Christmas Morning!

I posted a video of the days morning celebration in the Videos section. I didn't put it here because . . . it's just not a very flattering portrayal of me. But Audrey is so cute in it of course. :) She got some good loot. Her favorite present was her Barbie ("bobby") which she carries around EVERYWHERE. Dave surprised me with a KitchenAid mixer, which was awesome. Apparently he got it way back when we went to Connecticut and went shopping on Black Friday. He got some iPod speakers, some cool push-up things that he'd been asking for all year, and some books (one of which he's already finished reading). Stephen and Merissa sent us this cool toy (which we love just about as much as Audrey does)--it's a Gearation Toy/Game, you place brightly colored gears on a magnetic board and when you turn it on, the center gear turns your whole little "machine" that you put together. She loves it! We had a lovely traditional Groll breakfast casserole, my mom's recipe, and ate lots of candy. :) And later in the day the sister missionaries came and had Christmas dinner with us. Oh, I should mention that the night before, we just hung out and read Christmas stories (Dave's sister made a book of them for the whole family a year or two ago) and watched It's A Wonderful Life. Unfortunately, there was no white Christmas. Ithaca's snow melted completely a few days before and it was muddy and brown. Oh, well. We had a great day. Thank you to our loving family and friends who sent us presents and cards. We hope all of you had a great Christmas too. :)

Christmas in New York

Well, we decided to stick around Ithaca this holiday season, as most of you know. We wanted to find something to do that was unique to the area, so we trekked up to Skaneateles, NY (about an hour north) to see what the fuss was about there. Apparently, around Christmas, the townsfolk dress up in authentic Charles Dickens era gear and give the little town a fun holiday atomosphere. However, that day when I dressed Audrey, I was having a total pregnant moment and didn't dress her as warmly as I should have. (Completely uncharacteristic of me, since I always dress her a little too warmly for most days probably.) Anyway, we found ourselves rushing through downtown Skanteateles, avoiding the disapproving looks of other tourists and cringing against the bitter wind that blew off Lake Skanteateles (one of the Finger Lakes), to find a shop that sold something warmer for Audrey to wear--otherwise, we'd have to turn right back around and head home. We did see at first a little children's store with all sorts of cutsy things in it, but when we noticed that a pair of sweat pants was about 35 bucks there, we decided to look somewhere else. Luckly, Dave found a consignment shop a block down further and picked up a huge marshmallow-like snow suit, complete with attachable booties and gloves, for only 10 dollars. We were thrilled! And I'm sure Audrey was too, because she was warm and toasty the whole time we were there.

We did, indeed, see lots of people dressed up in Charles Dickens costume (as you can kinda see there in the background. The best people we saw were the ones acting completely normal, strolling around, saying "Merry Christmas!" (in a completely naturally cheerful voice). We noticed that the whole thing was basically a way to get people to come shop at their trendy, quaint, over-priced stores. Despite how I'm making it sound, we DID have a blast. :) We tried hot, roasted chestnuts (not bad, but not a tradition we'll continue) and had homemade doughnuts and delicious hot chocolate. We saw a cool art museum and listened to a little brass band playing christmas carols. We checked out the trendy little shops and heard a story by "Mother Goose." We had a great time just enjoying the fact that we didn't have any other plans for the day and that we could just hang out with each other (and Audrey was an angel the whole time). :)

These guys were supposed to be Millard Filmore and James K. Polk, here to welcome all the Dickensians to the village Christmas celebration (they sang carols here around this gazebo).

Jacob Marley's ghost, naturally. :)

This museum was in the library, and all these paintings were done by one guy. They were mostly of the surrounding area (the Finger Lakes) and we liked them all a lot. (I can't remember his name, but he made his living doing portraits mostly.) I snapped this picture before the lady yelled at me that I wasn't supposed to take any pictures. :S Oops.

