Found!

Last Tuesday I left my jacket in one of my classes and didn't realize it was missing until later that evening when I was cold and wanted to put it on. I was bummed about losing the jacket, but after thinking carefully about what must have been in the pockets, I decided it wasn't the end of the world. That was before I realized my keys were missing.

As soon as I figured out my keys had also been in my jacket pocket when it went missing, I started hunting for it in earnest. I'd just lost my Student ID card the week before, and after checking the ID Center for it in vain I found it buried under a ton of stuff in my backpack. So I emptied out my backpack even though I was 99 percent sure my jacket wasn't inside. I scoured my room and desk at home. I prayed I would at least find my keys - I could live without one jacket, but I really needed those keys - but no luck. I went to the custodian of the building where I thought I lost it and visited Lost and Found twice, but nobody had it.

Every morning as I left for school, I prayed for the safety of our apartment and those still asleep inside it, because I couldn't lock the door behind me like I normally would. (As far as I know, there was never any problem.)

This morning I got to school early and decided I might as well drop by Lost and Found again while I had time. After I gave two employees a detailed description of my jacket, I prayed once again that they would find it. Although I wasn't overly hopeful, I wasn't panicked either- Heavenly Father must have been speaking peace to my soul. When one of the employees came back to the desk and asked if my jacket had a bee on the front of it and stuff in the pockets, I got really excited. "Yes and yes, I did have stuff in the pockets. You mean all of it's still there?!"

So. I recovered my keys, little copy of The Family Proclamation, and the Pound Puppy (Little Spot, for those of you acquainted with him) who lives in my pocket. Everything I lost, I found! What a great way to start a day.

Ah, juice boxes

Ode to the Juice Box

Small, quick, convenient, tasty
Best accompanied by a granola bar or cookies
100% juice, composed of a dozen things I've never heard of
I love lunch


Disclaimer: I wrote the above poem in about 2 minutes... yeah.

It's National Chemistry Week!

There are several times of year when my job is especially exciting - the fall, because of Homecoming and the department picnic; the end of a semester, because there's usually lots of free food; and National Chemistry Week, because of the magic show, liquid nitrogen ice cream, and symposium!

True Blue

Hate to break this to you, Tyler... I went down the I LOVE BYU! slip n' slide today. (They ran it with blue foam.)

Mourning with those that mourn

There are a couple things I could write about - the weather, a cookie story from two Fridays ago, plans for this weekend, a summary of last weekend... the list goes on.

Mostly I just need a quick break from article writing. (I've done 1 3/4 in the past four days and am currently working on two more.) So I think I'll share a thought about friendship.

Yesterday as I was on my way to work from basketball class (meaning I was hot, sweaty, happy and had just climbed the heart attack stairs), I passed a girl sitting on a bench wrapped in a boy's arms (probably her boyfriend, but that's not the point of this story). She was holding a packet of stapled papers and crying. It appeared she'd received a disappointing grade on homework or maybe a test.

Her friend wasn't saying anything, but he didn't need to - it was enough that he was there and he cared. The scene was so perfect I wanted to stop and take a picture. I was touched by the strength and concern he showed his friend in a time of need, and I was reminded of past times in my life when I felt like that girl, and my friends or family acted the part of the boy. I know there will be many more situations in the future where I will seek comfort, as well as opportunities for me to administer comfort and I believe strongly in the power of friendship and Christlike love.

Dream 10-5-11

In the dream, I was an astronaut.

Mara, Sara, Jill and I were the crew on a new line of spacecraft. NASA had a fancy, official-sounding name for it. We just called it "Marshmallow."

The unique thing about our ship was the giant sail made entirely of marshmallows (the big kind). It worked just like the sail on a boat- don't ask me where the wind came from once we were out in space. Dreams don't have to make sense.

The maiden voyage of the Marshmallow went like a charm. Mara, Sara, Jill and I got to go to the moon and play Frisbee in its lessened gravity for a few hours. When we re-entered the atmosphere, however, our already-singed sail just burned up completely. We managed to land the ship in a field somewhere in Russia, but in order to get it back home to the States we had to go out and buy more marshmallows, go back into space, and return to the right place the second time. (Russian marshmallows must be tougher.)

