things that made me smile this week

* some of my colleagues at work made over 60 hats for the Hat Project. such awesome people i work with.

* a run to congressional cemetery to see the cherry blossoms blooming in front of the chapel as the sun is setting. hurting like he** for two days afterwards not so much. i guess i should listen to my doctor...

* we learned a group of mice is called a mischief of mice. although, at this point i think they're well beyond mischief... seriously.

* paying  bills. okay, i didn't smile so much while paying them, but i am sure glad i have the means to pay them.

* a new church calling to assist in organizing and facilitating activities for the relief society aka women's ministry. i get to work with three women, whom i love and admire. yay!

* my yns who make sure i laugh in the mornings. 'cause i'm not a morning person, especially last friday.

* car repairs that are free. the place i go didn't charge me for fixing the back lights. hill auto repair definitely has my business.

* this lovely collection of images from inspiration lane. gorgeousness abounds. oh, and cute overload too, no explanation necessary the name says it all.

* making a conscious effort to remember daily the things which make me smile and feel grateful to god for my blessings really helps me appreciate what i have in my life. it helps me feel better too.

* anticipation.

* compliments on an outfit... from men. granted they were old enough to be my grandpa, but they were so complimentary. the brothers at the temple are so darn cute.

* have you ever tried pho? if not then you must. it is life changing. it's a vietnamese soup of the richest, yummiest broth with meat, rice noodles, scallions and you add fresh lime, jalapenos and bean sprouts as desired. there are a few variations and i can't wait to explore them. it's the best thing i have eaten in a long time. thanks to PA for introducing me to it.

* clean laundry. scrubbing floors. socks. toe nail clippers. colored pens. good stationery. soft yarn. organizing my sock drawer. texts. instagram photos of nephews. earrings. reading quietly. warm sunshine. the first day of spring. watching my favorite tree get ready to bloom. washing dishes (don't faint mom and dad). fun notebooks. little books. the scriptures. cooking. letting go.

* the sound of my nephews arguing over who is next to talk to me on the phone. big, big smile!

* an evening at the temple filled with good conversation.

* a night out with good friends to celebrate and life and accomplishments.

* sunday afternoon naps.

* snow. :)

so much made me smile....

* my birthday was a fun day.

* my mom sent me the classic blue and gold plate to commemorate the Relief Society. she bought it for me almost twenty years ago when we visited nauvoo as a family. she said she waited this long because i am now finally old enough for it. she packed the plate in hats for the hat project that she and a friend had made. i love my mom!

* brother R1's family sing-yelling-screaming happy birthday on my voice mail. seriously, you haven't experienced this song properly until you hear their family do it. i look forward to this every year. it's my favorite each time.

* karaoke night with some wonderful women from over at FIVE. it was so much fun and a great way to spend my birthday.

* dinner with LLR at Bistro Cacoa. seriously, good food and the best conversation with this lovely lady. thank you.

* doctor who socks for my birthday make me happy.

* my roommate is pretty darn cute. her fried chicken is the best and made my lunches so yummy.

* my sister's boys singing to me over the phone. those two boys are fun!

* lots and lots of sleep, and quiet time helped me to feel more rested this weekend. i needed it so.

* hosting a dinner party for our senior missionary couple and their daughter, a returning missionary from France, who joined them for the last two weeks of her mission--so cool! this family is amazing and so full of love and light. it was lovely to have them and other close friends from church join us. the whole night was really special.

* making a successful meal. i'm so glad the meatloaf turned out well.

* phone conversations with good friends. i need to do this more often.

* meeting the Lovely Ladies for dinner early one evening. it was so great having the three of us in one place.

* writing a story with a friend because i'm bored. genius and fun idea on his part.

* supporting a good friend by attending his father's funeral. i learned so much more about my friend and who he is. prayers and love for him and his family.

* mom and dad calling to wish me happy birthday.

* time at the temple.

* following a prompting, and feeling peace.

* watching this conversation. lots to think about.

* meat loaf. macaroni and cheese. water. ice cream--haagen dazs limited edition salted caramel truffle is truly a revelation in perfect flavors. pistachio crusted sea bass with mango champagne sauce is another revelation in texture and flavors. homemade sauteed spinach in spicy honey mustard. san pellegrino sparkling water.

* snow that doesn't stick around. (okay, i prefer the snow that does stick, but apparently that's not gonna happen here in dc. so i'll take what i can get.)

* blooming daffs, crocuses and snow drops. oh, and some early blossoming cherry trees are showing up around the city.

* the people i work with are good, hard working people. i'm so grateful for them.

* Come Thou Fount sung in French. beautiful!

* a perfect dress for a wedding, on sale and available in my size. (let me clarify, i am attending a wedding, not getting married myself.)

musings on adventure

I hear frequently from friends who say they like hearing about my adventures. I tell them I want to hear about their adventures and they always say, "Okay, I will when I have one."

I do not think my life is all that adventurous. I just do my thing and share things on Facebook or here on my blog so that members of my family can see what I'm up to. I have fun in my life, but day-to-day is pretty mundane.