Sleepless in Ithaca

So, Audrey's sleep schedule has been so messed up lately. I'm not sure when it happened, but now she's been walking up at about 3:00 a.m. ready to play after having gone to bed at about 10:00. She usually refuses to go back to sleep, screaming and screaming for an hour or more if I let her (which I've tried and it's usually counter productive). Finally, when 5:00 or 6:00 rolls around she'll (though not seeming sleepy at all) will finally willingly go back to bed and eventually falls asleep after she quietly plays for a while (just like she always has done normally before at about 8:30). She's always been great at following her schedule and she does fine taking an hour or two nap (the length has decreased these past months considerably as she's gotten older). So, why all the sudden this late night fiasco? At first I thought it was because she was ready for her toddler bed. She can and has crawled out of her pack n' play (what she sleeps in), but when we try to get her to sleep in her toddler bed, she gets hysterical and tries to get back into her regular bed. (She's only gotten out twice so far, and the last time she took quite the tumble, and I think she's changed her mind about trying it again for a while.) Mel, I think you and I have talked about this a lot, but tell me what you think. And anyone else who might know what I should try. It's really frustrating because Dave has finals still and really needs to focus during the day, so it's hard for him to keep staying up with her so he can be productive the next day. And it's wearing on me to not get sleep--but I think it's mostly wearing on me because the whole situation is stressing me out. I've usually been able to, through trial and error, fix problems like these. But I just don't know what to try next. Waking her up earlier doesn't help. Putting her to bed earlier or later doesn't seem to have an effect on it. Depriving or limiting or not limiting her nap time doesn't change it either. She's never hungry or thirsty or has a dirty diaper in the night that's the problem . . . she just acts like she's done sleeping! She plays so well in those late night hours. She's incredibly cute and lovable and patient . . . but it makes me soooo crazy! Anyway, I'm going to bed now. Tonight I'm hoping that my latest strategy will work, but if it doesn't I want at least a few hours of sleep before I have to get up. :) Good night!

Dallas . . . here we come!

Dave accepted an offer to work in Dallas as a summer associate at Baker Botts. It was interesting how this all came about though. Dave happened to run into one of our old English professors at BYU-I when he was there between interviews visiting his family. Brother Samuelson mentioned that he had a friend who worked at this firm in Dallas and that Dave should give him a call. Dave did. Why not, right? Well, long story short, they offered him a job. This is a big step for us as some of you know because where you intern your second summer is often where you get your real offer after law school. In a way, we've chosen where we'll be living when he starts his "real job."

Dave's Uncle Brent lives in Plano (a suburb) and that will be nice to have family close by. And I think one or two other people we know will be there too. We're excited. Another advenutre!

The Golden Compass

(an email by Dave)

I am writing this email in response to the four emails that were forwarded to me warning me not to watch "The Golden Compass" because it was supposedly anti-religious and anti-Christian. First, the movie is excellent--I can't recommend it highly enough. Second, as Mark Twain noted, “censorship is like telling a man he can’t have a steak just because a baby can’t chew it.” Third, for me there is little more enticing than telling me that I can’t handle a movie, and I am sure I am not alone in this. Fourth and finally, I do believe in God and Jesus Christ, and the movie absolutely did not call those beliefs into question.

To anyone who chooses not to see a movie merely because they are told that it will challenge their beliefs, and to anyone who forwards email messages telling people not to see a movie because they have been told that it will cause them to question their beliefs, I invite you to please think for yourselves.

The movie advocates questioning. Questioning is an essential part of our natures and of our faith (I think everyone getting this message is LDS). Joseph Smith would not have seen God if he hadn't questioned. If he hadn't asked, he would not have received. Questioning is not easy, but it is essential. Every day, I go to law school and, admittedly, every day I hope that I am not called on. I go to my classes with what I think is a workable answer--a way that I have made the law make sense. I dread being called on because my teachers use the Socratic method, and I do not want my comfortable conclusions to be questioned, examined, or tested, because what if I am left with no answer? Even so, every day we question. And every day we get closer to the essential. And although it is terrifying and difficult, I have decided that no answer is better than the wrong answer. Because with no answer, at least there is room for the right answer.

"The Golden Compass" is definitely anti-manipulation an anti-control. If you equate religion with manipulation and control then the movie for you would be anti-religious. The author obviously sees religion as manipulative (it is hard to miss his blatant symbolism), and in large part he is probably right on the money. But how does that make this movie bad? The author disagrees with manipulative religions. Don't you? I do. But my faith was never threatened by this theme because I do not believe that my religion is manipulative. I saw nothing of my God in the movie's horrible antagonists. Of course, I am not naïve. I have no doubt that some individuals in every religion--even my own--have used faith to manipulate (think John C. Bennet, and other less egregious examples), but I have known very few of them. And the leaders of my religion, Christ himself being the chief cornerstone do not lead by control or compulsion.

