and like thunderous applause, the rain descended

I've had that sentence milling about my head for several weeks.

A couple of weeks ago I had to go and put fliers on the doors of the people in my ward as I do every week for my church calling. So I took Optimistic. with me and we headed over to the complex. It was wonderful outside - one of those dark and stormy night type evenings, with more than a summer's breeze blowing - more like a small gale. The apartments were all dark when we arrived. Apparently the whole block had lost power. And in true old ward fashion, everyone was out on their balconies enjoying it. From far away I saw flames coming from in front of #15 and more than anything I hoped it was a trashcan fire. Upon closer inspection it was just somebody responsible using their grill to shed light and warmth. Rats. But still, there were people partying a little and somewhere in the distance someone was setting off firecrackers. It made me so pleased to see all this. I realized how much I'd missed the chaos that comes from living in the old ward, where people are slightly crazy and fun-loving. Just my kind of people.

And like I said, the weather was perfect. It was warm with a large enough gust factor to cool things off and make it chaotic at the same time. I love being out of doors in weather like that. I have a faint memory of leaving the old Beaverton library as a child one summer's evening carrying a stack of books, and I thought to myself that the weather at that moment was perfect. It was another evening with a breeze.

And the day after I got back from Yellowstone the sky opened up and unleashed biblical amounts of rain on this small town. I opened every window in the house to let the cool in, to let the smell in, to welcome in the sound of such a downpour. The rain makes me happy beyond all reason, blustery summer evenings make me ecstatic, and quiet, still, evenings spent laying in the grass are enough to make me think that this world we live in is perfect.

50 ways to leave your lover

Sometimes at work we pick up notes and things that EFYers have left behind. We did it all last summer to amuse ourselves, and it really did help pass the time. Everyone kept an eye out, and usually several people would come up to me each day and say, "Genuine, I have a note for you" and I'd add it to the collection. I have a large manila envelope in my locker at work labeled EFY 2006 filled with doodles, notes, and miscellaneous things we found while cleaning. Most of the notes are the " Do you like Katelin? Brenda says she doesn't like Josh anymore after what he said at the dance, so she sat by Kevin on Thursday and then Melissa's hair...." type of notes, which amuse me to no end to read. Some are salacious, and I wonder if the parents of these kids know what their kids are up to. I meant to make them into a giant collage or something but never found the time. Perhaps the best note from that year was a poem by Jeremy Moore titled Soggy French Fries. It was laughably atrocious, and up until today had been the jewel of our collection. But today I found the best EFY note to date, which I will now share with you. Also, it's all crossed out in places as though someone put a lot of thought into their choice of words. And I left in the original spelling. Here it is, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Dearest love
thinking of you sends me
spinning through
a whirlwind of sparkles
and dream.
our souls haven't ever
met but I know we are
perfect for
eachother like sugar and cream.
the image of your face
glows in my mind like
worms under a black light.
all the sudden I am soaring
swooping and you help me
take flight in the night with no light,
after a fight, lose my sight....yeah
right, are your pants tight?
when my hands aren't
hugging yours, my soul
weeps but then I start to smile
because I know from my one
sock to my other sock that I
will have that majestic opportunity
in a short while.

remember when, like deer, we frolicked
through feilds of luscious rocks
in new york.

Then I hated when you took me
to that slotter house where they
surved nothing but
potent pork

*also, on the side there's this crossed out sentence -"Bam, snap, dig, growl, I imagine myself with a sword in my foot"

Like that time you ate crisco, thinking it was something else

I'm mainly updating this because I know my family reads it and I haven't posted in a month. I only really have my day to day things to report on, and all of you readers here in Provo already know what's up. Most of you were there for this last month, so reading this will be old hash. Or maybe it's old hat. I don't remember how the saying goes.

First things first, Happy Birthday to my sister F2, who I hope is having a smashing time on her birthday.

