My beautiful, my beautiful balloon!

Today Chad was walking with me from the library to the music building where I had class. We had to go to the library to print the inserts for the sets of funeral CDs we made for the family. This girl walking towards us says "Do you guys want a balloon?" Now, let us pause for a second.

Who wouldn't want a balloon?! I thought it was a trick. ... okay, what are you selling, cuz I want the balloon but not whatever else you're trying to rope me into. I look her over - she's got no clipboard, just a backpack and a sky blue balloon bobbing over her shoulder as if to say "pick me! pick me!"

"Heck yes!" I say (mocking Napoleon Dynamite, not seriously.) She explains "I'm going to the library and I can't take it with me." Let us pause again here.

Now, is there some kind of rule that you can't bring balloons into the library? Was that a problem at some point? Such a problem that they had to make a rule? How does she even know about this rule, if such a rule exists? Did she have a balloon one day and the library security (who take their jobs a little too seriously) says "I'm sorry, we don't allow balloons" and made her tie it to the bike rack outside to pick it up on her way out? I wonder.

So she hands me the balloon, we say thanks - she continues on her way to the library and I on mine to class. I took my balloon to class with me and let it sit in the corner while we had clarinet sectional. I packed up my clarinet when that was over and took it to my locker with my faithful companion bobbing behind me. As I approached my locker I had the strangest flashback of being in high school and it being my birthday.

I had to go home to get something I had forgotten for my photography class later that night. I wrapped the ribbon of my balloon around my fingers a bunch of times to be sure not to lose it to the cold February Rexburg sky. I trotted to the crosswalk, my balloon blowing in the wind behind me. As the cars came up, I imagined that I was in Mario Kart and I was playing versus and I only had one balloon left and the cars would try to pop my poor solitary balloon. Luckily, I was not in Mario Kart. I got across the street safely, and made the 2 blocks home. I passed a girl who couldn't help but smile as she passed me. She was trying to hold it in, but I saw a smile creep out at the last second.

And I realized as I walked down the sidewalk, that trailing a balloon behind you makes you feel like a little kid again. There's a little bounce in your step, the sun shines just a little bit brighter, and you feel pretty happy. There's nothing like the feeling of having a balloon follow you wherever you go. Always in your face, like a puppy wanting to be held and then insisting on licking your face.

So now my sky blue balloon floats, tied to the kitchen chair, keeping watch over our apartment.

(It does have a flyer taped to its ribbon telling me to volunteer at the hospital, so I wasn't wrong in assuming it was a gimmick of some kind, but nonetheless.)

Happy thought of the day...

The plastic on our microwave had formed a little bubble over the "start" button, and I thought we just got what we paid for from a cheap microwave. Tonight we realized that the protective plastic film was still stuck over the keypad and the window. Peeling it off made my day! It's so shiny now!

It's a Rodeo

Friday night we went to the Rodeo. I didn't realize it was part of BYU-I Spirit Week, but it was. All of the steer riders were students, and none of them stayed on for 8 seconds. And surprisingly, Mutton Bustin' turned out to be the crowd favorite. And if you don't know what Mutton Bustin' is, watch the video. Eh, watch the video anyway.

In other news...

Hello again - as I'm sure you've noticed, I don't usually post this many times in such succession, but I have good news!! Chad talked to the owner of Porter's today and got a go-ahead for us to move in upstairs. Oh, I'm sorry, did you miss that? WE CAN MOVE IN!!! We are SO excited. It's bigger, has 70's orange shag carpet in the main room, and 2 - count 'em - 2!!! bedrooms. We get to clean it up in the next couple of months before we move in - so we get to paint it and clean it and replace the nasty linoleum floor in the bathroom. There are a few details that cannot be listed on public web space as per orders of the owners. So I suppose you should talk to me if you want to know anything else about it. :o) Or message me privately.

WE GET TO MOVE TO A BIGGER APARTMENT! ... maybe you should come visit us...

This week in Dickerson medical anomalies...

Today I went to the orthopedic surgeon - the guy that takes clarinet lessons from Bro. Holman. I was reminded today that apparently I've met the man before - my freshman year, my first semester, when I played in the Rexburg Tabernacle Orchestra. Anyways.

If you'll recall, in October I began having pain in my right hand/wrist. I put up with it for a while and then called Dr. Mills (aforementioned orthopedic surgeon) in a "hey-I'm-a-musician-too-can-you-help-me-out" kind of way. I didn't want it to go that way, but he didn't think I should come in and see him yet. So he told me to take Aleve to help relieve the pain, and if it didn't get better, to call him. So I waited for Christmas to see if not practicing would help. But I still experienced pain all through Christmas break, which was disappointing. So I finally called and made an appointment.

What it basically comes down to is that he doesn't know what the problem is. It could be any number of things. What we did decide was that the x-rays showed that the bones in my wrist are not correctly aligned and so that is probably why I'm more susceptible to hand pain than other musicians. The bad news about this is that it sounds like the pain that I feel in my wrist anytime I push on something with my hand, may not go away. He asked me if I've ever had a bump on my wrist. (HAHAHA MOLLIE!) I said no, but my twin sister did, and she had to have it removed. He told me that a ganglian cyst in it's baby stages may be forming and we just can't see it yet. He gave me a prescription for some topical creme (basically extra strength Aspercreme from what I understand) to apply twice a day. But he said it's expensive, so I'm not really looking forward to finding out just what "expensive" means. Besides the fact that I'm already worried about the cost of the visit - insurance said they'd cover it - up to $250 I think. Hopefully that'll be enough.

Anyways, that's the latest update from Rexburg. Where'd I get these "loosey-goosey" joints anyway?!

Grand Slam!

As most of you may know, there was a commercial for Denny's that ran during the Superbowl offering free Grand Slam breakfasts to everyone 6am - 2pm Tuesday morning. Having missed free Dr. Pepper coupons, free taco day at Taco Bell and free Ben & Jerry's ice cream on election day, I was determined not to miss out on any more free offers. So - after cleaning the temple last night from 9:45-midnight, we got up at 6:45 and made our way to Idaho Falls.



There was a crowd inside the door when we got there, but there was a sign on the door telling the early birds to form a line outside the door until 10 to 6:00 when they'd let them in. We were glad we didn't decide to go wicked early to "beat the rush" or we would've been standing out in the cold waiting for our free breakfast.





We got to IF about 8:00, waited only about 20 minutes before we were seated, and ordered our glorious free food. Here is a picture of Chad anxiously awaiting his pancakes.





We wouldn't have even had a check to prove it except that we ordered hot chocolates - which also came with free refills. So anyways.



I got pretty close to finishing mine... but not quite. And they refilled my hot chocolate right before we were going to leave, so I tried to drink as much as I could, but I didn't want to be one of those people that eats so much at Denny's that they throw up in the lobby on the way out the door. (See entry for May 20th, 2007)

And that, my dear friends, is the story of the Superbowl Slam.