That Post with Letters to Everybody

I've been seeing this type of post going around for a while, so I thought I would give it a whirl.

Dear Summer, 

If you and I were in a relationship on Facebook, it would definitely be labeled "it's complicated." I love my short hair which you encouraged me to get; I love going barefoot all the time; I love the sudden burst of coolness when I jump into the pool after sweating in my car to get to the gym; and I love having all this free time to read books, watch movies, clean my apartment, and spend time with my husband. BUT.... Why do you have to be so hot? Why do you have to send mosquitoes my way every time I step outside and flies every time I'm inside? Worst of all, why do you have to end JUST as the weather is becoming tolerably bearable enough for hiking/running/being outdoors?

Dear Husband,

I'm sorry for keeping you up every night. I never knew that sharing a bed with someone would make sleeping so difficult! But I love that you still want to cuddle with me even when it's too hot for either one of us to be comfortable for more than thirty seconds. Thanks for all the help you give me in cooking and cleaning up around the house. I wish you were here more often, but I love spending every second with you that I get. You're my favorite person in the whole world!

Dear Self,

Stop panicking. So you're going back to school for another two years. It's not the end of the world. It will probably be good for you, and maybe your last chance to experience what having a career/social life is like. You just need to take each day at a time and everything will be okay. Also, please remember to check that the door is locked every night for your peace of mind the next morning. Don't forget to return the library books, practice the organ, and go to the gym this week.

Dear Housefly that I Killed Yesterday with our Kitchen Spatula,

It was nothing personal. Sure, I locked you into a room, barricaded all the exits, and then devoted twenty minutes exclusively to hunting you down, but I believe we could have been friends if you would only have lived outdoors, stayed away from my ears and my food, and practiced a life of celibacy. Anyway, sorry for the poor taste I demonstrated in dancing in triumph at your funeral. Thank you for finally provoking me into getting a real flyswatter.

Dear Body,

I know you're a little upset with me. I've done a lot of cruel, unusual things to you after the past few months, and for that, I apologize. Would a run, a hot shower, and a well-balanced meal help to smooth things over between us? It's hard for me to be happy when you aren't. Thanks for staying well for as long as you have, especially during that month of great stress when I got married.

Dear Everyone on Facebook who is Posting their Zombie Apocalypse Team,

Please make it stop.

Dear Blog,

I'm sorry for not writing in you more. I feel like a bad writer. I have plenty of time to write right now, but not a lot to say. Sadly, when school starts, I will likely have a lot to say but no time to write. Still, I will try to be better about that.

Dear New Employer,

I am undecided. On the one hand, I like you and I like the job and I like the money and I like that you promoted me to be able to work between 10 and 20 hours. On the other hand, I am not exactly thrilled about the fact that I will be required to dress up for a job which will require sitting in an office by myself for the majority of the time. Also, I wish the money was a little better. And the hours don't exactly fit in with my schedule. But thanks for hiring me and for saying that I was obviously the best qualified applicant. That made me feel good.

Dear Marianne Dashwood (aka Mrs. Brandon),

After reading the book, I feel much sorrier for you than I did when watching the movie. You really shouldn't have been forced to marry Colonel Brandon, you know. Not only did you not seem to love him with a romantic attachment, but the man was nearly 20 when you were born!

Dear Elinor Dashwood (aka Mrs. Edward Ferrars),

I do NOT envy you your in-laws. But I suppose we can't all marry like Emma. Funny, isn't it, how she was the only wealthy Jane Austen heroine?

Dear Dad,

It occurred to me that both of us forgot "Mansfield Park" when we were talking about the well-known Austen novels.

Dear Teddy,

Sarah and Hannah are coming home soon, I promise. Stay alive.

Love, Ruth.

Meet the Covingtons...

Our little family started out quite simple, with Matthew and me.

Behold the first known picture taken of the two of us together. Blech.

We were pretty happy, just the two of us, until December 2010, when I was lonely at the thought of having to spend five nights a week in Sandy for the next four months. So, for Christmas, we adopted Teddy.

The present in his paw turned out to be a heart-shaped necklace :)

From sleeping buddy to movie-watching partner to super cute conversation-starter, Teddy soon became an invaluable member of the Matthew and Ruth Covington family. We even "buckled him in" in the backseat of Matthew's little Honda each weekend when he drove me between Sandy and Orem.

In June, our family expanded to include Webster when we needed a fourth player for UNO.

I am intentionally leaving out Popcorn, who regretfully only lasted a week before it became clear that we could never just be friends.

While Webster was a great UNO and Rummikub player, he never quite fit into the family the way Teddy did. We were intimidated by his aura of wisdom, his perfect posture, and his bookish personality (WINK WINK).

Then Matthew's sister, Crissy, went to Europe and managed to acquire two new family members for us from England!

