Awesome new phrases

Colton is once again proving that (despite my worst fears) he actually will hit his developmental milestones.  I was convinced he'd never learn to crawl...or get teeth...or most recently, learn to talk.  Well, he may be unintelligible, but the boy's vocabulary is starting to take off.  (Today at the grocery store, he revealed that he knows how to say "want that."  It turns out that there are a lot of things that he wants at the grocery store.  None of them were on the vegetable aisle.)

Yesterday he decided to put two fantastic phrases on repeat: "Mommy pretty!"  "Mommy fun!"   I'll give Justin the credit for teaching him these phrases, but I'll tell you that nothing makes you feel better than hearing someone tell you over and over that you are pretty and fun.  Keep up the good work, Colton!

A master at last

I think it has long been my mother's dream for me that I would get a master's degree. I seem to recall many conversations with her when she told me that while I wasn't married, I should get a master's degree because it would be much harder afterward (and nearly impossible once you have kids).

Well, I managed to do all three. I started my program (an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in instructional technology/instructional design and development and a graduate certificate in eLearning--how's that for a mouthful?) in the summer of 2007--before I was married. Then I got married, and I just kept on working slowly through (emphasis there on slowly)...and then I had a baby, and managed to take about triple the course load at that point so I could just get it done. And now it's official! Yay for graduating! Yay for having a master's degree! Yay for not having to use it right now! Yay for Justin for dealing with me when I had a paper or project that I didn't want to work on!

If you would like to see some of my handy work, feel free to check out my fancy-shmancy portfolio website that I created (that's right, I know how to build a website!): http://portfolios.gmu.edu/bdurham

A Wicked-awesome birthday

You don't turn 29 everyday. And, in all truthfullness, I didn't actually turn 29 this year. (If you look hard, you can see two little toothpicks aflame...we kind of forgot to buy more candles since Justin's birthday.) But Justin did a great job making this a memorable birthday. He surprised me with a trip to New York to see Wicked!

We started our trip out with a nice workout...running from Metro Center past Union Station to the Greyhound station so that we wouldn't miss our bus. For those of you unfamiliar with D.C. that is approximately FAR (see map). And let's just say that one of us hasn't exercised in a year and one of us was carrying a suitcase. I'll let you decide which was which.

Fortunately, we made it just in time to get on the bus. (And can I say that taking the bus is really the best way to get to NY these days.)

Anyway, when we got to NY, we checked into our hotel and then strolled around Central Park. On our way back, there were suddenly tons of police everywhere and barracades around the street. We were very confused until we looked over and saw a huge tree...and Rockefeller center. It turns out we were there the night they lit the tree. If we hadn't already had tickets we would have had a front row spot for the big event. As it was, we had to push our way through the crowds to get back to our hotel.

We then enjoyed a nice dinner at Carmines. I would highly recommend it. We ordered an appetizer of fried zucchini. Too bad we didn't have an extra 14 people with us to help us finish it...

Let's just say that at Carmines, the portions are large...But it was fun to get all dressed up and go out.

After dinner, we headed over to the show. We had great seats--sixth row, almost center. It is a fantastic show. (And yes, Justin liked it too. For some reason, people keep asking if he liked it. I guess they don't know how cultured he is.)

Justin gets full points for giving me a great birthday! (And Michael and Julie score some big points as well for tending Colton for us.) It was a great way to start a thirty-one-derful year!

Watch out Bob Ross

I'm not exactly sure what possessed me, but I recently decided that it would be a good idea to paint a very large tree on the wall of our nursery. No, I have never actually painted anything, but I do have a deep and abiding love for Bob Ross and all the happy little trees he painted playing in the sunshine.

So how did someone so un-artistic as myself manage to paint an 8-foot tree on the wall? Well, I found this picture online:

Then I drew a grid on the picture and Justin helped me draw one on the wall. With the grid in place, I just had to go block by block and plot some points of the outline of the tree. Then I connected the dots and started painting:


Trying to blend the colors was the trickiest part. Here's the final product:


For an extra special touch, I "carved" our initials on he trunk. I did this because we are in love.


Here's the final comparison:










You may notice that my tree is a perfect reflection of the model tree. I decided that the big part should be on the left. Why? I don't know. It just seemed like that's how it should be. Anyway, the idea is that I will eventually gather pictures of our immediate families and hang them in the branches. Get it? It's a family tree. I'll post the final pictures of the nursery when I get it done. It's kind of still a storage room at this point, butI still have seven whole weeks...

