It's Love Time

Tonight I have a few different loves I want to share with my loyal readers in the blogging world.

1. I love when my feet really hurt after a good run. See, running and I have a rather troubled past. I have never been athletic and have always HATED running. I associate it with the realization of my inadequacies, a consistently failed attempt at a hobby, and a terrible side ache. Though I have really worked to regularly exercise over the past few years, running was not an option unless it was accompanied with cable television on some device in the gym (most frequently the eliptical, more recently the treadmill). However, after a few weeks of really ghastly blood sugar levels, I decided it was time for a change. I joined a running group with a couple of my friends in the MA program, and I have pathetically tagged along for the last few weeks in their disciplined runs approximately four times a week. To make it more interesting, my sister, Jil, and I have decided to run a 5K together when school lets out in May (I know, it's a weak run, but it's huge for poor little me). I am proud to announce that tonight was my first 5K practice run. Sure, it took 35 minutes, but I couldn't feel any better about it. Unfortunately, my feet have felt better.

(These are my new, and terribly cute, running shoes all tuckered out after our big day. I finally feel that Babe is applicable to my life. I have the strange urge to bring them a pail of slop, pet them, and say, "That'll do, pig. That'll do.")

2. I love these two.


If you watch Lost, then you know why. I would just like it to be clear that this week's episode almost made me cry (and by almost I mean it totally did, but I'm going to pretend it didn't so Jesse can't bring this up later to embarrass me). If you don't watch Lost, please get out as soon as possible and rent Lost seasons 1 & 2--yes, both at the same time. That should last you about a weekend or so. You can thank me later.

3. On a slight tangent, I do NOT love realizing that I left all of my necessary books in my office on campus at 10:30 at night the evening before I am starting a new unit with my students. It will be an early day for me tomorrow...

Spreading the Love: The Arnolds

As I have been preparing for my trip home this weekend, I have been overwhelmed with love for some more wonderful people in my life: my sister Jil and her cutie cute family (yep, cutie cute). To begin with, Jil has been my best friend for my entire life. Our parents tell us all the time that they never expected us to be as close as we were, but I believe I came out of the womb knowing that Jil was my bff. Though she went through that angry stage where she hated everyone in her family, our friendship has remained one of the most important things in my life. Thanks, sister-friend.

Jil and her husband Dave have always been so wonderfully generous to me. They let me live in their house for almost six months when I first moved to Boise, they feed me approximately once a week, and they are such a wonderful example of a healthy marriage.
And, if this isn't enough, Jil and Dave have given me the world's handsomest, most charming, and most intelligent nephews of all time. They are both very special influences in my life and are already two of my best friends in the world. I hope Jil and Dave continue to breed as I have enough room in my heart for any children they would create...

(I know that I have fallen behind, seeing as I am posting this on Monday, 2/25, and I started writing it on Wednesday, 2/21. I know all my loyal readers are eager for more love, and I am doing my best to provide it. Bear with me).

The Greatest Love of My Life

(author's note: this post was, in fact, created on Valentine's Day. However, due to technical difficulties, this is the first opportunity I have had to actually post. Please forgive the time delay).


I know that I have blogged about Jesse quite a bit, but I am particularly proud of him today. And, since it is still Valentine's Day, I feel at total liberty to take a moment to reflect on what a lucky young lady I am to be married to him.

Lately Jesse has kept himself very busy. In the past six weeks he has applied to pharmacy school, started his final semester of college (taking enough credits to finish his BS in Political Science, minor in chemistry, and pre-pharmacy prerequisites), started up a BSU pre-pharmacy society (he's also the president), worked part-time as a pharmacy tech, and received two pharmacy school interview offers!

Not only is he an incredibly hard-working person, but Jesse is in every way my complement. He keeps me grounded when I tend to panic. He makes me laugh when I have no intention of finding certain situations humorous. He always tries to do what's right, even when its inconvenient for him and seemingly unnecessary to me, but his example of uprightness is so incredibly inspiring. And, perhaps most significantly, he joined me in ordering take out food and watching Lost tonight when he probably didn't have the 45 minutes to spare (not the most important thing in the world? Well, you get the point).



