THE INFORMATION AGE

Ben stopped in his tracks the other day to comment about the times. "Think of all the internet has brought us. Just in the last 20-30 years. That's why it's called the Information Age."


Thank You, Kurt:

By Artist Jean-Luc Cornec

Thank You, Rob & Georgia:



Thank You, Keenan:

Thank You, Calvin/Meg:


Just look at all that information from the internet.

UN AñO ENTERO

Papá & I at my Homecoming. Photo Courtesy Les Broadhead. Thanks!

Today marks ONE WHOLE YEAR that I have been in HOME from my mission in the D.R.
(Yesterday was the anniversary of leaving the DR. But if we all remember correctly,
some Houston airport couldn't handle the snow and so I kicked it with the missionaries in Miami for a day and night. Then I got to come home the next day. Tomorrow marks the anniversary of seeing Ben again. Wow, what a year. . .)

To celebrate, I went to the MTC today to sit as an investigator for some
Spanish-speaking missionaries in training. I love how it brings back memories.
I'm also going to dig out my missionary agendas & my diario
to contact as many old Dominicans friends tonight as I can.

For blogging purposes, I want to give a shout-out to my companions:
Hna. Jensen, Branigun Scoffield Field, Emily Harvey,
Cammie Beckstead, Mariela Parra, Gaby Delgado, Rachel Taylor,
Sarie Carr, Naiomi Dee Sheppard,
KC Martin, Aura Diaz, y Lorena Rivas.

Les quiero mucho y les agradezco por su paciencia y amistad.
Ustedes son una gran parte mis memorias favoritas.

... y un testimonio, por qué no?
Sé que hay un Dios poderoso que tambien es nuestro Padre.
Nos ama como hijos y quiere que aprendemos cómo ser mejores--aún perfectos.
Sé que esto requiere dolor y errores a veces, pero que todo es parte de un plan divino.
Por eso nos ha dado su evangelio.
Vivimos en un tiempo de revelación. Hay un hombre elegido con la autoridad de dirigirnos en la tierra. Si tenemos fé, sabemos que al seguir al profeta, estamos siguiendo a Él.
Sé que Jesucristo vive. Murió por nosotros para darnos otro "chance" (say it like a Dominican). Claro! Así es más justo! Nos da misericordia.
Hay una iglesia organizada por Él. Es para nuestro progreso. Es para nuestro bienestar!
Claro que voy a hacer todo lo que la iglesia me requiere por que todo viene de mi Padre,
y sé que soy su hija.

Wish I could share this just as often as I did a year ago.

PA'LANTE!

BEN LOVES GAS PRICES

This post has remained a 'draft' since the beginning of November!


After grocery shopping one day, Ben gasped at the 'low' gas price and asked that I pull over so that I could take a picture of him with the amazing price to show his Kurt & Becky. It was an amazing price. Then.

I filled up today for $1.67 a gallon... and contemplated this summer when it got into the $4 range. (Right?) Hard to believe now.

It's all relative. Even if we don't understand.

VEINTI-SIETE DE FEBRERO

Happy Independence Day to my beloved DR!

De Diciembre in Las Caobas

(This billboard was my favorite because it was the best graphic design I could get)

De Diciembre in Las Caobas

(I snapped this from the little guaguita that took us to our first area. Plaza de La Bandera is on the main street of Santo Domingo, called 27 de Feb)

To celebrate, I spent an evening with my "hija", Hna. Sarie Carr. We shared stories and she showed me pictures from the rest of her mission (since I was only with her for her first transfers)... I miss the mission!

GOOD & HAPPY

I DREW THIS FROM INSPIRATION OF A POSTER
DESIGNED AND GIFTED TO US BY JON TROUTMAN
AFTER I'D SCANNED IT, BEN COLORED IT WITH HIS
NEW FANCYLANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MARKERS,
INSPIRING ME TO COLOR IT TOO.

The past several days have been peppered with some not-so-good things happening. I am weak because I let them get me down. I tend to think it's a little ok, because I can feel that I'm at least getting better. A bit. --AND-- I kind of think that's what life is about. Because the trick in life is to train ourselves to control our happiness, even when bad things happen.