My God is not a God of manipulation or control. He is a God of freedom. (D&C 121:34-46; see also Alma 42:27). Isn't that what we believe that the whole war is about?--don't we agree with the beautiful witch in the movie: "the war is about nothing less than free will." We are here to think and to act for ourselves. We are here to learn to think and make our own decisions, not just to learn to obey--I am sure that we could have done that without coming here. The author opposes any organization that stifles thought and freedom. So do I. And not to play the trump card lightly, but so does God, doesn't he? Isn't that what we so often refer to as "Satan's plan?"

Oscar Wilde said, “The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.” People worried that "The Catcher in the Rye" would have their kids cursing like sailors, the same kind of people worried that "Huck Finn" would make kids into lazy miscreants--both of those books were about looking past the superficial and seeing genuine goodness, but angry parents missed that message precisely because they were stuck on the superficial. And so I am not surprised that people have made such a fuss about this movie filling kids heads with all kinds of questions--the irony here, just like with those others, is that the people who tell you not to watch are playing right into the hand of the movie's author: those people are trying to control thought. They argue that the author misrepresents religion by portraying it as controlling, and then they send emails telling people to boycott a movie. Brilliant.

I cheered for "Lyra" the whole time. I despised the mission of "the magisterium" the whole time. And I never once wondered whether I could reconcile the movies powerful and important theme with my faith. I didn't have to. If the message of our faith is that we are essentially free and that we must fight to protect that essential freedom from those who seek to control us, then "The Golden Compass" is not anti-religious at all. It is inspiring.

Trailer:
http://movies.aol.com/movie/the-golden-compass/23389/video/trailer-no-2/2001800

Thanksgiving!

So, I'm finally prepared to share with everyone our wonderful and eventful Thanksgiving!

(I totally just sat at the computer for 5 minutes because I didn't know where to start after I wrote that first sentence!)

Our weekend began on Wednesday after Dave was finished with classes. We were able to give our friend Alex a ride to the airport on the way, which helped us get things ready and get on the road and out of town at a decent hour. And we got to know Alex a little better which was fantastic.

We headed to North Windham, Connecticut where Dave's cousin Afton lives with her family--Jonathan (her husband), Nate, Annalynn (who looks a heck of a lot like Audrey, just older), and little baby Evan. Jonathan teaches high school math and Afton runs the local library. It's cool because Afton knows TONS of the history of North Windham, a fairly small town, but knowing so much about it makes me always feel so much more at home there. I have mentioned this place before. Shannah and I stayed with them when we went to Time Out for Women a few months ago. I blogged about it a while ago. Anyway, the point I'm getting at is, it's a fun place to be with very fun people.

We got to their house at about 8 or 9 p.m., braving the thick fog almost the entire 5 hour drive. Thankfully, Audrey was a good girl the whole way there.

The next morning was Thanksgiving of course and everyone cooked and cooked all day so we could be ready to eat at about 2:00. There were all the traditional Hunt favorites including saurkraut and rumaki. There were several versions of pumpkin pie and all the traditional things like stuffing and cranberries and mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, of course. The turkey was SO GOOD--Jonathan made it. Here we all are smiling around the dinner table.

(This is the only real picture I got of Audrey enjoying the feast.)

OH, how could I forget!? Afton's sister Becca and her husband Brad were there also. They are expecting their first baby about the same time as we're expecting our next one. Brad is going to medical school in Rochester.

It was all very good, obviously. After we ate we all sat around and played games like "two truths and a lie" and "have you ever." Then we cleaned up (actually I'm ashamed to admit that everyone let me help very little in the clean up and I got to take a nap, which was WONDERFUL, but I did feel bad for not helping as much).

I love this picture. All the mom's are feeding the babies a late night after-thanksgiving snack. It's me, Audrey, Becca, Afton, and Evan.

The next morning, Black Friday (as you all know, the day famous for big, crazy shopping), Afton, Becca, and I set out at about 7:00 to hit the stores. I'll admit, I've never actually participated in the Black Friday madness before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Everywhere was packed with people, women mostly, looking very serious and hauling around a lot of stuff. We did most of our shopping at Kohls. We all got some great stuff. I was shopping for a portable DVD player and a GPS system for all of our big travels coming up (to Dallas, which I'll explain in another post). I did find both of those things for a great price. I was totally exhausted when we got home at about 10:00 and took a nice long nap. Oh, I also forgot that I had a bad cold/sinus infection the whole time I was there, which was annoying, but I could still enjoy all the fun. I did feel bad though that I used up every box of kleenex they had in their house.

That night we all drove to Springfield, MA to see a huge Christmas lights display called Bright Nights. It was in this park and you drive through. It was probably the biggest lights display I'd ever seen. Very cool. Too bad I didn't get any pictures.