Jesse, I really love you (and I don't care who knows it). Happy (late) Valentine's Day, everyone.

More Loves in My Life

I have been kindly reminded by my sweet father-in-law that I am three days behind in my blogging. This reminder has inspired me to highlight some more of the wonderful loves in my life: my sweet in-laws. Before I got married, it seemed that everyone in the world had horror after horror to share about their in-laws. I couldn't envision Jesse's parents ever acting like anything other than the wonderful, caring people they had always been, but regardless, I braced for the worst.

Fortunately, Larry and Debbie have been nothing but incredibly loving and supportive. From day one they have opened their home and their arms to me. I know that I'm one pretty lucky girl to have married into such a wonderful family.


On top of all of this, it doesn't hurt that Larry takes a pretty nice picture...

Love of My Life the Second: Human Friends

Lest There Be Any Confusion...

I fear that in my zeal to convey the passion I have for my diet soda that my human friends may have been depicted poorly. Allow me to clarify.

I have never been very good at making lots of friends. People don't really flock to me as I come across as too dorky, too abrasive, or too sexy (maybe?). I would say that I am in many ways a shy person. I spend a great deal of time observing on the sidelines before I can really dip my toes into the confusing pool that is a new social environment.

Luckily for me, I have the world's greatest friends. When I moved to Boise, I worried that I would never be able to have girlfriends again. Though I fear I am slowly infiltrating the lives of the defenseless females of the state's capital (you know who you are, and you had better brace yourselves for a full-on attack), I know that my life's true friends--the female loves of my life--have never stopped giving me their love and support. I miss them every day.


This post is dedicated to the love I have for them, and more importantly, to thank them for the love that they give to me. It has meant so much more than I can explain, and I know that I have only been able to make it through some incredibly difficult times in my life because of their contagious positivity and faith. They have always been there for me when they know I have needed them, and even better when they haven't known how much I needed them. I love you ladies.

it is February...

so that means that this is likely a wonderful time to discuss love, yes? i have decided that i need to take the time to evaluate all of the things in my life that i love. i have been feeling particularly cynical over the last few months, so in an effort to make my blog (and hopefully my attitude) more upbeat, i have decided to make February the month of bloggly love. if you are uncomfortable with bda (blogging displays of affection), you are welcome to pretend that a friend of mine that none of you know tagged me to do this on their blog--that seems to be the easiest excuse for writing an entirely narcisstic post (i just happen to be a narcissist...). i promise i won't post an annoyingly affectionate confession every day, but these postings over the next few weeks may get sappy, and that tagging excuse might make things less embarrassing.

I have also decided to punctuate like a big girl on my blog this month, so don't be surprised to see a few capitalized letters hanging out.

Love of my Life the First: Diet Soda

I never thought the day would come that I would have such tender feelings for artificially sweetened drinks. I suppose you could say that Diet Soda and I are the typical example of the odd couple. Girl loves sugar and carbohydrates. Girl is nauseated by smell of Diet Soda. Yet, three years ago when my pancreas decided it was time to leave me alone to figure out how to convert sugar from an annoyance hanging out in my blood stream to a usable energy source without its help, I had very few friends that knew how to get me through the troubled time.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciated the help my human friends attempted to lend. Some told me I wasn't worth the emotional investment if I was just going to get sick and die (not that I'm bitter about that comment). Others asked me to try on shirt after shirt for the sick pleasure they got out of realizing that my chest area had essentially disappeared due to drastic weight loss (you know who you are, Libby).

Overall, human friends were mutually supportive, but could do little to satisfy my need for sweetness, consistency, and caffeine in my daily life. Luckily, Diet Soda was there with no carbs, no sugars, no reservations. It's seen me through thick and thin. In my eyes, no meal is truly complete without a delicious Cherry Diet Coke (or Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi) to fulfill my innermost needs.

Sure, the aspertame may or may not be carcinogenic, but I feel that Diet Soda's loyalty has proved that its worth far beyond its possible cancer-inducing abilities. It is this unwavering affection that has made it one of the loves of my life.

*My apologies to Jesse for replacing his face with a can of diet soda in the picture. This is only an outward illustration for an inward feeling. I still love you deeply, husband. More on that to come later...