A Snorkler's Paradise...ish

As part of our Hawaiian adventure, we decided to spend three days on Hawaii's Big Island. We hiked to waterfalls, watched the volcano erupt, and explored some of Volcano National Park. We also spent an entire day snorkeling...

We heard about a bay that is great for snorkeling, but only accessible by boat. When we called the boat company, we discovered that they also do a night snorkeling adventure with Manta Rays...and if you sign up for both, you get a crazy discount. So we of course signed up for both. It was well worth the money. We did a morning snorkel at Kealakekua Bay. It was about a 45 minute boat ride. On the way out, they served breakfast, and then once we were secured at the bay, they had a barbeque on the boat. We snorkeled for a while, at lunch, snorkeled some more. It was fantastic.

Now, I'm always the littlest bit queezy on boats, and this was no exception. Usually by closing my eyes and breathing deeply, I get over it. However, this time, it didn't seem to matter how many deep breaths I took...as we headed back to the dock, it seemed to get worse and worse. Just as we neared the end of our journey, they stopped the boat and announced that we were being followed by dolphins--which is truly wonderful, unless you think you are going to throw up, in which case, you simply want the stupid boat to go back to dock. As everyone rushed to the edge of the boat to watch the dolphins, I sat on the bench breathing deeply and trying to identify the best place to puke. Fortunately for the people down below, I had already noted that puking over the side of the ship would actually only land on the people below, so when I passed the point of no return, I headed for a large garbage can. It was a little awkward as I started wretching next to some excited Asian tourists madly taking pictures of the dolphins, but there wasn't really that much I could do about it.

I felt much better after puking, and we arrived at the dock shortly thereafter, so all seemed fine. We headed to our car for a nice afternoon nap (since we'd gotten up at 5:15 am in order to drive from Volcano to Kona) and prepare ourselves for the night snorkel. I was optimistic that things would be fine, since the night experience only involved a 5 minute boat ride. Oh, how I was mistaken.

First let me say that snorkeling with Manta Rays was amazing. It was worth the puking that was to come. They literally swam within an inch of you with their huge mouths open wide. We were lucky in that seven gigantic manta rays actually showed up that night, so we were totally surrounded by them.

But let me continue my tragic tale of sea sickness. We rode the five minutes to the spot where the mantas come, and I felt fine. Then we had to wait for it to get dark (because they come out at night to eat plankton). So we sat there for about 30 minutes waiting for the sun to set. Meanwhile, the boat was just parked in the bay rocking back and forth. As everyone lined up to jump in the water, I headed to the edge of the boat to throw up. Yup, right into the ocean. The crew kindly offered me some water and suggested that I might feel better in the water. This probably would have been true if we weren't just floating on top...because after about 30 minutes of watching the mantas, I started to get that feeling that told me I should probably swim away from the rest of the group. Sure enough, I got ten feet away and threw up right there in the ocean.

At this point, I seriously considered just swimming back to the dock because getting back on the boat didn't sound like a great idea, but I got back on the boat anyway, wrapped my towel around myself, closed my eyes and started breathing deeply. Everyone else continued snorkeling for about 10 minutes, and then we headed back to the dock. Just for good measure, I went ahead and puked one more time over the edge, just to make sure that the fish got every last bit of my dinner.

It's hard to explain how truly terrible I felt--especially knowing we had a 2 1/2 hour car ride back to Volcano that night on windy roads. Even though we were off the boat, I couldn't seem to get the ground to stop rocking. I also thought that I should probably try to at least re-hydrate myself, so I had Justin stop and get me some Gatorade. I took one small swig...and that was enough. Good thing I'd told Justin to get a plastic bag just in case! What an exciting day. I will say that despite all the motion sickness and throwing up, it was still a very fun day, and quite the adventure. I think I will just avoid boats for the rest of my pregnancy, and maybe a little beyond as well.

I'm Sooooo Exciting

I saw this first on my cousin Allie's blog, and then when it showed up again on her sister Brooke's blog, I decided that I should go ahead and fill it out for myself. I figure it is just more proof of how truly exciting a person I am. The idea is that if you have done something you put it in bold, and if you haven't, then it remains regular text.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band ....at school (I would like to emphasize that I was IN the band, not OF the band)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland /world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (cross-stitching/quilting counts, right?)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (stupid over-developed sense of guilt...)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (does the moon count?)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community (does being in the general vicinity of an Amish community and seeing the hitching post at the gas station count? Not quite sure why you'd bring your horse-drawn wagon to the gas station, but there was a hitching post just the same...)
36. Taught yourself a new language (I'm totally counting my mission language)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (Oh baby, have I gone rock climbing!)
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (how have I not done this?)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (Don't let my seminary students know...but I gave up on the Old Testament in Exodus...)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (not yet, but knowing Justin, it is only a matter of time)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (again, how have I not done this?)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day



So there you have it! Oh what fun it is to be me. Feel free to copy into your own blog if you feel so inclined (or if you are still having issues with your camera, Margaret...)

