words of wisdom

If you scoot your eyes over to the right hand side of this blog, you might see a link to Catherine Newman's blog. Prepare to have your mind blown: She has two. The other is on Wondertime.

I love her kids, and mostly I love Ben. Ben is funny, kind, and the kind of quirky you can only be when you are 8. This week's blog on Wondertime has Ben talking about asperations and kids around the world, and it hit especially close to home for me:

We still read Children Just Like Me all the time — that awesome DK book that profiles kids around the world in a really beautiful, non-intrusive way — and Ben is newly amazed by it. Maybe it's because most of the kids are 8 or 9 ("Those children are just like me!" he always cries, comically), and Ben is identifying with them anew. "Wow," he says, "the kids always want to grow up and go into politics, to make the world a better place. They're so amazing. I always picture the page about me in the book, and it would be like, One day Ben wants to own a sandwich shop where he can only serve lunch so he won't have to work too hard." Self-ironizing is a past-time that seems to come early in my house. "I want to want to be president," Ben sighs. "But it just seems so tiring. And like I should probably leave it for someone who really wants it." I like how he makes presidential candidacy sound like it's the last waffle on a plate.

And it's true, at least for me. I want to be the guy that owns a sandwich shop open only for lunch. I like to have lofty goals because they sound so impressive, but in the end I just want to enjoy my life and my family. I feel like hard, demanding work (like the presidency) can really be a drag on my ultimate goal of doing nothing, like Peter in Office Space.

I just re-read that, and it appears that I am a blob who grunts at the slightest thing I need to do, like shower.

And I just re-read that, and I realized that I have said on numerous occasions that I would shower everyday if it didn't take so long.

So please scratch all you just read, and understand that I am 100% on board with Ben's sentiments, and that being who you are is a good thing, even if people have the mistaken impression you are a lazy SOB.

heather the bunny

For those who don't know, I used to have ideals, moral convictions, and a strong sense of right and wrong. This meant I was a staunch party line Democrat.

I was also a teenager, and such things go along with common teen-age angst.

Part of the angst I worked so hard to cultivate included being a vegetarian. A lacto-ovo vegetarian, to be specific. If you've read The Jungle, I think you understand. I maintained my vegetarian status until my the end of my first semester of college, where I ate salads twice a day and proceeded to weigh 148 (!!) pounds at Christmas break. That was when I became sick of aforementioned salads, and renounced my angst-ridden veggie-loving ways.

But I've been thinking. And I'm thinking I might try to be a vegetarian again. It's healthier, I'll be forced to eat my veggies, and I will need to be more intentional about what I'm eating.

We'll see what happens.

finding an oasis

It's easy to forget how blessed our lives are. We can get bogged down in things that frustrate us (you are hungry! I have a bottle! For the love of GOD, EAT!), the things that annoy us (it's called a blinker, buddy, use it), and the things that bring us down (I'm always washing baby bottles...isn't it his turn yet?).

We forget how lucky we are that we have someone who needs us to feed them, the ability to travel around, and the fact that we have someone who can help us out when we need it. NieNie is someone who never seemed to forget blessings and who cherished the grace given to her and her family every day.

On August 16th, Nie and her husband were seriously injured in a small plane accident (the flight instructor with them has passed away). Christian, her husband, has burns on 35% of his body, and Nie has burns on 83% of her body, and is currently in a coma. What is amazing about this is the support that has been given to them across the Internet. Nie blogged on the NieNieDialogues about her children, her husband and her life. She has quite a following, and those who read her blog have raised over $100,000 for their hospital bills. I encourage you to take a look at her blog, and either give prayers or monetary support to help their family in their time of need. Updates and more information are available here.

I also hope that you recognize the joys and blessings of your families, and know that any frustration is greatly out-weighed by the love and joy that's in your lives because of those who love and care about you.

the ants go marching one by one

It's that time of year people--fall start up. Students approch our office in a seemingly never-ending stream looking for money and hoping not to hear bad news. However, usually, if they don't have their money it is a bad news situation. Sigh.

You know what I love? Tomato soup. And you know the tomato soup that I love? Pacific's Organic (Ooooo) Creamy Tomato. I haven't gotten sick of it yet, and it's been my lunch for the past 2 months or so. Delish. Add one of those oregano-ey bagels someone brought in to share, and you are in for crunchy bagel (it's pronounced baa-gel, folks, not bay-gel) tomato-ey lunchy lunch.

