Acceptance, Annoyance, Anxiety, and Peace

Whew! This week has been crazy and exciting and noteworthy.

1. Acceptance.

I got accepted into the University of Delaware School Psychology Specialist Program!! I will officially be a blue hen (weird) starting Fall 2011! I am so excited. It was so frustrating to be moving somewhere when I had no idea what I was going to be doing with my life.

I knew it was the right place for us to be going, but that didn't get rid of the big question mark on my mind all the time. Luckily, I know that the next 3 years of my life I'll be in school! And I can't think of anything that would make me happier. I have always loved school, probably because it is one of the few things I have always felt really good at. And who doesn't like doing something they're good at? I just wasn't quite ready to give that up yet.

2. Annoyance.

Many of you have probably seen the latest Carl's Jr. commercial starring Miss Turkey. For those of you who have not seen it, look it up, but I don't want to put it on my blog because I hate it. Or, even better, read a great blog about it and other awful fast food ads here. I had a mix of emotions when I first saw it, including disgust, disbelief, and outrage. There are so many things I disagree with in this commercial. First of all, a woman in a bikini has nothing to do with a turkey burger. That seems to be obvious. Second of all, not only is she 90% naked, but there are close-ups of her butt and boobs! As if the bikini itself wasn't enough. Third, there is a mother covering her son's eyes when she walks by...so if a mother wouldn't want her son to see this, should it really be on TV at all? And last, THIS DOES NOT MAKE ME WANT TO EAT AT CARL'S JR! Clearly, you can see the impact this commercial has had on me. Ugh. I just feel gross and mad whenever it comes on.

Needless to say, I feel very strongly that this commercial, and others like it, are unacceptable and wrong. Which is why I am boycotting Carl's Jr. And I love Carl's Jr (even after I discovered my meal had 1000 calories in it)! And even though my $10 probably won't make a difference to them, it makes me feel better to feel like I'm doing something. If you are also disgusted by this, you can also boycott Carl's Jr, you can write them, and dislike the video on youtube (I stole these ideas from the BYU WSR).

3. Anxiety

...is what I have been filled with until Saturday, when we signed a lease on an apartment! Finally! Even though it is not our ideal place, it is a place. And it has a washer, dryer, and dishwasher, which make it 100% better than where we live now! We are allowed to get a pet, so we are already planning what kind of dog to get :) These are the options so far:

Golden Retriever: Too bad the puppies cost $2000.

Jack Russell Terrier.

All of this (minus Carl's Jr.) had led to...

4. Peace!

Josh and I both feeling a lot better now that we know where we're going, where we'll live, what we'll be doing, and how we'll get by (for the most part). I know there is still a lot more learning and change ahead of us, but for now, I will enjoy this momentary peace.

It Feels Good to Run Again

Well, after the unfortunate event at last week's basketball game, I haven't been able to run or move quickly at all this week. The swelling finally went down and I could walk without a limp, but I still had a pretty nasty bruise left over.

But alas, bruises and feet heal (mostly), and mine were no exception. But more than the healing that was taking place, I really was just going stir crazy and I needed to get out and run again. It had been almost 2 weeks! Yuck.Conveniently, Josh and his friend Dan were going mountain biking tonight when I got home from work, so I decided to tag along and venture out on a trail run for a change.

I was not disappointed.

Beautiful, eh? This is what I will miss about Utah. Being able to drive for 10 minutes, run for 20, and have a view like this.

My knee still hurt, especially on the way down, but it was definitely worth it.

In other news, General Conference is this weekend! I'm super excited. I feel like it snuck up on me this year, though. Time is just speeding by, and I'm not quite ready for that, because it means we're moving.

Josh has been on campus until at least 11 every night this week working on his thesis. He is defending next Thursday, and I guess it's kind of a big deal, or so he says :), so I have taken the free time I have had and decided to cook. It is a crazy concept for me, but the craziest part is that I have actually been able to cook some edible, and dare I say, even Delicious, dinners this week.

Peanutty Lettuce Wraps

Provolone Chicken Pizza

Even though I love eating out, there is something to be said for the feeling when you (and your husband) make a delicious dinner. Josh always says that he likes baking and cooking because you are taking raw ingredients that aren't necessarily good on their own and putting together in just the right way to create something incredible. I've always liked that about cooking, too, so it's been nice to have a little extra time to cook this week!