HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

"Teeny tiny bat, teeny tiny bat, teeny tiny bat..."

I'm so excited to show this to Dylan tonight! THE HALLOWEEN THAT ALMOST WASN'T has always been my favorite Halloween movie. And bless them! Someone posted it on youtube! Such a great flick-- it even teaches about how Halloween came to be-- All Hallows Evening --and all that. It's only half an hour. You should show it to your kids. :)

"Sunset Break!"

Every sunset is unique; don't take one for granted.

The Hanging Church, Cairo

The Hanging Church is named for its location above a gatehouse of the Roman fortress in Old Cairo; its nave is suspended over a passage. The Arabic name of the church is al-Muallaqah [Moo-AL-ah-kaa], which means "the Suspended".

Basically this place is really old, and coptic. I remember not appreciating it at all while I was there. I saw it on my way out of Egypt; I remember resenting the side trip before my leaving the country because more than anything else at the time I just wanted sleep. But I guess it was cool.

Behold! The Mona Greasa

BEFORE & AFTER

What could paint do for you?

Granted, this renovation also installed a new floor, counter, backsplash, and cupboard hardware. But I think we all know that the biggest difference is the paint. 

The same cupboards now look quite striking, and all it took was some sanding, primer, and paint. 

The Comp'ny Jumps When He Plays Reveille

Two friends and I are pretending to be the Andrews sisters for a "golden years" themed dance. Boy are we snazzy!  Woot yeah!

...I do like school, I do like school, I do like school...

Photo taken the funerary temple of Rameses III

SPOOF! 

I'm trying to love my major, and not to wish I were dead. 

I'm trying to write my papers, and still get to class on time. 

At times I am tempted to ditch every class, 

But I try to listen as my professors ask--

Translate three chapters of Genesis please,  

Read 50 pages on Assyr-ian armies, 

Compare other sources to the text we've just read 

(and) review-- there's a quiz your next class. 

Huh. Wonder Why.

International Obama Food

Russia: CLEVER ICE CREAM ADVERTISING

Germany: WHY CHICKEN FINGERS, I ASK?  

Japan: OBAMA SUSHI

There are few words for things like this. I think "egad" sums up my reaction, though. ;)

Red Shoes

Here's the gist. For years I've wanted to wear ruby slippers on my wedding day. I found some shoes that I could ruby-ify, and I think they could look really cool. Trouble is, they might not look super-classy, especially with my wedding dress. Sequins don't quite mesh with lush ivory satin and lace, you know? *sigh* 

Tomorrow I'm checking out some awesome turn of the century ladies-boots that a friend of my mom and mine has, that would match my dress color,  and if they don't work out...

I'm gonna find me some RED SHOES. (No, Alicia-- not enchanted red point shoes that will force me to dance until I either repent of my sins or die of exhaustion. But you can bet that when I buy them I'll pull them out of the box and do that 1-2-3 gesture...thing...) 

"The Emerald Mediterranean"

Glorious, isn't it? You've just GOT to love that color. And with the froths of white amid the blue-- ohhhhhh, man-- it's irresistible. 

But even if you neglect color, you can't deny the texture in the photo below. It looks like brown sugar, right? But it isn't*! It's sand. Brown-sugar-sand. What was crazy is that not only did the sand look like brown sugar, it felt like it too. You could pack it just as easily as pressing brown sugar into measuring cups to use for cookies. The whole beach was like this! Really! Gosh, it was fun. 

*Believe me, I checked just to be sure. Hahaha

Nothing to Say

Chris Scarborough has an interesting style of photography: adjusting the looks of normal people until they look... slightly off. Or more than slightly. 

Yeesh, she's creepy! Believe it or not, the others were too awful to post, and this is the most normal girl I could find. Whoa man, it's just too much. 

Nifty. Yet, Precarious. Lose the Nest.

My soon-to-be-husband and I are searching for beds. Cheap ones. Comment with ideas, eh? Otherwise my only guess is to hop skip and jump to IKEA. 

What's for dinner?

