Did you know?

...that the National Jousting Chamionship is being held this weekend in Loudon County, VA? According to a t.v. spot on the local FOX channel this morning, jousting no longer consists of knocking the other guy off his horse. Rather, the competitors must get the point of their lance through a ring the size of a life-saver.

Upon hearing this, the reporter declared "Really anyone, if you have a horse and a lance, can do this!"

The jousting trainer looked at her skeptically and continued to explain how the lances are custom-made and "aren't just the kind of thing you can go buy at a local hardware store."

:)

All children but one grow up -- J.M. Barrie, "Peter Pan"

When I was 7, it hit me that some day I would have to grow up. So I ran into the corner of my playroom, sat by the window, and sobbed.

Why couldn't I spend the rest of my life playing with my hamster, rollerskating around the block, imagining I was a giant grizzly bear chasing my brother down the hall? (my sisters still make me re-create that one :) Life was good, and I knew it. My parents had an endless supply of mac'n'cheese and I always got Littlest Pet Shop toys on my birthday.

So I really liked President Monson's Sunday morning talk during this weekend's LDS General Conference. He gently reminded us that change is the only constant in life, and we need to find joy in the journey rather than being preoccupied with the future or dwelling in the past.

Since it is glaringly obvious to me that my life is no longer full of hamsters, rollerskates, and grizzly bear imitations, and since I am the Queen of Nostalgia, I have been having a tough time adjusting to this "being an adult" thing. BUT....in the spirit of President Monson's optimistic words, I would like to list a few of my "grown-up accomplishments" of the past few months. Rather than groaning each time I do something horrendously boring and grownupish, I am trying to smile and pat myself on the back. So hooray for me! :)

1) I now have a Costco card, and have used it approximately thrice.

2) I bought a used car.

3) The used car broke down, but I successfully got it to the shop and paid for the repairs without getting swindled.

4) I took my pressure cooker out of the box (cooking something in it will come later).

5) I have navigated the craziness of health insurance plans, doctors, specialists, and referrals.

6) I researched and signed up for my 401(k) (and 30 minutes later the market dropped below 10,000 -- oh well, buy low, sell high, right?).

7) I have my own cell phone and my own plan with my own bill (though after seeing the bill, I kind of miss the family plan).

Lest you all be afraid that I've lost all my youthful childish immaturity, just let me say this:

I HAVEN'T! Mneah. So there. :) Oh yeah, and isn't that the same shirt you wore the day after yesterday?

What is this world coming to?

OK, yes -- I'm a grammar snob. But......honestly.....

" Dear, Shannon

I was just going through my inbox , and notice that you have never reply.are you still in the market for a new car ?

Did you buy a differant make ?

Is there anything I can do to earn your business?

We got the largest inventory in the east coast and will not loose a customerto another dealership...

Reply and let me know what I can do..

Waiting for your reply....

Please Note: Price quote expires in 72 hours and is subject to availability or prior sale. Not responsible for typographical errors. "



Now the disclaimer at the end (regarding typographical errors) is probably referring to errors in the price quote. I hope with all my heart that this the case. If companies have to tack disclaimers onto their employees' e-mails excusing their grammatical incompetence, this has become a sad world indeed. You know, I think this e-mail made me more depressed than all of the recent financial chatter. Sigh. I'm going to try to go think some happy thoughts. Ice cream, mmmmm.

In other news.....

BYU jumped to #7 and #8 in the polls on a BYE week!!!!

Maybe I should move back to Mexico....

Riding through Alexandria in Tyler's open-topped Jeep,
we got a little shout-out from a guy on the street.

"YOU'RE UGLY!!!"

He said, and it was very clear
that the wind had severely tousled our usually well-kept hair.
But before I got myself all in a stew,
I remembered that it can go the other way too.....

A year ago in Mexico, on the streets of Guadalajara --
Trust me, we wouldn't have to walk very far, uh,
Before we'd get some cat calls, a "Hey Baby,"
And about 20 whistles, maybe.
It was all very flattering to be noticed, tickly-pink
But these calls from the street have given me pause, made me think.....

No one can make me feel ugly or bonita without my permission!
No one else can contribute to my self-esteem highs or attrition!
So watch out, world, I know who I am, deep inside
I'm your average awesome girl, true blue and bona-fide.


(OK, so I just wanted to blog about the guy who yelled "You're Ugly!" but once I start rhyming, I can't stop. Anybody wanna peanut?)

In other news......



BYU is now ranked #11 in both polls. Go gettum, Cougs!

"And God somehow you know that ship is me...

"'Cause there's a lighthouse
In the harbor
Shining faithfully
Pouring its light out
Across the waters
For this sinking soul to see
That someone out there still believes
In me...."

I'm a beach bum at heart -- growing up, my room was decorated with dolphin posters, fish nets, and lighthouse-themed EVERYTHING (yes, even the light switch cover). And Garth Brooks' song "When You Come Back to Me Again" (see above) has always been one of my favorites.

So...after pretty much destroying my blog's format (I'm html impaired, but I can never stop myself from messing with things), and after being informed by Becky that I would never be rid of the green lines, I found this nifty lighthouse-themed blog template!


In other news:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex

September 11th.....Just taking a moment

So, the neatest part about having a birthday on September 11th is that I get a chance to really reflect on what's important in life. Good thing too, because I LOVE getting spoiled on my birthday, partying like crazy, eating lots of chocolate, so God must have known I'd need a little sobering up once a year (NOT in the alcohol sense :)

At any rate, today I have been thinking about my Mom. She was the first one to call me this morning at 8a.m. to wish me a happy birthday -- she was thinking about how it was about the same time of day when she went into labor with me (of course, I wasn't actually born until 7pm that night -- the poor woman!). Anyway, she is super! And a shout out to my Dad (I don't think either of them actually read this blog, so this may be kind of pointless) who has been a lifesaver in helping me find a used car that wasn't stolen from Russia or dotted with acid burns.

Oh, and the picture! This is the newly-dedicated 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon. I'm going there tonight when it will open to the public. The Navy Band will be playing -- should be neat.

And PLEASE excuse the horrible formatting -- I was playing around with the html last night, and the colors sort of exploded. Does anyone know how to get rid of the green borders? If I could get rid of those, I think I'd be a pretty happy camper.

O.K., it's true -- I'm addicted to the NYTimes

This article was in the Times magazine yesterday. Nothing earth-shattering, but I thought the first few pages would be especially interesting to those of you who live in the D.C. metropolitan area (Becky, I think that's you) Man, I really need to increase my readership. :)

The article gives an overview of the demographic and political geography of the area and uses it as a microcosm for nationwide political trends. D.C. is a great area to use for a comparison like this because the demographic contrasts here are so visual, well-known, and drastic. Driving the five miles from my apartment in Crystal City over the river to Anacostia is like driving into a different world. And driving 40 minutes out to my parent's house in Fairfax County is like driving into another completely different world. And just beyond that is Manassas in Prince William County, and, well......just keep in mind that it's called "Manassas" and not "Bull Run."

I don't really know much about Virginian politics, but what little I've read tells me that the upcoming election will be fascinating to watch around here. Here's another Virginia-politics-related article you might find interesting.