Many Happy Returns!

Happy Birthday to me! Some highlights-

1-  Christopher woke up early on January 27 and told me he was going to shovel the driveway.  After all, he still had to work, wife's b-day and all.  I believed him in my sleepy state, and woke up to a tray of sweet rolls, fruit, hot chocolate, 

and a sausage biscuit from my favorite bakery.  And yes, I do rate bakeries.  Breakfast in bed! The start of a wonderful birthday tradition.  

2-As if breakfast with my down comforter wasn't enough, Christopher brought himself to do my Latin homework the night before, freeing me to celebrate my birthday however I wanted.  Also, my Latin has never been done so thoroughly and correctly.  Sad, but true.

3-Tickets to Throughly Modern Millie at BYU!  The seats were great, voices fantastic, and costumes sparkly.  I loved every minute. 

4-Getting tired? I was too.  But when we got home, before falling asleep in my crumb-covered sheets, Christopher surprised me with a gorgeous apple green 8 GB iPod and converter for my car!  

5- I'm bragging. But the iPod is a real beauty.  And it hasn't left my side since January 27.     

6-My sisters and husband threw me an AMAZING party on Saturday. It was a murder mystery set in the 20's, complete with dozens of bottles of sparkling cider, (it was prohibition, after all), blackjack and craps, and a lovely dinner. They spent all day making it a fun night for everyone, who in turn, did a great job with costumes, and that tricky New York accent.  I've never felt so loved.   Thanks guys!

7-Finally, on Sunday afternoon, my sisters made another great dinner and we opened presents.  My family and friends were more than generous this year, and I have so much to be grateful for.  I'm happy I was born, and even more happy that other people seem to be happy about it too. 

PS. As soon as I have them, I'll post some awesome birthday pictures from the big murder mystery event. 

Merry Christmas

Sorry everyone--this greeting is a little late, but sometimes the best things in life are.  Like this morning, for instance. Christopher woke up early in order to get ready for the first day at his new office.  I kept sleeping of course, but woke up when Christopher threw a black dress sock on my face and said "Merry Christmas."  I pushed it away, muttering something about how next year he'll have to settle on a lump of coal, when I felt something heavy inside. Inside the sock was a pretty vintage necklace I showed him  over a month ago, along with a few hair-pins I wanted as well.  Christopher placed them in my lovely black dress sock stocking that was (hopefully) clean and gave me a great late Christmas morning surprise. It made me so happy that I decided to tell everyone about it, even if I'm sitting here with jet-lag, no food in the fridge, a 2-foot stack of mail to sort through, and four stuffed suitcases full of dirty laundry. I hope everyone had a great holiday--we certainly did!  Merry Christmas!

Good Stuff

So I wrote my last post at school so my husband read it while he was at his office. He must have known I wasn't in the best of spirits, so on his way home he picked up the new Death Cab CD. It was waiting on the kitchen counter when I walked in. Yay!  This CD is good.  I mean, it is really really good. So good that after I put it on my iPod, I walked up the hills by my house instead of running so I could listen to it longer. (He he. I obviously didn't need much incentive). So if you guys are in need of some musical spicing-up, check it out. 

Oh, and thanks Chris--you're the best. 

I wish things were different a lot. I wish I had enough money to buy the gorgeous black scarf for $68 I found the other day. I wish summer came back--it just wasn't long enough this year, and now you need a coat outside even when the sun is out. When you go running your ears ache, even when you wear a dorky lime sweatband with neon squiggles all over it that you found in your dad's old ski jacket. That is terrible.

So I have the blues, and lately it seems like everyone else does too. I wish I could offer some encouraging words, but the truth is, no one likes those people who act cheery when they don't really mean it. Sometimes you just want to take your gratitude journal and throw it in boiling water. Not that I have one of those but...okay, I love this poem, it makes me laugh every time I read it and I want to share it with you. So cheer up!

I Chop Some Parsley While Listening To Art Blakey’s Version Of “Three Blind Mice"

And I start wondering how they came to be blind.

If it was congenital, they could be brothers and sister,

and I think of the poor mother

brooding over her sightless young triplets.

Or was it a common accident, all three caught

in a searing explosion, a firework perhaps?

If not,

if each came to his or her blindness separately,

how did they ever manage to find one another?

Would it not be difficult for a blind mouse

to locate even one fellow mouse with vision

let alone two other blind ones?

