While Madison and I were driving to Montana this summer, we had the fortunate experience of stopping at one of the few gas stations in South Dakota along our path. I was waiting for the sole urinal to open up as this guy already occupied the space. I had to go so bad that I started doing the swing-legs-out dance. It was a crisis. Time passed so slowly, and he didn’t’ appear to move. For a few moments, I thought that maybe he died standing up. Literally, I thought the pressure would actually cause my bladder to shoot straight out, hitting the man in the back. He finally finished 9 minutes later.
Until sometime this year, I always thought the "est. year" meant estimate. Had a good laugh upon realizing it means “established.”
Purses are a funny thing. I’ve seen quite a variety of items pulled from them over the years, but none so surprising as when I was riding a train in Germany. All of a sudden, I noticed a lady pulling out a full-tea set, with saucers, cups, and a pitcher from her purse. She proceeded to enjoy this afternoon jaunt with her lady friends as though this were the usual, everyday experience. I fully believe she was the real-life Mary Poppins, magic bag and all.
You know you’re Caucasian when you go outside to study and read in the sun, and you’re squinting more from your skin’s translucent appearance than the sun’s rays.
I'm now in my fourth semester of my executive master's program. One of the most effective tools for success that I've discovered is the "Do not disturb" button on my iPhone. To increase your time management, sign out of all social media, remove the apps from your phone, and simply step away from the computer.
One of my favorite marriage memories thus far is slow dancing with Madison in the kitchen in between our cooking and baking escapades.
Life advice: Before you leave your bedroom each morning, make your bed. If nothing else gets done, at least you can know that you’ve accomplished one thing, and it makes for a peaceful return each night.
The deer love our yard, and we consider them our outdoor pets. At almost any time throughout the day, we’ll have anywhere from 1-20 of them sleeping, eating, or playing in our yard. The other day, I looked out the window, and noticed that four turkeys had meandered over and seemingly appeared to run off the deer to the outskirts of our property. Grandma Gale says we should start charging people a fee to come out and see our zoo. We certainly enjoy all of the wildlife.
If you just want to listen to something refreshing, check out Tycho.
Before we ever knew of each other’s existence, Madison and I ate the exact same salad for almost a year straight.
The taxi that picked me up from the London airport was so nice--sliding doors on both sides for easily accessible luggage hauling. Super spacious. The driver asked me where I was headed and I responded in my American accent: “Montague Street.” Utter confusion ensued. “I don’t know of a Montaaaag street,” he replied. He then pulled over and took out his glasses because he had no idea where I was talking about, even when I said my hotel was right across from the British museum. I said, “Really? Here’s the exact address. I have it right here.” He smiled and said, “Oh, you mean, Montaguuuu street? That's OK. We just say it differently."
If you want to be ambitious, do jumping jacks for two minutes straight. You'll realize that your calf muscles are there.
Listening to Madison sing when she thinks no one is listening always brings a big smile to my face. “You don’t love someone for their looks, or their clothes or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear.” – Oscar Wilde
I can always tell I’m doing a research paper for grad school when I have so many tabs open on my computer that I no longer know where I put what, where.
You really learn a lot about your world and your relationships when you experience personal change. Silence from those whom you always thought were in your corner screams louder than any combination of words said or written, making the ones who stick around that much more meaningful.
If you're experiencing mild to severe withdrawals from the glaringly obvious absence of Downton Abbey, you might consider The Crown. While a totally different type of show, which allows for little time to consider each character's perspective due to the enormous complexity of the situations and scenes conveyed, it does garner the beautifully articulate English language. I’m a fan.
I dreamed that I had a serious manbun, but I was tired of pulling the excessive hair into a wigwam on my head.
"No, I don't need your approval, darling. That's for insecure people." --Anonymous
I really felt like such a handy husband when I fixed the pipe under the kitchen sink. This classic scenario slightly terrifies me, but only because it's always shown as the place to lose one’s wedding band. I never take mine off.
The snow was so frozen this winter that when I deposited the Christmas tree off the side of the hill, I slid down the slope on my ski-like boots. Kind of like Peter walking on water, except I stayed afloat because everything was frozen solid. In short, I had an unfair advantage.
I think the word "curiosity" should be spelled "curiousity."