To name a few (but not too many - or I will foil my plan to focus on the positive!) :

Within the past fortnight, the system on my iPod (that I use like a flash drive) magically and spontaneously corrupted, leaving all my school and design files impossible to retrieve, though I know they're there! Then a little more magic in Moab -- a 'now-you-see-it-now-you-don't' phenomenon: our camera, and all the million pictures on its memory card, did not come back with us. And I cannot fathom how it disappeared. My emotions and/or hormones have also taken me through a psychedelic magical ride through understanding unconditional love. Not to mention feeling like a failure in school. And through it all, disappointed that I could not let my great gratitude stop any tears.

Or maybe I did. I was grateful to have started the week reading Mere's blog, who included a quote I loved (I read it to Ben and he was all like, "I've heard that before", so maybe it's nothing new to you, but it means a lot to me, so up it goes):


He said there is a trick. It's too bad there has to be so much magic involved, but I'm determined to figure out all this magic so I can be happy. I've still had some beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed this past week, so I can't complain. If I could, I would show you the views we saw in Moab, or the fun we had at Pizzeria 712 with high school chums, or Ben's floral arrangement I mentioned before.

But I'm still aiming to be happier if the putt doesn't drop (when do I ever go golfing?) or if the beef is tough (not that I'm ever really picky about that anyway).

*Oh, and if anyone happens to have some old digital camera they don't use any more and would like to sell for moneys, let us know!

GREETINGS FROM MY ALL-NIGHTER

I drew this during an all-nighter of finals. It also happened to be a night of frustration and confusion apart from design. Have you ever felt this itchy sensation?

Tonight is not that bad. I just finished a bag of Peppercorn Ranch Sun Chips & my eyes are ok. It's 3am and it's just time for blogging now. Because I decided so. If only to tell of 2 would-be posts from last week:

{ picture of Ben's arrangment to be inserted here }

* 5 Feb 2009 marked one-half-year of marriage for Benjamin & me. I think it's a bit silly to celebrate months, but I love it anyway. Ben did the most perfect things: secretly got me flowers, arranged them himself, wrote & drew mountains on a most beautiful note - aesthetically and romantically. And part of his note said, "if you get this while I'm away, don't eat because we're going out to dinner, baby!" We went to Gloria's Little Italy in their new hott location at 1 East Center Street. The meal itself was a bit disappointing, but the gelato was great and the company even better. Thank you, Mr. Ben.



* 14 Feb 2009 was "Día del amor y amistad." Ben kissed me under Delicate Arch. You know, like the one on my home state's license plate. Don't worry--I'm from Utah and had never been to Arches National Park. Special thanks to Jon & Tallia for inviting us on their road trip. It was a great weekend escape from school and snow. We stayed at Desert Hills Bed & Breakfast, a great experience in itself. We spent one night in its 'entertainment room' where we selected a movie from their vast VHS library. The '94 box office hit: Speed. (Oooh, Keanu.)

FOURTH OF FOURTH IN THE FOURTH

I was tagged.

This is my first response to a tag. I know it took me a while, but thank you Katy.

Assignment: to post the 4th photo in of my 4th album.
Problem: I don't really have organized albums. At least not lately.
I kind of did pre-mish. So I'll show you a few that could qualify:

Fourth Foto From the album of the Fourth month in my only Foto archives (2005).
Because it was April, it was moving-out time from the Annex.
I took pictures of my roommates during our last night together--talking on the kitchen floor.
This is Elisa Thelys Bushman and I love her very much.

This is the Fourth Foto From the Fourth album in those same 2005 archives.
Who knew? Another fabulous roommate:
Abby Annette Lyman. I love her lots too. And the face she's making.

This is the Fourth Foto From the Folder of most-recently uploaded pictures.
This was from early December 2008.
Ben took this picture himself.
One day I came home to find Ben had spent some time
that afternoon searching local greenhouses for Paperwhites.
I didn't learn until then that this was a Knudsen Christmas tradition...

I love tag.

"You're it!" to the Following Four:
CALVIN, KATIE ANN, DEVIN ANN & MEREDITH AMELIA.

JUST PICTURE IT

Yesterday I saw a guy in semi-best dress, cleaning windows while holding a book. I walked by again & saw he was actually reading it while wiping the windows.

Today I ventured outside of the HFAC to the bookstore for the first time in a WHILE:
On the third floor, I dropped $85.39 on a power cord.
Then I remembered I was craving chocolate and, at the candy counter on the second floor, I spent $0.98 on a quarter pound of chocolate-covered cinnamon bears. (I like them thanks to Jenna.)
Then I saw an ad for 20% off on Sarasa pens. It's been a long time since I owned a Sarasa. I went downstairs and got it. They weren't even that much cheaper, but I was on a splurge roll.

