Party Central

Wow. It's been two months. I never promised regular updates though. Let's just keep that in mind, shall we?



Andrew turned 23 years old! We decided to do things "old school", and had a skate party. Once we decided on the skate party, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were practically a given. And it all snowballed from there. We projected video games onto the wall and ate cake. A popcorn buffet was attempted, but I'm still undecided on that success. The proportions were off. We had lots of regular popcorn. Perhaps too much. The other popcorns were overlooked, and the point was lost. But who cares!? We had cake! Speaking of cake, it is pictured to the right, in all of it's glory.



I also decided to try something novel and fulfill my calling. For the June activities committee meeting we were asked to come with an idea for an activity. I made a table. One column for ideas, one column for venues, total estimated costs, distance from Tallahassee (rounded to the tenths of a mile), etc. (This should make even Kourtney, a.k.a. "I have a portable filing cabinet for weddings plans that I keep on my person at all times", proud). Alas, it was not to last. Maybe the table was too much. I was suddenly released and called into the Relief Society Presidency. Now I get to help with Enrichment every month! I really think we're going places! The first Enrichment I've helped with was on Thursday--A Kebab cookout! Turns out fellowship, food, skewers and an open flame is the recipe for success.



Lara and I had our first ever bridal shower tonight. We made the punch. Actually, Lara made the punch. I'm not sure what I did. I cleaned the house? Yes. I cleaned the house. And I dreamed a game. I suppose its a sign that you're obsessing when you begin to dream about a bridal shower. The dream game is basically Madlibs. You have bags of various necessary parts of speech (noun, adverb, adjective, so on), and as a guest walks in they write a word for each category and put it in the bag. Later, we would randomly draw the needed words out as we tell the story of "How Parker and Lauren Met" or give Lauren "Good Advice". Anyways, the punch was good. It involved lime and cherries and carbonated goodness. Mmm.



Also, I was interviewed and hired for a job at FSU. I would take a pay cut, and could possibly be fired if the budget runs low. But it would mean no extra driving (I currently drive 20 miles round trip to get to work) and I would get first dibs on registering for class. I'm going to attempt to work both my current job and this new job for the fall semester. And also make the dean's list. Dream big or go home, yes?

Oh baby!

After a careful, and completely thorough investigation, I am thrilled to confirm reports that Jefferson Jason Packard is one adorable kid. I flew out to Utah for a week between my spring and summer semesters, and I can't fathom a better greeting than Jefferson's hearty wails. Seems the young boy does not enjoy car trips, even ones to retrieve the much anticipated Aunt Lindy from the clutches of airline mayhem.

The trip was stuff dreams are made of. There are mountains! Holy hannah, the mountains! I do believe the good people of Utah take those for granted--my constant remarks on the landscape were met with luke warm acceptance. The very tops of the mountains were still covered with the last of the winter snow, and Jason took us all up there one night, and I got to tromp around in the stuff. It was amazing. You could hear it melting. And the fresh mountain smell! And the natural disasters! (An avalanche, to be precise. Jason related all the gory details to me.) In honor of the occasion (the occasion being the third time in my life to see snow) I built a little snowman. Alas, Jason has the picture, and all I can offer is words. He was about 9 inches tall, with long, somewhat twiggy arms, and big brown eyes. We christened him Ralphie, and he stands for honor and glory in the mountains of Salt Lake. (Shortly after this post, Jackie e-mailed me the pictures. So, there he is!)

Jackie and I had a smashing time. Oddly, we spent a lot of time in the mall. We're not usually the mall rat type, but we had errands to run, and the mall was the best place for it. I bought some shirts, the likes of which can only be found in the Mormon heartland. The shirts are long and sport conveniently capped sleeves. Truly a revolution in casual attire.

One of our trips to the mall, involved picking out outfits for Jefferson and his two year old cousin Kaden to wear in pictures. While the mommies shopped, I was on stroller duty, hanging out with the kiddos, watching the elevator doors open. While I held a 2 month old baby in my arms, and discussed the elevator operating system at length with a 2 year old, a kindly woman changed my life. She conversationally asked, "Are they both yours?" I answered, "Nope! I'm the aunt." And although this was the sum of our short conversation, it hit me with some gravity. Someday, I will be that mommy. But my goodness, when I am that mommy, I will seriously rethink taking two small children to the mall by myself. And I would definitely invest in a tandem stroller. Using state of the art technology, I made a composite of all the possibilities. Pretty scary, yes?

Besides the snow, and errands in the mall, I was able to witness Jefferson's first experience with professional photography. The little guy truly handled it with grace. He was passed around, propped up with books, and placed trustingly into the strapping arms of a two year old, all in the name of art and documentation. It was definitely not the most enjoyable experience of Jefferson's young life, but the photographer captured his true personality beautifully. What a charming young lad!

All good things must come to an end. My trip is over, and summer session is in full swing. My Spanish class is shaping up to be one of the more challenging experiences in my life thus far. I can now tell you that "Me llamo Lindy" and "Mi nombre es Lindy" but never "Mi llamo es Lindy". That was a pretty big breakthrough. The differences are subtle, but important. :)

Seattle Sound and a Peep show

Yesterday, while going about our business at a local gas station we were impressed with this advertisement. Words fail me.
The weekend started out with a bang. The 5th Ward Annual Spring Fling was Friday and the theme was "Time Warp" and the idea was you dress up in the style of your favorite decade. It really translated to: "Pick any decade, or character, or your old prom dress that you like and dress up . Unless you don't feel like it. Then just wear regular clothes." Over all it was really fun. There were swingers, gangsters, two really cute golfers, one Rambo, and the Scooby Doo crew. Andrew and I picked a decade. Can you guess which? Its a shame you can't see the pants, but that would have given it away.