Meet Tess and Pip

Rosie and Tony!

After only a week or two, these two lovelies have clearly become the new family favorites. Being English, they don't speak a lot, but there's really no need for them to with their vibrant clothes and cuddly fur.

Since their arrival, we've made an effort to do more family-like things.

Like making fruit dip and eating it for family home evening.

I believe this is the first time we've had strawberries since our wedding. Such extravagance!

Or going on a picnic to Kiwanis Park.

Pardon me, but do we have any crumpets?

And don't forget lots of picture-taking.

We are a happy family.

May/June/July Media Inventories: The Lazy Version

May

Movies:
Hercules
The Twilight Zone
The Fifth Element
Firewall
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Saturday’s Warrior
Bewitched
Big Fish
While You Were Sleeping
Fiddler on the Roof
Kungfu Panda 2
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Rocky

Books:
He’s Just Not That Into You
The Tales of Beedle the Bard

June

Movies:
If Only You Could Cook
My Sister Eileen
My Sister’s Keeper
Avatar
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Too Many Husbands
Rango
The Singles Ward
Seven Pounds
3:10 to Yuma
Knock on Wood
Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows
The King’s Speech
Firefly
Quantum of Solace
The Andromeda Strain
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring
Post-grad
Jurassic Park

Books:
About six different books of short stories by Patrick F. McManus

July

Movies:
Secret Window
Sherlock Holmes
Rear Window
Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging
The Blind Side
The Ring
Night at the Museum 2
The Singles Ward 2
Tbe Pink Panther
The Pink Panther 2
Memento
500 Days of Summer
Kate and Leopold
The Fugitive
Pom Poko
The Cat Returns
Princess Mononoke
The R.M.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Ghost
Ocean’s Eleven
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Jason and the Argonauts

Books:
The original Warriors books: Into the Wild; Fire and Ice; Forest of Secrets; Rising Storm; A Dangerous Path; The Darkest Hour
Percy Jackson 1-5
Pure Drivel

Who is that girl I see?

BEFORE...

AFTER...

The long hair is gone! Maybe not for good, but at least for the rest of the summer in our non-air-conditioned apartment.


The look has been a little weird for me to get used to, but so far, everything - not just the normal stuff like scratching my head and eating ice cream, but random things like driving my car and picking up the mail - has been TEN THOUSAND TIMES BETTER with short hair. Maybe I am the opposite of Samson, and cutting my hair has given me superpowers. I just may go for that flip on the trampoline after all. (Spoiler: No. I will never do that.)

Happy Birthweek

Before I was married, I had the vague impression that my birthday after getting married would be a small, private affair, the highlight of which would be opening gift-wrapped coupons for a backrub from my husband.

As it turns out, I was wrong. My birthday this year was composed of several grand events: the first of these was a party at the Covingtons on Sunday, the 17th, involving a curry dinner, delicious storebought cheesecake, and an assortment of loot - toilet paper, potatoes, applesauce, printing paper and notebook paper, a written family history of some of Matthew's ancestors, oven mitts, and a spice rack (which we unfortunately didn't have room for in our kitchen).

My real birthday, Monday, started off on a bit of a downer - we had unfortunately left out a tempting container of garbage during our week-long hiatus from the apartment while taking care of the Covington's house and dog, Zoey, resulting in the occupation of our kitchen by several families of fruit flies. I spent the whole morning sanitizing our kitchen and baiting, trapping, and destroying these fruit flies, mainly with my bare hands. Is it any wonder that I am now a little paranoid about spending time in the kitchen and about washing my hands?

Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who was able to turn this dismal morning into a perfectly splendid rest of the day by doing the following:

1. Making dinner - stroganoff with GREEN beans (the first of his many attempts to make the day green-themed, as that is my favorite color).

2. Making me THIS card. You may need to watch this clip from "500 Days of Summer" (which we had recently seen and loved) to get the reference and thus fully appreciate the cuteness.

Guess I got the "coupon" part, after all :)

3. Giving me an iPod (green, naturally), all wrapped up in some wedding paper with some see-through green paper covering it. I've never had an i-pod before, but I guess it might be nice to have something to listen to when I go running.


4. Making me THIS dessert.


Peach cobbler, upon my request. Not just any peach cobbler, either - GREEN peach cobbler, with homemade peach ice cream. Mmmmmmmmm!



You may find it impossible to believe, but my birthday is STILL NOT OVER. That's right - I get to go back to the old homestead this Saturday and celebrate AGAIN with the Miller clan! I am really excited - mostly to celebrate with the family, but also because their house will have air-conditioning. Stay tuned for more gifts, pictures, and details!

