Honolulu, Hawaii!!

Today my "baby" brother got his mission call. In 42 days he will be heading for Hawaii. It's all very exciting. I have decided to start saving my money now so that two years from now if the opportunity is there I can convince my parents to let me go with them to pick him up. I have never been and we used to talk about going as a family to see the Polynesian Cultural Center. I know he is excited because one; it's warm, and two; he will get to learn more about his Polynesian heritage. So three cheers to you brother!

Cassie Brook currently serving in the Lubbock, Texas mission with Micah Glenn soon to be serving in the Honolulu, Hawaii mission!!

Shameful Confession

I am a hypocrite and there is something I just have to get out there. I used to mock my roommates for their devotion to a certain show. I thought it was silly and a waste of time. However, my new roommate has a habit of watching this show when we sit down to eat dinner. I blame her, but I have totally gotten sucked in!!! She herself says it is because nothing else is on but I don't believe her. So, my shameful confession? I am currently addicted to The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love.

Great TV Quotes

There is some great comedy out there right now. Better Off Ted, Modern Family, Glee, and The Big Bang Theory are some of my favorites. Here are a few gems:

Modern Family:

• Manny: In Colombia, they open presents at midnight and stay up til morning.
  Jay: I'm sure they do, but if you notice from the absence of goats in the streets, we're not in Colombia.
• Mitchell: We were called Fire and Nice. I was called "Fire" because of the red hair and Claire was "Nice" because it was ironic and she wasn't.

Better Off Ted:

• Veronica: Sorry, Ted. The company feels that if we ease up because someone dies, it will only encourage other people to die.

• Linda: I don't want to lose this job. What am I supposed to do, go back to Wisconsin and work in the cheese mine? After I made that big speech, threw down my cheese shovel, and stormed out?

• Ted: We can have one conversation with Rose. Gently.
  Veronica: Fine. Let's get her up here, crack her open like a lobster claw, and scoop out her sweet white meat of information. Gently.
  Ted: I know you don't like to eat children, but it's that kind of talk and your cottage in the woods made of candy that keeps those rumors alive.

The Big Bang Theory:

• Leonard: I've always been a little confused about this-- why don't Hindu's eat beef?
  Raj: We believe cows are gods.
  Sheldon: Not technically. In Hinduism cattle are thought to be like gods.
  Raj: Do not tell me about my own culture Sheldon! In the mood I'm in, I'll take you out, I swear to cow!

Glee:

• Sue: I'll often yell at homeless people: "Hey how is that homelessness thing working out for you? Try not being homeless for once!"
• Sue: Not everyone is gonna have the walnuts to take a pro-littering stance. But I will not rest until every inch or our fair state is covered in garbage.

Kids Say the Darndest Things Vol. 1

The kids I teach are full of interesting things to say and I had to share some of them.

Kid A1 "So, what torturous things are you going to make us do today?" said to me as we sit down to begin Reading.

Kid A2 "You have to know your shapes so that when you graduate from junior high you can get a good job, like McDonalds." said to another child in my Math group when he wanted to know why he needed to know what a trapezoid was.

Kid A1 "I am going to get really mad if you tell me to look up anything else in the dictionary. Let's just agree that I don't need to learn any more words."

Kid F "You better get married soon because you are getting old. If you don't you are going to get pregnant and die." I wasn't sure how to explain to him the faults in his logic without getting into religion and biology. I left that one alone.

She's Married!

After months of planning my friend Natalie got married on December 29, 2009. It was my first in-depth look at wedding planning. It was fun to be there when she bought the dress and go with her to buy his ring. I enjoyed scouring magazines to look at cakes and go online to research flowers. I made the sign-in book for the reception and it has given me an interest in doing some of my own scrapbooking. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Cheers and Jeers for 2009

• Cheers to Hulu for bringing my favorite shows to the internet for free including Doogie Howser, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Stargate, Sliders and numerous others!
• Jeers to whomever broke into my care and stole my extensive CD collection. You suck
• Cheers to the new principal at my school for having a sense of humor about one of my especially difficult students.
• Jeers to the Taco Bell near my parent's house that charges me $1.49 for a chicken burrito that costs me only $0.89 near my house.
• Cheers to the delicious new recipes I discovered this year including a cheese and cracker dip and chocolate truffle cake.
• Jeers to media oversaturation on things such as Tiger Woods, Jon & Kate, Michael Jackson's death, and Twilight.
• Cheers to NPR for their program "All Songs Considered" some of my favorite new music has come from them.
• Jeers to ABC for cancelling Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and Defying Gravity. Although half a cheer to ABC for at least resolving Eli Stone in a somewhat satisfying manor. And double jeers for leaving Defying Gravity on the biggest cliffhanger ever.
• Cheers to the people who fed my obsession for the color purple and pomegranates.
• Jeers to overused adolescent slang such as "sick" and "tight."
• Cheers to my friend Joey who helped me do some major repairs on my car this year, especially since I paid him in cheesecake and hugs.
• Jeers to the parents of children at my school that hear me ask the kids NOT to use the automatic handicap doors then walk past me and use them.
• Cheers to some awesome movies this year. At the top of the list was Star Trek!
• Jeers to any network that only puts clips instead of streaming full episodes online. Namely CBS for The Big Bang Theory and ABC for Eastwick.
• Cheers to my new ecclisastic leader who made an exception for me and lets me attend his congregation despite the fact the my geographical location would normally prohibit me.
• And finally cheers to the people who put up with me this year and stuck around for the new year.

The Twilight Years

Twilight Years from Tom on Vimeo.