All People's Week

No intro this week, we're cutting right to the chase.

Monday, October 30
[J] After school today, I worked on a class presentation with my group; the group was composed of only three people which made the experience enjoyable instead of merely bearable. We produced a film which is sure to endure, "Cipro: the adventures of a fluoroquinolone." If it were done on my camera instead of the nursing practice lab camera, I might be able to keep it for posterity. Instead, someone will probably record over it during their practicum. I turned over a new leaf today by taking my test on Monday instead of waiting until Friday; I got a 98 on it so I guess it is not a bad tradition to start. I have just enough time between classes to study and test if I work quickly.

Tuesday, October 31
[A] The words "Trunk-or-Treat" fell upon my ears for the very first time last year. I was a bit wary of the idea, but couldn't say exactly why. Deciding that I should participate in the customary neighborhood Halloween festivities before forming (more technically, confirming) an opinion of this new method of celebrating Halloween, Isaac and I got dressed up and went trunkless (Jordan had to run to campus for a test) to the "neighborhood" Trunk-or-Treat. Having weathered the entire hour-long activity, I consider myself experienced enough to voice an educated opinion.
*WARNING: Rant to follow!*
The Trunk-or-Treat is a lame substitue for the good old-fashioned door to door approach. A bunch of people line up their cars and open the trunks so they can drop a piece of candy into the open sack of each child that shuffles by as part of one continuous stream. Most of the kids don't say "trick-or-treat" and many of them are barely costumed. The approach makes the tradition all about the candy so I can see why so many don't bother getting dressed up! Yes, for many costumed tots, it's all about the candy anyway. However, there is something about a small group of children approaching an individual door that at least makes it seem like they are there for the enjoyment of getting dressed-up and showing off their costumes to all their neighbors and having their efforts rewarded with a sugary treat. I'm told the reasoning behind this mock festivity is that our neighborhood isn't safe enough for kids to go trick-or-treating. They say it's not safe; I say parents don't want the hassle of chaperoning their children in order to ensure their safety. They'd rather stream-line the holiday and get it over with quick than spend their evening answering the door for excited trick-or-treaters. Down with the Trunk-or-Treat! Down!

After Jordan got back from taking his test, we drove around town to show off Isaac's cuteness and return borrowed items. I'm sure Isaac would have found this much more entertaining if we hadn't had to take him in/out of his costume/carseat so many times, but those who were graced by his presence made up for his unenthusiastic attitude. We ended the night by driving to West Jordan. Trick-or-Treat Michael and Shannon! We figured if we slept there we would be sure to make it down to American Fork the next day and we did.

Wednesday, November 1
Being the first day of the month in which the Festival of Trees falls, I decided that I should probably get around to purchasing the materials needed for decorating. Anxious to get the material I wanted at a steal of a price, we headed to The Quilting Cottage in American Fork (they give 40% off all Festival purchases). I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted based on some swatches my mom had picked up for me, but upon entering this quilting haven I realized that I had no clue what I was doing. This "cottage" was an old pioneer house filled from floor to ceiling with a rainbow of quilting fabrics. I spent close to an hour pulling bolt after bolt of fabric down trying to get the perfect combination. Only the finished tree will tell if I succeeded, but I had a wonderful day regardless. Jordan and Isaac were very patient with my errand. As I waited for my selections at the cutting table, they went to the park across the street and played in the leaves (picture at the top of this entry curtesy of said play experience).

Thursday, November 2
Jordan worked; Isaac and I stayed home. Pretty much business as usual.

Friday, November 3
[J] Our ward's temple day was today (as a precursor to stake conference). We left our son in the capable hands of my mother-in-law and went on our way to the House of the Lord, only to discover that the Spanish session was occurring at the same time as our scheduled session. This meant that the parking situation was very disadvantageous for us, a fact that frustrated me greatly - not the best preparation for a spiritual experience. We rushed in and changed as quickly as we could, hurried to the chapel, and found that our session had been delayed for twenty minutes (due to the aforementioned Spanish session). So, I had a bit of time to compose myself before the session began. It was nice to return to the temple; I won't say how long it has been, but I will say that it is a much more complicated endeavor with a baby to consider, especially one who does not readily take a bottle. The session went well, and after enjoying the peace of the celestial room we returned home better people.

Saturday, November 4
[A] My mom and I worked on getting the pieces for the tree skirt cut today. It kicked my flabby brain into over drive, but eventually we were able to work out the pattern. Melissa Singleton stopped by for awhile providing a much needed comedic break. I know the real reason she came was to see my adorable son, but I enjoyed visiting just the same. Leave it to Melissa to make any ordinary day into an extraordinary event.

[J] I returned home from work tonight to find Steve, Pat, and a very welcome pizza. Steve and I watched a couple Monk episodes with Isaac while I ate, Pat and Alison having gone to Sam's Club to try and pick up developed pictures (they were unsuccessful) and a new phone for Pat (Alison got the phone and gave her old one to Pat to use [which believe it or not, was not a selfish decision . . . I didn't want to cause stress by forcing my "old mom" to learn a new trick -A]). The new phone has all sorts of useless features (which I'm sure all the high-schoolers just love) and a few useful ones as well. The ring tones, at least, seem better than the ones that came with my phone (but not as good as the ones I purchased for my old phone [A]).

Sunday, November 5
Our stake conference was held in the Conference Center in conjuction with the stake conferences of many other areas of the county, some of which observed from their stake centers. We debated the wisdom of going to Salt Lake City with our baby, whose feeding schedule was less than ideal for the situation; however, in the end we packed up and went. This may have turned out to be a mistake, as shortly after we arrived people started exiting the building, which had been filled to capacity. We walked into the North visitors' center intending to look around for a bit before going home, and were informed that the new Joseph Smith movie was being shown there on Sundays, as well as Legacy and The Testaments. This seemed like a good idea to stick around (especially since, supposedly, not as many people would crowd in to see this showing as the weekday showings; also, tickets were not required). While we waited, an announcement was made that they were going to try and obtain a audio/video feed from the conference center in one of the theaters. So, forty-five minutes after it started we were listening to conference; fifteen minutes later we also had a video feed. Alison, unfortunately, missed President Packer's talk due to Isaac's infantile hungerings, but she returned in time to hear President Monson's truly great talk. I love the fact that in the smaller setting of a stake conference, general authorities are able to be much more colloquial and personal than they can be at general conference.