Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Brigham


When my sister moved to New York City, she became fast friends with Brigham, who was studying law at NYU at the time. Back then, I visited my sister in NYC a lot, so I met Brigham a few times. I mostly know him, though, through his blog, Steady Mobbin.'

Let me tell you something about "Steady Mobbin.'" It's been online since 2004, so Brigham beat me by a little less than a year! I don't personally know anyone who has been blogging longer than that, so it's quite an accomplishment! And I think I can safely say that Brigham was photoblogging his food long before everyone on the planet was doing it. (Note: His photos of food are better than most.)

I guess I've lost touch with Brigham over the years because I stopped visiting New York City as much, and my sister got married. But here's what I remember most about Brigham: He is so, so funny. So funny. You'll see what I mean when you read his blog. Go. Go on. Read it.

Oh! But first! Watch this video of Brigham holding his breath for a crazy long time: Personal Best.

P.S. I stole that photo from Brigham's blog.


Thing I'm thankful for: Marcia

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Busy Nothings!


Busy Nothings is 10 years old! I've been writing this blog for 10 whole years! And consistently, too! I've written a little over 1,000 posts since Hello was published on Friday, March 11, 2005. There was of course, the Great Silence of 2007, irregular postings in 2008, and the busy-ness of grad school, but other than that, I think I've posted fairly regularly. I'm kind of proud of myself!

I'm also amazed at myself. I've been reading through some of my old posts, and boy, have they changed over the years! When I first started blogging, my posts were short and funny and full of pictures. Since then, I've become quite long-winded and definitely more serious. I can't even remember the last funny post I wrote . . . And pictures! I rarely post pictures anymore.

The really crazy part about going through my blog, though, is reading about all the big things that have happened in the last ten years. I bought my first car, moved to Atlanta, threw a bunch of awesome parties (right, Taylor?), worked at the CDC and Habitat for Humanity, got into a big car accident, witnessed the birth of a niece (one of the most spiritual moments of my entire life), helped Lexi get married, watched two nieces grow into little ladies, moved to Texas, helped my parents move to Texas, got a master's degree, got robbed, moved to New Mexico, quickly moved away from New Mexico, got a big-time job, bought another car, and moved to California. Phew!

Anyway, in celebration of my blog's birthday, I want to do a few fun things:
  1. Give stuff away! If you are one of the first 10 people to comment on this post, then I will mail you something fun!*
  2. Write 10 posts about my readers! Again, if you are one of the first 10 people to comment on this post, then I will write a post about you!
  3. Recap with a Top 10 list! Okay, this is probably more fun for me than it is for you, but I'm doing it anyway. And here it is, below—some of my favorite posts from each year:
Top 10 of 10
(I'm skipping 2015 'cause it's not over.)

2008: Nicknames


Thing I'm thankful for: MacDuff, who inspired me to start this blog in the first place. Love you forever, Lauren. :)


*Um, I guess just e-mail me, if you are one of the first 10? (sawasnow at the googs) Or leave your first name and last initial or something that let's me know who you are . . .  This is tricky. But I'm determined.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Timing

I don't know how non-Mormons talk about marriage, but when Mormons talk about it, they often talk about "timing" and more specifically, "God's timing." When two people "find each other," it's often because God has stepped in and caused a miracle to happen at just the right moment. It could be the moment when two people meet at a party or the grocery store. It could be the moment when a friend introduces two other friends. It could be sitting next to someone on a plane, running into an old friend after decades of not seeing each other, or spotting that new guy at church on Sunday.

This way of talking bothers me. It suggests that there is one right person to marry, that God displays a good deal of favoritism, and that He is the only one who is truly in charge of our destinies. The last implication is the one I want to address tonight.

I don't deny that God affects change in the world, and I don't think it's outside of the realm of possibilities that he has a hand in what happens in people's lives. What we DO with the hands he deals us, though, is entirely up to us.

If my mom hadn't moved away from New York City at the exact time she did, she might not have gone to Provo when she did, and she might not have lived in the apartment complex that she did. She then might not have met my uncle, and he wouldn't have introduced her to my dad. Was God involved in the timing? It's possible.

But. If I hadn't moved to Texas to go to grad school, and if I had taken classes that first summer, I wouldn't have stayed an extra semester to finish my thesis, and I wouldn't have met that person I loved. Was God involved in the timing? It's possible. And yet, I didn't marry that person.

It probably sounds like I'm bitter, but I'm not. I'm simply trying to illustrate the point that timing isn't everything. Timing may not even be most things. To me, it's more meaningful to say something like this: If my mom hadn't learned what qualities she was looking for in a spouse and my dad hadn't learned to drop his pride, then they never would've gotten married.

I'll do the same for myself: If I had learned not to let people push me around, and the person I loved had learned to communicate, we might have gotten married.

Is God involved in the timing? Maybe. Is that timing instantaneous? Is it just one moment? An unlikely encounter? Maybe. But I don't think it's common. More common, however, is a lifetime of character-building, countless moments of thought and reflection, an openness to divine revelation, and the give and take of learning to communicate with a significant other.

Remember my favorite scripture from a few weeks ago? "For the power is in them!"*

We are agents unto ourselves and have the ability to "bring to pass much righteousness"—or in this case, love. We choose who we love, and we choose who we marry. It's as simple as that.**


*Exclamation point added. (See Agency Is the Very Best.)
**To my married friends and family: You made a conscious choice to marry the person you did—to work through difficulties and show love. I deeply admire that.


Thing I'm thankful for: German pancakes with whipped cream, cinnamon, and maple syrup from Vermont. I eat very well. I'm grateful for that every day.

Sunday, March 01, 2015

My Stance on Public Engagements

I met up with some friends for karaoke last night. (It was my first time, but that's another post for another day.) Early in the evening, Brian got up to sing "Fools Rush In." (Nice song choice, Brian!) He was pointedly singing it to his girlfriend, Julie, and at the end of the song, he got down on his knee, pulled a little black box out of his jacket pocket, and asked her to marry him.

Just like everyone else in the place, I clapped my hands and cheered loudly because I'm truly happy for both of them. And boy, would that take guts! I can only imagine how nerve-wracking the whole thing was for Brian! He pulled it off, though, and it was great.

But here's what: I decided I definitely wouldn't want a public engagement. I have thought that for some time, but last night, I was certain. No whoops and cheers for me, please, unless it's after the fact. I want something quiet and simple. Or loud and complex, for that matter. Just as long as it's private, I'll take it.

So. If anybody was planning on proposing to me any time soon, just make a mental note, okay? 'Cause if you do it in public, I'll say no without batting an eye.


Thing I'm thankful for: vacuum cleaners