Ode to Mrs. Terry

So it has been my last couple days at the elementary school and I saw some of the kids for the last time the other day. They brought really cute cards telling me how much they would miss me and how great I was. What a confidence booster! One of the cards was especially memorable. It was a poem from a little 3rd grade girl named Judith. This is how it went:

Lovely teacher, lovely teacher,
eyes of periwinkle blue.
You are such a pretty creature,
and I'm so in love with you.

Isn't that so precious! I am really going to miss the elementary school. It turns out that there are no elementary gigs open in January so I don't think I can teach next semester. I have been looking for other jobs (our plan was to both work so we can save up money) at Gap and other stores, but I am kind-of bummed that I have worked so hard to get a degree that I can't find a job with. I know its just because its in the middle of the year, but I was really hoping to find something in the Spring. I just hope I can find a job that will give me health insurance.
So, most of you know that I love shopping on Black Friday and this year was just as good as the others. For my graduation gift, Bob bought me a guitar, and we found it for about $65. That is a great deal for those of you that don't know. It is a Washburn acoustic guitar and I love it. We were at the stores at 4 in the morning and went straight until lunch time. We had a list of all the places we wanted to go and when they opened so we were very organized. We also got new phones. They are Blackberry Pearls with internet service and they are so cool. The best part was that they were running a deal so we got both phones free, $100 gift certificate to Sams, $100 credit on our phone bill, and two free airline tickets. We are actually saving money having these phones because since they have internet, we canceled our dial-up and our home phone.
Wish me luck on graduation this Saturday. I am singing a solo during the ceremony and I am really excited. I can't believe I am actually done! I have been in school for my entire life and I really think I am going to miss it. Call me a nerd but I really like school.

I Wanna Talk About Me: Letter to a Friend

Over the past several months I have been able to get back into contact with several people that I haven't spoken to in years. It's interesting to see where people are and what they're doing since we got out of High School (I graduated in 2000). And it's crazy to see what these friends are doing and how they've changed. Basically, the internet is amazing. Unfortunately, every time I come into contact with one of these people I have to repeat the history of what I've done for the past 7 years. This post is meant to tell all of my buddies what's been going on since I saw them last so that I don't have to repeat myself another 20 times (I know I don't really have that many friends and that I will, in fact, still repeat myself). One of my friends from Korea looked at the BBBBlog and didn't see a picture of me on it so I've included that. It's basically the only picture I have of myself besides the baby photo I carry around in my wallet. Some of you might think the format of the rest of the post is cheesy, but it's just the poet in me wanting to be a little creative. Oh, and just in case you didn't know the title of this post is actually two song titles: one by Toby Keith and the other by Warrant.

