Thoughts for Today...

This past weekend I revisited the San Diego temple. The last time I was there was about 14 years ago when my family and I went for the open house. While I'm sure the special place I keep for this particular temple is partly due to the fact that it is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen, it was more that this was the place I first asked myself some serious questions.
I can remember holding Mary's hand and walking through a mass of protestors as they carried signs and carried on about those crazy mormons... I didn't really understand what they were so mad about. I still don't. But I can recall asking myself what I was a part of, and if it was really important. And then I walked into the temple. I decided that day that temples were a good thing.
I would have loved to have been married in the San Diego temple. But alas, due to locale and family, it was not to be. The Fresno temple is a beautiful temple and holds many tender memories for me. I was happy to be married in any temple. But when I went back to San Diego this past week, I had a flood of feelings and memories and decided to just sit there with my camera and bask in it.
I've heard people criticize the church for the elaborateness of the San Diego temple, but I think it is everything that it ought to be. It is fine and unique and a thing to behold. It is a beautiful tribute.

Almost 1 Already!!

I was thinking about my cute nephew today and I can't believe how big he's gotten. He can stand now, is starting to take a few steps, and says "da" for dog. How time flies...
(Insert lyrics to "Sunrise, Sunset" here.)

I Miss You Guys...

It's not a trip to Disneyland unless someone puts on a hat and glasses and takes sexy pictures.

Leanne and Me at Ghiradelli--before her serenade of "Return to Sender"--complete with hand gestures describing the lyrics.

In true Webster fashion--The park closes at 12am. It's 11:54pm. We're in line for one last ride on Thunder Mountain Railroad. Nevermind that Leanne and Mary are already half asleep.

One of my Favorites. :)

Did anybody ever get copies of these??

Feels like it's been forever since I've seen you...I love you all!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday to my favorite boy. He’s 25 on the 25th today!! That is a once in a lifetime.

Awkward...

So yesterday I am sitting at my desk, minding my own business, when a business associate comes in. He is relatively new to the company, and I don't know him every well. Despite these two things, he always seems to talk to me as though we have grown up the best of friends. Usually when he comes in the door he stops at the front of my desk, gives me this huge grin and says, "Heeeeeeeey, Amandaaaaaa! How are yooooooou?"
He could have seen me the day before. Hours before. Minutes. It doesn't matter. He greets me as though it has been ages.
So yesterday, he comes in, we do the mandatory "It's so nice to see you" greeting, and he goes into a meeting. After the meeting he comes out and to the front of my desk again to say goodbye. Only this time---he changes it up. It's not just the creepy grin and the "have a fabulous day." This time he holds out his left hand. I was so flustered, and the fact that he held out his hand with the palm facing down, I was completely confused as to what I should do to reciprocate. Without thinking, I grabbed his left hand with my left hand.
So there we were. Me reaching over my computer. Basically holding this guy's hand. We looked at each other for a moment, no words, spoken, before I quickly let go and began typing furiously on my keyboard. He mumbled an "I guess I'll see ya later..." and I nodded my head so quickly I'm sure it looked as though I was convulsing and squeaked a pathetic "okay."
Why do things like this always happen to me?!
This is just one of the many reasons why I do not like touching strangers!!

It's That Time Again...

See how happy these two are to move? What's wrong with them?

I don't know that I will ever be happy to move. Moving in to a new house--yes. But the actual moving process--no. And I would probably never wear the huge glasses that woman is wearing, either. But that’s beside the point.
I am so excited to get to Portland, but SO not excited to pack. And really not all that excited about having to live out of a suitcase at my mother-in-law’s for the next 3 or 4 weeks either. But that is beside the point as well…
We have to be out of our house the first weekend in May, so Saturday I thought I was really going to buckle down and get serious about packing. I got as far as taping the bottom of two boxes before I decided it was a much better idea to go eat Easter candy and watch a movie. I haaaate packiiing!!
This really just confirms the genius behind my investment plan. I’ve always said it would be a much better idea to invest in a really decked out RV (maybe even a bus) and a nice boat. That way, we can travel, and we never have to worry about packing when we move! I am still having a hard time convincing McKay, but I think this idea has serious merit.
On a brighter note, we found a very cute apartment in Beaverton (just outside of Portland). It has a fireplace! And a full size washer and dryer! Yeehaw! I know I will be very happy when we get there and all the boxes are unpacked and the world is right again. I’ll just have to keep my eye on the prize over these next few weeks.
Whose idea was it to move 6 times in 3 years anyway? Sadly, I’m pretty sure it was always mine…

Fun Facts About Chuck Norris

This really made me laugh, and I wanted to share. Enjoy!


