Nobody Thought This Day Would Come....

I completed. One whole semester. Of grad school.

Done. Fin. Completed. Passed? Jury is still out on that one.

Hear that? That’s the round of applause that has been following me around for the last day or so.

Like a boss.

The first (most) part of it was super stressful. No joke, I gained 5 pounds of stress-induced-gorging weight (I’m reasonable like that). It was fine once  I finally realized which class I had to actually read and study for and which one was more like, “whatever, we’re just glad you’re here, you cool kid, you”. 

And once I got past the first, I don’t know, 5 (out 6) weeks, I warmed up to it all, hit my stride, got on my A game, etc. and it was all fine and groovy…Fun, even??  
 

Maybe not fun, but there’s just something about thinking that I’ve really come to enjoy. It's like my brain is thanking me for not wasting it on internet-centric garbage (except this...this is GOLD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPkByAkAdZs).

And hey, maybe if I’m not hit by a meteor (or I fail every paper I thought I rocked) I’ll go back in the fall? And by the end of it all I’ll be so stressed I’ll eat myself to the size of a hippopotamus. 

BUT I’ll be the smartest hippo. EVER.  

Confession: I google-imaged “smart hippo” but all I got was "cute hippo"...because google wants me to feel good about my hippo-self.

That One Time Our House Got Broken Into..

I use the term "broken into" a little loosely...our garage door was only halfway shut (unbeknown to me) and so whoever it was just walked right in.

So yeah, about a week ago I woke up to find my computer missing, Luke's work computer missing, all the chargers, my sweet-awesome leather diaper bag, wallet and purse GONE.

It was honestly one of the worst moments OF. MY. LIFE.

To know that some asshat(s) decided to come into our house. While my kids were SLEEPING. And then take my stuff is a feeling of violation I can't even describe. I'm still in denial about it because it creeps me the hell out when I think about it.

Thankfully, we were able to freeze our bank accounts before they could spend any money. Unthankfully, all of my schoolwork is gone and I haven't had a decent night's sleep since.

Extra-thankfully, we have absolutely amazing neighbors who brought us dinner and foodstuff to make up for the fact that I couldn't go grocery shopping for a day. It was a huge blessing.

The (possible) question on everyone's mind...where was Jussi during all this?

Welp, seeing as that dog has the guard dog instincts of, I don't know, a passive, slightly stupid Labrador, she slept through the whole thing.

Which is fine. I'm slightly relieved that I didn't get woken up only to go downstairs and encounter whoever it was that was here.

Anyway, life moves on. We now double check our doors yadda yadda yadda...but hey, maybe they'll find out who did it?

(Judging by Springville Police's truly lethargic response to the whole situation, I am extremely doubtful.)

To be perfectly honest though, it has put me into a pretty drastic downward spiral that I am desperately trying to get out of. 

In other news! One more week left of school! It is still up in the air if I will get the requisite 'B' in each class but I'm preparing to actually go to the library. To study. A concept all very new to me.

Also, I found a wicked awesome desk at a garage sale for $5 which I refurnished like a boss. It is my (well, Isla's) new pride and joy.

 Before!

After!

It's all about the knobs, man. They cost the most out of the whole project, but hot damn, they were worth it.

Tall Tales...A.K.A. #@!! Was That a Bird?!

My mom and I have this tendency of going on runs together where a handful of ridiculous things happen.

One time (back in California) we were running at 7am on a fairly remote trail when a group of cholos decked out in swag and some seriously dapper threads come around the corner and start walking off the trail into a really big, random gully.

Seriously one month later a few good people went into that gully and shortly after there was the biggest marijuana bust ever seen in SoCal.

Yesterday, nothing that cool happened. But we did get dive bombed by an honest-to-goodness bird. I almost stepped on a rattlesnake and there was a bear apparently chilling out in the area.

By the end of that run, I was so on edge that a bike came up behind me and I let out a string of expletives enough to make a sailor blush.

And the guy on the bike was probably like, "Chill out, lady...a bear doesn't sound like a bike, right? Sort it out."

Anyway, we've been running to the top of the Y during the week (this particular run was rerouted due to search and rescue operations. Dramatic.) and Luke and I took Finn up there last weekend. While we just hiked up for about 10 minutes it has become apparent that this boy likes to spin a tall tale...since then he has been telling people:

I climbed that tall, tall mountain ALL BY MYSELF.

I touched the Y!

I climbed to the top of the MOUNTAIN.

I fully support exaggeration especially when it makes you seem manlier than you actually are. Work it, kid.

Isla, if recent goings-ons are to tell, will be following his footsteps up that mountain in a very literal way.

As of late, when Finn runs around yelling, Isla runs around yelling.

He throws something. She throws it too.

He climbs onto the bed. She finds a way to CLIMB ON THE BED, TOO.

The best is when he is talking with hand gestures because she sits there and copies him to a tee. It's unreal.

Thankfully, he not only doesn't mind, but it, perchance, has increased their sibling-y bond. She can't go too close to the stairs without him grabbing her and pulling her back (even though she can go down the stairs on her own). She can't go too close to any ledge at the playground without him yelling at me to come grab her. Put something untoward in her mouth? He's taking it out, thankyouverymuch.

There's still a lot of pushing and shoving and toy-taking so I still feel balanced. Thank goodness.

 Finn's gymnastics graduation picture!