Cutest. Baby. Ever.

Josh and I went to Washington Square Mall yesterday to get some frozen yogurt and saw this:

I mean, seriously? Babies wearing sunglasses? Double awesome.

My Addiction

So, I have an admission to make: I am absolutely, irrevocably, irreplaceably addicted to Crystal Light lemonade, which I like to refer to as "juice" (just because demanding, "Where is my Crystal Light lemonade?!" does not seem to get the same kind of quick results), but Josh refuses to acknowledge its juice-like properties. He in fact claimed that if you looked at the packaging it would say "This is NOT juice" but the packaging only detailed that it was not for individual sale.

There are only two problems with this addiction.

#1 I need to recognize the unfortunate loss of a Nalgene water bottle to my Crystal Light love because I was drinking it in my Nalgene over the summer, and then the Nalgene was lost (to be found later, wedged underneath our bed) and the Crystal Light had molded and was gross.

#2 I drink so much of this stuff (with the added help of huge, reusable plastic cups we have stolen from Cirque du Soleil shows we've seen in Vegas and bendy straws), my bladder is constantly full. Josh took a nap today, but my bladder was so full I could never get comfortable! But, on the upside, I'm very well hydrated.

Just One of Those Weeks

I find myself being really annoyed when the people whose blogs I check regularly don't post every day, and yet there are some months that go by where I don't post at all. I don't even have the excuse that nothing is happening! Though this week, it seems, has been the week for professor to be snarky with me, and I can't even claim not to deserve it. I got a particularly snarky e-mail, and my first instinct was to reply in an equally snarky way, but I refrained. Because, quite frankly, I deserved it, and I can't go around feeling self-righteous or indignant when I could have avoided the whole thing.

In other news, I suffered a harrowing half hour when I received an e-mail from The Powers That Be telling me that I had been given the wrong Practicum II placement information. I had initiated e-mail contact with the person I thought would be interviewing me, only to be told this was wrong, which wouldn't have been so bad except that if I interviewed at the replacement site I had been given, I woud be competing with a friend for the placement. Thankfully, though annoyingly, I got another e-mail telling me to disregard the other e-mail, so I am back to interviewing at my original placement. There is no guarantee that I will get it, even though I've only been given the one option (and it's my number one choice), but at least that momentary freak-out had a positive ending.

In even more news, Josh and I have finally seen all of the Best Picture nominees, so we're looking forward to Oscar night!

Ladies' Night In

Josh went up to Hoodoo this weekend to camp and ski with the scouts, so my friend Heather planned a fun get-together at my house last night for some of the other women in our ward. This is the second major party Heather has organized to be held at our house, but I wish we did it more often! My least favorite part about parties is the organizing, and my favorite part is the having people come over, so in my opinion it was perfect.

Heather had the yummy idea to put together different types of fondue. Unfortunately, my day really got the better of me, so Heather wasn't able to come over ahead of time like she had planned to get everything ready. But I think it worked out well because then everyone was able to pitch in and help out cutting, mixing, and stirring.

Here is (mostly) everyone, before we dug in:

 

It was so good! And it was nice to put our fondue pot to work for the third time since we got it for our wedding. We also watched "The Time Traveler's Wife," which was better than I thought it would be. I was glad I read the book long enough ago so that I couldn't remember all of the details, so I wasn't too disappointed with the things that were left out.

It was definitely a great way to spend some of my Joshless time! Thanks, Heather, for all of your preparation and for the great idea of a Ladies' Night!

Jammify!

I got new jammy pants! Mostly it's because my jammy pants with the hearts on them finally ripped (I've been wearing them since the first time I was in college, so it was probably time for them to go), but also because I haven't bought new pajama pants for. . . well, I can't remember. Lately I've resorted to wearing my sweatpants to bed, which just isn't as comfortable.

Plus, these jammy pants have tvs on them, which I feel is fitting.

Here is Mr. F, showing her approval by shedding on me:

LOST with the ShepAlders

In honor of the final season premiere of the coolest show on tv, Josh and I threw a LOST party last Tuesday and had a few friends from the ward come over. We have been looking forward to this forever, and were super excited.

Josh got into the spirit by putting together this Dharma Initiative-inspired spread:

Isn't he amazing and detail-oriented? I thought these were so cool looking!

Here's a closer look:

When first reading this label I thought it said "barely-flavored" rather than "BARLEY-flavored," and I had a good laugh. And don't worry-- no talks with BishBrenn needed since our beer is strictly of the root variety.

I thought the first episode definitely delivered (flashing sideways?! My mind has been blown again!) I'm sad for the end of LOST, but excited to have all my questions answered.

Words of the Week: Council vs. Counsel

A few years ago someone gave me the book 100 Words Almost Everyone Misuses and Confuses. The other day, I ran across this book again (just sitting on our shelf), and figured it would make a good blog post.

Here are a couple words that are commonly confused:

Council: noun  1. A. An assembly of persons called together for consultation, deliberation, of discussion. B. A body of people elected or appointed to serve as administrators, legislators, or advisors. C. An assembly of church officials and theologians convened for regulating matters of doctrine and discipline (ie the High Council). 2. The discussion or deliberation that takes place in such an assembly or body.

Counsel: noun 1. The act of exchanging opinions and ideas. 2. Advice or guidance, especially unsolicited from a knowledgeable person. 3. Private, guarded thoughts or opinions. 4. A lawyer or group of lawyers giving legal advice and especially conducting a case in court.


Council, counsel, and consul have similar pronunciations but are never interchangeable, although their meanings are related. Council refers specifically to a deliberative assembly (such as a city council or student council), its work, and its membership. Counsel pertains chiefly to advice and guidance in general and to a person (such as a lawyer or camp counselor) who provides it. Consul denotes an officer in the foreign service of a country.