The _______ Life of Brent and Erika

I'm done with all my finals. Yay! Since we haven't put up any decorations for Christmas except a red tablecloth on the table and we have no plans to, we decided to put a tree up here. Enjoy!

Fifteen page paper for film history: done. Among all the things that I needed to do in December, this one caused me the most headaches, although I have to be honest and say that I've never been more responsible about writing a paper in my life, and certainly in film history. The first paper I ever wrote for film history was about East German Cinema. It was a group paper, and it was supposed to be 5-7 pages long. A week before the paper was due, my group had only decided on a film to watch and a topic to write about. We hadn't watched the film, and we hadn't even started researching. My two group members were in a production class, and every time I wanted to get together they said they had a shoot to go to. Finally, it was the day before the paper was due, and we had done no work. We decided that we would start working on it when their shoot wrapped. They he called me at 11 PM. I went over to a group member's house, only to hear that our other group member wasn't com...

I just spent 2 hours shoveling 6 inches of snow out of the driveway. By the time I finished, another 1/2 an inch had accumulated in the places that I shoveled first. Bring it on, Winter. You'll get it some day.

Please see 2 Nephi 8:3 or Isaiah 51:3 to understand this post's title and my general attitude about my life right now. Thanksgiving was hard this year. I am thankful for so much. We've lived in our house for a year now. We have two nice dogs, two nice jobs, two nice callings, and two great families. We have an abundance of things that we don't really need, but that make life nice. But on Thanksgiving, I didn't really think about those things. It's hard to feel thankful for all the wonderful things you have when the thing you want the most right now consistently eludes you, and that every month it seems the physical and emotional pain of that seems to get worse. When I first went to see the doctor about infertility, she said that I would need a lot of patience and tissue. Most days I'm pretty capable of just accepting that this is the way my life is right now, and though it doesn't necessarily make sense, everything will work out okay for me. It's only wh...

So I've been thinking a bit (I almost said a lot, but when I realize that in a given week I probably think more about what to cook for dinner than I do about our health care system, I revised it) about health care lately. Here are some problems: 1. Our health care system is expensive. People who want to have insurance can't have it (for a variety of reasons), people who don't have insurance have a legal right to be treated anyway (which means that the hospital, and by extension, those who have insurance and/or pay their medical bills without insurance pick up the bill), and people who do have insurance still have to pay a lot. 2. Health care has turned into a partisan issue. I understand why this is (extreme right wants the government to stay out of affairs, extreme left wants the government to do everything), but getting stuck at these two poles is what led to our mostly-by-accident mish-mash of a health care system in the first place, and remaining here won't help any...

I was on the radio last week. Well, we taped it two weeks ago, and it aired last Monday. It's been my dream to be on the radio, and KBYU seems like an okay start! If you want to hear me answer questions I wasn't prepared for about the project that I run, have at it!

A lot of little things have been happening lately that I've thought of blogging about and then thought, "Or...I could do homework. Or...maybe watch Dancing with the Stars." So, instead of feeling intimidated by my blog, I've opted for another bits and pieces post. Bit 1: After the 5k, I had a coworker/classmate ask me if Brent and I wanted to do a Biggest Loser competition with some other couples. We said yes, so now we're competing with each other instead of against each other. I have worked out for five days in a row for the last two weeks, and I feel fantastic. We win $80 if we win, but mostly I just want to feel this good all the time. I do BYUTV's Total Body Workout, and I alternate between yoga and aerobics. I purchased hand weights. That's right. I'm that hard core. Brent has had a harder time establishing an exercise routine, but he'll get it. Bit 2: I love having two dogs. I was skeptical at first, especially when Jojo was being so stubbor...

A milestone: (or, rather, a 3.1 mile-stone) Brent and I did our first 5k last Saturday! Before you get too excited, we walked it. But hey, that's still good, right? Right? We've been feeling flabby, fat, and lazy (yes, that was a Beauty and the Beast reference) lately, and all of our well-intentioned planning hasn't seemed to change anything about that, so one day Brent came home from school and said, "We should do a 5k for Halloween." I laughed, which was apparently the wrong response (this is not the first time I've laughed at Brent for such a thing. This was.) After all, this is US we are talking about. Most of my running is limited to modeling for Brent so he can draw it. Most of Brent's running is limited to said drawing. And yet, it seemed like maybe it would at least be something, and we need all the help we can get. The day before the race, instead of carbo-loading, we went to a Halloween party. It was tons of fun (Stacy, I'm definitely playin...

