my proudest moments

i was helping my little sister do her hair for her 1st day of school on monday night & she told me that the school was going to start an eco-club. when i told her she should join it, she informed me that it had been her idea & she was the one that suggested it to a teacher who agreed to be the adviser.

then, i came into the office tonight to find her looking at McCain's wesite. when i asked her why, she said she was researching his positions so she could tell all the kids in her government class why they were wrong & that they should support Obama instead.

i'm so proud of you, Babes!

welcome home. now get married.

i got back from africa about a week ago. even though my mother has been busy with work, her church calling, her current missionary project, a broken washing machine, & coordinating a trip to utah this past weekend, she has found a new hobby as well. it is called "encouraging my daughter to get married" - but not to just anyone. she has a specific boy in mind and his name here is PC. she has met him only once & it was 8 months ago so i'm not sure what has brought on this sudden rush of affection for him as a future son-in-law. here are a few examples of her not-so-subtle hints:

1. she saved me some national geographic issues while i was in zambia. one was on africa. the other was on the country PC spent his summer in. 

me: why would i want that one?

mom: well, PC was there this summer...

me: yeah, mom. not me. don't care

mom: okay, i just thought you might be interested...

me: i'm not

2. i went to lunch with PC while in utah. she was very keen on having my father drive me up to his house rather than my older sister. when i told her Older Sister was taking me-

mom: i was hoping your father could drive you up. then he could meet PC

me: why does he need to meet him?

mom: i just think it would be nice...

me: right. sure, mom.

(The 'Rents did end up driving me b/c Older Sister was tired. Mom was probably thrilled out of her mind & insisted on everyone getting out of the car so they could all say hello. yay.)

i figure i let her continue her awkward attempts of matrimonially encouragement for a few more weeks before i burst her bubble. or maybe i'll just lead her on for a while. it is pretty hilarious to watch.

okay, okay, you were right...

I was sad that my grandma died while I was in Africa. And I was a bit pissed at God for the really atrocious timing. But, its actually turned out to be a good thing in some ways. I found out that my dad would actually pay for me to fly home early & for us all to go to the funeral in Utah this coming week. In fact, he was fairly insistent that I return to TN as quickly as I could. Since he isn't the most sentimental man, this surprised me a bit. And it made me happy.
And, I get more time at home with the family, which is usually a good thing. And I get to go to Utah & see some old friends. Yay!

true confessions of a bored mind

when i was bored in lusaka, i should have thought about life in k-town & then it would have seemed a lot more exciting.

everytime i come home, my family leaves me home alone for hours. today they are all at work or band camp (ha ha, Babes!). and last night, my 1st night back home since April, my mom went over to her friend's house to visit & left me at home alone. wow, mom, i feel so loved right now.

a bitter irony

Before I left for Africa I went to visit my New Jersey grandparents. They are both 95 years old, and every time I've visited them in the last 5 years I think they will die before I see them again. So I try to visit them often & write them letters, etc.

My Utah grandma is almost 87. Since she is younger & has usually been healthier than G&G in NJ, I didn't' really think about her health.

But, since beginning this post 20 minutes ago, I got an email saying my Utah grandma has died. And I'm a million miles away with little hope of getting home for the funeral. I'm really sad.

themes

i hadn't looked at this blog in like, a month since i am mostly into my africa one right now. (don't worry, this one will resume full force in september).
i glanced back through it today & noticed some recent themes.

1) saving the planet
2) feminism
3) boys

hmmmm, i think i need to bring back "things i've learned" b/c i haven't had any random health facts in a while. i'll get on that

yes, i'm a girl

my first serious boyfriend is getting married. he is marrying a girl i have know since i was 18 & think is fabulous. and i think they would be an awesome couple & hope they are super happy forever. and i was the one with a new boyfriend, life, & interests when he came back from his mission. and i've had ex-boyfriends get married before & not cared. but with this one, i'm kinda sad.