the facts of life...my life anyway.

No...this is not going to be a post about the birds and the bees.

This is going to be about facts that I've learned in life and been reminded of this last week...(in no particular order)

1. You can't always get what you want.

2. Education is wonderful.

3. Parents are essential to success in life. I would not be where or who I am without mine.

addendum to 3-parent's do not always = a mom & dad. they come in all shapes and sizes. Mine happen to be a mom and a dad.

4. Friends are also essential to my success. (This may be the only thing that C.S. Lewis and I disagree about).

5. It is important to know what you believe.

6. Life is too important to be taken seriously. (thank you Oscar Wilde)

7. Always proof read.

These are lessons I've learned...maybe you've learned them too...maybe you haven't. Maybe you don't think they are true...but they are things that I know.

My friend Jen...and her man Ed.

There once was a girl named Jennifer

searching for her perfect ten-nifer.
She found a man named Ed.
They eventually decided to wed...
and run off into a life of perfect zen...nifer!

Come on...Jennifer is a tough name to rhyme! But I love you both! Congrats!

And I'm sorry about me in the middle...I couldn't find a picture of just the two of you...but it is a great picture!

It really is a great photo of the two of you...I AM going to have to Photoshop myself out!

"snow brings "out the child in all of us."

Really!!?!? Seriously?!?!...you're going to reprimand them for sledding?

Thames Valley Police Superintendent Andrew Murray said Thursday he had told the officers "that tobogganing on duty, on police equipment and at taxpayers' expense is a very bad idea." But he added that snow brings "out the child in all of us."

So let them sled! I think the taxpayers find it more amusing that they were sledding, than whether or not their taxpayer dollars were hard at work...at least in this case.

Things I learned today at school

As you may or may not know, today was my first day of school...again (how many first days have I had...K-12=13+5 years of college+my sixth year of college starting today=19...right? I hope so, other wise I'm in big trouble)...here are a few observations I made about my own experience, as well as general observations...

1-18 year-olds now look like what I think 12 year-olds should look like (perhaps that is a sign of getting old-er)

2-"Nerds" and adults sit in the front row...I think I'm somewhere in between...and yes, I sit in the front row, but I think I will be a second row-er...since discussion and lecture notes are posted on a big screen it is like sitting too close at a movie theatre. (A side note...no offense is meant by the term "nerds". These are the students that I will most likely try to be friends with so that they can help me...really they are brainiacs and I will henceforth refer to them as such)

3-Comfortable, well supportive shoes are essential on a larger campus (I didn't learn that bit of information at SUU---GOOOOOOOO flip flops)

4-If you're going to be a teacher, be a professor...you get to pick your own dress code.

5-Science professors are NOT fashion forward thinkers (but they are awfully comfortable)

6-My chemistry class is mostly female, while biology is a mixed bag...why is that I wonder?

7-School desks are still NOT comfortable

8-I'm not too fearful of biology, but I'm wetting my pants with fear for chemistry! HELP!!!

9-The first day of college is the same as the first day of any other grade/year and seems mostly equal to junior high or high school.

10-I miss small classes...both physical size of the class and number of students in attendance. I guess that is expected in lower level classes. Although even at SUU my general and lower level classes were no where near 300+ students.

11-My chemistry professor talks so fast it is a serious job just to follow what he is saying...again...HELP!!!

12-My chemistry professor did make me feel better tonight by telling us that chemistry is the study of behavior...just like psychology :) ...except we're studying the behavior or atoms, molecules, etc... I CAN do this...but still...please HELP!!!

13-I know what I would be like as a biology professor...I'm in her class...and I would be AWESOME!

Well, it was a great first day. I'm exhausted and was ready to fall asleep at 7:42pm. But it is a good tired feeling and I know that I'm working towards something that is so worthwhile. YAY for education. I really do love school, and in an ideal world, I could find some nice philanthropic people like the Eccles, or the Huntsmans who would look at me and say, "There is a girl who, not only will be an outstanding nurse, but is an exemplary student. We should give her all the money she needs to attend school and provide for herself, so that she may be an example to all the students around her." Here's to hoping, and a great 3 years!

A mouse in the house

Recently the Russell household (as in my parent's home) has been plagued with a family of mice. And despite Beatrix Potter's and Disney's portrayal of mice as sweet and fun-loving, they really are not. They are dirty and sneaky and just plain gross. However, on Saturday evening one doomed rodent was the source of a few minutes of entertainment for my brother and I. Since my nephew Jonah is walking and interested in EVERYTHING, the traditional mouse trap has been replaced with the mouse sticky pad so as to avoid pinched (and possibly broken) fingers for cute little Jonah. This made for good comedy.

Scott and I were downstairs playing Mario Kart on the Wii, when my mom starts yelling for Scott to come upstairs and take care of the mouse. He half-heartedly makes his way to the stairs, as our mother is becoming more and more frantic. Apparently the mouse is still running across the floor with the sticky pad stuck to it's hind legs! Scott and I burst out laughing and of course take the next logical course of action, and grab our cameras. When we reach the second floor our mother is upstairs on the third floor overlooking the railing yelling at us to get it outside. We are laughing so hard at the sight of the mouse, as well as the panic in our mother's voice...who is an entire floor above.