Watch this please. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmKnQjBf8wM

Chloe has a new hobby: hunting flies. Brent noticed this the other day. Chloe and Jojo were furiously sniffing/running around the living room, and he couldn't figure out why. Since Jojo's not completely potty trained (getting there...), whenever she starts smelling we start saying, "Out! Go Out! Do you need to go out?" (it's practically Pavlovian at this point...speaking of Pavlovian responses, there was about a two month period at my old job where I felt a sudden and urgent need to go to the bathroom every time I approached my locker. Odd.), but neither dog was interested in going out, and they just kept chasing this invisible something all over the house. Then Brent realized: it was a fly. They were chasing a fly. Chloe is now obsessed with chasing flies, and she has no regard for personal space as she does it. Brent has had many an "oof!" moment when Chloe uses his stomach as a springboard for getting the fly. Jojo will snap at flies, but she doesn...

Ahoy mateys! No, we have not taken up piracy--thanks to those Somalians, it's not as glamorous as it seems. No, it isn't International Talk Like a Pirate Day (we missed it again this year!). No, we are not dressing up as pirates for Halloween, and we didn't just buy the Pirates of the Caribbean box set. So, after eliminating all those other options, you guessed it! We found out that Wii Ware has started The Secret of Monkey Island series back up again! It's a fantastic and hilarious computer pirate game that, among other things, has you exchanging witty insults to determine your sword-fighting skills--if you lack the appropriate comeback, you lose. If your comeback is weak, your life goes down. If you're the better mudslinger, you win! It also involves talking with a Voo Doo lady, distracting the deadly piranha poodles, and saving the fair Elaine. Lately, I've been missing the pirate puzzle game quite a bit (coincidentally, doesn't that seem like it should...

Hi! It's Brent! I haven't written here for a while, but thankfully Erika does great at keeping this blog from dying! Work has been stressing me out a lot all year, but I am finally getting my classroom and students under more control now. We did something really fun last week, and the Daily Herald took some video of it. I'm not in the video, but many of my students (past and present) are featured--and yes, the kids trying to strangle each other are mine...

So, typically I avoid discussion of politics because I've found that it often introduces contention into relationships that I really value, and with no real benefit. However, I just learned that Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and here's why I think it's a good thing (this is copied directly from a comment I just left on another blog): It's true that not much has happened yet in Obama's presidency (anybody see SNL's last opener? That checklist was satirical genius), but the fact that he's even TRYING is fantastic, and I think that this Peace Prize is well deserved. Obama has the numbers in congress to pass virtually anything he wants--the fact that they haven't just bulldozed through with a healthcare bill, for example, shows some progress in the right direction, a move away from the "This is what I think, and I'm in power, so I'm right!" mentality towards one of greater cooperation. Do I agree with all of Obama's poli...

Dear Alien Jojo, I think that at some point you came and kidnapped my Jojo who always sleeps through the night and replaced her with one that doesn't. Could you please bring the old Jojo back? It's cold now, and I hate getting out of bed multiple times in one night. Or, alternatively, if Alien Jojo is actually still just regular Jojo, I'm sorry that you maybe had a bad dream last night that made you whine until I held you for 20 minutes. And whoever you are, thanks for not having any accidents in the house yesterday. Love, Erika

I wish I had more time to be reflective about my life, but right now it's busy. So busy was I that last Monday (as in the 21st, not as in 2 days ago), I realized that Brent's birthday was the next day and that I hadn't made any plans. This made me feel like a bad wife, and I really didn't want his birthday to go the way of our anniversary (which was basically this: "hey! We've been married four years! Let's take a nap!"), so I thought up the plan of making a birthday madlib for him. I will put the madlib here, but right now I have two puppies sleeping on my lap, which makes it difficult to move. Among other things, his madlib required that I bring him garbanzo beans (I got hummus), a "dynamic" treat (we ate Pop Rocks), and a velociraptor (found it for $1 at Wal-Mart). Also, when I asked him for a "treat" he said cheese crackers, so instead of having a birthday cake (which I would end up eating 90% of anyway), I gave him a cheese bal...

*sigh*

We are home sick. Brent got sick on Saturday, and he's mostly over it now, but I just started feeling symptoms last night. Yuck, I feel like my head is going to explode. In other news, last night I was really proud that I actually cooked dinner after my class--chicken and roasted potatoes. Even though it was late, I was really excited for dinner. Just when I got the potatoes in the oven (the chicken had been there for about 10 minutes), the power went off. And it stayed off. For an hour. Luckily, someone gave us an awesome use-it-as-a-lantern-and-fill-a-whole-room-with-light flashlight as a wedding present, and my grandparents gave us one of those flashlights that you shake so they never run out of batteries, so we lit some candles in the kitchen, and listened to an audio book on my computer while waiting (in case you've been thinking about them, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a fun series, and I think you should read them). Jojo and Chloe did not like the dark, nor did the...

