current events.

Well, we have just been little party animals lately. After our Oregon recovery day, Carly and I met up to play with friends the following three days, and on Thursday night I went to the movies for GNO. Don't see Midnight in Paris. May be the worst movie ever in the history of forever. Right after Snow Dogs. Then on Friday Chris's parents and sister came into town . . . and Chris and I split town. You see, this coming Friday we will celebrate 5 years of wedded bliss, so we decided to steal a night away while his parents were here to watch Carly. It was a good idea.

We went to Grand Rapids, which is only an hour away and isn't particularly spectacular. Chris went there for a research project a few weeks ago and ate at a Bistro that catered to the gluten-free population. So we totally planned our little trip around me getting a large meal of gluten-free stuffed french toast. But I looked online for some other fun things to do in town, and lo and behold, the Gerald R Ford Presidential Museum is there, since it is his hometown. That made this little history buff seriously excited, and I dragged my poor husband along on a romantic tour through a political museum for our anniversary. It was actually really cool and we learned a lot about President Ford. He seemed like a good man who didn't want to be president in the first place, as he was appointed vice-president and then became president when Nixon resigned. A quote we saw everywhere was: "I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your President by your ballots, so I ask you to confirm me with your prayers." There was also a really touching photographic display of soldiers from the Civil War all the way through the current war in Iraq. They were heart-wrenching and beautiful pictures. The museum turned out to be a really great experience, and I only cried twice.

We ate dinner at 5 at a fancier place near the museum downtown. Four hours later, we were hungry again, so we headed out for dinner #2 at the IHOP next to our hotel. And of course, you have to top off two dinners with Coldstone . . . and a food coma.

The next morning we headed to the main event: gluten-free stuffed french toast. They accidentally got my order wrong, but he said I could have it anyway. So, yes, I got two breakfasts for the price of one. I didn't quite finish both, but I don't think I've ever eaten that much food in one sitting in my entire life. The gf bread was so so fluffy I couldn't help myself. I've never seen such fluffy bread. Mmmmmmm.

Then we headed to Thor and I promptly fell into a peaceful french-toast-induced sleep but woke up in time to see plenty of Chris Hemsworth. We both liked it a lot. Highly recommend it, if you like the superhero thing.

We came home to find Carly as happy as can be, with a brand new giant green ball and a bottle of bubbles. I'm not sure she noticed we were gone.

[Carly's firefly friend, who crawled on her fingers, and who she loved too much and ended up going night-night forever. Today she pointed to the bush we put him in and said "bug go nigh-nigh".]

Oh, and then there was today.

Today is Father's Day. I have a wonderful husband who is really the best, most selfless father in the world. Carly just adores him. I just adore him. I also happen to have a fantastic loving father, whom I love more than I think I've ever been able to express to him. I'm a lucky girl.

But something else happened today, too.

You see, I have been vocally expressing how much I love my calling. I've called it the best calling in the church even. I mean, really: teach once a month, teach the words of the living prophets, teach an always talkative group of wonderful Relief Society sisters. It can't be beat. I really should have just kept my mouth shut.

This morning I was called to be the early morning Seminary teacher in our ward.

If you're unaware of what that means, it means I'll be heading to our church around 5:30 am every school day and teaching teenagers about . . . the Old Testament. Panic time, people.

Here's the problem. I'm not a morning person. My current schedule involves going to bed around midnight or 1 and waking up around 9 or 10.

Here's the problem. I don't know anything about the Old Testament. Really, no one does. But I really really don't and I don't know how I am going to teach these teenagers anything that will make a difference to them.

Here's the problem. Seminary was such an important part of my high school years. It helped my testimony grow in leaps and bounds. I don't want to be the one that makes Seminary a lousy experience for these teenagers who need it so badly every day. Its not just me I'm worried about. Its them.

But there are bright spots. Like, I actually have a team teacher, so we'll be splitting the load. And . . . ok, I'm still working on more bright spots. But I've heard its an incredible calling and you somehow love it when all is said and done. And I've heard the Lord helps you more than you would ever expect. I'm betting on that, because I certainly cannot do it without Him. Every once in a while I feel excited. Every once in a while I feel like maybe I can actually do it. I'm clinging to those every-once-in-a-whiles.

Oh, and Carly? She is beyond fabulous. She is talking like nobody's business. She says stuff all the time where I just start laughing. Today we were blowing bubbles outside and I blew and no bubbles came out. "Try again," she said patiently. Then later she realized she didn't have a towel and said, "Oh, towel! Be right back!" and ran to the front door to get one. Today when she was supposed to be napping I heard her talking, most likely to the plethora of stuffed animals she sleeps with. Then I heard her saying "tickle tickle tickle!". Apparently there was a tickle fight going on. People, her cuteness is more than I can stand.

[Carly go nigh-nigh.]

That's all.

xoxo.