another wedding week

I'm back in Colorado already. I know--pretty great, right? This time I'm back because my Number One is getting married. You read that right--Emily, my Numero Uno, is getting married on Saturday. Why haven't you mentioned this any time in the past six months? you ask.

Well, I still don't really know what to say.

She's my little sister, and while I have every permission to grow up and get married, who said that Emily could? I love my little sister so, so much, and while sometimes it's hard to see her all grown up and in love, I really couldn't be more happy for her. Her fiance is wonderful and loves her and treats her just as my Number One should be treated.

{Emily and me on my wedding day almost two years ago.}

So once again we're in the midst of a wedding week complete with family and flowers and crazy and fun and probably some tears, but I wouldn't want to be any place else.

Now if only the bride could blow off finals and come here now! I guess I'll have to wait to see her tomorrow.

a hundred thousand million words

The restaurant called this morning. They found it.

All is right in the world.

my sister

When I was a young teenager, my family spent Thanksgiving with our family in Utah. All the women were helping out in the kitchen, and our aunt Patricia looks over to Emily and me and asks, "So, are you two just best friends?"

We looked at each other, and without hesitation, together answered, "Yes!"

We are. We're best friends.

Her first year of college was my third, and with Emily around, I found my last two years of college even better than the first two. Lately I get emotional when I think about her and our relationship, because things won't be the same after the summer. They're not even the same now.

I graduated from school and am getting married soon. Then I'm moving to Portland, and I won't live close enough to Emily to stop by after work or go grab a Big Gulp or watch MK&A or just hang out because I love to be with her. Even now she's living at home for the summer and I'm here still in Utah. I miss her. And I think I'll be missing her for a long time.

There's so much I want to say but don't know how to say it articulately or cohesively. She's helped teach me that being myself is okay—more than okay—and liking something or doing something just because I like it is a good enough reason. She's there to boost my confidence and comfort me when life gets hard. She will call me out on too much of a sad- or bad-itude and challenge me to become something better than what I am. When I'm with her I'm completely comfortable with who I am; I don't feel the need to be anyone else.

She's my favorite. I love her. I'm the person I am today, in large part,  because Emily is my sister.

My relationship with Emily is what sisterhood is all about.

Happy birthday, Em. I love you like crazy.

snapshot

A snippet of texting conversation between Emily and me.

Me: How do wizard/witch children learn how to read, write, and add? Harry, growing up as a Muggle, had an advantage that way. Are there primary schools for magic children, or are their parents responsible for all of their non-magic education?

Emily: I've given a lot of thought to that matter. I would expect there to be primary schools with plenty of home instruction thrown in. The Weasleys probably couldn't afford primary school, though, so they likely learned at home.

The conversation didn't end there.

Memorial Day: the family

I can't tell you how good it felt to be home with my family. I came home and forgot everything else. I slipped back into Wood family life with incredible ease (though sometimes I do forget how to navigate my way through the universal remote). I love it. I love them.

Hugging my mom (even after seeing her just the weekend before when she was out for Sarah's final clogging competition) was incredible. And seeing my Number One for the first time in over a month was a happy, happy reunion. I swear John is taller since I saw him at graduation. Sarah is looking more grown up by the day. And running to Dad when he picked us up at the airport was so, so, so wonderful.

I hated leaving. Emily and I didn't even get to watch MK&A. But I ate pot roast and watched movies downstairs with everyone and almost inhaled homemade cinnamon rolls. If it had to be a short visit, at least it was a thoroughly lovely one. And when I left I tried my best not to think that the next time I'll be home is when I'll come home to get married in two and a half months. (Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited to get married, but I wish I could go home more before then.)

I'm working on apparition (you know, like in Harry Potter). Then I could go home on the weekends, no problem.

her second accounting test

I put the Cadberry Egg bag inside the envelope. She better get this one. I'm serious.

sick of being sick

When I sat down to watch the devotional with Emily, I started crying because I still feel sick and I'm so sick of being sick. And as the tears slowly fell, Emily tickled my back during the whole devotional and then gave me the rest of her Junior Mints. When I blew my nose for the millionth time, at that moment I was more grateful for my Number One than I was frustrated with my green-gunk-stuffed nose.

appalling

Dear Whoever Stole the Note and Banana Chip Bar I Left for my Sister at the Testing Center,

That wasn't yours. I wrote that note, covered the envelope in "buddy buddy buddy"s and "Number 1" in giant letters, a salutation that was clearly intended for a specific person. I even stapled the banana chip bar to the envelope to indicate that the note and treat went together. That was for my sister who just took her first accounting 210 exam. That wasn't for you.