New Year Resolved

This year when the new year rolled around, I actually set a goal. I determined that this year, my goal would be to ride 100 miles in the Sea Gull Century bike ride. This may have been a little presumptuous considering that I didn't even own a bike at that time, but nonetheless, that is the goal I set. I would like to announce that this weekend, I officially achieved my new year's resolution for 2008. I actually rode 100 miles on my bike yesterday, and the only snag in the day's adventure was that I forgot to bring any socks. I ended up buying some guy's extra pair of old socks for $5 bucks, only to find out they were selling socks inside. Oh well. Justin finished in 5 hours 12 minutes, and I finished some time after that. Here are the pictures:

Here we are in our matching spandex outfits, ready to start the ride. The lady taking the picture for us had to try three times before actually taking a picture. (It was kind of awkward after asking if they had any socks that I could buy, going back a few minutes later asking if they would take a picture for us...and then having to go back three times since it didn't actually take.

During the four hours Justin had to wait for me to finish, he had time to take this picture. He also had time to fall asleep on the concrete wall by the finish line, leading some to wonder if he was dead or alive.

I clearly wasn't there to snap a picture of Justin when he finished, but he was there waiting for me. (Notice the ugly black socks that I was wearing--bad idea for someone who doesn't have a tan to begin with.)

And I made it!!

All in all, it was a great ride. It was perfect weather, and a completely flat route, and I actually had a great time. I'm not enjoying myself quite as much today, however, because it hurts to sit, I can barely walk, and every muscle hurts, but at least I accomplished my goal!

Lord of the Flies

This weekend, Justin and I headed to the Shenandoahs for a little adventure in the mountains. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and when I say it was a beautiful day, I mean that I was wearing a t-shirt all day and wasn't cold.


We started the day by hauling up the mountain. Fortunately, Justin was carrying 50 pounds of climbing gear, which made it possible for me to keep up with him. Once we got to the top, instead of chilling with the scout troupe that was up there, we kept right on going in order to bushwack our way down to a hidden climbing area. I took some lovely pictures of the foliage (or lack thereof) and of Justin climbing.


Throughout the time Justin was climbing, there were little gnat-sized flies buzzing around...and they were very pesky, but I didn't think much of it. After Justin finished the route a couple of times, we made our way back up to the trail in order to find some easier stuff for me to climb. The climb we found ended up being a little harder than expected. I made it about three-fourths of the way, and then had to have Justin hoist me up. In my own words, "I had nothing left to give." We packed up our stuff, and hiked our way back to the summit where we tried (unsuccessfully) to capture the beauty of the day. Instead, we got a kind of lame self portrait in the sunset.


Anyway, it turns out that all those pesky little flies were doing more than just buzzing around. I realized when we got home, that I was being eaten alive!!! I've declared myself the Lord of the flies, since apparently, they LOVE my blood. Justin got a few bites here and there, but I got 22 bites on one leg, and 33 on the other. I look like I have leprosy!

There is something sparkly on my finger...

You'd think that of all blog postings, this is the one that I would spend the most time on...and yet I find myself with an unexpected deadline at work (moved up from March to January 3) and do not have time to create my usual literary masterpiece. Suffice it to say that I am officially engaged!! I'm sure that as you've read the recent postings of my adventures with Justin, you have probably suspected that this would be the outcome, and you were right!!

He totally surprised me. I mean, I knew that it was going to happen, but I was expecting Christmas or Christmas Eve, or at least the weekend. But like normal, I called him after work to see if he had any plans or if there was something in particular he wanted to do that night, and he suggested that I come over to his house and we decorate his little Christmas tree (he has been growing a tiny evergreen tree in a pot for the last two years--if you picture Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree, that should give you a pretty good idea of what it looks like).

So I went over to his house, and his roommate was there having dinner with a friends. I mention that to emphasize that this was just a normal day. So we decorated the little tree, and then we were just chatting, and he looked over at it and said that it needed a star for the top. I suggested that we juts print one out (paper is about the heaviest thing this little tree could support). He said he thought he had a bow--one of those you just stick on presents--that he thought would work, so he started rummaging through his closet, and when he turned around, he was holding a ring, and he said, "or maybe this would work."

