Graduate

#1 reason I love having a smartphone: When I'm in Coalville at a school with literal stuffed animals hanging in the library, and wonder what the difference between a buffalo and a bison is, I can just Google the crap out of it. Question answered. Who needs grad school? I have Google and a lot of questions.

Coworker: "Think about how big that guy's head is. Like, imagine if he were standing right next to you. It doesn't look that big from far away. But up close...whoah."

And those are basically my metaphorical feelings about grad school.

Just kidding. But for reals, I'm still flirting with the idea of grad school. Remember when I confessed that I truly, madly, deeply love school? Going back is still on my mind. My question is, how do people work full time and get a masters? That sounds like my own personal nightmare. But I really really really want it. hashtagmasochist.

Do you have a graduate degree? Does anyone have advice about going back to school while your spouse is also in school? 

An Education

I'm learning, thinking, processing and translating so much information about art education and museum education at NAEA that my brain feels like it might explode. It's daunting and exciting and makes me want to run the world, but also maybe just curl up in bed for five days. 

Tonight at dinner my colleagues and I somehow got on topics like women in the Church, the nature of God, immigration, how lucky we are to eat food, and how rare is to be an educated woman in America at this time in history of the world. A lot of opinions were stated, but received with an attitude of open-mindedness and a desire to discuss. Maybe it's because I elect to spend a lot of time alone, but I found myself really loving this rare occasion to have an engaging conversation with smart women who have opinions. 

Oh how wonderful it is to learn.

My Proverbial Love Fern

So Matt got me an azalea tree (bush?) for Valentine's Day. I swear it's one of the most beautiful plants I have ever seen. The best part is that it lasts so much longer than a bouquet of flowers would. The worst part...is that it lasts so much longer than a bouquet of flowers would. He says I have to

keep it alive until next February. 

Suddenly I feel like Kim Kardashian when Kanye gave her that cat. Who cleared me for this?!

The only experience I've had with keeping plants alive was watching my mother unceremoniously throw away the pair of impatients that died annually on our front porch. Like clockwork, a new pair would greet me the next day like nothing ever happened. 

Oh, and one time we grew some pumpkins in the backyard. My dad also grew tomatoes. Sometimes we picked limes off of the tree that was there when we moved in. Mostly I just reaped the rewards but did none of the work.

Needless to say, I need some help keeping this tree alive. 

I've googled some stuff. I water it ever day. I even open the blinds to give it that much-needed indirect sunglight. But after that, I'm kind of clueless.

Help!

If it dies before next February, I may feel like Matthew McConaughey's Ben in HTLAGITD.

"YOU KILLED OUR LOVE FERN!!!"

I wouldn't put Matt past it. 

Do what you want. Be who you are.

I'm a firm believer in doing what I want. I'm pretty sure I've always been this way. If you don't believe me, just ask my parents what I was like as a kid. Maybe some people call it stubborn? I've just always known what I wanted and how to ask for it. 

I remember when Matt was still on his mission, this girl came over to see to my roommate and I sat down to be polite and socialize with them for a bit. She asked about my missionary, then proceeded to tell me that it would never work out and that no one ever ends up marrying their missionaries and that I should just give up now. Ten minutes after meeting me. That conversation made me so mad and baffled that all I could do was politely excuse myself and go silently rage in my room. 

After an experience like that, you might expect a normal person to rethink their decision and maybe doubt their resolve. Somehow, criticism and doubt aimed at my choices only ends up making me want to follow through with 10x more enthusiasm. If someone tells me I can't do something, I just end up doing it anyway to show them it can be done. 

Maybe someone should tell me I can't lose 50 pounds and be a millionaire. Maybe it would work.

What I'm trying to say is, if you tell me not to do something, watch out, because it will give me the fiery passion of a thousand dragons' flames. And I will prove you wrong.

If you're prone to being a people pleaser (to your own detriment), I challenge you to start politely, yet unapologetically doing what you want. It's amazingly liberating.

BTW, I'm trying to take this theory even further with a new mantra, "Be who you are." I'm trying to stop feeling guilty for being an introvert/homebody/indoor cat. Because the world needs people who are true to themselves. 

Confession: I'm Scared of My Gym

Guys. Do you have a workout that makes you feel like a champion? I'm talking about the kind of workout that you've done so much you could probably host a perky YouTube video and get like....100 likes. 

