January Catchup

Holy long, unplanned break from blogging. I'm not going to apologize though. I blog when I feel like it.

First things first. I got a text from my mom yesterday that read, "I hope you are nowhere near that shooting." I called to tell her that I was, in fact, near the shooting, but that I wasn't in danger and that the guy had run in the opposite direction so our office wasn't on lockdown. I'm a terrible daughter for not proactively calling, but it didn't occur to me that it would have made national news so quickly. Then I remembered that the hearings on gun control were taking place at the exact same time, so. I hardly ever get political on my blog, but, people. People. Let's be rational. Jon Stewart, as always, says it best, so I'll just go ahead and link to him. Part 1, Part 2. Post script, some idiot solicitor walked in to my office ten minutes after the shooting trying to sell crap. His opening line was, "Crazy about this shooting, huh??" So you're AWARE that someone just walked into an office three blocks away and shot a bunch of people, yet you're.....here......? Not the best time to be canvassing this neighborhood, dummy. I was not nice to him.

Jon and I watched the interview with Mark Owen, one of the members of Seal Team 6, when it first aired on 60 Minutes months before Zero Dark Thirty was released, then we watched Zero Dark Thirty last week, then we watched Mark Owen's interview again. And I recommend you all do the same. Fascinating. Also, I'd been hearing garbage from garbage people about how "annoying" Jessica Chastain's character in ZDT is, so I took to Twitter wondering if her character was legitimately annoying, or just annoying because she's a woman with strong convictions. And having now seen it I can definitively say that those people are sexists. I promise you none of them would have considered her character annoying if she were played by Jason Statham. Also, to go into that movie KNOWING the outcome and to come out saying, "'100%, 100%,' she was SO ANNOYING!" isn't just sexist, it's downright un-American. There, I said it.

Annie is coming to visit me next month!!!!!!!!

You know that thing where you're just talking, not even chewing food or anything, just talking, and you bite your cheek? That happened to me the other day, except that instead of my cheek it was Penny's nose. It's inexplicable. She was on my lap, and I was having a conversation with Jon, and she made a sudden motion, and the next thing I knew I had clamped down on something cold and wet.

It has been absolutely GLORIOUS weather in Phoenix. Rainy off and on and fluctuating between 50 and 70 degree highs. (It dipped below freezing for several nights a few weeks ago and that was great, too.)

It's cold enough in the evenings and mornings for hoodies, feather quilts, jammie + robe combos, and puppy snuggling:

I am not a baker, but Costco was selling this fleur-de-lis Nordicware Bundt pan a couple of months ago and I became obsessed. I'd walk slowly past the display, staring longingly. Then one week, it wasn't there anymore, and I realized what a huge mistake I'd made, and there was a void in my soul that I thought would never be fulfilled. But in stepped Jon to save the day. Apparently the store still had a few in stock and he gifted me one for Christmas. So far this chocolate cake is the only thing I've made in it, but I foresee many Bundt-shaped treats in my future.

Three tablespoons butter, three tablespoons coconut oil, 1/2 cup Nutella, combine over medium heat. Melt in 6 cups mini marshmallows. Add 6 cups rice krispies. Press into greased 9x13. Die and go to heaven.

I told Jon I'd give him a dollar to do this the entire time my visiting teachers were over.

Dug up this gem of a conversation the other day. I call it, "Why Christa and I are Friends, Exemplified."

In conclusion, there is a BYU-I student named Raveen. Her siblings are Kanyin, Desert, Meysa, and Ridge!!!!! I cannot reveal my source, but this is extremely reliable, first-hand information. (To me. Second-hand to you.)