Dear Friend,
I can't believe it's been over 7 years since we graduated from High School! The times were great, weren't they? Sorry I haven't been as good at keeping in touch with you as I should have. I promise I'll be better.
Remember when we used to drive around in the middle-of-nowhere Arkansas, roll down the windows in Papa Smurf and jam out. I guess I should let you know that my musical tastes have changed a bit. I still love to crank up the rock music, but I have abandoned my hatred of Country music. The main reason for this is that Country music hasn't lost its sense of humor. We used to make fun of the redneck lifestyle in Arkansas and I love Country because they can laugh at themselves (and everyone else). I still can't stand some of the really twangy Country, though. Check out the song Hillbillies by Hot Apple Pie to see what I'm talking about with the humor. (WARNING: This song may not be appropriate for young children.)
I guess the last time I saw you was just before I left for Okinawa. I had so much fun there even though I was only there for about 6 months. I basically just worked and played. Exploring the island of Okinawa was amazing!
After Japan I left to go on my mission to Korea. This mission was a wonderful and life-changing experience. I was there for about 2 years. I learned the language, I learned to love the food, and I learned how amazing Korean people are. Every time I think about my service to the Korean people I think of their generosity and their love. Koreans have a word that is sort of like friendship and love, but it's more than that. They call it jung. We don't really have a word for it in English, but I know you've felt it. I get that feeling when I think about the close friendships I gained in Korea (and Arkansas).
While I was in Korea my family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico of all places. I didn't really have anywhere else to go so I went there for a while. That was in the Spring of 2003. That Summer I moved up to BYU mostly to get some Korean language credits and because it felt like the place I needed to be. I know we used to make fun of (and sometimes I still do) Mormons feeling like they have to go to B.Y. Zoo, but that's where I needed to be at the time. Rather than head back to New Mexico I decided to stay in Provo and try to find a job. Jobs for college kids in the area are hard to find. After a lot of pondering I knew I needed to move back to New Mexico. I did this in mid October.
School was still my top priority once I got back to New Mexico. I started school at a local community college in January of 2004. I am now attending UNM and will graduate with a degree in Finance in May 2008.
In December 2003 I started dating Emily Jewell. Neither of us was really looking for a serious relationship, but a serious relationship sort of sneaked up on us. We did a lot of pondering and praying and we decided that we were meant for each other. (I know it sounds a bit cliche). We were officially engaged in late April and were married on July 24, 2004. I can't believe we've been married for over 3 years now. I know you're wondering, but we don't have any kids yet.
I bet you're also wondering what sort of woman would be "meant for" me. Well, there are tons of reasons, but I would say that the top 3 things that attracted me to her were 1. Her desire for education, 2. Her spunk, and 3. Her modesty.
Education: You know how my family is with education. In our minds there is no way to be too educated. Well, Emily's desire for and love of education fits right in with that view. She graduates next week with a Bachelor's in Music Education. She told me the other day that she is tempted to just keep getting certified with different teaching certificates and keep getting educated. Rock on!
The spunk: One of our friends once referred to Emily as "hard-headed." I call it spunk. You could also say she's very passionate. I love her spunk!
So, my 3rd reason might sound a little weird, but one of the main reasons I love Emily and that I was attracted to her was her modesty (in dress). Call me a Mormon (I won't be offended), but even among the LDS population there are a few girls who still dress like hoochies. I guess it was all those lessons at Church that really made a difference and in my mind "Modest is Hottest!" That describes Emily.
Currently I'm looking for a job and am just excited about being done with school in spite of the fact that I'm looking at going right into my Master's Degree. I'll keep you updated. Please write me back and tell me what's been going on with you.

Bob

catching up

So Bob has been a blogging maniac latley and made me feel like quite the slacker. In my defense though I was halfway through an update a couple weeks ago and the computer was having major problems with our pictures downloading so I just gave up. Here goes try number 2.

Halloween this year was pretty boring for us. No trick or treaters (since we live in apartments) and since we had school the next day and homework to complete we just stayed home. However, we didn't ignore the holiday altogether. A couple days before Halloween we carved a pumpkin. It was a very intimidating picture that we chose to do but I think it turned out pretty well.

This is us really consentrating on the task. We both couldn't fit around the pumpkin without bumping elbows so we took turns. Usually we love bumping elbows but we figured that would be a bad idea with knives in our hands and a very important pumpkin to carve. That would be bad to mess up! After all we only have one pumpkin but we have 10 fingers. For those of you how can't tell what this is (you should go get your eyes checked) it is a scary house surrounded by a scary forest. I have found that if you squint your eyes it really looks cool.

Today is Thanksgiving and it is the start of my favorite time of year. My birthday is on Saturday and I have lots of fun things in store for this weekend, including eating way too much. Mom just cooked an amazing dinner and I am breathing heavily even though we ate a couple hours ago...I think it might be time for dessert!

My sister Heather was caring enough to pass along a blog tag that her friend Bella passed to her. This means that I have to list six things about myself. I hope some of you find this entertaining. I tried to think of things you might not know about me.