And frankly, I'm appalled that you would be so audacious to steal something that was intended to brighten a specific person's day. Emily is my sister, my number one: you, on the other hand, are not. Right now, in fact, you're number infinity--the last on the list. I mean, who does that? Steal a treat from the testing center? You, apparently. Anyway, I don't know you, and I probably never will. Just know that you contributed to my loss of faith in humanity and in BYU students.

Sincerely,
Charlotte Wood

"there will always be room in the world for Kraft mac 'n' cheese"

One night I was whipping up some dinner and started discussing macaroni and cheese with my roommate Megan. We love macaroni and cheese, especially when it's homemade, but as Megan aptly stated, "There will always be room in the world for Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese." I fully agree.

Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese is my college food. This is the dish that has played a great part in defining my culinary college experience. Had a long day on campus? Take 15 minutes and make some Kraft mac 'n' cheese. Wanting to just crash on the couch and watch some "Law and Order"? Kozy up with Kraft (and yes, I did indeed make cozy a misspelling travesty--intentionally, just to make you gag). Need a quick meal before heading to a study group? Heat up your mac 'n' cheese leftovers from last night's "Law and Order" watching.

It's the perfect meal for an on-the-go college student. Or for a TV-junkie college student. Or for a needing-a-break college student. Or for a it's-been-a-long-day college student. Or for a homesick college student. Or for simply a hungry college student. And I've been all of these at one point in the past three and a half years.

Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese, I love you. You have treated me well. I never get sick of you. And thanks for always being less than a dollar a box at Smith's.

I'm immunized, baby!

I got an email from BYU telling me that they're giving out free H1N1 shots. I took them up on that. And I had Emily take them up on that too.

Emily was a little sketch.

But we were both fine. And afterward we went to the bookstore and bought each other early Christmas presents, which we exchanged in the CougarEat.

Give it up for immunizations!

hit the ground running

I'm back from Thanksgiving break and am in the final leg of the semester.

Today I need to

• Read Monster
• Read sections 65–69 of D&C
• Read articles for personal finance and complete corresponding assignment
• Go through my planner once I get back to my apartment, because I forgot to throw my planner into my book bag
• Go to Target because I came back to sour milk and I'm out of other necessities like Diet Pepsi
• Get a Big Gulp with Emily, because I didn't see her much yesterday, and even though we're freakishly awesome friends and I just spent an entire week with her, I miss her
• At least seriously consider going to FHE
• Make it to my orchestra dress rehearsal at 5:40—concert tomorrow at 7:30 in the de Jong!! (It's free!)
• Call my visiting teaching companion to check up on our visiting (I think we still need to make a visit. . . .)
• Decorate my Christmas tree after I buy ornament hooks at Target

At least I won't be bored today.

A Card for Charizard

When leaving the Testing Center after completing an exam, there's this little vestibule right before the exit. In this vestibule, there's this ledge that is always filled with notes and treats and surprises for those coming out of taking an exam. I don't take too many tests in the Testing Center anymore, and really, who could complain about that? But on the infrequent occasions when I do go to the Testing Center and come down those stairs leading to the exit, I always glance at the window ledge full of post-test surprises, hoping to see something with my name on it, and in my three-and-a-half years attending BYU, no one's ever left me anything. Until yesterday.

Yesterday coming down from taking my second personal finance midterm, I made the routine glance at the collection of cards and plates of cookies, not really expecting to see anything for me. Then a little red envelope caught my eye, and while it didn't have my actual name on it (yes, in fact, the envelope was addressed to "Charizard," one of the fire Pokemon), I immediately recognized Emily's serial killer handwriting. My heart soared—I actually had a note waiting just for me!! And while the test did not go as Shamtastically as I'd hoped (how is it that I got a better grade on the first midterm for which I last-minute crammed and took while battling a migraine than on this exam for which I spent significant time studying?!), the note from Emily made my day.

And apparently the camera on my work computer takes mirror images, hence the backwards writing.