After some deliberation, insanity, and searching, we've added a new member to our family! Say hello to Jojo Freckles Hill! We decided to get another puppy because ever since we went back to work, Chloe has gone into a period that can only be described as mourning. She'd basically stopped eating, and would get all shaky as soon as she saw us putting on our shoes. On the days when I'd stay home and only Brent would leave, Chloe would lay on my lap and shake for over an hour. Chloe has also been regressing in her potty training, and all of these things pointed to the fact that we think we've got a stressed out doggie on our hands. We are now in the process of puppy proofing the house again, and having learned a lot from Chloe, we're going more hard core. We have constructed an elaborate gating system that we can configure to allow full, limited, or severely restricted access to all the rooms of the house (particularly the ones with carpet!). We're also treating Chl...

...and it's a good thing I know how to tread water. Here are my impressions of graduate work so far: - More interesting and focused classes - More reading. Much more reading. I'm only taking two classes, I've been in school for three days, and I've read more than 100 pages so far. Normally I only read Harry Potter at such a volume. - Smaller class sizes (the same 5 people always) means no hiding from discussions. - More work to be done quicker. I'm glad that I work part time. I've made it a goal to do 100% of the reading in my classes, even if's not always on time. One of my biggest regrets from my undergraduate work is that I really only did about 50% of the reading, and for certain classes it was skimming at best. I know that undergraduate work is always a matter of choosing what you can afford to fall behind in, but I want my graduate work to be different. On a different note, all the infertility blood work they've done has come back normal. This is s...

I start classes today. Teaching, which is fun because I'm teaching a part of the class I've never taught before. But I'm more nervous about being a student again. I'm worried that I've gotten stupid since I graduated. Many people laugh when I tell them this, but I'm seriously. I haven't forced myself to think really deeply about many things in the past two years (that's not to say I haven't been thinking, or that I NEVER think deeply, I just haven't always engaged with things like I ought to have...), and I'm worried that I've lost the ability. I always live in fear that one day people are just going to wake up and realize I'm stupid, but it seems like I'm still fooling enough people that they let me into graduate school. It's also a definitive end of an era, a definite pattern for the future: yes, I started graduate school before being able to have a child (hope for a child was what kept me from applying in 2007, but in 2009 ...

Today, I went grocery shopping for the first time since July (we've been to buy bread and milk, but never really went shopping). I also cleaned out the fridge for the first time in a few months, and I did not know that macaroni and cheese could turn such a vile color when left untended in the back of the fridge for months. I've been trying to cook more lately, even if "cooking" means mac and cheese and steamed vegetables. However, I'm also starting graduate school next week, which means that three nights a week, Brent will be in charge of dinner. This will be an exciting new adventure for us.

Bit 1: While making French Toast on Saturday, I put in a dash of paprika instead of a dash of nutmeg. We ate it anyway. Bit 2: After a terrible experience trying to watch Heroes (which I'm sure some of you love, but I just can't handle blown off heads. Sorry.), Brent and I decided we needed a safe show. We started watching Hanna Montana. And we kind of like it. Bit 3: Brent started school last week, and it's been a little stressful. Here are a few pieces from our Washington Vacation:

Yesterday was our fourth anniversary. It's interesting to look back and think about all the things that we thought would happen by now that haven't, the things we thought wouldn't ever happen that have, and the many surprises and miracles that have happened along the way. Those cute, young (thin!) people in 2005 had no idea what they were getting themselves into, but one puppy, two graduations, three houses, four vacations, and five jobs later these slightly older and fatter people in 2009 are glad they went through with it. 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Okay, it hasn't been that bad. For lack of a better blog post, here are some of the recent happenings here: Last night I tried to make tinfoil dinners with hamburger for the first time, only to discover that I had no tin foil. However, as my friend Jared noted, tin foil is the least flavorful part of the recipe anyway. We made them inside a pyrex lidded dish, and Brent loved them. I think I have a hard time eating hamburger without any frills (I don't consider carrots and potatoes frilly) like buns, noodles, or saucy casserole goodness. At any rate, it wasn't terrible, and since I don't generally follow recipes for this sort of thing, I guess we can chalk it up as a win. We're gearing up for a family reunion tomorrow and our vacation to Washington next week. Maybe that's not a good thing to mention on a public blog. Oh well. I'm playing the piano at a baptism on Saturday. I'm nervous. Chloe is now fully licensed, which means that her tags clink even loud...

I find it slightly (only slightly) hilarious that I can post TONS about a mediated event, and yet when it comes to my own life, I'm surprisingly closed-mouthed...so, in case you care, here's what's been keeping me from posting: - My brother and his family have moved to New York City (which is so exciting for them!), and I helped them with a sort of epic yard sale on Saturday. - I'm working as a copy editor for the Journal of Media Literacy Education , and our first issue is scheduled to come out next week. It's been a lot of reading. - We're getting ready for our Washington vacation in a week and a half, but there are a lot of things that have to happen first. - We cleaned out our guest room so that it actually functions as a guest room. Any takers? - I've started round one of infertility testing. The ultrasound shows that everything looks normal, and we're waiting for the first bit of blood work to come back. If the blood work is normal as well, then we...