On Saturday we hung out and we all went duck pin bowling (which is like regular bowling but with little balls instead of regular bowling balls). It looked super fun, but alas, Dave, Audrey, and I didn't get to do it because Audrey was having a major melt down. We took her home and put her right to bed. When everyone got back, the adults all got ready for their big night out. Yay! It was probably my favorite part of the weekend. My favorite part of the year probably! We left the kids with John-Mark, a kid in Afton and Jonathan's ward whom the kids loved and who did a great job.

We drove first to dinner:

Yes, we went to Hooters. We were going to go to Texas Roadhouse, but there was such a long line and we'd even called ahead. Anyway, let me tell you about it. We all agreed that the girls weren't really dressed "shockingly" sexy--it was just an ambiance restaurant. The ambiance just happened to be "a man's paradise." The waitresses were all pretty, but they were just wearing the usual white take tops and little short shorts with tights and big scrunch socks with tennis shoes. None of them had out-of-control cleavage, and they weren't annoyingly flirty with the people at the other tables. We were surprised at how many couples and even families there were. Not as many as at a normal restaurant of course, but more than I thought there would be. There were lots of TVs with football blaring. Dave and I had burgers and they were SO GOOD. At least mine was, but maybe that was because I was starving. Everyone else said their food was ok. While we were there a lady came in and got an order for carry out. Weird. Dave asked the manager a bunch of questions about their hiring practices and whether there had been any legal issues. The manager basically told him that all the questions had already been asked and answered. Whatever that means. Anyway, we all had a good time.

Next . . . WICKED! Yay! We were all so excited to go see it. The touring company was playing in Hartford and Becca got us all tickets (partly as a surprise for Brad's birthday).

This is the view of the theatre from our seats. They were kinda far back, but still not too shabby. The view you see is of the stage, and there is a big map of OZ. The Emerald City is shining in the center there (for those who haven't seen the show). The theatre itself was sooo nice--the architecture was amazing.

We seriously had a blast. It was the first time either David or I had ever been to anything like it--and we're even "theatre people." I'm looking forward to having season passes or something to whatever big theatre there is in whatever city we end up living in (probably Dallas). It was just so great. So great. We were thrilled. :)

We headed home the next day. We got to use our new GPS on the way back, which was fun. It's really nice and will help us a lot navigating through Dallas this summer. I wish I'd had more pictures to share. I've never been a picture taker. At least that's one good thing that's come out of this blog. :) But still, I'd like to take more. Most of these pictures were from Becca or Afton because we kept forgetting to bring our camera with us all the time. Anyway, it was a good time. We really got to know the Seals and the Reids much better and had a few adventures we never would have had otherwise. Hope everyone else had a great thanksgiving!

What I'm thankful for:
I'm thankful for David and Audrey, of course. My family and Dave's family. All of our wonderful friends, both old and new, close and . . . new. :) I'm thankful for our opportunities--going to school, building talents, serving, working, enjoying life--all these things aren't given to everyone. I wish I could be more grateful for them. We have the basic necessities--a home, clothes, food--and things like a car and a computer that just make life easier. We're blessed with good physical and metal health and many talents. I'm thankful that we generally feel safe in our lives--I don't feel threatened really. Maybe that will change some day, but for now, I'm incredibly thankful that I have lived in a basically safe place and around kind and good people. I'm thankful that this pregnancy is going well, that this baby is so far healthy. I'm thankful that I got an education. I'm thankful for my ability to learn and for all those people who have put forth the effort to teach me, directly and indirectly. I'm thankful also that I can stay home with Audrey. I'd be missing out on TONS if I wasn't with her so much. I'm thankful for holidays and gathering with friends, games, books, trees, my senses, sunshine, little special moments that you somehow get to remember for a long long time, music, and chocolate. :) And last but not least (among tons of other things I'm probably forgetting) my religion. Most of you know what I'm talking about. In a big way, it's made my life as good as it is. I am thankful that I have a Father in Heaven, and a Savior--for the Atonement especially. I could go on an on, but as a blanket of thankfulness, I just love the Gospel. It's message of peace and hope and that we have a plan and a purpose, it just makes me happy.

Our Christmas Tree

Our beautiful gold Christmas tree! I'll be honest. It's been up for quite some time now. My friend Dana gave me the stars and I painted them gold. The rest of the decorations are just cheap whatevers from Wal-Mart. Nice, huh. :) Yay for Christmas!