*OH, here's a kicker: I used my debit cards on all those 3 separate purchases in the same store. The last girl at the register asked for my ID. ! ? What? I was surprised, and a titch annoyed. It's BYU. If anything, I should have been ID'd for the $80 purchase. What do you think?

And I no, I don't have any cool photos to go with this, but I really wished I'd had my camera to take a picture of that multi-tasking window wiper. Picture that in your head.

A POST ABOUT MY BROTHER

(ok, i know it's still a photo of me, but keep reading:)
This photo was taken in the country side of a certain land.
A land where my brother Calvin will soon live.
He opened his mission call in recent hours, and it was far from what anyone thought.
It will blow your minds. But I'll let him tell you.

CLICK HERE!

ONE OF THE COOLEST (OR HOTTEST) THINGS ABOUT OUR APARTMENT

The water heater behind our bathtub/shower faucet is AMAZING. We have to turn on the water and wait for it to get cool enough for us to get in instead of waiting for it to turn from cool to hot.

I like it a lot.

KIND OF LIKE SIM-ANT, EXCEPT REAL

Ok--back when we first moved in, I started to notice some ants in the bathroom. Then they made their way to the kitchen, where they invaded the mesh metal garbage can. I was solving the problem by attacking them with housecleaner spray. (A little trick I learned from the DR that kills ants much faster than the special ant-killer spray.) We changed the kitchen garbage to a solid plastic pail, and it eventually got cold, and the ants disappeared.

THEN,

right about Christmas time, (yeah, it was still winter, who knew?) I noticed some in the bathroom again. I was fine spraying them but they slowly became more frequent and found their way to the kitchen where they munched on the crumbs falling from our food prep. Sometimes they'd roam the bedroom floor. I was kind of ok with all of this, seeing as I'd lived with them on the kitchen counter for 18 months...

But when the Provo ants found the Provo kitchen counter that was it. I was sick of ants, and sick of feeling like every black little speck everywhere else was an ant. So I found these trusty things, and it took care of the problem in just days.




I won't lie, I still see about one straggler a day, but it's much better then a billion a day.

Thank you, Raid.

MY RESOLVE THIS NEW YEAR

I became aware of a certain stereotype of blogs after my mission: the new wife brags about her husband, maybe a baby & about their wonderful life. I did not want to become that blogger.

Mostly because it might have something to do with my instinct of 'over-honesty'. The same instinct that leads to my real answers when someone says "How are you?". This question is asked everyday in greeting. But how many people are really wondering how the other is? Oftentimes the greeting is sludged into one: HiHowAreYa? But sometimes, they don't even expect an answer. For some reason, it is hard for me to answer with the typical "GoodHowAreYou?" reply. When people ask how I am, I want to tell them. But every now and then, as I unravel how I'm really feeling, I also get the feeling it's way more than they expected when they first asked the question. So... naturally, I thought my blog might just really tell you how I am. The good, the bad and the ugly.


{Here's the ugly: I've had a cold for over a week now and my nose is CHAPPED.}


And I thought I'd tell it like it is: I'm not happy all the time. I get offended and I offend others. Sometimes I don't do what I know to be right. My life isn't perfect. My marriage isn't perfect. Even Provo is not perfect.

But that was back when I didn't understand.

It was after reading a NY Times article on Stephanie Nielsen that I understood. (Read the last paragraphs.)
Of course. No one's life is perfect. No one's marriage is perfect. We are all human & we're all on different levels, different courses and paths. So I have a new respect for those blogs I mentioned before - the new wives bragging. They are focusing on the beauty. And this new online show-off realm of blogging has become an outlet for the positive. Maybe it can really motivate the positives in our life. It can motivate hope.

And HOPE is a commandment.

So here's hoping for a more good, less bad & ugly life. This blog, and several other good habits (2009 goals), will be the means.

As my mother said, "2008 was sure great, but 2009 will be divine!"

TWO THOUSAND NINE SHALL BE DIVINE

Mom texted me: "2008 sure was great, but 2009 shall be divine!"

Ben got me a Present & Correct calendar for Christmas.

Ben & I get 9am church now.