I think it took me about 10 to 15 seconds to process. I was staring at a ring, but I was asking myself "Is that a real ring?" "Is he proposing?" (He said I had a look of bewilderment on my face.) And then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, and I said yes!!!!!!! He wanted to do it on a Thursday and kind of low-key (which I'm a big fan of) so that he could surprise me, which he clearly did.

We are planning on getting married in the Salt Lake Temple on February 22, 2008. (Of course we haven't actually called the temple yet, but we figure that our chances in the middle of a semester are pretty good.) So mark your calendars!

And this is us posing with the beautiful turkey Justin made for Thanksgiving. Pretend like there's a ring instead of a turkey, and it would be the perfect engagement shot!

New Life Plan #274

I am amazed that some people stay in the same profession--sometimes even the same job--for decades on end. My Dad has been at BYU for 31 years now. THIRTY-ONE YEARS! That is a wicked long time. My Mom has been teaching at Timpview for 16 years. So far, I've been able to stick with a job for two years before I start getting ancy. And during those two years at any given job, it seems as though I spend a significant amount of time thinking about what else I could possibly be doing. Over the past two years alone I feel like I've had a new life plan every few months...Here's a few:

11. Be a full-time PhD student in History (career goal: University Professor)
10. Get a random job on capital hill (career goal: Try something that isn't teaching)
9. Be a High School Teacher (career goal: pay the bills and have the summers off)
8. Be a part-time MA student in History while teaching Math (career goal: just get a Master's so I can earn more as a teacher)
7. Be a High School Teacher (career goal: throw my heart and soul into teaching and inspire the youth of today to become the leaders of tomorrow)
6. Be a full-time MA student in Educational Policy (career goal: tell the people in Washington how silly all their Educational Policy is and improve our nation's schools...and go to Harvard)
5. Be a full-time MA student in Marriage Family Therapy (career goal: help others improve their emotional well-being and share some of my wisdom with them)
4. Teach myself Spanish and move to Spain for the summer (career goal: ummmm...Spain is just cool, and I need to go there and see for myself)
3. Be a full-time MA student in Instructional Design (career goal: improve teaching while giving myself options for something other than classroom teaching)
2. Be a part-time MA student in Instructional Design while teaching math (career goal: same as above, without intense amounts of debt)

And my most recent and most exciting new life plan (one that I'm actually pursuing):

1. Be an instructional design consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton. (career goal: earn lots more money and have them pay for my Master's degree in Instructional Design)

Yes, I am just beginning the interview process with Booz Allen, and if all goes well, I will have a new career in a few months! It will be hard for me to give up summer vacation, but I'm ready to try something that isn't teaching. Maybe then, I will stop thinking up new life plans all the time (and I haven't exaggerated a single one of these. I have honestly had each one of those plans at some point over the last 2 years). And if I hate it, there are always new new life plans to think up.

Am I the only person constantly re-thinking the direction of their life? What interesting possibilities have you come up with?

I'm a sponge...

I spent last Saturday rock climbing. Yes. Rock climbing. The kind of rock climbing where you put on a harness and then find a way to scale the face of a cliff. Those who know me well are probably wondering why on earth I would be involved in such an adventurous activity. Well, the truth is, left to my own devices, I probably wouldn't be that adventurous--most likely, I'd be a lump on my couch. Not that I aspire to being a lump, but without some impetus it just usually turns out that way. Fortunately for me, throughout my life I have had friends who are autonomously active, and they usually need someone like me who is looking for a motivation to get off the couch.

My current motivating force: Justin. Justin is to a rock face as I am is to my couch. I'm pretty sure that if he didn't feel some obligation to work and save for the future, he would quit his job, live in a tent and spend his life climbing large rocks. But this blog isn't about Justin. It's about me. It's about the fact that I am a sponge. I think that I have no natural hobbies, but I'm really good at absorbing the hobbies of those I spend a lot of time with. Before I go on, I want to specify that I don't absorb these hobbies with the purpose of impressing anyone. I just wouldn't get involved in certain things if I hadn't happened to meet someone who did them first.

