I bought this book on a complete whim in an airport bookshop. Did I need it? No. I already had 2 books and a few magazines in my bag. Was I inexplicably drawn to it? Yes. Probably something to do with the colored drawing of the brain on the cover, so like all of the images I have studied and emblematic of all of those theories I have learned over the past 5 years. Is the book fascinating? Well, I can't really tell you. Why? Please, allow me to explain.

The book was written by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D; she is a top neuroscientist specializing in schizophrenia research and she suffered from a stroke. Because of her training, she was able to understand, analyze and interpret what was happening to her brain as it shut down system by system. It has taken her many years to fully recover and be able to elucidate and share her stroke experience, but her expertise, combined with the rare type of stroke she suffered have afforded neuroscientists an unprecedented look into the mind of a stroke victim as they are experiencing the stroke. My Stroke of Insight is her story, a powerful combination of scientific knowledge, personal experience, and her struggle to recover.

Apparently this book is one of the very most fascinating items to see the person sitting next to you pull out of their bag. Particularly while on an airplane. Note to my fellow airplane passengers out there: I have a book out because I want to read it, not because I want to explain the premise and complicated science behind it. Additional note to my fellow airplane passengers: if I have a book out and open, and my ipod out, and my headphones in my ears, I really don't want to talk to you. I just want to read my book. Maybe if you let me read my book, then I will be more inclined to explain it to the next person who asks about it.

So, so far I am only 3 chapters into the book, just reaching the morning of Jill's stroke, and I can't tell you a whole lot about it yet. But the first 3 chapters have been great: a layman's introduction to the brain and it's functioning as we currently understand it that frankly everyone should read, learn, and know. What more practical knowledge is there in the world than how your brain works, interacts, and forms the thoughts and feelings that make you, you? Alrighty, I'll get off of my neuroscience soapbox now, but seriously, I recommend reading this book-I think it'll be a goodie. And once you are done with it, please let me know how it ends, 'cause I probably won't be through it yet due to interruptions.

Happy Summer Reading!

Craft night

Tonight, in addition to being BINGO night, is also craft night. For our craft we are making homemade oreos. As you may recall, I am slightly obsessed with the Il Posto version, so I am super optimistic about our efforts this evening. It would be so exciting if they turned out well! And incredibly exciting if they were done before I have to leave for BINGO and was able to sneak them into the Palace. Sounds like the best snack I could think of for daubing. Well, I will probably still need a Sprite-BINGO just wouldn't be BINGO if I didn't have a Sprite, right T?

A little bit of time and work can go a long way

If you take this

and work it and baby it and thin it out and have friends hold it so it doesn't get sticky or clumpy or fold

and feed it through these teeth

you end up with this!

A Checklist of the Evening:
pasta made from scratch, check

pasta sauce made from scratch, check

parmesan butter, check

maximo's salad with parm curls, check

farmer's market fresh peaches, check

angel food cake {not homemade after the Tahoe cake incident}, check

whipped cream made from scratch, check

table cloth on the table, check

riveting episode of SYTYCD, check

well behaved puppy, 3/4 check

{She was really quite good: charming, well-behaved, polite, until the whipped cream came out. And who can really blame her for wanting some of that deliciousness?}

Happy Pioneer Day!

I am always so impressed and awestruck when I ponder the struggles and sacrifices of the pioneers.

Pour ma meilleure amie

Bon anniversaire

nos voeux les plus sincères

que ces quelques fleurs

vous apportent le bonheur

que l'année entière

vous soit douce et légère

et que l'an fini

nous soyons tous réunis

pour chanter en choeur

BON ANNIVERAIRE!!!!!

Last night was momentous in the Bingo world

My partner in crime T almost had a regular bingo and was getting very excited. And they really did almost call the 71. Instead they called some other number and the lady behind us BLEW A WHISTLE {instead of yelling BINGO!}. It was crazy. Usually people yell win then win, some people pound on the table to let everybody know, but the whistle lady took it to a new level. And she didn't just purse her lips and whistle, she full-on pulled a whistle out of her shirt and blew into it. Serious whistling.

Then, during the crazy double bingo/wildcard round {which apparently we still don't understand/know when it's coming-bingo is way more complicated than you probably think it is...it is really a life-long skill, like golf or bridge} I was 2 numbers away from the DOUBLE BINGO! And then T nudges me and shows me that he is one away. I recheck all of my cards and discover that I too am one number away from the DOUBLE BINGO!