Eventually Scott and I swept (Scott) the mouse into a brown paper bag (that Brooke held) and then I carried it outside to let it slowly slip into the abyss of hypothermia. I realize that was maybe morbid and kind of sad, but such is the circle of life.

His hind legs are stuck to the pad as he tries to hide behind the table leg...

I have to admit that this shot did make me feel a little bit sad about putting him out in the cold...but like I said...circle of life.

Escape Attempt

I think the best part of the video is Scott saying, to the mouse, "Ewww, don't come over here sick-o"

Yes, yes I did.

For such an intelligent, street savvy chic, I often find myself in situations that seem incongruent with my smarts. The most recent example being an event which occurred Thursday evening. I was conversing with my dear friend Candice, and being the multi-tasker that I am, decided to do a little fix-it project involving Krazy Glue. This is the moment at which my intelligence, street smarts, and general common sense should have kicked in...perhaps working with Krazy Glue while focusing my attention on a conversion and not having use of both hands, is NOT the best idea...alas it was not, as evidenced by the photos below...

These two finger were the SECOND two I glued together...(I know, fool me once, shame on you,fool me twice, shame on me...)...they also came apart the fastest with the help of some acetone nail polish remover.

These were the FIRST two fingers I glued together. And YES, I remained on the phone while attempting to un-stick them...I needed the morale support while I soaked my fingers in hot soapy water...It took me over an hour to get these two fingers unstuck...and in the end I lost a few layers of skin off of Mr. Pointer.

I know it seems ridiculous that this could happen, but as my friend Julianne said, at least it wasn't my butt cheeks...such words of wisdom. And maybe it isn't so ridiculous...Krazy Glue is some tough stuff...I mean I've used it to "sew" up wounds...so if it can hold deep cuts together, why not my two measly fingers :)

Limericks

So in the past few years...I think the last three...I've become somewhat obsessed, entertained, enthralled, interested...not sure the right word...with limericks. You can check out any website for a description as well as the rules...my limericks tend to fall under the category of anti-limerick, or not-quite-a-true limerick (since the rhyming scheme isn't quite perfect and mine limericks are not always dirty or obscene) ...but I've always been one to march to the tune of my own instrument...so why would my limericks be any different. In recent months as birthday reminders have popped up on my Facebook account I've dreaded writing the "Happy Birthday" message on my friend's Facebook Wall...so just recently I've taken to writing a "Happy Birthday" limerick...said one recipient: "I love it!!!" I think THREE exclamation marks is equivalent to FIVE stars, or TWO thumbs up...so with this marvelous review (thank you Sonna) a new form of birthday well wishing has begun.

Here are a few I've written recently:

There once was a girl named Brooke
who when wearing a dress she shook.
She hated them so...
Worse than stubbing her toe.
But now she just loves their look.

There once was a girl named Sonna
Who loved to sing lots of song-a's
She had a sweet voice
Definitely choice
Nothing she ever sang was wrong-a!

There once was a girl named Kira
Who could shake her hips like Shakira.
She wiggled her buns
which drew men by the tons...
she had to fight them off with a spear-a

I know you are all so excited for your birthdays to arrive! I'm also willing to write limericks for other special occasions...or if you're ever just feeling down and need a pick me up, I could probably help you out there as well. Perhaps I will even start each new blog post off with a limerick...who knows...I just think they are funny and fun to create...perhaps I will grow tired of them, but until then...

There once was a girl from Peru
Who never exactly grew.
When friends came to call
the commented, "How small!
So small she fits in your shoe!"

VOTE

Today my sister posted this on my mom's blog. I would encourage all who know her (and those who do not) to read the post (as well as the others...there aren't that many...hence the campaign) and leave a comment on her blog, or my blog. What Kelli said is true, our mother truly is the wittiest person we know...and the smartest. Each one of us can benefit from her insight, wit and just general coolness. Who knows, maybe if my mom starts blogging again my blog will improve in wit, insight and coolness...she has always been my hero and having her words of wisdom available to me is a treasure that I definitely benefit from, but I think that all mankind in general will benefit from them as well...so mom...get to blogging!

My Family

I know that I recently blogged about my family, but I felt like this was worth some recognition. Tonight I was at my parent's house for dinner and my sister Kerri was getting ready to go back to school (she attends BYU). As she was getting ready, very reluctantly I might add, she asked our mom if she could just stay at home..."Do I really have to go back to school?" "Can I just stay home?" Of course our mom said no and Kerri continued to begrudgingly haul her things out to the car. As she was standing at the kitchen counter looking so sad to be leaving I told her that she should be grateful to have a family that she loves spending so much time with. She agreed with me. (Kerri would probably in almost every case, pick to spend time with her family over her friends except maybe Mackenzie...who is sort of a family member anyway).

As I watched Kerri leave, with tears ALMOST welling up in her eyes, I thought about how truly lucky I am that I have such an awesome family. I really do. I'm so grateful for them. I wish that every one could meet us and hang out with us because frankly we are "good times".
As seen here: (I was not present for this particular good time, however this is on par for what often can and does happen when the Russell clan is together).