So here are my top ten activities that I have "absorbed" from someone else:

10. Jumping in Rivers. I guess I was wrong in saying that I never absorbed these things to impress someone. I hated jumping in rivers, but I dated a guy that thought it was the cat's meow to jump in a river with your clothes on, so I felt really pressured to do it with him. Don't get me wrong, once per summer if you are in the right mood and happen to fall in, sure. Doing it on a regular basis? I don't think so. My only excuse on this one is that I was brainwashed and crazy at the time.

9. Guitar. Actually, I always wanted to play the guitar. Hmmm...now that I think of it, this one really was other-induced (probably because I can do it on my couch).

8. Fly Fishing. I thank Billy for this one. Actually, in a year of dating, he only took me fishing twice, but I really enjoyed it both times.

7. Tennis. I started playing tennis two summers ago mostly because there were so many people in my ward who would go play. I love it! I even bought myself a sweet tennis outfit. I'm not going to lie, I look pretty cute in it. And I actually find that I play way better when I'm wearing it.

6. Rock Climbing. This seemed like an intimidating sport until I went with someone who knew what he was doing. It's actually really fun--and it's way better than weight lifting.

5. Golf. Technically I'm still waiting for someone to get me into this one. Once I was practicing chipping golf balls into an umbrella, and I got way more in than anyone else--including the guy who owned the golf clubs--so I've always thought I am probably a prodigy waiting to happen.

4. The Hills. I never knew there was such a fantastic show until Roz moved in. I think it began one Saturday night when we sat there and watched a Laguna Beach marathon. We may or may not have watched 6 episodes in a row.

3. Dance Shows. I don't like dancing. I'm not good at dancing. But for some reason last summer, I watched every single episode of So You Think You Can Dance. I voted for Benji 50 times. I blame this entirely on Mike Fronce. And it didn't stop there. We started watching all kinds of random dance movies. My favorites: Step Up, You Got Served, Honey.

2. Hackey Sac. Okay, so in this case, I did actually pick this up entirely to try to impress someone. Jeff. I literally bought a hackey sac and practiced it in my apartment until I was at least good enough to join in with Jeff and his friends in the Elms parking lot. And even though I started hacking for Jeff, I continue hacking for myself. (Sidenote: Last summer I mentioned to a guy that I enjoyed hacky sac, and he left me one on the windshield of my car. I call it "the love sac".)

1. Hackey Sac. This one is my favorite random thing I picked up from someone else, so it counts for two.

Alrighty, have you ever learned some random skill or gotten involved in some activity because of someone else? I'm sure I'm not the only sponge out there...so please share!

Pain in the b*tt...

So...I have once again taken up exercise. I gave it up in 1996. It was a conscious choice. I quit the soccer team and decided that I didn't need to exercise ever again. It just seemed like a silly waste of time to me. Not only did I give up exercise, I think I may be one of the only people to ever actually actively campaign against it.

Let me explain my reasoning for such seemingly illogical campaigning (there happens to be a lot of scientific research to support exercise). When I spoke out against exercising, I wasn't saying we should all be lumps on the couch. Physical activity, in my young mind, was perfectly acceptable. Things like frisbee or football or soccer are virtuous and lovely and should be sought after. What I personally found to be completely silly was exercise isolated from any type of sporting event or game. Running isn't fun. If you think it is, you are lying to yourself. It hurts. It makes your lungs burn and your legs tired. You get sweaty and smelly, and if you're not careful your toe nails will turn black and fall off. Soccer, on the other hand, is fun...and if you have to do some running as part of the victory process, so be it. But just running? Such a thought makes reason stare.

So, flash forward from 1996 about 5 years. At the end of my mission, I started setting goals. Missionaries do crazy things like. I decided that maybe it was time for me to be "fit" again. Something about serving the Lord heart might mind and strength. When I got home I joined a gym, and I have actually been a member pretty much ever since that time. It turns out that all those scientists are right. Exercise does make you feel better. As my HEPE teacher at BYU always hoped for me, I have learned to "reap the benefits" of exercise.

Why on earth am I pontificating on such a random topic? You all know me and probably realize that when I say that I have taken up exercise, I mean that I work out once a week--twice a week if I'm lucky. I am certainly no rambo barbie. After a 2 month spell with no gym membership (I thought that I could save money and do step aerobics alone in my bedroom. That was a joke...), I went back to Gold's yesterday and gave them a ridiculous sum of money so that I can run and not go anywhere, and then lift some heavy things, all while enjoying the latest music videos. As part of getting the membership, I also had a workout with a personal trainer. I don't know what this says about me, but she had me do a lot of exercises that worked me glutes...and today my bum is very sore. That is all.

Thoughts on exercise? Please share!!