Wanna know what mine is?

The elliptical.

I. have. that. shiz. down.

When I walk into the gym, I swagger up to that beast and stare it down like there's no tomorrow. I hop on, tune into some Kardashians if I'm lucky to find them, and rock it out like nobody's business. For like an hour. When I step off, I feel awesome. And then I walk on out of there and ignore the rest of the machines like I'm 13 and I have crushes on all of them.

When it comes to doing other stuff at the gym, I feel like that kid in kickball who always gets picked last. I'm always worried I'll look dumb using the other machines, so I don't even try.

I realize to get in shape you need to work your muscles on other things besides an elliptical. My brain gets it.

But it's not all my fault. The gym I frequent seems to be disproportionately populated by men whose spirit animals are 'roided out bulldogs, and orange women who strip to their neon skivvies during a 5-minute mile. They don't even stop their treadmills. They do that douchebag step-to-the-side move. and proceed to strip. 

Every ten minutes they all seem to meet at the water fountain and flirt.

This is what I'm dealing with here. It's too much pressure.

So in the spirit of "doing what you've never done to achieve what you've never achieved" (ie. an alright body), I've turned to internet workouts to get my body moving.

Workouts I can do in my living room while my husband watches a movie in our bedroom. Workouts that can let me feel like an idiot in the privacy of my own home. Workouts that will help me tone and stretch and huff and puff on my own time in weird weird clothing. 

The goal? To graduate from one-trick-pony elliptical status to champion I'm-not-embarrassed-to-work-out-at-my-own-gym status. 

I'm slowly finding new workouts that make me feel like an elephant doing ballet. But it's better than nothing.

We'll see what happens.

For tonight, voila.

My Doppelganger

My mom just sent me a text that basically said, "Look at the latest issue of Good Housekeeping! Drew Barrymore looks just like you!" She may also have implied that I am prettier than her, but we're just going to chalk that comment up to the fact that she birthed me. 

Remember a few years ago when people got obsessed for a minute over Facebook Doppelgangers? People would post pictures of their celebrity lookalike and wistfully imagine an alternate universe in which they'd be famous instead of their non-twin. 

I'm pretty sure one of my Facebook friends has more pictures of her non-twin than of her own face! 

I didn't really see the allure because I never had a doppelganger. No one in Hollywood ever looked like me. I realize I don't really look like Drew, but I have to admit that in this picture, I do see a resemblance. Maybe my body doesn't look like hers, but from the face up, I can see it. 

And now I get the allure. The fact that someone who looks like you is famous is a little ego boost. It means that at least one other person in the universe thought they would look good on camera..and if you look like them...well, you get the picture. 

All I'm saying is, it feels good. 

Now if only my doppleganger were Rachel McAdams, we'd be in business.

What's you're doppelganger? (If you don't know, go here).

For more non-twins, go here.

edit: Um...turns out Drew Barrymore was in a movie titled, "Doppelganger." Things just got weird.

Apparently Jeannette looks like Khloe Kardashian.

IF YOU POST A PICTURE OF YOURSELF AND YOUR CELEBRITY LOOKALIKE, I WILL POST IT ON HERE FOR ALL TO SEE! 

Pants

I'm sure by now you have heard about the renegade call for LDS women to wear pants to church this Sunday. I have read a few articles about it (go here for more context. I especially loved cJane's take on the subject) and I don't entirely know how I feel about the whole situation. This is what I do feel...

I believe that church is a time to worship God, learn more about the Gospel, and build community with fellow LDS members.

I believe that God does not care about what we wear to church as long as it is our best and we are fully clothed.

I believe that pants are not the thing that make men and women equal.

I enjoy femininity and the spirit that comes with being a woman. (edit: I'm not saying that wearing pants to church makes you less feminine. I'm just saying that I enjoy being feminine, and I also enjoy being a strong woman, and those are not mutually exclusive.)

Skirts are more comfortable than pants. Pants can be just as dressy as skirts. Neither alone will secure my place in the Celestial Kingdom.

Women and men were created to work together as partners. Men are not above women. Women are not above men. We have equally important roles, and clothing does not change that.

What do you think? Just as on my Facebook, I welcome all opinions as long as they are respectful and in a spirit of discussion, not bashing.

And whatever you do, please just don't wear these to church...or ever: