My Reunion

After the annual Washburn Family Reunion it is always interesting for me to read other people's blogs about the reunion...there are always things like "We played softball" or "We went for a hike." It is at this point I always think "Really?! Where was I?"

So this year I paid attention and at my Washburn Family Reunion I...

-Rocked out to 80's karaoke with Emma on the way to Monticello
-Went through a box and a half of tissues due to my cold (thanks a lot immune system)
-Took a nap on the deck (short nap)
-Tried to find out what dead animals were mixed into my food without anyone seeing me trying to find out. (answer: too many)
-Attempted nap (lack of being able to breath made it mostly impossible)
-Played (but never won) several games of Barnyard
-Read 2.25 books
-Reminisced with Aunt Connie (whose attendance was a complete and happy surprise for me)
-Took a nap in my bedroom (yay! for a 3 hour long nap)
-Held my tongue during all political conversations
-Counted dead animals hanging on the wall of the cabin(I already forgot)
-Worked my way (with help) through two containers of "Monticello Salsa"
-Played with other people's cute babies (although due to "Favorite Auntie" status I am required to say that Emma, Pratt and James are the cutest kids in the whole world!)
-Hung out with Alyssa and McKale (who always laugh at my jokes....so I really like to hang out with them)
-Went swimming at the hotel (in the freezing cold pool for 5 minutes....and the ridiculously hot hot tub for an hour)
-Got Mat in trouble with Brittany (can you smell that?)
-Ate at least 30 otter pops (YUM!)
-Sat with my Grandpa (best part of the whole time!)

I didn't go for any hikes (or do any sort of physical activity), shoot guns, see (living) wildlife, play sports, golf, get dirty, or get up early. So all in all I would say this reunion was a huge success!

Thank You to all those Washburn Women for their hard work in making a great weekend for all of us!!

This Week's Favorites

My favorite things I heard this week:

"I've become too practical for romance. I'll probably end up an old maid." -Anne Shirley

"I miss my dad...I wish he wasn't in jail." -5 year old

"It wasn't me." -Pratt (in reference to everything)

"My dad was WAY off the hook...he pinched my ear WAY harder than it really hurt!" -Emma (on how painful her birthday ear piercing was) *PS...I don't think she really knows what "off the hook" means.

"Show me that you don't have a baby in your tummy." -2 year old (sorry...not cutting my belly open to prove it to you.)

"The thing about being single is that you only have to explain your behavior to yourself." -Me quoting a TV show...because it's SO awesomely true!!

Summer is fun right?

What's Your Name Again?

During the summer I always miss the funny things that kids say....but this year I'm covered because I am spending my summer working at a child care center. This is a conversation I had with a little girl on my first day.

Little Girl: "Um.....what's your name again?"
Me: "My name is Dawn. The friends here call me 'Dawn' or 'Teacher Dawn' so you can choose what you would like to call me."
Little Girl: "OK."
(Long Pause)
Little Girl: "So how about I call you 'Teacher Sparkle'?"
Me: "Well....sure. Why not."

I thought it was cute and funny but I never thought she would remember it the next day. I was wrong. We are now 3 weeks in and I regularly hear things like;
"Teacher Sparkle, can I have more juice?"
"Teacher Sparkle, will you put piggy tails in my hair?"
"Teacher Sparkle I want to color."

The name is really starting to grow on me....maybe I should make a T-shirt....I'll use glittery iron-on letters.

The Phone Call

Setting: my comfy bed

Me (in my head): 'What is that noise? It should stop.'
Other Me (in my head): 'It is the PHONE! Answer it!!!'
Me (out loud but very groggy): "Hello?"
A Brother: "Did I wake you up?"
Me (in my head): 'You seriously need to ask that question...isn't it obvious?'
Me (out loud): "mmmm"
A Brother: "It is 11:00 am." sounding equal parts judgemental and incredulous
Me (in my head): 'Is that supposed to mean something to me?'
Me (out loud): "OK"
A Brother: "I need your professional opinion."
Me (in my head): 'I guess this isn't one of those conversations that I can be partially awake for and then quickly go back to sleep when it is finished. Ugh.'
Me (out loud): "OK"

Note to my readers: I have no spouse or children to interrupt my beloved weekend sleeping routine (which consists of sleeping as long as I possibly can) and I make the most of that situation. Please do not judge me simply because you are jealous.

Boston!!

Things I learned on my recent trip to Boston:

Day 1:
*I am easily bored when forced to sit in one seat for 5 hours.

*Veggie Burgers from UBurger are quite yummy...and their fries and onion rings are even yummier.

*Red Sox fans are serious, and I mean serious, about their team. Here's a note to the girl sitting in front of me...your date was WAY more into Ortiz than he was into you.

Day 2:

*Utah is lame...because we don't have Dunkin Donuts.

*Duck Tours are actually a cool tourist thing to do in Boston (truthfully I was a little worried that it would be completely uncool.)

*I am a descendant of 2 men that came to America on the actual Mayflower...how cool is that?! (This is relevant to my Washburn relations)

*If you are at all interested in dressing up in period clothing and speaking in a British accent for several hours a day...you should definitely move to Boston (and surrounding areas) because there are lots of jobs available.

*If you are interested in that kind of job, you should hope that I don't visit your place of work because I will mock you mercilessly and refuse to speak to you.

*Pad Thai is actually really delicious. (well that one kind of pad Thai that I ordered at that one Thai restaurant I ate at in Harvard Square was really delicious)

*Eric seems strangely invested in making me try new foods. (This happens every time we travel)

*If being super excited to see the place where Car Talk is located makes me a nerd...then you can call me a nerd!

Day 3:

*The glass flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History are so incredible..and no I am definitely not overstating that...they are incredible!

