Fantastic Husband

Yesterday I had a 10 page paper to write. And not just any paper, a super deep philosophical paper.

My teacher nonchalantly mentioned this text is the hardest text we'll ever read (including law school) and assigned us the 630 page book called "The Concluding Unscientific Postscript" to read in just a few weeks.

Sometime maybe I'll share one of the epiphanies I learned while writing about this book. 

But for now, I just want to highlight my fantastic husband. 

Who tried to buy me flowers but decided I'd rather be on time to my class AND skip walking in the rain.

And while he drove me he did something on my to-do list (returned art stuff from the activity in October).

He spent time helping me understand crazy philosophical text. 

He emptied the dishes. 

He "stopped by" target to look for a pair of slippers so my feet wouldn't be cold but they just had weird old grandma ones. 

And before leaving to do all these nice things he pointed our portable heater straight at me and turned it on full blast. 

He painted with me over the weekend

He took me out to Cafe Rio and shared my favorite salad with me

He gave me plenty of hugs and kisses

He asked my forgiveness 

And he understood my feelings and we came up with a solution for Christmas------finally!

He took me on a teeny vacation to the sand dunes but we had too much fun on the way taking pictures

He cooked turkey for our Sunday dinner

He watched one of the most beautiful sunsets with me and we began a tradition to watch sunset every Sunday in a unique place

He reads me scriptures and makes sure we pray together every day

He baptized me at the temple
He told my mom how wonderful I was and his brother how lucky he was that I was his wife

And I could continued on and on about how wonderful he is . . . 

Rustic

Daniel and I took quite the Sunday adventure and learned a great lesson. We were on our way to the sand dunes when we made some rustic discoveries. I learned that it's not about the destination but about finding joy in the journey. We saw the most amazing sunset (since last week :) ) and both felt a tradition coming along...seeing sunset together in some neat place each Sabbath.

A little mishap: our camera ran out of batteries half way through. Luckily we could plug it in at the local gas station. So we didn't get any cool sunset pictures because we were saving our batteries for the sand dunes. And the sand dune pictures didn't even turn out! So...find joy in the journey!

Some of the words of one of my favorite songs: there is no station, no final place where dreams come true, no better world than this because here and now, our attitude and what we make of this world and our attitude, our willingness to sacrifice for one another -- that is eternity. 

The roof of this cool building collapsed! I have found the inspiration for my next watercolor that's due today at two :)

Mom H mentioned there wasn't a single picture of me on my blog...funny I hadn't even noticed. Guess I just find Daniel so attractive I got distracted!

CROPPING EXERCISES (for photog. class) 

Left: Orson Pratt's home

 right: experimenting with line

a feel for the town

Taken on an old train

 caboose we found in     

the middle of the town!

Bookish

I love the smell of books. I was walking through the moving book shelves in periodicals where i'm studying (ok...where I'm blogging -- but it's Friday night!). I smelled the familiar musty smell of hours or happily reading in the sunlight and eating chocolate -- that's when I was young. Now it's midnight in the library study room being sad the library's closing because I loved finding the connection between the older generation's fear of their posterity as portrayed in artwork. I love devoting my life to something and succeeding in writing something unique -- making connections no one has ever made before. What a thrill!

I love my Visiting Teacher!!!

I SERIOUSLY love my visiting teacher! She is amazing. One of my favorite people in fact!
1) she designed the cutest poster that got Paint A Wish started
2) she runs her own flower shop
3) she loves her husband and we see them out on Friday nights doing the same fun stuff we do
4) she is adorable
5) she is artsy
6) she is beautiful
7) she is always happy
8) she loves being a visiting teacher.
I always thought visiting teaching was some way to make friends with someone you didn't otherwise know but I really love it now.

Alexi & Greg from Haugen Creative on Vimeo.

Go I Know Not Wither, Fetch I Know Not What

I love the title of this post -- it's from a Russian fairy tale that I love! It reminds me a little of my life right now. I went to Dan's business presentation and really really loved it (and not just because it was my hottest husband who was presenting though that played a big role :)). I love solving problems and I was intrigued by trying to "sell" their strategy. I was thinking of how much I loved the challenge and the big opportunities and dreams that come with business -- I've never been one to love laws (or to keep any law I think is remotely silly). 
Ok, Story Time :) though it's quite a diversion:) When I was younger, the school system had to announce my name over the high school loud speaker for about 15 times before I would comply with taking the state standardized testing. It was stupid -- it didn't show what I'd learned and I knew no one really cared if I took it. When the principle finally asked me nicely to take it I did. And I was going to do my best -- when all the kids wrote their essays in the first 15 minutes and slept I stayed after to finish. Well, soon enough I hear my name over the loud speakers...again! They asked me to rewrite my essay and shorten it so that it fit inside the box outlined on the piece of paper. I reacted pretty strongly and told them if they wanted me to think inside the box they could rewrite my essay for me but that just because I put forth extra effort didn't mean I would miss my class to rewrite my essay. 
So lately I've been completely open as to what I should make out of my life. I found the perfect poem that expressed the attitude I'm trying to have: "we must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
I have considered teaching for a year with Teach for America, or doing what I'd love -- teaching art. But if I made what I love and do to get away from my day-to-day into the day-to-day, what would I do with the rest of my time? Besides, I LOVE business -- when I was young I was deemed the "slum lord" for owning mobile homes and filling vending machines -- and the opportunity to make a profit was so intriguing to me. I have the dreams of a businesslady. I love how law teaches you to think -- to not overstate things, to make convincing arguments. I love the opportunities that come with law -- and I would love to do business law. 
It's a time with the world completely open to me -- and it's a love it-hate it relationship. 
Well, we'll see where I end up :)

Hurried...

I learned another great lesson from my watercolor teacher. It's about Brigham Young.

Brigham was given two pieces of advice:
1) Don't hurry
2) Get the spirit
My watercolor teacher is one of the most laid back guys I know and he took the first as a given--something that was easy to do. WAIT! It's not easy for me! I had an epiphany...that I concentrate on not hurrying in the everyday moments but what about hurrying to other long-term responsibilities and achievements? I think it may be best to take a rest for a year before law school -- and not hurry!
The second realization was that if Brother Brigham struggled with hurrying, maybe it's ok if I do too.
He said this statement to emphasize that we'll pray in class to get the spirit. How cool it is that we can pray at college here at BYU!

Yes, I wear a ring

I have a funny story. . . this guy in my Philosophy class seemed to make conversation with me and I kind of started avoiding him. You know how someone can talk to you and someone can talk to you? Well he was talking to me (with just a hint of interest in me). I thought it was strange since we're in the same class and I'm his TA and I wear a ring everyday so I'm obviously married -- you'd think he'd notice!
Well a few days ago in the lab I walked over to help someone and he said "Wow! I've never noticed your ring before! Can I look at it?" I gave it to him and he said "Wow, those are all diamonds and on that part, that's all covered with diamonds..." Anyway, I had a hard time not laughing just because I'm sure he felt stupid for not noticing. Needless to say I was super relieved that he finally noticed :)