy weekend!

The Vegas

Last night I returned from a four day business trip to Vegas. I have been there several times throughout High School and College with friends, but never really got the full experience. Those times I was always concerned with money and heat. This time was so different. I had a beautiful hotel room at the Wynn (I will post photos of that tomorrow - totally worth its own post,) the company took us out for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday at the most amazing restaurants, and I met some truly incredible and successful people. If it weren't for Kevin and everyone I love being in Utah, I would have loved staying in that dream of an experience forever.

My breakfast at The Sugar Factory. Crème brûlée crepes with raspberry sorbet. Exquisite.

Largest H&M in the world. Do yourself a favor and go to Vegas just for that H&M.

Shopping spoils.