• When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
• Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.
• There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.
• Outer space exists because it's afraid to be on the same planet with Chuck Norris.
• Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
• Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.
• Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.
• Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.
• There is no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard. There is only another fist.
• When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down.
• Chuck Norris doesn’t wear a watch, HE decides what time it is.
• Chuck Norris does not get frostbite. Chuck Norris bites frost
• Contrary to popular belief, America is not a democracy, it is a Chucktatorship.
• Chuck Norris drives an ice cream truck covered in human skulls.
• When Chuck Norris sends in his taxes, he sends blank forms and includes only a picture of himself, crouched and ready to attack. Chuck Norris has not had to pay taxes, ever.
• Chuck Norris invented Kentucky Fried Chicken's famous secret recipe, with eleven herbs and spices. But nobody ever mentions the twelfth ingredient: Fear.
• A Handicapped parking sign does not signify that this spot is for handicapped people. It is actually in fact a warning, that the spot belongs to Chuck Norris and that you will be handicapped if you park there.
• If you spell Chuck Norris in Scrabble, you win. Forever.
• Fool me once, shame on you. Fool Chuck Norris once and he will roundhouse you in the face.
• Chuck Norris has two speeds: Walk and Kill.
• Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris.
• Chuck Norris doesn't shower, he only takes blood baths.
• In an average living room there are 1,242 objects Chuck Norris could use to kill you, including the room itself.

Happy Easter!

Children's Books You'll Never See

• You Are Different and That's Bad
• Pop! Goes The Hamster....And Other Great Microwave Games
• The Boy Who Died from Eating All His Vegetables
• Start a Real-Estate Empire With the Change From Your Mom's Purse
• Things Rich Kids Have, But You Never Will
• How to Become The Dominant Military Power In Your Elementary School
• Controlling the Playground: Respect through Fear
• Strangers Have the Best Candy
• The Little Sissy Who Snitched
• Some Kittens Can Fly!
• The Attention Deficit Disorder Association's Book of Wild Animals of North Amer- Hey! Let's Go Ride Our Bikes!
• The Kids' Guide to Hitchhiking
• The Magic World Inside the Abandoned Refrigerator
• Whining, Kicking and Crying to Get Your Way
• Places Where Mommy and Daddy Hide Neat Things
• Eggs, Toilet Paper and Your School
• Daddy Drinks Because You Cry

What European City Do You Belong In?

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions. You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

What European City Do You Belong In?

Complex Complexities

Why is it that no matter where we go, McKay and I always find the noisiest apartment neighbors known to man. Perhaps there is some sort of noise level requirement for apartments that I am unaware of. Maybe a coded section of the lease agreement…I don’t know.
Whether it’s the chain smoker, the dysfunctional couple, the late night electric guitarist, the drama queen who brings her boyfriend/roommate/parent/sibling/friend out onto the front porch to let the drama flow for all to hear--whatever it is, we’ve met them all.
The other night I was working on a paper while McKay was in bed. Out of nowhere our neighbors started fighting and cursing SO loudly, I could hear them as if we were in the same room. Apparently McKay could as well, because we met up in the hallway, the same perplexed expression on both our faces. How do we always seem to find these people? Is it just us, or does everyone have this experience?
While I do appreciate the bonuses of living in an apartment (maintenance man on hand, less space to clean, yard maintenance etc.) there are definite moments where oh how I dream of a real house.
To nap without hearing the children at the jungle gym below. To have a backyard Sammy can run and play in. To open my windows without being assaulted by the fumes of cigarette smoke. To be a safe distance from neighbors when their dysfunction rears its ugly head…it's a lovely dream.

Favorites...

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Save the Dang Rainforest!