On Saturday Andrew and I went to Marianna for Easter weekend. Saturday night we went with my Mom to see Horton Hears a Who. It was pretty cute. It wasn't particularly offensive or anything. A few parts were actually really amusing (read: In MY world everyone eats rainbows and poops butterflies). I'm not sure about how I felt about it.
I've always found Mob Psychology to be frustrating though, so that was probably what bothered me.

Easter was great! My mom hid eggs for us and we had Easter baskets and that was fun. I'm pretty sure I'll never outgrow that. (I also really enjoyed church, you know, the whole purpose of Easter. But that doesn't make for a very good photo op). After dinner, we went for a walk and enjoyed a perfect Easter Sunday. Spring is my favorite.
Mom's students told her about "peep jousting", a noble tradition that involves peeps, toothpicks and a microwave. We were a little fuzzy on the details, but we did the best we could. I think we all pictured a dramatic contest between the two small, sugary knights (as depicted in the pictures. The last is my favorite. The poor loser bird, sprawled dejectedly on his side.His small beady eyes plead for help. The victor stands supreme! Light pink is sugar scattered everywhere--the aftermath of a vicious battle.) I captured what really happened in the microwave, and we're still not sure what to think.
What the term "Peep Jousting" suggests:

What an amazing showdown!
This is what really happens:

Spring Break '08

Spring break has come and gone for me. It stretched on in a seemingly endless 40 hour work week. Sitting still is a lot more difficult than it would seem. I carefully scheduled my day so I would have a reason to get up every hour or so. Between checking the mail, taking the mail, restocking the sodas in the fridge, and emptying the recycle bins I had a pretty full schedule. Its all about time management. I worked full time so Amanda could have Spring Break off. The deal is she can have Spring Break off if I can get a week off in May to go see the newest addition to Jackie and Jason's blooming family. Speaking of, Jefferson was born Mach 10, 2008, and from what can be seen in the pictures its another good-looker in family. Which is a relief to all of us. :)
Because I spent the lazy days of spring break chained to a desk, we decided to make Saturday fun to the max. Four of us rented canoes and explored the great Wakulla for four hours. We didn't see any manatees, which was hugely dissapointing, but we did climb trees. There were also lots and lots of turtles, one snake, and some crab traps. I'd never seen a crab trap before. We pulled the traps up, and there were crabs! And they were blue. I think the scientific term is "blue crabs", but I'm no biologist. Anyways, it was lots of fun. The picture is brought to us by a kayaking photograher. He was trying to get nature shots, but he had to settle for what was available. Anyways, he was nice enough to e-mail us the picture he took, and there you go. Andrew is in the tree, and I'm skillfully manuvering the canoe below him.
Later that day we went to a field. And what a field it was. Andrew taught me lacrosse technique. Turns out, lacrosse is a game played mostly from the wrist. I also learned ultimate frisbee. A game that also involves a lot of wrist action. So, my wrists got a really nice work out.

Right on Target

Yesterday, while I was walking into Target (to buy the Target specific brand of Select nuts that everyone in the office can't live without...I have a very important job) I overheard a Mommy-Daughter exchange that made my day. I noticed two little girls in matching green shirts, pigtails, and lacy bobby socks, forming a human chain as the mother held a small baby in one arm, and grasped one of her daughters hands, who in turn held tightly to her sister. As they walked in the door it went something like this:

Mom: Girls, I just noticed something I'd never noticed before!
Little Girls: What is it??
Mom: The "Out" sign is red, and the "In" sign is green. Why do you think that is?
Little girls: *various sounds of confusion*
Mom: Well, what else do green and red mean?
Little Girls: CHRISTMAS!!

I feel confident that moments like this will make motherhood (someday) the best.
Until then, I can play with Jefferson! If Jackie will hurry up and have him already.

Might as well.

I've had this set up for a few months now. My mom heard about this new thing called a "blog", and wanted me to show her the ropes. Our interest lasted about 2 minutes, but the damage was done, and I was set up with a blogger account. About 6 months later, I find myself with nothing to do at work and here we are. I don't know why it hasn't happened sooner. A combination of 4.5 hour shifts with little or no responsibilities and limitless computer access obviously equal posting my life story to the masses. Technology is amazing.
Today in my Lit class we finished up with Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice. I've always been a fan of P&P, so that little assignment was a walk in the proverbial park. Although, I've never approached it with an academic mindset. As it turns out, this approach only solidified the hypothesis that Jane Austen was a genius. All the details, social stigmas, tension, feminism, and romance are a literary feast.:) One of the best parts was classroom discussion. I've suddenly become acutely aware of many of my peers inability to communicate without saying "like", "so", "you know?" and "Idon'tknowbut..." every few words. Sometimes classmates would simply string the phrases together in an incomphrehensible sentence. "So- like- well-I dunno-you know?" Those were the best. I guess they were so overcome with literary appreciation there weren't words enough to describe it. I know the feeling.