Pumpkin Play-Doh

Think that pumpkin Play-Doh sounds like a fun fall treat? Just forget to add the baking soda in the pumpkin bread recipe.

I was so excited for Saturday night. Emily and I planned to bake pumpkin bread and watch Wait Until Dark: a stellar October Saturday night. Well, Wait Until Dark is nowhere to be found anywhere in Provo during the month of October, so we settled on The Ring (creepy but funny). We even wore festive Halloween socks, with the exception of our friend Josh who didn't wear any socks.


We ran to Smith's, where we picked up some extra pumpkin, and Emily posed with the Granny Emilie's bread.

Then we went back to Em's apartment and mixed up the pumpkin bread.

Then we baked the pumpkin bread. And it took forever. And it was looking funny. And then it finally finished and came out looking like Play-Doh. You know when you think that if you just take one more bite of something gross, it'll end up tasting okay? I tried that. It still tasted Play-Doh-esque.

I threw it off Emily's balcony in angry frustration.

The movie was good in a dumb, funny way, though, and I ended up spending the night at Emily's. And after church today I tackled the pumpkin bread again.

Victory. Take that, Play-Doh.

I wonder if they'll let me hug the polar bears. . . . Safari Day 2009

Wondering where this particular sign was? Read on. At the beginning of the summer we siblings planned to have a safari day sometime during the summer. Safari day came into being when I lived in Provo for the spring, and my siblings were quite taken with the idea. So finally on Thursday we went to "Africa" via the Denver Zoo.

Emily was "looking for wild animals" on our way to the zoo. Silly girl :)

We went to Predator Ridge first. That's where Emily put Sarah into the lion death grip. See sign above.

We mimicked several wild animal behaviors, to which John replied later when we were showing Mom our pictures, "Yeah, Mom. We were in public." Haha.


In addition to imitating the maned wolf walk, Emily and I made faces like the monkeys. John really loved that one. He stood on the other side of the room.


When we saw the leopards and cheetahs, Emily responded with, "I have a sweater that looks like you!" And just as we got out of the car, she looked at the pimping-out leopard print ribbon and exclaimed, "Look! It's from the wild!"

We couldn't really convince John to take many pictures with us, but we did get him next to the fake polar bear (on our way to the zoo, Emily matter-of-factly wondered if they'd let her hug the polar bears. . . .). John is so mammoth that he can almost touch the polar bear head! And he did get more involved with Safari Day when he stated, "I wouldn't mind being a pachyderm in the wild." Ha!

After the zoo, we went home and watched "The Lion King." It was a fun day with a fun ending. I love being friends with my siblings--it makes life pretty great :)

And no, Emily was not able to hug an actual polar bear.

reunion!

My freshman year of college I spent many evenings over at my cousin Jessie's. It was a needed second home when I was living in the dorms and feeling lonely. When Timm graduated and they all moved across the country, I was seriously disappointed that I wouldn't even see them a few times a year, much less a few times a week, as before. Late last month, Jessie came out to Utah for a few weeks for a Tanner reunion and to visit Michelle & Co. plus other friends, and luckily for the Woods and Petersens in Denver, she booked a flight to Colorado for a few days during her stay. I got to see her for the first time in two years!

She was only here for a few days, but I loved it anyway. We all ate good food, played Bananagrams, went thrifting (the picture below is me sporting the cute girls' top Jess bought me for $3 at ARC), and just had fun talking and catching up. One of my favorite things about Jess is that we can go for two years without seeing each other or even talking on the phone much and come back like no time has passed.

Plus, I got to see Bella again and meet Fiona! Bella and I used to be best buds back in the day. I didn't know if she'd remember me, but after a funky hello, she warmed up to me a bit and we had fun.

Me and Bella from two and a half years ago.

Me and Bella now!

Hello, Fiona!

I'm not sure when I'll be able to see Jess and the girls (Timm, too) again, so I milked this trip for all it was worth. I was sad to say goodbye but was grateful for such close extended family. I love being friends with family :)

Operation Superhuman Reader: Summer Book #9

Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Incredible. This is a beautiful book. The story was already familiar (because of the October Sky movie), but this memoir far surpasses the excellence of the film adaptation. Not only was the writing beautiful, but the entire narrative was so purely honest. Sonny's emotions and recollections are untainted by pride or shame: he recounts his adolescence with palpable honesty, lacking any affectation.