TODAY

YES - THEY ARE REAL CALA LILIES. YES - BEN PICKED OUT THIS VASE AT IKEA.

in reverse chronological order:

1. Couldn't stay awake for all of Star Wars: A New Hope. (Which is too bad - I've been excited a while to see it again...)
   
2. Alma 44 at my family's house.
   
3. Ben's pork, broccoli, potato dinner w/ a blended lemonade & strawberry beverage.
   
4. Carmen coming to "job-shadow" for her Computer Tech class as I design Elise's announcement. (She also played Bananagrams with me & ate TWO meals here!)
   
5. Enjoyable 30-minute phone call with Mom.
6. My '62-'66 Beatles vinyl album playing on the turntable.
7. Fishstick/salad lunch.
8. Killing a spider and about a billion ants. In my little house.
9. Catching up on blogs - back to about August. My favorite catch-up: Lindsay's!
10. Sleeping in til 10:30
11. "You look beautiful," said Ben when I sat up from sleep to help look for the car keys.

(i could tell he wasn't just saying it...)

I HAVE A BAD HABIT

I always bite extra skin off my lips... which means the skin never has a chance to really grow easily & so there's always an extra piece I have to bite off. I tried once in November to stop. I think I'll try again for the new year...

SOMETHING NICE ABOUT BEN

As mentioned here, I haven't really posted much about my other half. And apparently when I have, the posts aren't nice things about Ben. This is a shame and UNintentional, because of course there are infinite nice things about Ben. Why do you think I've never had any other man? ;) Here is a prime example:

We both had long work-days today, and after picking me up at 5, we went straight to give the Mazda some new tires. While we waited we talked of our hunger & what we should have for dinner... (These work/break days have been full of eating out, eating fast, or eating at the Juárez home. It's been a while since we had a home-cooked meal in our apartment.) So we rolled into our little carport at 6, still undecided about dinner. I was tempted just to pour a bowl of cereal, but at the same time I wanted real food.

In a wishful thought-out-loud, I almost moaned on my way to the fridge, "I want... black bean soup."

I wasn't thinking of any certain recipe. I don't know if I've even ever had a black bean soup. But I like black beans and soup sounded yummy, and I said it all at once...

Before I knew it, Ben had it all out on the counter: cans of black beans, cauliflower, zucchini, red bell pepper, garlic, onion, and oil & water simmering in the pot. He boiled some chicken, and added the shredded pieces. I just cut the veggies and set the table while he did the magic seasoning. Not from any cook book. Not from any recipe. He just knew what to do. Right then and there on the spot.

Of course he didn't stop there, he warmed fancy bread in the oven & whipped (or blended) up a fresh smoothie with banana, strawberry & orange.

And that's what's nice about Ben.

OK, so it's not a Martha food photo, but at least you get the idea
of why we were so happy to eat healthy. . . all thanks to Mr. Nice Ben.

Ooh, and even more from Ben:
He took a better photo--just for this post.

ON DECEMBER 7, 2008...

...IT WAS OUR TURN TO HOST KNUDSEN DINNER.
BEN DECIDED TO HAVE "SOUP FEST 2008".
THESE WERE TAKEN WITH KOREAN KNUDSENS IN MIND.

ASHLEY SAID, "MAKE A SILLY FACE FOR DAD!"

EVERYONE TRIED TO BE HAND MODELS.

SEE JACOB'S SHOE

BEN TOOK A CAMERA TO THE DETAILS OF OUR APARMENT

AT THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER...

LITTLE PALATE-CLEANSER BOTTLES ON THE LEDGE
THE LAPTOP - ALL TOO MUCH A PART OF OUR DAY

I LOOKED AROUND THE HOUSE, BUT COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS WAS...


LINOLEUM-CUT PRINT FOR A LETTERPRESS BROADSIDE FROM '06

BEHIND THE COUCH, IN THE CORNER, IS A BANANA TREE


BEN LOVES HIS TURNTABLE & I DO TOO


FRONT DOOR HINGES... HOW MANY TIMES PAINTED?

FRONT DOOR PEEP HOLE!

PAPERWHITES FROM ABOVE - JUST BEFORE THE FIRST ONE BLOOMED
LAMP MAN FROM ABOVE
LAMP MAN FROM BELOW
BABY BEN ALARM CLOCK
CLOCK FRIENDS
CHIME CLOCK FROM KNUDSEN HOME