This morning I was listening to news radio where a man was being interviewed because he was fighting against having solar powered windmills put in down the road from his home in Montana or somewhere. He said that the windmills would block his view of the mountains. Well, heaven forbid. Never mind that the planet is dying and that there are a select few who reside on this planet who are trying to slow that painful death. I watched a TV show this weekend where this Australian guy traveled half way across the country on a motorcycle that was powered entirely by natural gas. It was actually quite genius. It was a concoction of all natural resources and it worked like a charm. He was even able to run a Hummer Limousine on all natural resources and I wondered—why have I never even heard of this before?? And why is this program running on a Saturday evening on a station that only people like me who don't have cable watch because they don't have any other stations?? Why is it not on prime time informing thousands, millions, of the possibility of the alternatives to fossil fuels??
Then there was the fruitless search for recycle bins I tried to acquire for the office I work in. We go through so much paper every single day, and most of it winds up in the dumpster, along with several other recyclable materials that are justified as trash due to the fact that there are no bins in our office. So I called the county, who told me to call the city, who told me to call an independent recycling company, who told me to call another independent recycling company, who told me I’d have to pay $40 a month to just have them pick the stuff up. After informing my supervisor of this, it was decided that $40 a month is too large of a price to pay. And so…nothing has changed.
And then there’s Michael the gorilla. I watched a PBS special last night about Michael the gorilla who was taken from his native home to a zoo when he was very young because his parents had been killed by poachers. Eventually Michael was adopted by the same people who cared for KoKo, and he learned how to communicate through painting and sign language as KoKo did. During this special last night, one of Michael’s caregivers asked him, in sign language, what happened to his mother. And he described, IN DETAIL, her gruesome death and his captivity. It was the most amazing and saddening thing I had ever seen. And it made me wonder---what is the matter with people?? Why do we hurt each other and animals and the environment? Why are we so dang selfish?
I always wonder why the stewardship that man has over the earth and its inhabitants is taken so lightly by some. By many! Such a sacred blessing that people take for granted. I’m not saying I am perfect, but how I wish we all would try harder.
I get a lot of crap for encouraging people to write to their senators about oil drilling in the Artic Refuge and signing petitions against high intensity sonar testing in the world’s oceans. Perhaps it sounds fanatical to some. But I’ll risk becoming a bit fanatical. At least I can go to my grave with a clearer conscience. And I will not feel any shame in inviting Michael the gorilla to my dinner in heaven.

Check out our Trip to Seattle!!

We had SUCH a good time bumming around, listening to crazy street musicians, checking out the scenery, dodging flying fish at the fish market, paying way to much $ to go to the top of the Space Needle... And I had the best crepe I've ever had in my life. Crepes make life worth living.
So come visit me when I move and we'll got to Seattle, okay everyone?

Valentine's Day Surprise

McKay is the best Valentine ever.

Today he sent me the Golden Note Quartet (4 adorable elderly gentlemen dressed in tuxedos and red vests) to sing "I Love You Truly" and deliver a flower.

First: I love sweet, old guys
Second: McKay really thought this one out and planned way in advance
Third: Who doesn't want to be sung to by sweet, old guys?

I know it's cheesey and sickening, but I just feel SO special today. And I really love my husband. Not just because he sent me cute old men--but because he makes me so happy every day.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE!!

I Heart Mark Ruffalo

I admire, from afar, in a very platonic way, Mark Ruffalo and all the cute little movies he's in. I love this movie. So cute! And SO funny! I really liked it, and yesterday I bought it at Target because it was on sale. This lady tried to run me down with her shopping cart so she could get one of the last 2 copies (hello? What is wrong with people?) but I got my copy.
I find it very refreshing to see a very real male character in movies...to admire, like I said, completely platonically. :)
I get so bored with the ego-maniac "save the day", muscles and brawny-type that are all over the movie screen these days. Perhaps Hollywood is somewhat beginning to understand that not all girls want a greased up gun-toting, muscle car driving womanizer. Some of us are more apt to look toward the slightly nerdy, somewhat flawed, eccentric and shy, witty and pensive type.
So here's to Mark Ruffalo, the lead singer of Weezer, the guy who played Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, and all those other guys who don't fit the "hunk" mold, but who I would deem totally hunky.

Leeeeaaavin' on a Jet Plaaaane

Actually, a U-Haul.

WE'RE MOVING!! I'm excited and happy and scared and sad and sleepy and stressed and curious and ready to start the next chapter of our little life.

McKay and I will be moving to Portland, Oregon hopefully by the end of March and we are SO excited. He was accepted to the Art Institute of Portland to study to become a visual effects and motion graphics artist. Translation: a special effects guy. I was driving to work today thinking about being married to a special effects guy. Totally cool? Yes, I think so!