The relationship Sonny has with his father is intensely complex, the reader not knowing how to feel. The pain of both father and son is real.

Besides the fact this is a memoir, the characters are accessible and real. I came to know the characters in some semblance of how Sonny knew them. Just as important as any of the characters is the town itself. While Coalwood as a mining town is dying, it's an integral aspect of Sonny's adolescence, a representation of all that Sonny wanted to run away from and couldn't ever abandon completely. All of Coalwood was the Rocket Boys; the Rocket Boys' success was not the six boys' alone but rather an achievement of the entirety of this fading mining town.

I could go on and on. I will reread this book several times over throughout the rest of my life. It makes it onto my top 10 list. It's beautiful.

View all my reviews >>

Happy birthday, Number One!

Emily just turned nineteen on Monday. (Back in February, I wrote a tribute to my number one--you can read it here, if you want.) Here are nineteen things about her. She's pretty much amazing. I love her.

1. When we were little and played "The Little Mermaid," I was always Ariel and made her be "the blue one." I think she's recovered from that injustice :)

2. She loves to clean and cleans our house all the time. She even coined the term "Mopping Mondays."

3. She's drawn to domesticity.

4. She has and wears an "I Heart Mom" t-shirt.

5. She introduced me to the wondrous world of Big Gulps.

6. She is the most service-oriented person I know. Regardless of how tired she is or how much she has to do, she will always take time to dust and vacuum, unload the dishwasher, or pick the kids up from school.

7. She has an infectious laugh.

8. She has an unnatural fascination with the ShamWow and all infomercials in general.

9. She's going to be Vince Shlomi, the ShamWow promoter, for Halloween this year.

10. She has a quick and clever wit.

11. She comes up with the funniest poses and has since she was little.

12. She loves Disney Channel shows like Hannah Montana, Sonny with a Chance, and Jonas.


13. She's an incredible pianist.

14. She often thinks she's gangsta. Good grief.

15. She's a peacemaker.

16. She loves big sunglasses.

17. She makes funny faces in the mirror. Her signature face is the Paula Abdul face.

18. She talks in her sleep.

19. She can play most Guitar Hero songs on hard and some on expert.

Emily, you have always been such an example to me of spirituality and obedience. You're an amazing young woman with infinite potential. I love you.

You're my number one.

Operation Superhuman Reader: Summer Book #5; Reread #1

These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was about the third time I've read this book. It's one of my all-time favorites. Sarah is such a real character, and her story is so honest. Jack Elliot is one of the dreamiest fictional men ever to grace a page, and every time I read this book, I fall in love with the characters all over again, and every time I finish it too soon. I would recommend this book to anyone.


View all my reviews.

lovely Easter

I have so much to catch up on, so I'll just start at Easter. Maybe I'll rewind, maybe I'll fast forward. Hold on for Charlotte's blogging ride. Man, school has been eating me alive. But I'm still alive. Pretty much. Last day of class was today--ShamWow.

And my Easter . . .

was stellar.

Emily and I exchanged Easter baskets on Saturday night (followed by a Brooke date to dinner at Red Robin and "Bedtime Stories" at the dollar theater)

My basket was awesome, complete with Coke Zero, dish towels, Burt's Bees, a Borders gift card, and more.

Oh yeah, and the creepy clip art.

I gave Emily a couple cute Target plates and glasses, and among other things a super creepy miniature lawn gnome found in the dollar (which has recently been more like the $2.50) section.


Anneli asked me to play my violin in Relief Society, and I had a pretty arrangement of "Beautiful Savior" prepared. I took out my violin to practice the piece a couple more times until I had to go to church, and much to my dismay, my D-string snapped. (Please, please, don't read that wrong. Ha.) So, no musical number in RS. I'm scheduled to play next week.

The best part of the day was going over to Michelle's. We ate dinner, talked, and played Cities and Knights of Catan with Max and Lucas. Lucas is quite the competitor--he completely betrayed Emily at one point in the game. He's ruthless.

The most important part of the day, however, was the opportunities I had to reflect on the Atonement and the Savior. What I love about Easter is that we have the chance to simply rejoice; it's important--essential even--to understand how we can and need to use the Atonement, how to take advantage of its all-compensating power; however, sometimes we need to take a moment and simply offer gratitude and praise for that miraculous power. That's what Easter is--a celebration.

It was a good Easter :)