Jolly Ranchers

Today at work I got a jolly rancher. As I was fingering it's plastic wrapper I had this memory of my Grandparents, and my Grandpa in particular. My Grandpa has always been the candy man at church. All the kids know to check his pockets and they're sure to find a tootsie roll or jolly rancher. Even when I was older, I'd spot my Grandpa in the hallway after church. He'd be there with his white hair,wearing a suit (but you could spot his staple suspenders underneath-he's a farmer, he can't go ANYWHERE without wearing suspenders). He'd give me a smile and say, "Here you go, Katie" and hand me some sort of treat.

At my Grandparents' house there was an old candy jar in the kitchen full of jolly ranchers. Just walking into that kitchen is like a blast from the past. There's no dishwasher because they always refused to get one, they keep a bin by the sink to collect food scraps for compost because there's no disposal, and the colors are dated...I LOVE THAT KITCHEN. I remember canning there with my Grandma the summer before she died (I found out more stake gossip than I ever knew existed that summer), I remember making cookies there with my cousins, and I remember a bizillion sweltering, summer Sundays (they don't believe in air-conditioning either) when we ate roast that was made in that oven. But today, I remembered the candy jar...and how I used to dig through it to pick out only the watermelon candies. Today, when I chose my jolly rancher, it was watermelon...Isn't it strange how a little candy in a wrapper can remind you of so much?

The Move

I find it impossible to understand how two newly-married people can have so much STUFF. Chad and I started moving to our new apartment last night. My Dad and brother came down to help us move the big things like coffee table, microwave, couches, shelves, etc. We are no where CLOSE to being finished. We are currently between two apartments. This drives the OCD part of my personality completely insane. Today, I had to go to the old apartment to brush my teeth before I left for school, we forgot to bring the toothbrushes with us last night. It is ridiculous. Anyway, luckily for me Chad is there to calm me down. I had a nervous breakdown last night when the computer monitor wouldn't fit on the desk. I started bawling and said "I don't want to live here...." But Chad is helping me start to see it will be ok. I am just depressed because the carpet is ugly and we don't have two-toned walls anymore. BUT on an upside we have a bookshelf over our desk now. SO you can see all of the titles instead of having to dig through piles to find Austen or Poe. It's quite exciting! AND I think our bedroom is bigger, I really do!!! That is a plus too, more room to pile laundry on the floor =-) And, I really have no reason to complain, because our rent was only $60 for the month...including utilities. It's definitely worth it, just a bit frustrating.

Seven

So Scully said she wanted to hear mine...here they are. It's hard to think of these kinds of things on the spot:

7 Things I Want to Do Before I Die
1. Live in London again
2. Serve a mission (preferably foreign) with my hubby
3. Write and publish a novel
4. Have adorable children
5. Travel the world
6. Swim with dolphins
7. Decorate my dream house


7 Things I Cannot Do
1. Not sing along with the radio in a car
2. Leave a thrift store without buying anything
3. Not Sweat...I'm a sweater, it can be 20 degrees outside and my body will still feel the need to sweat.
4. Kill a spider without having a mini-breakdown
5. Not use at least a "tone" when I'm angry or frustrated or stop myself from whining when I'm sick.
6. Say no to dessert, even if I'm stuffed
7. Dim the blue in my personality (even if it's not my fault I'm always feeling guilty about something).


7 Things that Attracted me to My Spouse
1. He's adorable
2. He's sarcastic too
3. He was sweet to his sister, and I later found out to his entire family
4. He could make me laugh and still does all the time
5. He is patient and mellow, and I am unbelievably inpatient so we balance each other
6. He's musically talented and I always knew I'd marry a guitar player
7. He likes ethnic food, art, and other random things that a lot of boys hate

7 Things I Often Say
1. Bless your/his/her heart
2. Dang it all to heck!
3. Hi! My name is Katie and I am a student calling on behalf of Brigham Young University... (insert beg for money here)
4. Swamp hag- as in "You're such a swamp hag!"
5. I love you
6. Crap
7. You know what I mean?

7 Books I Love
1. The Catcher in the Rye
2. Ella Enchanted (I just read this one for Adolescent Lit and I LOVE it!)
3. Crossing to Safety
4. Middlemarch
5. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water
6. The Fountainhead
7. Quest for a Maid (another adolescent one... I read this over and over when I was younger)

7 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over
1. Breakfast at Tiffany's
2. Steel Magnolias
3. Ocean's Eleven and Twelve
4. Pride and Prejudice
5. The Indiana Jones Trilogy (esp The Last Crusade)
6. Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty
7. Molly Ringwald 80's hits on TV (The Breakfast Club, 16 Candles, etc. when they have those marathons I go nuts!)

7 People I Would Like to Hear From-
Whoever wants to do this =-)