*Harvard is a really beautiful place that made me want to be smarter (don't worry the feeling only lasted for a few hours.)

*There are a group of people in Boston who apparently believe tourists are the dumbest species on the planet and have therefore made a line out of red bricks and paint that guides the stupid people all over the city to famous historical sites.

*The red line made of bricks and paint is quite useful.

*There is a Holocaust Memorial in Boston that is intensely powerful and emotional.

*I LOVE pasta...and the homemade pasta with marinara and 4 cheeses that I ate in Boston's North End was quite possibly my favorite thing that I ate on this trip.

*The line at "Mike's Pastry" will be long...but the cakes, cookies and cannolis that you get after waiting 45 minutes will definitely be worth it.
Day 4:

*I am officially in love and want nothing more than to marry the object of my affections...who is this man? The talented, brilliant, visionary, and all around perfect man who invented toffee chip pancakes. (PS...if that man is reading this, please call me!)

*It is possible to visit the home where Louisa May Alcott lived. Her classic book Little Women is one of my all time favorites and I was fascinated being there. I didn't even know about it, so thanks to Eric for taking me (although I'm sure it wasn't on the top of his must do list!)

*It is difficult to enjoy the beauty of Walden Pond and the surrounding area when you are hiking in sandals and are trying not to trip over roots and rocks. But the times I dared look up it was beautiful, and I can completely understand why Thoreau lived and wrote there.

*If you place a stone on the pile of stones that marks Thoreau's home site at Walden Pond, you can make a wish that will come true on the 4th day. (I'm not telling but my wish may have had something to do with the inventor of toffee chip pancakes...)

*I saw lots of beautiful Coach Handbags in the swanky shopping area of the Back Bay. They wanted me to take them home with me, which of course I couldn't, but I can barely sleep at night because I am still haunted by their cries...truly heartbreaking.

*It is possible to partially satisfy ones craving for a Coach Handbag by buying a super cool Johnny Cupcakes bag instead. (which was significantly cheaper and more unique)

Day 5:

*I think it would be so fun to live in a charming little house in Marblehead Massachusetts, it was the most adorable town I have ever seen.

*The fact that there is a town called Salem Massachusetts does not mean that that is the location of the famous Salem Witch Trials of the 17th century. (which seems rather deceptive if you ask me)

*There was a woman named Susannah North Martin who was hanged for being a witch during the Salem Witch Trials...and she might be my ancestor! How cool is that?! (this is relevant to my Taylor relations...and I'm still investigating the definite-ness of this claim...fingers crossed!)

*Apparently the red line making people took their cause to Salem.

*I still don't know where that line was supposed to take me...

General Info:

*$50 shoes that are made specifically for comfort during walking and that have been broken in for several weeks by the owner are apparently worse than the $8 "sandals" (really a piece of plywood with a 1/2 inch leather strap wrapping around one's ankle) when it comes to getting blisters...and I have the 1000 blisters to prove it.

*Being a vegetarian in Boston is significantly easier than being a vegetarian in Lehi.

*Humidity is not my friend.

*People on airplanes are weirdly friendly...we are complete strangers!!!

*Eric is a great driver/tour guide/travel agent/and provider of lodgings! Thanks Eric!!

Spring Break 2010!!!

(blog title to be read in the voice of a female 21 year-old college student drinking something alcoholic on a beach somewhere in Mexico)

All winter long I have been looking forward to April 2nd because that was, of course, the start of SPRING BREAK 2010!!! I really needed to do something different than my everyday routine (sleep too late, play at preschool, possibly go to second work, read, hang out with Tera, field a strangely high number of blind date requests, and avoid doing laundry). Now I am not saying that I don't love my everyday life....I absolutely DO LOVE all those things (except maybe the blind date situation). It was just that I needed to do something different....even if it was just for a couple of days. So that is exactly what I did.

For 4 days I went to visit my grandparents in Monticello Utah. I love both of them so much, and I love Monticello almost as much. It seems almost impossible for me to feel overwhelmed or anxious while I'm there....and this visit was no exception. I read books, crocheted baby blankets, ate too many treats, talked with my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins. I endured a little Fox News Network and Weather Channel (my grandpa's 2 favorite channels). It was also nice to spend 8 hours alone with my mom talking about anything while we drove.

Then I spent a couple days at home, including a trip to the Dinosaur Museum with Pratt, Lindsay, James, Tera, Kim, Jackson, Ellie and Jane. It was so fun to get to do some of the fun things I tend to miss out on since I am always working! Then I got ready for yet another trip.

I spent another 3 1/2 days visiting my friend Jill and George Skouson in (or around) Denver. I absolutely love getting together with Jill (a former roommate) because we have so much fun together. We played games, stayed up late talking, laughing and crafting (I did take some pics but can't figure out how to upload them on my computer so....). I laughed more and laughed harder there than I have in weeks and it was so nice. Still to this day I can remember some joke we laughed at(meow!) and start laughing by myself (as I'm walking through the grocery store....which does make me look like a crazy person). They are so nice, and I really appreciate their letting me escape from my life and crashing in their life for a few days. And I even won 1 whole game!

I had a great week off and returned to the everyday routines more relaxed and able to handle all those things....although I still have a suitcase of laundry to do.

Glitter!

I do love glitter (who doesn't?) Here are the reasons why I love glitter:

1. I am a girl
2. It makes boring stuff un-boring
3. It is sparkly

But today my love of glitter increased because a bubbly little 3-year-old was dancing around me and sang this....

"I love glitter! I love glitter! It makes shit shine!"

I'm pretty sure she was just trying to say "It makes it shine" but the combination of an 's' at the end of the previous word and the 'sh' at the beginning of the next word made it impossible for her not to say shit...I mean it.