In the middle of the dream, I dreamed (or did I?) I woke up because Mara was saying something about marshmallows in her sleep and I was all excited- "Are we having the same dream?" "...the moon..." "Maybe you're having the same dream, but from your perspective!" (I asked her about it the next morning and she told me I was crazy.)

Later that day, I drew roughly what our ship looked like in my head.

A closer look at the marshmallow spaceship...

Taking sleeptalk to the next level

I'm pretty sure I've always talked in my sleep. Friends I had sleepovers with have mentioned it, girls at Girl's Camp every summer mentioned it, and my roommate going on two years now, Mara, tells me weird things I say from time to time. Not to mention all my siblings (I don't know about my parents) talk in their sleep.

However much I've talked before, however, I've rarely been in a position to actually converse with another person in my sleep- mostly because I had my own room for 10-ish years at home. Apartment life has allowed my sleeptalking to go to the next level. Mara and I have had at least two conversations so far when we were both asleep. Maybe three- last night I dreamed we were talking to each other in our sleep again, and it's hard to say whether that was all in my head or not. :)

"I hope this brightens up your day."

One of the chemistry professors just came into my office and gave me a small candy. Dove® raspberry and dark chocolate swirl.

"I hope this brightens up your day," he said as he set it down on my desk.

Food always does. :)

A fairy tale for the conference break

Sir Marcello was a royal knight in the humble kingdom of Provo. He was loyal and kind. His horse was small but sturdy and reliable. The horse was small because Marcello was small.

Marcello was one of the king's most trusted knights. He had been sent on many a dangerous mission and returned to tell the tale. He was instrumental in keeping the peace the kingdom had enjoyed for many years.

"Marcello, you've worked hard," the king said to the knight one day. "Take some time off. A week or two. There are many ladies I know who would be delighted to attend a dance with you, if that's how you want to spend your time."

The king often held dances and festivals for the people in his kingdom to enjoy themselves.

"I think I'll go home," Marcello said. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Sir Marcello hadn't been home for more than a week in all the past year. He packed light and left that afternoon, enjoying the feel of the wind in his hair and anticipating a cheerful reunion with friends and family he'd left. He arrived home as the sun was setting, transforming the western sky into a glorious painting of red and gold.

His mother ran out of the house just as he was dismounting and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back automatically and was surprised when she pulled away after only a second. There were tears in her eyes.

"You've returned at the perfect time," she said.

"What's wrong?" Marcello asked.

"It's your sister. She caught a chill a few days ago and it's gotten bad. I was just about to send a message to you when old Nelson down the road heard you were on your way. I don't know why the king chose this time to give you a vacation, but I'm grateful he did."

"Tell me what I can do."

His mother smiled broadly at him. "I knew you would say that. You're a good boy. I'm proud of the man you have become. I know the apothecary in the capital has the medicine Laura needs. I hate to ask you to go back just when you've returned, but-"

"You don't have to say it." Marcello glanced at his faithful horse. "Just give Bertha a moment's rest and I'll be on my way."

A bright harvest moon lit the way as Marcello rode back. Despite the urgency he felt, he could almost forget the nature of his errand in the dazzling array of stars winking happily at him from the black night.

The apothecary was closed when Marcello arrived around 2 a.m. He had expected it.

"Come on, Bertha," he said tiredly, sliding off his horse's back. "We've got about four hours to rest."

He slept in the stable with Bertha, and in the morning he was there when the apothecary opened. He paid for the medicine and threw his aching body over the horse again.

It was high noon when he got back to his childhood home. After he stabled Bertha, his mother sent him in with the medicine to his sister, lying miserably in bed with a fever and racking cough, and fed him a satisfying and delicious lunch after he delivered the medicine.

"Thank you again," his mother said as she washed dishes afterward. "You saved her a lot of misery."

"It was no problem," Marcello said. He enjoyed the rest of his vacation thoroughly.