The Great and Amazing Post of Wedding Pictures

I've been married a month and two days now (I KNOW.... SO LONG, right?), and Matthew and I are no longer the most recently married couple in our singles ward, but I still love remembering our wedding day and all the excitement of our first hours as newlyweds. But I thought I might have gotten over all the wedding happiness/excitement after we finally (sort of) finished the thank-you notes (who am I kidding? The thank-you notes will NEVER be finished. N-E-V-E-R.), and returned to the important things in life like work and school and doing dishes and eating ice cream.

BUT THEN.... the wedding pictures arrived. SQUEAL! OMG! SO CUTE! Look at us! Look how pretty! I am so happy to be married! Did I just say I was married? I can't believe it! It's too good to be true!!!!

The first of many amazing kissing photos, and the very first picture of us kissing as newlyweds. I was actually beginning to despair of us ever having a picture of us kissing that I actually liked, a thought which presently seems laughable.

Behold the making of history. This is likely the only photoshoot in existence where you will see my mother raising her fist. Obedience to the photographer's requests? Peer pressure? Enthusiasm that no one had died from last night's dinner? (Note: Yes, my mother is a wonderful cook, and yes, her fears that someone will die someday from her cooking are completely unjustified and paranoid) Anyway, I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen it.

My beautiful bridesmaids: Matthew's sisters Crissy, Becky, and Katie, and my sisters Sarah, Hannah, and Mary Alma. Becky made all of our beautiful corsages and boutonnieres, not to mention that gorgeous bouquet I'm showing off.

Matthew and his groomsmen - his brother Andy, my brother Daniel, his brother-in-law Heath, and his cousin Ben. They (at least, Heath, Daniel, and Andy - Ben's appearance was a last-minute surprise) were supposed to all be wearing their tuxes, but due to a misunderstanding, Andy, Heath, and Matthew's dad left their tuxes at home, and Daniel graciously lent his to Matthew's dad). I didn't really mind - to me, it just made Matthew stand out a bit more and look a bit more sharp and snappy.


Ahhhh, the most difficult shot of them all! Poor Heath, the only wedded one in the bunch, ended up having to bear a rather slippery and unfairly weighted portion of ...why, the dress, of course..., which resulted in an unfortunately positioned hand on the bride's bosom. Fortunately, the problem was quickly identified and somewhat rectified, though the picture is still among my most awkward moments on record.

My grandparents were able to fly out all the way from Tennessee and be with me on the most special day of my life. I loved seeing them and was so grateful for their love and support.

Matthew and his grandmother, Pauline, a truly wonderful woman who has nothing but kind and gracious in welcoming me to the Covington family.


Is that another incredibly awesome kissing photo? Why yes, it is.

These last shots are some of my very favorite ones of Matthew and me. We were very lucky to have great weather and a wonderful photographer, Nikole Freestone (my sister-in-law's cousin), who I'm half-convinced used some kind of mind-reading powers to discern exactly what pictures I wanted.


At the moment, I thought this would be the most cliche picture in the world. But I wanted it anyway! Good thing too, because it turns out it's actually the most ROMANTIC picture in the world.

Or.... is it this one? Mmmmmmmm.

Happily Ever After, Part One

Sorry for the long delay in blog posting. I got married, you see. And then there was the business of a honeymoon. And then my husband (My HUSBAND! Isn't that a wonderful thing to say!??) had a birthday...

My HUSBAND. And my husband's wife. OMG, that's ME!

After a frantic morning of errands, which included trips to my house, Target, the Distribution Center, Movies 8, and the library, I spent a rather quiet evening with Matthew at home in the apartment. We did go out to see "Rango" before cake and presents and had a lot of fun. The "cake" was actually Matthew's favorite dessert, apple crisp. We had a lot of candles given to us as wedding presents, but no one had given us any matches, so we got rather creative with the gas stove, and voila!

Since we didn't have any decorations of our own, I borrowed some old friends to cheer up the apartment a bit.


Though really, when all is said and done, all you need to be happy is ice cream and a man to scoop it for you, am I right, ladies?


That weekend we celebrated Matthew's birthday again with ten times the amount of presents, food, and family members. It was also the birthday of this little guy (Matthew's nephew Brian Hales, born on June 10, Matthew's birthday, 2008):


Neither one seemed interested in claiming the other's presents, fortunately, and they didn't seem to mind sharing the cake either. They each took turns blowing out the candles (sorry, I only got pictures of Matthew):


I don't remember all the presents bestowed upon Matthew, but there was a rather elaborate treasure hunt which resulted in our owning a safe. We also acquired a lot of cooking spices, a bike repair kit, a few fun-looking books (including the first book in Brandon Mull's new Beyonder series!!!! Squeal!!!!!), and some mayonnaise. In addition to his breakfast, cake, the I Am Legend DVD and original book in graphic novel form, I gave Matthew his favorite present of all:

TRUE LOVE'S KISS!