And how, in their tiny darkness,

could they possibly have run after a farmer’s wife

or anyone else’s wife for that matter?

Not to mention why.

Just so she could cut off their tails

with a carving knife, is the cynic’s answer,

but the thought of them without eyes

and now without tails to trail through the moist grass

or slip around the corner of a baseboard

has the cynic who always lounges within me

up off his couch and at the window

trying to hide the rising softness that he feels.

By now I am on to dicing an onion

which might account for the wet stinging

in my own eyes, though Freddie Hubbard’s

mournful trumpet on “Blue Moon,”

which happens to be the next cut,

cannot be said to be making matters any better.

Billy Collins

I'm about to admit something that could leave me forever branded with the nickname of Halloween Scrooge. But I need to get this burden off my shoulders. I can take a little heckling.  

I hate Halloween.  That's right, I do!  You want to know why? Let me tell you.

1- I can't stand dressing up. I'm terrible at thinking up good ideas, and even more terrible at mustering up the time to get a costume. If I could get away with it, I would just wear my pajamas and back-up glasses every year. "Sleepy Melissa."  That's what I'd call it.  

2- Also, costumes are uncomfortable. Ever try being a cowgirl for three years in a row?  I was one from 6-9.  And you know what? The velcro on my fringed skirt just got tighter and tighter. So did my faux-white leather cowgirl boots.  

3-I guess I always trick or treated in the wrong neighborhoods but I always got an abundance of salt-water taffy and scary looking off-brand tootise rolls.  It wasn't until I moved to Alpine that they give king-size candy bars away, and then you only have to hit one or two houses. So dressing up at that point is kind of lame. One year I put a blanket over my head and my sisters lead me to the front door. 

4-Scary things are not funny to me.  If one kid comes to my door dressed like the Joker, no candy for him. I'm serious.

5-Cutesy things are not cute to me.  If I see one more dorky Halloween craft, or friendly looking witch saying something like "Bone appetit!" I will die.

                                                      

 6-On that note, I put one single Halloween decoration up this year. It is a realistic, rather severe looking life-size witch. And it scares Chris and I every time we walk past it.  That is the perfect amount of scare. Just perfect.  

7- Has anyone else noticed that it's always FREEZING?  I used to secretly dread the actual trick or treating because I was so cold. I merely pretended to be excited in order to fill my pillow 

case with candy that probably cost a total of 4.50+tax.

8-Last year, Chris and I took my little brother and sister trick or treating.  We approached a highly-decorated house with tons of pop-out skeletons, fog machines, and haunted music.  My little sister barely got past the curb before retreating.  "I don't think they were thinking of kids when they did that!" she said with passion. I know how she feels. Halloween in all its entirety did not think of people like me.  

Forgive me, pagan gods.  I couldn't hold back any longer. 

Salt Lake Temple Pictures

Okay everyone (more like the three people I know who read this baby), I finally got my wedding pictures and thought I would share a little peek before I get around to making a facebook album or something. But everyone knows what a lame facebooker I am, so we'll see... Christopher and I love the way our pictures turned out and would like to thank Allison Cox of Allison C. Photography for her amazing talent. Check out her blog at http://blog.allisoncphotography.com/

Lars Lindstrom: [after giving some flowers to Bianca]  

"See they're even fake so they'll never die."

The Constitution State

My mom called me on the first day of school. If you are a daughter in the Madson family, this is not a big deal. After all, I talk to each of my sisters and my mom every single day and sometimes when there is actually something happening, we call each other over and over. My sister Lacey and I will talk while we're grocery shopping, and then hang up to check out, call back, hang up to talk to the bank teller, call back, and finally, hang up to take the groceries in the house, and once more call back. We're one of those people you hate to drive behind, or wait in line with. Sorry. It's just how we are.

But this time, on the first day of school, my mom had big news. My dad got an awesome promotion in Connecticut and

 decided to move my mom, little brother and sister all the way across the country. Shocking.  Also, Christopher and I are moving out of are chic, finally decorated apartment, and into a large, already-decorated house with vines climbing up the brick. There is a basketball hoop, neighbors with children above eight, 

and an actual lawn to mow.  Yikes!

Still, Christopher and I are so grateful

 for this chance--and even though we'll miss our parents, it will be great to have an excuse to head to the east coast!