Now, winning the double bingo is almost the pinnacle of winning in BINGO. The blackout round is definitely THE pinnacle, but the double bingo is right behind. Some of you may recall when T got a bingo, called it out, and was promptly shut down by the entire non-smoking room because he didn't have the double bingo required {by this time we had been going to bingo for several weeks-just goes to show how complicated the game is. and how there are absolutely no instructions given and they just correct you when you mess up. which for us is a lot} Like I said, double bingo is serious. Then I look over T's card more carefully, checking to make sure he had correctly daubbed all of the numbers and not gotten overzealous {obviously an effort to save him from his embarrassing false bingo experience, never to be ultracompetitive and win before him. obviously} Then I recheck mine. Hmmmm. Then I check his again. Interesting. WE BOTH NEED A 24 TO WIN DOUBLE BINGO. Now this is super crazy. I tell T and we agree that we are definitely going to win. And once we both win the double bingo we will never be coming back to our current bingo hall and will need to find a new one because we will probably be chased out of the place!

Here comes the next ball {please I24, please I24, please I24} hmmmm O67. Okay, not the number we wanted but that's fine. Then, we hear it. The dreaded ripping. Somehow, everyone in the bingo hall {besides us} has this crazy sixth sense of when someone has bingo'ed and they start ripping the papers off. BEFORE THE BINGO HAS BEEN CALLED. And it's not like they are sitting next to the winner and talking: 1, there is no talking in the bingo hall and 2, sometimes the winner is in the smoking room, which is completely removed from our non-smoking room. T and I are completely befuddled by this sense, awareness, knowledge...whatever you want to call it, it's crazy and we don't understand. So we hear the dreaded rip and our high hopes sink. And then the current ball is moved and the next ball is put up, B24!!!! But alas, someone had bingo'ed with the previous O67 {it's a complicated bingo rule but you can only claim your bingo once the next ball has been pulled. I personally don't understand at all, but T can explain to you. along the way he'll probably point out that there are a lot of aspects of bingo I don't understand. this is totally and completely true. it's extremely complicated} So we didn't win the double bingo, which would have been terribly exciting.
BUT, there was still another exciting bingo moment. So, in case you were wondering, T and I don't really fit the profile of the average bingo player at our bingo hall. And by average, I mean we are completely and obviously not like anyone else there, in age, appearance, concentration level, giggling level, focus, etc. Now, people at bingo don't talk. I mean, hardly ever besides to call out "BINGO" or "Last Blackout" have I heard a person in the non-smoking room speak. On the rare occasion where speaking does happen, it certainly doesn't involve us. {that said, we whisper and giggle a lot to one another and any guests we may have with us. but the other bingo players odn't talk to us. EVER. except that one time when T thought he had a bingo, called it out, and then EVERYBODY talked to us to inform him he needed 2 bingos. besides that, nobody has ever spoken to us} Then, last night after our bitter defeat at the double bingo T was such a gentleman and very chivalrously went in search of a sprite for me. While he was gone the woman at the table next to me leaned over and spoke to me! And then, the lady at the table next to her leaned over and also started chatting. It was practically our whole row chatting! And then I think they saw T returning because they stopped chatting with me and didn't say anything else the rest of the night but it didn't matter to me because we have so been accepted! {well, I for sure have. I think they are still on the fence about my false-bingoing friend...}

I have a project

i am starting out with this {except mine is not red} ...

...and hoping to end up with this {except with veggies instead or flowers. or maybe in addition to flowers, that detail is still tbd}.

welcome to the bathtub garden adventure project. it's commencing this weekend, and if you are lucky enough to live near us, and we are lucky enough to actually have produce grow, expect a produce delivery in about 2 months. hopefully :)

{loans of green thumbs to the project are greatly appreciated!}

Someone's special weekend...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!!!

You are the classiest, most divinely lovely and wise person I know. You are everything I think of as good: kind, gracious, elegant, composed, fun, funny, thoughtful, talented, driven, loving, adventurous and so smart. I strive to be more like you ever day and can only hope to be just like you when I grow up. And did I mention you are beautiful? Because you are, stunningly so.This weekend we are all gathering together to celebrate Y-O-U and how much you mean to us. I am so excited to see everyone and enjoy Tahoe, but mostly I am excited to see you and spend time basking in your glow.