I am, however, of the belief that life is an adventure. Sometimes  it is a grand, romantic adventure where exciting things happen and I get to do some really cool things. Other times it's a quiet, uneventful adventure in simple and unassuming ways. Either way, for me the adventure is for the taking.

I think that if you are in school working on degree towards doing something that you love and believe in, then that is an adventure. The experiences are meaningful to you and shape your view of life, people and the world.

Family can be quite the adventure. I know my own family is an adventure. We have a lot of fun together and have gone through some really hard stuff together. I love hearing about my siblings' lives as they are having experiences and adventures as parents and spouses that are fulfilling and amazing, if not more than a little mundane at times. I mean the piles of laundry that a family of 4 produces does not sound fun at all, but all the trappings that goes with that laundry, well they sound like a lot of fun to me.

I learn so much from other people's experiences. I am so grateful when they choose to share their stories and insights. They provide a different perspective for me to look at life with. I learn so much about what life has to offer and what other people need and want. Hearing other people's experiences has helped me to be more open to the opportunities that I have in my life and move forward with faith even when I am scared. It helps me to know that I am not alone in my struggles.

I think about this quote when I get discouraged or bored with life:

   Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just ordinary people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. . . .
   Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride. - Jenkin Lloyd Jones

Yep, life is really difficult and sad, boring and dusty sometimes, interspersed with moments wonder and adventure. I think they happen more often than we think. Sometimes we are not accustomed to recognizing the the beauty, because we are so bogged down in the mud we forget to look around us. For me sharing the beauty in my life through social media helps me to focus on the beauty. I have plenty of crappy, unhappy things and really hard struggles that I could be sharing, but they are only a small part in the overall scheme of my life.

Beauty is everywhere; it just needs recognition, and therein lies my adventures.

photo recap of week 1

teenage mutant ninja turtles 

crocuses greeting me in the front garden

snow falling in the backyard during 'noquester storm of 2013

a fish hat... it's a little disconcerting to think you put your head in its mouth

the day after the snowstorm, look at that sky!

a red, white and blue sunset

a beautiful rug shop near Eastern Market, DC

a random list from my notebook

a Capitol sunset

i'm on instagram @cmboyerdc.

sci-fi weekend

Why do I go to science fiction conventions? The people are interesting and fun. I learn something new while attending the science panels; and seriously, scientists are the coolest nerds ever. 

I attended Farpoint a couple of weeks ago, and I got to see and do stuff like this...

These boys won a prize in the masquerade for their depiction of

Minecraft Style ala Gangnam Style.

You never know when you're going to meet the Geico Gorn.

Their masquerade skit was pretty funny. 

Oh, and the woman in the Gorn costume is blind, which ups the coolness levels.

Darth Vader and his wife are trying something sweet to lure unsuspecting persons to the Dark Side. Plus, they have the best aprons ever.

If you need help finding a woman, you might try this book. I don't think it will really be all that helpful as we don't have any alien women on this planet... yet.

Dr. Phlox, from Star Trek: Enterprise, and NSA Director Diane Beckman, from Chuck,

aka

John Billingsley and his wife Bonita Friedericy.

These two are the funniest couple I've ever seen on stage. I laughed sooo hard.

Klingons learning how to dance Thriller.

Felicia Day is adorable, witty and smart, and definitely a much bigger nerd than me.

I only wish I was as cool... but I'm not a gamer, nor will I ever be.

I found the TARDIS!!

I loved this kid. He was so cute and funny!

"Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?"

 

The Klingon Empire and The Empire have an exchange program.

Who knew?

This girl's Iron Man costume was absolutely the best. 

Very well done.

I love Captain America... 

Now in my dreams he looked a bit younger.

And I get to meet really cool people like this guy...

Marc Okrand, creator of the Klingon language.

And sadly no I do not speak Klingon.

A very satisfying weekend of nerdiness and geekiness. You can read my friend T's recap and see more photos here.

things that made me smile...

* i love getting my haircut. unfortunately, my hair guy is on an extended leave of absence, so i had to submit my hair to a new guy. here's hoping it looks as good curly as it does straight.

* i finally finished the first round personnel evaluations... thank heavens.

* i miss josiah. he's staying with my roommate's family this week. i never expected to miss a dog so much.

* i decided to take a photo a day for the next month. only three days in and it's been fun already. i'll post a weekly recap.

* 821 hats for children's hospital and the hats are still coming in...

* ironing can be fun... sometimes.

* lemon cake. lime bars. berry tart. a dessert potluck with fabulous women.

* a friend went out of his way to say thank you. it meant a lot.

* affogatto--italian drinking cioccolato with gelato di crema. to quote a friend, "angels were singing in my mouth."

* i was privileged to sing the national anthem for a friend's retirement from the navy reserve. i was humbled to be a part of his celebration.

* a friend who gives me straight talk and sound advice. thank you.

* a saturday where i spent the bulk of the day at home in my pjs. even though i was doing work, i still felt like i got some relaxing in.

* my mom and dad are great!

* asking the question: what should i be doing with my life? and laying in the groundwork for some answers.