Lighting the Way

Photo by Rune Guneriussen

Friday Night Thrill

Dylan was occupied Friday night, so I went to see Psycho with my roommate Taylor. Real nifty gig, too-- big screen in an auditorium on campus, totally free, and every seat filled with screaming people. Not to mention two of my favorite factors-- Hitchcock, and a vintage black and white.

What surprised me though was how TERRIFIED I actually was. I've seen 27 other Hitchcock films and not one of them was as frightening as Psycho. Yikes! Great fun, though. :) 

An honorable mention goes to the opening credits, which were graphically-delicious. (Matt, I thought of you and I'll betchyou'd like 'em.)

How Beautiful Upon the Mountains

Through all the tumult and the strife I hear the music ringing. It sounds an echo in my soul: how an I keep from singing? 

*Isaiah 52:7-10

I'm Engaged!

Tah dah!

1. I finally have a picture (sorry our faces aren't in it) so I could announce it officially.
2. I love my ring-- Dylan chose it himself, I had no idea it would look like this! Isn't he amazing?
3. My sister in law took this picture. She's phenomenal, and we thank her thank her thank her for doing so.
4. We're getting married December 19th, 2009 (65 days away, and counting)
5. We met at BYU and were on a folk dance team together.
6. Dylan Maltby is 25, from Minnesota, speaks 4 languages, makes me laugh hysterically everyday, loves to read, play chess, watch movies, is organized but impetuous, and adores me.
7. For his birthday in September I baked him a cake with a chocolate chess-board on top. Whee, it was fun!
8. I can't wait 65 days to be married to Dylan-- I literally can't take the strain, and I'm going to snap (or spontaneously combust, but what's the difference?).
9. He's perfect for me.
10. More pictures will follow as soon as I get more. Aha.

The Fastest Way to Annoy Dylan

I don't KNOW how this became so famous, or popular, but it has. I've seen shirts that say "magical leoplurodon" and I've heard people say "shun the non-believer, shuuuuuun" regularly. (I didn't even include the people I've seen on campus playing the "candy mountain cave" song on THE PIANO.)

I remember that the first time my friend Millie showed me this clip I felt sick to my stomach, but it wasn't until the "candy" on the candy cave started to sing that my eyebrows reached my hairline. So yes, this makes me sick too--but that's nothing compared to the way Dylan will freak if I say "candy mountain, Charlie!"

So when you hear the phrase "it's a land of sweets and joy, and joyness" take my advice and run away!

Behold! The Mercedes Bus

It's true, it's true-- Mercedes makes tour busses. Weird. Check out the olive trees to the left of the shot, though. They're pretty.

Cairo Museum

Entry chamber, Ancient Egyptian Museum of Cairo

I remember being so excited to visit the Cairo museum. I'd point out the window and gleefully squeal every time my class bus passed it on the freeway, and when the day finally came to go, I could hardly wait to get inside the gate.

What I expected was the typical museum: dim lighting to protect the artifacts, climatically controlled air quality, and information plaques that tell you what everything is. You know, typical museum stuff.

What it really had to offer was the largest warehouse of ancient junk in the world. Sweet-awesome, valuable junk, but still. Nothing was organized, categorized, explained, or labeled, but rather was all thrown together like a ton of random boardgame tokens. And on top of it all, fluorescent lights through the whole place, 100% humidity, 94 degree temps. (Seriously, I fear for the the papyri. They're built for desert climates, not hot moist museums.)

There was a really cool mummified crocodile though! Note the dust on top of its case--gross.

Cupcakes That Don't Appear as Cupcakes

I don't care if it's actually a raspberry sauce over frosting; cake is not supposed to look like spaghetti and meatballs.

The Grand Peterhof Palace, St. Petersburg

The rear garden is formerly called the cascade. I can hardly believe the symmetry.

The Main Staircase

This just makes me want to watch Anastasia. "Dancing bears....painted wings..."

Last, but not least, the ballroom. Gilt, anyone?

Egyptian Schoolgirls

(Photography as seen from my tour bus)

Screech: I Wish to Report a Burglary

Girl Talk

My dear friend Amber is in town visiting from Colorado. We're getting together to chat tomorrow and I'm so excited. 

One of My Favorite Things

Irresistible, isn't it? Ohhhhhh that color!