And I can't wait to go white water rafting with you. Hopefully our ride will be like this...

...not like this!

You are the only Grandma I know who would go white water rafting with her grandchildren, like I said, you are the best ever!

I love you more than words.

The nugget is growing up

This morning, Miss Tulip went away to summer camp. Sleepaway summer camp. She was THRILLED and nearly wiggled and jiggled out of her skin she was so excited. I, on the other hand, felt a little nauseated at the thought of leaving her for 5 whole nights. But I know she'll have fun. She loooooves Miss Angela and other dogs, I know she will romp away her days and dream of her purple place all night-just like summer camp is supposed to be. Packing her up last night reminded me of all the times I/my mama packed me for summer camp. I loved summer camp and thought they were the absolute best way to spend the summer. Here are some photos from one of the summer camps I went to over the years, Camp Akita.

These are the cabins you stay in, bunked up 3 to a column, 20 in each side. Note the swimsuits and towels drying on the railings-wet items are no good at camp, yet they always happen!

This is the lake where 95% of time is spent. We played a game with the high board: when your feet leave the board the lifeguard asks you a question, you have to answer by the time you hit the water. Very fun and endlessly amusing!

Craft time is always a fave :)

The high adventure complex-ropes course, climbing walls, ziplines. Basically, amazingness suspended 50 ft from the ground!

And on one very special night, the counselors set up the giant slip-n-slide which ends in a mud pit. So basically its muddy slip-n-slide, which quickly turns into mud wars while sliding down a giant sheet of plastic. As you can imagine, totally awesome!!!

A little girl's prayer

Two weeks ago a family moved into our branch and brought with them a little girl. She is super cute and has increased my class size by a third. She likes to twirl and wiggle and giggle as most 3 year olds do and seems to thoroughly enjoy my wiggle and giggle heavy primary class, which I love ;) Then, at the end of class, she volunteered to say the closing prayer. I offered to help her {we do a lot of helping in my class: prayers, scriptures, songs}, at which point she gave me as haughty a look as a 3 year old can give and informed me that she can say prayers on her own. At which point, she folded her arms, bowed her little sweet head, and bulleted into a 30 second prayer that cannot be summed up in words and was a crazy fast list of what she is thankful for: "thank you for my mommy, thank you for my daddy, thank you for the church, thank you for my house, thank you for the birds, thank you for the trees, thank you for my teacher, thank you for my teacher being pretty, thank you for the..." I love a child who thanks her Heavenly Father for all of those things, who found me worthy of inclusion to her list, and who even added a shout-out that I am pretty. Such simple, loving, generous gratitude.

She is a wonderful addition to my dynamic duo and now we have a terrific trio of a primary! My primary children are so sweet and kind and unique and teach me so much about myself and life every week; it's amazing how much wisdom and knowledge those little buggers have!

Sometimes things aren't what you expect

Last week I went home and it was different. Perhaps the best way to sum it up is this: on my first night back I told my dad I was going to the store {kroger, obviously}, got gigi out of the garage, put the top and windows down and was off. Wind blowing, music blaring, crisp air with that specific 40326 scent {trust me, there is a special, more awesome than anywhere else in the world scent to the air there} surrounding me and...

ROAD CLOSED?

What?!!? That road isn't closed, it can't be closed. That's how you get to the store, obviously they can't close that road. And had they closed the road, surely there would have been some warning before it was the narrow road, a Road Closed sign, and gigi and I staring said sign down. Unfortunately, this was one staring contest {or game of chicken, interpret as you like} gigi and I lost, so I turned around and went tootling back the way from whence I came. And then a thought crossed my mind: wait, how AM I going to get to kroger now? As I called my dad for directions {yes, in 43026, I, JAR, had to call and ask for directions. to kroger. so embarrassing!} the path I would need to take would become clear {good thing Gabi drove me on it on the way home from the airport or I would have been completely befuddled!}. Daddio and I laughed about my misdirection and then I undertook the 4 roundabout road. That's right, you read that correctly: this road, in the middle of 43026 has 4 roundabouts in it. In a row. Anyways, I eventually made it to kroger and then on the way home, something magical happened...

I was driving home at exactly that special moment of the fireflies, when day turns to night and they take over the fields of soybeans and corn and transform them into mystical spaces full of teeny tiny individual "glows." Takes my breath away every time.

Some things change, but some things, like the scent of the breeze and the glow of the fireflies stay the same