Optimistic. and I took a billion engagement pictures yesterday, or rather, L'afro took the pictures while we tried to look our best. M-Lite did our hair first, and she and Optimistic.'s sister came along as our on-shoot advisors. It was hot out, but we still managed to have some fun I think, if only because we got frosties afterward. We're taking some more on Saturday with Olympus which should be fun.

News since last time -a group of us went swimming at a pond in Mona when CJ was in town, and man was that fun. I like having people like him and Dean in town because they make me want to do spontaneous things, like drive to Wyoming in the middle of the night to buy fireworks. Also, because he's got great stories and a laid back attitude that I like. We swam at the pond, got muddy and burnt, ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, returned to our respective childhoods and just generally had a good time. It was krebscout's idea, and I'm glad she had it. Laying there in the grass listening to people play the guitar, drying off in the sun after a nice swim - it was heavenly. Later that same day was our Canada Day celebration, which I enjoyed immensely, for obvious reasons. I think a good time and a lot of root beer was had by all. After watching Strange Brew we went back to my house and lit sparklers and groundblooms.

The Monday after that we went to a concert at Muse which was ear drum shatteringly entertaining. Then when we went to the hospital cafe to eat we almost got kicked out by one of the security guards for being a little too loud. Sometimes when we're all hanging out, or out eating, or out driving around and having a good time I'm overcome with glee, and I think, "This is what college living is all about- hanging out with the people that make you happy". Needless to say, I like my friends a whole lot. The Maoist even came to Canada Day and brought me an engagement present - a 22 pound watermelon. She knows me too well. Also in town that weekend was Optimistic.'s dad, who also brought us a gift; our first wedding present in fact. It's the new quieter Boggle, hooray!

We also bought a car. We'd decided to buy one before the summer was out, as Optimistic. will need something to drive to school/work every day. Well, a car presented itself and we bought it. It's a 2002 Mitsubishi Galant. We named her Eunice, mainly because it needed a name and because Optimistic. thinks that by naming the car Eunice it will deter me from naming a child Eunice. We'll see.

That was all at the end of June and I'm trying to think of what I've been up to since then. Not much I guess. I did go to the doctor for a work related thing with my arms. Basically, my forearms hurt from work, which isn't surprising seeing as how I've spent the last two years stacking and unstacking tables and chairs. Anyway, I have to take anti-inflammatories for a little bit and I'm not allowed to lift anything more than 10 pounds, which is very frustrating. My first day at work after my appointment I went to move a ladder and realized I wasn't allowed to. I've also found that in addition to tables, chairs, and ladders, I cannot move piano benches, microwaves, regular benches, heavy bags of trash, and scads of other things I'm accustomed to moving around. It's hard to keep myself from doing it, but I know it's for the best. I was actually eating lunch the other day and I realized that my hands hurt from opening ketchup packets. Ketchup packets of all things. Oh well.

Also, my ride to Portland fell through, so I'm not going home for all of August, just for a week with M-Lite to go to Sliquefy's reception and to fly H down to school for the Fall. I'm also looking for a job/putting off looking for a job because I hate the idea of changing everything about my life. I need to find something for the Fall because I won't be a student, and therefore can't work most places on campus. We'll see what turns up I guess.

I think the main thing I'm forgetting to mention is that I moved. I'm in a little house in my old ward and I love it. I don't know what it is, but this house felt like home before I even moved in.

I also had a wonderful weekend this last weekend, but I think I'll have to save that for another time. Those of you here in town that know me, know that I have a notebook I write down quotes in. Maybe for a future post I'll put down some of my favorites. Most of them make sense only to me because I was there and happened to find something somebody said funny, if only because my brain is somewhat off kilter.

I'm also going to Yellowstone on the 27th, and I'm really excited to be spending some time with Optimistic. and his family up at their cabin. I've been told that a lot of card playing and watching of the game show network will be involved. Also, geysers. Oodelally.

Basically, I've been having the time of my life. I'm young and in love, and I'm living with some awesome roommates with more to come in the Fall. All these things conspire to make me happy.