It's official!

"Chocolate milk is my favorite fruit."

In other news, I'm engaged to be married to Brent Aaron Hill on June 14th in the Mesa Arizona Temple. That's why I've been so quiet from this end.

Attached is a picture of the ring. Love you all! Please send your addresses! I'm so happy!!!

Yeah, wit kind-of runs in the family

My sister says the funniest things. One of her earliest was: "Chocolate milk is my favorite fruit." I think my personal favorite was the time she brought home her math paper with the problem that read "What is the difference between 8 and 15?" Her answer? "8 is an even number and 15 is odd." Technically, a very correct answer.

This weekend, my family came out to see me in sunny California. This warranted a first-ever trip to the beach for my two youngest siblings, and a trip to Magic Mountain. Being the not-so-avid-roller-coaster-riders that we are, there was some almost-universal trepidation upon seeing so many iron edifices cutting into the Valencia skyline.

We warmed up with a few of the classics, but after lunch we decided it was time to tackle Goliath. Looking at that 255 ft drop didn't exactly instill me with warm feelings of peace and serenity. I have a fear of falling and a sensitive equilbrium, but there was no way I was going to chicken out of this ride.

As we advanced to the front of the line, my sister (now age 8) expressed her concerns about the upcoming "adventure." By this time now, though, I was getting excited. The rest of the bunch was too. In an attempt to mollify her concern, my mom said, "Look, those people who are just getting off are smiling. They had a great time." And then came the classic Alisa line. Without missing a beat, she returned, "Yeah, they're just smiling because they're grateful to be getting off!"

She may have had a point.

Favorite overheard conversation of the week . . .

Sometimes I love eavesdropping. I know it's rude. I try not to listen in, but sometimes I just can't help myself.

So, this week's golden comes from work. *Names have been changed to protect privacy. Upon hearing that she now had to drink thickened liquids (not the most pleasant experience -- trust me, I've tried them), *Jane's significant other says, "Well, honey, gone are the days of sitting on the curb drinking whiskey." I love my job.

The week in review

A sad passing. I was sad when I heard the news, but I don't think it really hit me until I watched the funeral yesterday. President Hinckley will be sorely missed. So much has been said about how he cared for the individual. I know that my life was individually influenced by his service as the 15th Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In remembering him and his life this week, I feel like I have some personal experiences with him, even though I never had the opportunity to look him in the eye as I shook his hand. He was truly "a giant among men" as has been said. I'm happy for him to be moving on to the next step.

In other news, I had the opportunity to visit a dear friend last weekend. It had been far too long and we had a fabulous time! We visited the Jelly Belly Factory, walked along the American River, saw some of Napa Valley, and laughed the whole time. Thanks for a great visit, K!

I think I will call him the Goose Whisperer.

Ooh, in other exciting news. I ran into a girl I've met since I've moved here unexpectedly at the store the other day. It's like I live here now.

Silence is golden?

I'm so sorry! Yes, it has been a long time since my wit has graced your eyes, gentle readers. I find I have been a bit preoccupied. In my defense, I do not have internet access at my place of residence as yet, and thus, when I am free to type, I am left with no way to get that typing to you. I travesty I am working hard to remedy, I assure you.

I know that I have been tagged (thank you, Sarah), and I'm currently formulating some responses. I won't promise good ones, but they are harder than I thought they'd be. "Give me just a little more time" (Sorry for the mo-town moment, but I couldn't resist).

And now, pictures as promised:

And some from New Year's Eve. Yes, we matched on purpose. Yes, he's really 6'8".

As for the installment of wit, I have taken umbrage with the makers of nylons. Due to my height, more often than not, I have to buy a pair that is sized the same as a mattress. That's just insulting! Who wants to wear nylons sized like a mattress? I mean really? ("Oh, last year I could fit into a twin, but ever since my thyroid went berzerk, it's nothing but California Kings for me"). It's just rude.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

I love Christmas. It was an Apache Christmas for me this year, meaning that it snuck up on me from behind. I guess I was just too caught up in the move, but I hardly knew it was upon me before I was boarding a bus to take a plane home.

There have been beautiful shining moments of Christmas cheer that have shone through in the last couple of weeks - like the Christmas cards I wasn't expecting to receive, the hayride, the program at the assisted living center, the Christmas tree so thoughtfully brought to me, and small moments of selflessness that have enriched my life in the past two weeks.

It's been a busy month. I tell you what, it's been quite the adjustment for me to not have internet access on a daily basis. I feel cut off, for sure, but other than that, I have no complaints about my new situation in Bakersfield.

As for an update on Bakersfield living, I'm adjusting to my job. I thought I had a handle on things and that I was ready to just step into my therapistly duties. It has been a trial by fire - I hadn't realized how much support I was receiving from my supervisor until she was out sick. No one's dead on my watch yet, though, so I guess things went okay without her.

The biggest change in my life these past couple of weeks has been one that I was never expecting. Sure, I hoped for it, but having never experienced it for myself, I had no idea it could happen to me. I have a boyfriend! The news still blind-sides me.

Sorry, I don't have any pictures yet as I was camera-less until about 12 hours ago. But, let me tell you, he's wonderful! He's really been a blessing to me these past few weeks, and I just hope he can say the same of me. In the meantime, let's just say that I'm gigglier than ever (yes, I am slightly ashamed to admit it), I blush more easily these days, and I frequently find myself grinning for no reason whatsoever. My recent relocation is quickly becoming one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Who knew?

They said I had to go to rehab, but I said . . .

So many changes have occured in the last week. It's quite remarkable to consider how altered my life situation is at present.

• I have a job. No more unmitigated time for me.
• I have a job that I have been trained for and am qualified to do. And I really like it (at least, I really like what I've seen). Working in a rehabilitation hospital is heart-wrenching on a good day. No one asks to be admitted to such a facility. But, it's largely rewarding as well. Even small gains are large triumphs to my patients.
• I have an address! A person can now send me mail and it will come right to me. This is fabulous! I had forgotten what a joy it was. Yes, it's a sparse little home, but it's my home. I really like that.
• My life has become more quiet. I come home at the end of the work day to my little stuffed Rottweiler named Carl. Carl is always glad to see me, but he never has much to say. I guess that could explain why I've been a little phone dependent these last few days. I'm just not used to all the peace and quiet.
• I attend a branch now. We're bigger than the single's ward here in B-town, but we're still a branch. It's a new scene for me - full of interesting characters. I'm sure things will pick up once I actually know people.

It's an adjustment, but it's been good so far.

On a tangent, about a year ago, I experienced a similar transformation to this. I stopped wearing a watch mostly because I can't stand the way it gets in the way when I'm playing the piano or typing - something about the way it impedes the movement of my left hand and gets all sweaty while I'm working . . . let's just say that I've lost more than one good watch because I have taken it off and left it on a piano or in a computer lab. Thoughtless really, but it's what I do. Now that I work in therapy services, I have to keep track of time in an unobtrusive way - a way that doesn't look like I'm checking for missed calls from important people. So, I'm back to wearing a watch. I'm not sure how I feel about the change yet. Let's just say that the watch comes off before the shoes at the end of the day.