Back to the grind...but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

the meaning of life

I must share this with my reading public: If Mylie Cyrus wasn't on the radio every 15 minutes on ZFUN, I probably would lose my mind. Thanks ZFUN, for a Mylie-licious morning!

squash and other family dramas

My brother never had to eat squash after the time he "gagged" while eating it at the dinner table. I have never forgiven him for that. Until I was the ripe old age of 14ish, I didn't like squash either (known by my dad as "squish").

But, I must say that I now lurve squash, and we found out today that Birdy likes it too! Now my mom, Birdy, and I can enjoy buttery, cinnamony squash on cold fall nights. It's nice to have a veggie buddy.

rearview perspectives

The older I get, the more I realize I don't really know who I am.

I look inside me, and I still feel like the same person I was when I was little and coloring at the dining room table. I see the same person playing at recess in fifth grade. I see the same person who chose friends who didn't care in middle school. I see the same person who gave her heart to people who didn't see it as a gift in high school. I see someone who is still frantically trying to figure it out, and who keeps hiding when I'm seeking.

The best views sometimes are the ones in our rearview mirror. We can see where we just were, and those glimpses into the past tell us much more about ourselves than those in front of us. Each choice we make is a result of the past, and that makes it even harder to make the best decisions that go against all of who we are and what we've been.

The craziest thing is that I feel the most like Heather when I'm with Birdy. She doesn't know who I was, or my past struggles, the bad decisions. She sees my smiling face and all she feels and sees is love. I think that is the best gift of motherhood. You finally have the chance to change who you are and your life's trajectory with a clean slate. Once and for all, you can be the best person inside of you, because that little person sees you that way. It makes me okay with not knowing myself, because, at last, I'm discovering it right along with her.

chlorine gets my motor going

The smell of a pool reminds me of why I love swimming. It's true that smell brings memories more than anything else. When I smell bleach I think about the first time I qualified for districts, the last swim meet as a senior, my favorite drills, the best workouts, and my good friends.

Is it similar for other sports? If you smell high school gym, do you think of volleyball? Smelling grass makes you think of football?

Whenever think about the start in swimming, I get goosebumps.

When you step up on the blocks, it's LOUD. People are yelling, screaming, cheering. Add the rushing of your blood as your heart pumps frantically, and you have a hard time hearing anything.

As soon as the starter tells you to take your marks, it quiets and you can only hear murmuring.

As soon as you hear the beep (or gun), your mind goes blank until you're in the cool water, which is totally silent.

Before you break the surface, you are in a surreal world. The water feels good, and you can sense your propulsion through the water on your arms and legs. You're in a half world at that point. You can't hear anything but the rushing of water over your ears and are focused entirely on your kick.

Once you break the water, the world gets loud again with the sound of people, water, and your own thoughts telling you to go faster, reach farther, kick harder.

THAT is what I miss about swimming. I miss the coolness, the jitters, the turns and the finish.

If I ever make it to Beijing, I'm swimming in the Water Cube. I don't care how expensive it is; I want to swim in the same water as Natalie Coughlin, Peter van ded Hoogenbam, and Michael Phelps.

is that what I think it is?

I know what you are thinking. You're thinking, "Good sweet sassy molassy! What is that delictable little treat I see?" That, my hungry friend, is a little something called pretzel jello salad. You may not be familiar with it, and that is a mighty shame.

Pretzel jello salad is composed of a pretzel crust bottom, a cream cheese and cool whip creamy middle, and a jello and fruit topping. Traditionally, the top is strawberry jello and strawberries, but I like mine with raspberries and raspberry jello.

I'm currently crafting one for a work pot luck tomorrow, and I'm totally stoked. I know you are jealous, but not all of us can work at WSU's financial aid office. I'm sure your time will come soon.

Hi, my name is Heather B., and I'm an Olympoholic.

Saying I'm addicted is a little bit of an understatement. The summer Olympics is like black tar heroin to me. I can't get enough, my relationships are effected by it, and I will go to any lengths to watch them.

My husband (HA! You're finally mentioned) is an Olympics widow during this time, and he seems to be taking it very well, considering he doesn't care at all about sports like women's soccer, dressage, synchronized diving, or trap shooting.

That's right...I watch it all. My favorites are swimming, diving, track and field, and gymnastics. But if it's on NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, or USA I'm on it like white on rice.

I get a huge adrenaline rush from watching people do well and exceed their expectations. Sometimes, I get a little emotional. You heard me right: sometimes I cry.

So, please know that I'm a little nervy right now since I have to go to work and not watch streaming video or anything. Plus, the time difference is a bitch since I've been staying up so late.

Now...I think some esoteric equestrian event or women's weight lifting is on.