1.) I have been absolutely obsessed with Salt & Vinegar chips latley. For those of you who have never tried them you really should. I have always had a love for salt. I find myself buying fries just so I can drowned them in salt and lick the container. These chips really are great for my salt cravings. However, I can not get enough of them. I found myself trying to chew without using my tongue because it was raw from them. And no, I am not pregnant, this is just the way I am. I am actually nervous that my cravings could get worse when we do get pregnant. Maybe they will just go away.
2.) I have just learned more Turkey songs in a week than I have learned my entire life. For those of you that didn't know, I am doing my student teaching right now at the elementary school and naturally the week was full of Turkey songs and games. In fact, Bob told me that I was singing one in my sleep the other day. At least I usually kept the Turkey noises to myself.
3.) Another major addiction I have is my Moms cranberry sauce. I wait all year to eat it and I cover everything on my plate with it. Mashed potatoes have never been so pink. This year I decided to help my mom make it so I would be able to watch and learn. It was a really easy recipe and I found out that the first Thanksgiving she had it was the year I was born. She just got back from the hospital after having me and a family invited them to come over for Thanksgiving dinner. This was the first time she ate it and asked for the recipe right away. It was fate that this delicious jelly came into my family's lives just days after I did. Call me if you eat the canned stuff and I will show you what your Turkey is missing.
4.) I am a Black Friday addict. Black Friday (for those of you in the dark) is the day after Thanksgiving that all the stores put on sales and open their doors at 4 in the morning. The crowds are insane but the sales are amazing. I love the challenge and Bob and I plan out exactly when and where we are going in the morning. All of the Christmas shopping gets done and I get the smug satisfaction of knowing that I got your gift at half off or more.
5.) Bob calls me his cat. My mom has called me that for a while but he started it without even being prompted by her. I love the sunshine. My favorite thing is to curl up in the sun and take a nap. Even if the sun shinning on the living room floor I will just bring a pillow and blanket down there and curl up. He also says I stretch like a cat. I arch my back in the morning when I wake up and usually push him off the bed in the process.
6.) My nickname in my Ward is the "baby-snatcher".We are in a very young ward (well, actually one of those newly-wed, nearly-dead Wards) and there are always new babies around. I pick out my favorites and then proceed to make friends with their parents. I always keep Cheerios in my bag to lure them closer and then bribe them to be my friend with all the stuffed animals and toys that I bring for "singing time." I also ask people if they would let me watch their kids. They think I am joking at first but after me offering a couple dozen times they finally take the hint. Last night we had a little boy named Malachi spend the night and he was so cute. He is super smiley and talkative and we had lots of good cuddles when he got up this morning.
Ok. I finally did my duty and finished Heather's tag. Now here comes the fun part. I get to pick 6 people to do the same. However, I don't know 6 people with blogs that haven't already been tagged so Mutti, Mike, and Nancy, you are it. Give me a call if you have any questions.

Oreo Addendum

By Bob



I thought I'd write a bit more about Oreos since I am an expert on the subject and due to the fact that there is some new information out about the most loved cookie on earth. The following is from a website that proclaims itself "America's Finest News Source." Yes, I am referring to TheOnion.com. Here's the news flash:

A new report released by the Food and Drug Administration Monday suggests that regular consumption of Oreo's Double Stuf cookies could lead to an increased tolerance to stuf.
"For 90 percent of Americans, it now takes twice as much stuf to reach the same level of satisfaction once achieved with a single layer of stuf," the report read in part. "Millions of consumers have taken drastic measures to recreate their initial stuf experience, including the manual construction of quadruple-stuf Oreos and chronic stuf-licking. Some have even gone so far as to twist off one side of the cookie, scrape the stuf off with their teeth, and discard the two chocolate wafers."

Can anyone else relate? Oreo addicts: Please post comments. After all, BibbidiBobilyBoo is your Oreo support group headquarters.

Random Walk: A Book Review

By Bob

For one of my classes I have been reading a book called A Random Walk Down Wall Street written by Burton G. Malkiel. Some would probably consider Random Walk a boring book about investments, but this finance nerd considers it quite interesting and even stimulating. The main theme of the book is that "Investors would be far better off buying and holding an index fund than attempting to buy and sell individual securities or actively managed mutual funds." Here are a few other quotes from the book that make it interesting:
"Financial analysts in pin-striped suits do not like being compared to bare-[bottomed] apes." (I had to censor this one)
"If you sit down at the table and can't figure out who the sucker is, get up and leave because it's you." --p.237
"Never buy anything from someone who is out of breath." --p243
"If the S&P index were an athlete, we would probably be testing it for steroids." --p. 270
"More than two-thirds of professional portfolio managers have been outperformed by the unmanaged S&P 500 Index." --p17
Hmmm...maybe it wasn't that interesting.
Did anyone else hear that the Disney film Bambi made it onto Time Magazine's Top 25 Horror Movies of All Time? I always thought it was pretty scary, but I thought I was the only one.
I had a job interview on Wednesday that I bombed. It wasn't a huge atomic-sized bomb or anything, but it was like a pipe bomb. What happened was that I was expecting a few non-technical questions before the technical ones, but the first question I was asked was "What is a balance sheet?"As I said I wasn't really expecting a technical question right off the bat and I goofed my answer. I know what a BS is, but I just wasn't confident enough with my response. I will have other chances that will go more smoothly and I'll update you all when those happen.