In case you were wondering about the outcome of WWII...

What do you call a perfect spring day?

I absolutely love the spring. The past few days have been glorious. They have included three picnics, a long walk, a bike ride up the canyon, tennis, blossoms on the trees against the snow-capped mountains, green in the foothills, and a lot of sunshine.

Doug and I were discussing what adjective you could give the perfect spring day. Autumn has the word crisp that perfectly encapsulates everything about a great autumn day-- and you only really use it to describe the fall. The best word we could come up with for spring is fresh. A fresh spring day. It may not be as commonly used as crisp is for autumn, but I think it captures the essence of what makes a spring day wonderful: the freshness of the flowers, the sunshine, the newness of life. Can anyone think of a better adjective? Also, what adjectives best describe ideal summer and winter days?

Taxes

As is custom, I did my taxes on April 15. I was giddy about getting a large refund. Then I had two revelations:

*This was money that I earned, and the government is just giving it back to me. It's not like some special gift or something.

*By waiting until April 15, the government was earning interest on my money, not me. Next year I'm filing my taxes in February (unless, of course, I'm not getting a refund).

Identity theft is not a joke, Jen!

I have been thinking about this clip from The Office this weekend since someone was parading around California spending my hard-earned money.



At the very least, I hope they wore mustard yellow (my new favorite color) said something like, "Question: Who is the best BYU basketball player ever?", "Fact: Cougars love capitalism. Cougars. Capitalism. Classical music."

Thankfully, Visa reimburses you for unauthorized transactions from you account, and the credit union was more than helpful. I still can't understand though, how ANYONE could have the audacity to steal someone's credit card number. You have to be pretty darn self-absorbed not to think about the effect that it could have on someone else's life. I mean, for all they knew I was some single mother with starving children. I guess most criminals don't think about other people, or they wouldn't be criminals. Unbelievable.

My life is "completo"

Any of you looking for a great new restaurant in Provo, go to Pantrucas Chilean Restaurant. Doug and I went last night and it was DEEE-lish! I had a completo italiano, a hot dog covered in tomato, guacamole and mayo. Plus, I had a beef empanada and some yummy mango juice. The owners were so sweet, and it was so fun to talk to them in Spanish. It was absolutely delightful!

Happy Pi Day!

Another winner from Google:

Happy Pi Day! I'll post pictures later of the lovely banana cream pie that is in the fridge.

Happy Birthday, Vivaldi. Love, Google.

This is one of my favorite Google logos ever. It's in honor of Vivaldi's 332nd birthday.

The Final Score

I was at stake conference last weekend, and a member of the stake presidency said something like, "In the end, we know that the score is going to be God- a whole lot of points, Satan- a few." I turned to my roommate and said, "That's because God has Jimmer on his team."

So maybe it's not kosher to repeat something clever I said, but it doesn't happen that often. Did I mention that I love BYU basketball?

Teens and Tact

Since starting teaching high school, I have been confused for a teenager on a number of occasions. I have come to realize that being mistaken for an adolescent isn't nearly as offensive as being mistaken for a middle-ager.

Incident #1:
Last semester two very small ninth grade boys used to come into my classroom to eat their lunch. Another small ninth grade boy (we'll call him A.J.) came into my classroom to do some makeup work, and our discussion went as follows:

A.J.: Are those your kids?
Me: Yeah, they're my students. (Thinking that he was asking if they're my students, only later did I realize that he though I had given birth to them).
A.J.: No offense guys, but you look like you're in grade school.
Me: So do you! (Probably shouldn't have said that, but he asked for it.)

So in a few short words, A.J. had offended everyone in sight. Do I really look old enough to have a couple of ten year-olds?

Incident #2:
I was talking with a student about a certain VeggieTales song called The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. I told him that my friends and I once had a goal to do everything in that song. As I was saying, "for example, go to Boston in the fall, look good in leggings..." this girl interrupted and said, "except it's too late for that." (She was referring to the looking good in leggings.)

Amazed at her boldness, I replied, "so you're saying I'm fat?"

To which, she replied, "Oh, no, no, I was talking about your age!"

I would have to agree with her that I am too old to wear leggings. People really should stop wearing them after age 12. However, I don't think that's what she was getting at.

(On a separate note, another kid in that class once asked, "You're not older than 30... are you?" Not even close, buddy.

Nobody likes you when you're 23... except me (and probably Jessica too).

Today is my little brother's 23rd birthday. I love this boy and his cheesy grin.

I got to spend a lot of time with Matt for a couple of years when he and I were the only kids left at home. I'm sure that there were quite a few quarrels, but what I remember most were the many deep conversations that we were able to have. He is a very deep thinker and a bright guy. More importantly, he has one of the best hearts of anyone that I know. He has such a deep desire to do the right thing, regardless of the pressure.

Last night I happened to be at his friend's parent's house for FHE (long story- it's a small world). When I told them who my brother was, they told me what a wonderful kid that he was. They told me that he made it "cool to be good."

I'm also grateful that Matt was smart and charming enough to entice this girl to join our family since his last birthday:

Happy birthday, Little Moo. I love you!