She can be taught!

Dear Reader,

So I was recently thinking how nothing blog-worthy has been happening to me lately and that I really needed to have an adventure. Well, I should be careful what I wish for. Because what happened was I got to try a some new things. And not all of them were gems.

First, while driving late at night I swerved and hit the side of the road with my tire and dented my rim. Luckily, Lehi was with me and his parents were nearby so they were able to drive us and my flat spare tire to the nearest gas station (which, also luckily, was pretty close) so we could fill that pupper up with air. Then Lehi changed my damaged tire with the good one and we were on our way.

It was my first time getting a flat (or damaged) tire and I wouldn't have known what to do. Plus it happened on a road that was kind of in the middle of nowhere (common for PA) with no streetlights and lots of trees. I wouldn't have lasted too long there. Thank goodness for Lehi.

Next, Lehi and his sister convinced me to go tubing. It was fun, don't get me wrong. But it also confirmed something I had been afraid of: If I were dangling from the edge of a 50-story building, clinging to the ledge for dear life, there is no way I would possibly be able to pull myself up to safety. I would end up letting go and falling to my death. Such is the curse of having zero upper-body strength. (That and being flung into the water several times because I couldn't hold on to the tube....)

Lastly, I went to get a blood test today and right after the nurse took the needle out of me, I started to feel woozy. She gave me some orange juice to drink, which I took a few sips of, and the next thing I knew I was lying on my back with the doctor holding my feet up to let the blood rush to my brain and I was pulling my skirt down, trying to stay modest. I wasn't even fully coherent and I was trying to stay modest. That's what Young Women does to you...

Anyway, apparently I was out for like 2 minutes, long enough for them to freak out and call the ambulance. After I woke up they cancelled the call. But when I sat up and felt a little woozy still, the doctor came in and said I needed to go to the ER.

Blurgh.

So I rode the ambulance to the hospital where I found out my blood sugar was normal, my heart rate was normal, my blood pressure was normal, and pretty much I just need to eat, drink, and rest and I'd be fine.

Shocking.

So I spent 100 bucks on a mediocre breakfast in bed while I watched Ace of Cakes and the Colbert Report, and felt guilty that I was missing so much work over something so silly.

Well...not that passing out while driving to work would have been silly. It was probably good I rested for awhile...

Anyway. What did I learn from all of this?

One: If I'm going to have a flat tire, have it when Lehi and his parents are around.

Two: Either start lifting weights, or just never get myself in a situation where I need to use my arms to pull myself to safety.

Three: If I'm going to pass out, do it in the doctor's office. They know what's up.

The greatest thing that happened from all of this is that I got to ride in an ambulance while I wasn't dying. I've always wanted to ride in one, but I figured the only way to do that was, you know, if I was not doing so good. So check that one off the bucket list!

"Stay young. Go dancing."

Dear Reader,

This weekend Death Cab for Cutie was playing down in Philadelphia. Woo! I love me a good concert.

Please, enjoy this song by Death Cab as you read this post:

Lehi and I headed down to Philly Friday afternoon.

We hit up the Love sculpture (which I've already seen other versions of in England and at BYU, but it's the city of brotherly love, so why not see it again? There's no such thing as too much love.).

And of course we got a Philly cheesesteak. Go big or go home, right?

After the concert--which was pure magic, in case you were wondering (And not just because of Death Cab, but also cause the opening band was Frightened Rabbit, from Scotland. Enough said.)--Lehi and I went down to DC to visit Natalie!

And to go to the temple. It had been a little while. Isn't the DC temple so beautiful? I love it.

After the temple we hit up the Natural History museum and the American History museum. Of course, seeing C-3PO was pretty much a highlight of my day.

But this was probably THE highlight. Picture this: Natalie in a space suit and me in a one-size-fits-all nightgown of the first lady dresses, walking down the mall. I mean, tell me that's not one of the greatest images of your life. Wouldn't it make you love DC that much more if you saw two people doing that?

Well, I would love it.

It was an awesome weekend of escapism, but I'm pretty sure we were all thoroughly wasted by the end of it. I may or may not have passed out for several hours after church today.

Worth it!

Sometimes a torrential downpour isn't so bad.

Dear Reader,

Last week I spent 8 days at a writers conference Highlights holds in Chautauqua, New York. It was the craziest, hardest, and yet oddly wonderful week ever. I basically was a servant and worked 24/7. So that was the worst part. The best part was meeting all the cool people at the conference (writers, illustrators, editors, etc.). I'm still trying to recover, though. It was an . . . exhausting week.

Because of all that's been going on I've been neglecting my blogging! For shame. So we're going to backtrack a few weeks now. Bear with me.

Fourth of July weekend I went back to DC to visit Natalie. T'was awesome. And quite the adventure.

Natalie and I hung around Old Town Alexandria on the Saturday. Sunday we attempted to see the dress rehearsal of the free concert DC puts on for the Fourth. It was going to be awesome. Josh Groban and Steven Martin were going to be there, among others. I say "was" because there was a freak storm that hit. To give you an idea of what it was like, here are some before and after pictures:

Before.

And after.

Fun side note, we hid behind this sign when the storm first started. It kept us semi-dry for awhile. Until the rain decided to come at us from every angle, that is. It was pretty much like a swimming pool decided to attack us. Awesome.

After getting drenched (and finding out the show was subsequently cancelled), Natalie and I walked around the mall for awhile doing touristy things, like taking pictures every 5 feet and posing with the monuments.

We made it down to the World War II monument, which is my favorite.

Michigan, represent!

We did lots of fun things. Cupcakes, children's books, parades, delicious food, fireworks on the waterfront . . . it was an awesome weekend. And I did NOT fall asleep on the drive home, and when I got lost it was only for a few minutes (rather than the hour that happened last time I tried to leave DC). So, all in all, I consider it a win.

Rules of Etiquette

Dear Reader,

When I was in London on study abroad, our group was told this story:

During a fast and testimony meeting that took place on the Fourth of July, a study abroad student stood up to bear her testimony. She said, "I am so thankful that God helped us win the Revolutionary War so we can have freedom."

Hm. Yeah, probably not the best thing to say to a group full of Brits.

Happy Fourth!

Bailey is a literary giant.

And the name is--

Bailey!

It's actually the name he came with, and it just seemed to suit him. I appreciate all the name suggestions though. :) They were good ones.

Also my parents came through town this week and were here the last couple of days. About 78 percent of their visit was spent doing some home improvement stuff in my apartment. The rest of the time we spent cruising the town of Honesdale.

One stop was at the Cliff--where you can see the town from above.

And my house!

Here Kitty, Kitty . . .

Dear Reader,

I always told myself that as soon as I was in a position to, I was going to get a pet. This promise to myself got me through pretty much all of college. And now that I am living on my own, I decided to go for it!

So, I'd like you to meet....my kitten!

After spending the afternoon in my bathroom (getting adjusted to the new home, etc.) he decided he wanted to come out and explore the apartment.

He seems to have decided he really enjoys sleeping on the TV stand.

After exploring for awhile he fell asleep by me on the carpet.

He doesn't have a name yet, but hopefully he will soon!