St. Patrick's Day

When I was in first grade, my teachers decided to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by telling us that leprechauns had surprised us with treats on our desks that morning, and they told us to keep an eye out for them throughout the day because we might catch one. Later that day when I took a trip to the girl's bathroom with two of my friends, I found myself standing by the sink by myself while my two friends were in the stalls. I, being the oh-so-honest 6-year-old that I was, took the opportunity to yell out that I found a leprechaun! I squealed and ran out of the bathroom. I'm sure my friends didn't even think to wipe, let alone wash their hands, to join me in my pursuit of said tiny creature. We were sadly unable to catch it.

The best part, though, was that my dear teachers couldn't catch me in the lie since they themselves had given me the idea.

Also, I thought that today, March 15th, was St. Patrick's Day. I thought it was weird that it wasn't on the 17th this year, but I did wear a green shirt today. I didn't want to get pinched.

"This is where I have always been coming to. Since my time began. And when I go away from here, this will be the mid-point, to which everything ran, before, and from which everything will run. But now, my love, we are here, we are now, and those other times are running elsewhere." A.S. Byatt, Possession

On March 10, 2012, Alejandro and I were blessed with the opportunity to go to the Mount Timpanogos Temple in Pleasant Grove, Utah and be sealed to each other for time and all eternity.

Mount Timpanogos Temple

Hondo and I have been preparing for this day for as long as we have known each other. In our religion, we believe that it is possible for couples to be "sealed" to each other, which means to take a vow or covenant with each other and with God that we will remain together forever. The ceremony is very similar to a civil marriage ceremony, except that instead of agreeing to be together "til death do us part," we are together "for time and all eternity."

Since Monroe was born before we went to the temple, she was able to come in with us and be sealed to us as a part of our eternal family. Any (completely hypothetical at this point) children that we have in the future will automatically be part of this unit because they will be born after the ceremony is complete.

We were very happy that so many of our friends and family were able to come and enjoy the experience with us.

We had a really fun weekend just hanging out with family. It's always nice to be able to relax and eat food with the people who love you most.



Mo playing with Grandad



Everyone had lots of fun playing with Monroe, and she loved the attention as well.

Playing with Uncle Eric

I am so grateful for my little family. They bring joy to my life on a daily basis, and I'm unbelievably lucky to be with these people forever.

"Men have been shot for practically nothing." Philip Marlowe

Have you ever heard of this book? I hadn't, either. But apparently it was a very popular first book in a series of books about the detective, Philip Marlowe, written in the 40's. This first one was published in 1939 and was made into a movie in 1946 starring Humphery Bogart and Lauren Bacall. So I guess it's kind of a big deal. (I also read somewhere that the movie "The Big Lebowski" is loosly based on it as well, or at least on the series about Marlowe by Raymond Chandler. I've never seen that one either.)

My senior year of college I took a class that was dedicated to the study of the mystery novel. It was my final English major class, and we read several mystery novels and learned about the development and history of them, starting with Edgar Allen Poe, who pioneered the genre, and culminating in Dicken's The Mystery of Edwid Drood, his last novel which he didn't even finish because he died. (Which is a really horrible thing to happen for a mystery novel. How do you know who did it?!? But inspires interesting discussion because everyone has a different idea about the ending.) We didn't make it in the the time of Chandler's writing, but I wish we had because I have a confession to make--I don't know what is so great about this novel.

It's interesting, to be sure. The writing is very cryptic and it leaves you feeling like the author/narrator knows something that you don't, and you want to find out but he's not going to tell you. He's pretty funny as well--when a woman in the novel says to him, "You're really tall" his response is "I didn't mean to be." There is humor, very dry and sarcastic, which must have been new at the time it was published. I feel like my experience with this book is tainted because I've read so many other mysteries (which is funny since it's not my favorite genre) and this one was nothing special. But it must have had some sort of significance or influence on all those other one's I've read. I just don't know what that influence is.

The title, The Big Sleep, is referring to death. Marlowe comments at the very end, "What did it matter where you lay once you were dead? In a dirty sump or in a marble tower on top of a high hill? You were dead, you were sleeping the big sleep, you were not bothered by things like that. Oil and water were the same as wind and air to you. You just slept the big sleep, not caring about the nastiness of how you died or where you fell." Which is kind of a blunt way to look at death. Even if it is true.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading this one, but I also wouldn't not recommend it. Maybe it's just not my type of book. I enjoyed reading it, even if I don't see it's greatness. I can see how someone like Janet Evanovich was could have been influenced by Chandler. And maybe that's why, to me, this book is nothing new. But I guess the egg had to come before the chicken, right? Or did it?