I am thinking that Oregon will be a really good place for us. Whenever we tell people we're moving to Oregon they tell us we look like we'd live there. What does that mean? I dont know, but I am taking it as a compliment.
We told a guy in our ward we were moving to Portland and he said, "Ugh, they're weird over there. They're crazy about recycling and no guns, totally liberal..." then, looking at me said, "Actually, you'll love it there."
HA!
We're leaving at the end of the month to find a place to live and go to a few job interviews. I'm excited, you guys. Think of all of the interesting things I'll have to blog about!!

Radomness

Today is a boring day for me, and I am thinking of all of the things that I wish I were doing instead of sitting here at work. So...I thought I would make a list of things I am thinking about. Random things. An outlet for me, and a treat for anyone who has ever wanted to delve into my psyche...

1. I am 5'4" and weigh about as much as the average 8th grader.
2. Actually, I have not grown much at all since the 8th grade.
3. I hated the 8th grade.
4. At age 14 I wrote in one of my journals that someday I would marry McKay Marshall.
5. I married McKay Marshall.
6. Yesterday I downloaded the theme song to Jem (it's truly outrageous)
7. Reading is one of the only ways I can make myself relax.
8. My iPod saves me on a regular basis from having to participate in meaningless office small talk.
9. I am a Seinfeld addict.
10.One time when Laura and I lived in Hawaii we were walking to the bus stop and some guy leaned out of his car and yelled "you're ugly!!"
11. Laura and I are still recovering from being told we were ugly.
12. Laura is hot.
13. Robin Hood is the best Disney movie ever made. Well, one of them at least.
14. More people should have voted for Ralph Nader. He has good ideas, you guys...
15. Someday I would really like to go to Italy with my sisters. We would totally have a blast.
16. Once I went out with a guy who got a face rash from eating too many mangos. ONCE.
17. When I die I am looking forward to talking to Jane Austen. Maybe we will be good friends.
18. I feel that daylight savings is more trouble than it's worth.
19. I believe that it is a person's socks, not their eyes,that are a window to their soul. The socks tell all.
20. I am very hungry right now....

Harold and Catherine...

These two stunningly beautiful people are my grandparents. I have been thinking about them a lot lately. This was the picture that was taken on their wedding day. Shortly thereafter, my grandfather went off to fight in World War II. What a beginning.

It will be 4 years this February since my grandfather died, and a few more than that since my grandmother developed Alzheimers. Although time has passed and many, many things have changed, my life continues to be impacted by them both.
My grandfather stood almost 2 feet taller than my grandmother, but they were the perfect match. She was dainty and cute, he was charming and handsome. They loved each other. I mean, really loved each other. I remember as a little girl watching them and thinking, "I want to be in love like that when I'm old."
They went everywhere together. They always held hands. He bought her teddy bears and wrote her sweet little cards for no reason at all.
My grandmother played the piano beautifully. Self taught, playing entirely by ear. She would only play when she thought no one was listening because she was very shy, but my grandfather would sneak into the living room and sit quietly to listen.
They were devoted. They were solid. They were each other's best friend.

Saturday I went with my mom to their house and found an old shoe box full of pictures and letters from their life together. Sweet pictures of my grandfather with my mom on his knee and their golden lab sitting next to them. 57th Wedding Anniversary cards where my grandfather wrote cute things like, "Let's go another 57, what do ya say?" and stories my grandma wrote about her favorite dress as a little girl and the cold winters in Iowa. They were wonderful people.

My grandmother has been plagued by a disease that has robbed her of so much. It has been heartbreaking to watch her struggle to remember people and memories that were once so precious to her. But even now--when she can't remember the name of the man she was married to for almost 60 years--I know it hasn't left her. I know she still knows how much he loved her. You can see it. You can feel it when you're with her. What they had was unbreakable. It's the most amazing thing.

I look forward to the day that they will meet again. Without illness or death to get in their way. Just the two of them...forever. That will be a great day.

Where have all the Bloggies Gone?!

Okay, I have noticed an alarming trend that has crept upon us all. Yes, I include myself. I have not read anything new from many of my blog friends in quite some time!! We need new material, people! Yes, I know everyone is probably busy with their various activities/jobs/families/whathaveyous, but I have missed you all!! Please come back to Blogland! I'm empty without you!!
I am hereby breaking the chain. Consider it broken.