On Tuesday night we went to American Idols Live!, and it was the rockin' awesomest show I've ever been to. I guess it should go without saying that Brent and I love the show, and we talk about it almost incessantly when it's on. This year had some particularly outstanding talent and some particularly terrible judging, so we thought we'd go and see the people we loved without the interference of the people we didn't. Here, for your pleasure (or maybe just for mine), is a recap of the concert with my own special awards for each Idol just because I love them. First, you should know that Ticketmaster never sent our tickets, so there was a bit of a customer service fiasco that mostly involves me being on hold for a very long time. When we got there and picked up our tickets, we went through the line to discover that they were upgrading tickets since the show didn't sell out. We were supposed to be in the nosebleed section, and were instead about 30 feet away from the...

My brother Nicholas and his fiance Lisa were married yesterday! It was a beautiful ceremony, and we are so happy for them! Yay for weddings!

I've grown tired of the green background. Here's to a clean slate.

We survived girls camp! The girls are great. They make me laugh and cry, sometimes simultaneously. I have 11 bug bites on my back, and a few in other bug spray forgotten places (my scalp, my knee pit, right above my belly button...). Thanks to many prayers, it generally only rained at night. I think Brent slept through a full third of girls camp. Another third of the time he was reading. Another third he spent hoping that we never have teenage daughters. I spent two thirds of the time making a fool of myself. The remaining third is difficult to account for. I painfully recall that I also never slept as a teenager. This caught up with me after college, as it will catch up with all of our young women. Brent took a four mile hike around a lake alone with only a note written on the back of a receipt placed under our windshield wiper to let me know. This troubled me, but all is well. Chloe spent the week with her friend Benny and Brent's parents. I think she had a great time, but she se...

A few weeks ago in Stake Conference, our stake president referenced this talk by President Monson and issued us a homework assignment to answer the following: If you only had 25 words to leave your family and friends--if this was the only thing that was left of you--what would you say? Last night for FHE ( which is remarkably hard for us to do since it's just the two of us...it should be easier, right? The problem is that EVERY night feels like FHE, so it's hard to remember to do something special...am I the only one with this problem? ) we decided to do it. Here's what we came up with: I love: scripture study, prayer, serving others, kindness, taking pictures, stories, temple worship, Jesus Christ, family. Trust the Lord. Forgive. Love. Be honest. Be happy. There you have it. The legacy we hope to leave, in 25 words. So, what are your 25 words?

I'm short on time and patience for a blog post and long on things that I can and should post about. So what I'm going to do is list them here, and if you want more details, leave me a comment and ask for them! If you don't...I'll probably list them sooner or later - How does our garden grow? In boxes! And slowly! - I'm 24! My birthday was awesome! - Happy Birthday and Father's Day, Dad! - Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad! - The new TV and IKEA trip or (yes, this is a subtitle) remember that one time we were caught in a torrential while trying to cram our entertainment center into a Toyota Camry? - Shouting matches in Junior Primary - Girls Camp: coming soon

Twenty-four oceans Twenty-four skies Twenty-four failures And twenty-four tries Twenty-four finds me In twenty-fourth place With twenty-four drop outs At the end of the day Life is not what I thought it was Twenty-four hours ago Still I'm singing 'Spirit, take me up in arms with You' And I'm not who I thought I was Twenty-four hours ago Still I'm singing 'Spirit, take me up in arms with You' I wanna see miracles To see the world change Wrestled the angel for more than a name For more than a feeling For more than a cause I'm singing 'Spirit, take me up in arms with You' And you're raising the dead in me Twenty-four oceans With twenty-four hearts All of my symphonies With twenty-four parts Life is not what I thought it was Twenty-four hours ago Still I'm singing 'Spirit, take me up in arms with You' I'm not copping out Not copping out Thanks to Switchfoot for a beautiful song, and thanks to all of you for the warm birthday wishe...

Ouch.

Today when we were driving home from the bookstore, I noticed a bird in the road. This is usually not a big deal (as you probably know), as birds are smart enough and scared enough to move out of the way. Apparently there was something wrong with this little bird's senses because by the time I realized he wasn't moving, it was too late. I saw a pile of smooshy feathers in the rearview mirror. I swear I have nothing against nature, but I guess that our white car does.

Since today was Brent's LAST DAY OF SCHOOL , he decided he wanted to purge himself of this school year's slightly bad vibes and move forward. This is how he decided to do it. And then, since the mohawk seemed too inflammatory (and bad looking), we settled on this: And it's official: Chloe wants to eat the gerbils. Definitely not friendly.