Hershey ...

Today Carly and Andrea and I took a day trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania. I have been wanting to go there for months now, and we had a delectable time.


I must report however, that contrary to my expectations, the air did not smell like chocolate throughout the town. It definitely did smell like chocolate at Chocolate World. Delicious. And, Hershey makes some amazing cinnamon chips (like chocolate chips, minus the chocolate. Ironic, yes.)


And the lampposts (notice the correct spelling of lamppost, family; Bapa would be proud) were shaped like kisses. Delightful.


After Hershey, we went to Gettysburg. I loved seeing it in the fall, with the addition of gorgeous leaves, and minus the crowds and heat from my last visit. (Also, family: they have a new museum. Remember that really weird old one?!)


Our visit did make me wonder about the proper way to pose with a cannon. Clearly, I did not figure that out. Andrea came closer. She demonstrates a respect for the cannon that I think I am lacking.


After all of that, we came home, and Carly and I watched October Sky. Note to anyone reading: Stop reading immediately and go watch October Sky. If you live near me, you can come to my house and I will watch it with you. If you live near my parents, you can go to their house and watch it. If you live somewhere else, try Blockbuster. Seriously, go. Now. I had forgotten how much I love this movie. So inspiring. And not just because the nerdy girl gets the boy in the end. Why are you still reading?! Stop! Really, stop ...

Proof ...

Rise and shout ...

Right now, my Dad and my brother Roman are driving the blue convertible and the white truck through Provo in the BYU Homecoming Parade. My Mom is along for the ride, and to make sure Roman behaves, and Autumn is in charge of something alumni-related. And apparently they are all wearing blue.

This, people, is a miracle. A mere nine years ago these same four people wore red University of Utah shirts to move me into my BYU dorm room. And Roman tried to put the University of Utah fight song on the communal computers in the lobby. Clearly, Autumn has more powers of persuasion than I do. Or they just love her more. Or I should have followed her example and called my Dad "Daddy" all these years. ...

I should be studying right now ...

I like to think of the people in charge of my school as being quite intelligent. They generally prove this to be true. Except that no one in the building seems capable of mastering a thermostat. Thus, every fall and spring I have the great pleasure of attending class in either a sauna or an igloo. Delightful, I assure you.

In other school news, I am studying Shakespeare in my law and literature class. I lived in London last time I did this. I like him fine now, but I liked him better there. I am also writing a paper about Jane Austen. Yes, a law school paper about Jane Austen. Which means I am not dreading it. Hooray! I am not going to lie, though, I definitely thought about trying to convince the professor that I should write about the legal system in Harry Potter instead.

And now, for some famous people. But not the People.com type. Sorry about that. Last week Justice Kennedy spoke at our Law Review Symposium. I do not remember what he said. But I do remember that another panelist quoted someone I also do not remember saying this:

"History is not what happened. History is what we remember."

Or something like that. But I liked it. Finally, yesterday Secretary Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security spoke at school. In the same classroom as my Criminal Procedure class lass semester, which seemed appropriate. She told us to wash our hands and to cough into our elbows. And some other stuff, quite a lot of impressive other stuff actually, but this seems most practical to report ...

P.S. Andrea, Carly and Megan, I made that one reference just for you. I am so capable of planning a wild party. Just you wait.

God blessed you ...

It rained, without stopping, for three days this week. Which makes my trek to school unpleasant when I have some hope of having cute hair, but perfectly lovely when I have already given up on my hair and am wearing my rainboots. So during three days of rain, I wore my rainboots one day, I did my hair one day, and I stayed inside one day. Good compromise, I thought.

My usual commute goes like this:

12 minutes: Walk to the Metro
2-8 minutes: Wait for the Metro
10 minutes: Ride the Metro
8 minutes: Walk to school

Going down the escalator at my Metro station, I usually see a homeless man sleeping between the outside edge of the escalator and the cement wall. This week, he had a birthday balloon tied to his cart. I wondered if he had tied it there himself, or if someone had done so while he slept.

At the top of the escalator at the Metro station at school, I see people selling sunglasses or umbrellas, depending on the day, and of course, my favorite, flowers. They sell the flowers rain or shine. I like that. Down the street from the Metro station this week, I saw another homeless man. He held the traditional cardboard sign, but with a difference. His said, "God blessed you." An important -ed. I saw him first on a sunny day. I thought about him all day, and the next. And then the rain started. But there he was again, in the rain, without an umbrella. I had a $10 bill tucked carefully in my backpack pocket with my student ID card. I keep it there just in case I need cash. I kept it there.

The next day, the one where I did my hair but did not wear my boots, I had a few one dollar bills. This time, I would not be sorry. But this time, I did not see the man with the sign.

My problem is that I am only partly a skeptic. I am skeptical enough to keep my hand in my pocket, but believing enough to pinch myself for being selfish. I am not really sure if birthday balloons mean a birthday or a scheme to guilt me into giving. I always think of the homeless man outside the bank who wore a different coat every day of the week.

The plan behind the sign did not matter to me this week. It might just be good for business. He might not believe in God. But he made me notice him, even from the shelter of a yellow umbrella and a half-formed fast-walking smile. He made me think ...

World peace ...

How to win a Nobel Peace Prize in two easy steps:

1. Be born.
2. Talk about hope and change and peace and joy and love.

It helps to repeat step two frequently, and eloquently, at various sites throughout the world, and to make sure you or your significant other has nicely toned arms and wears sleeveless clothing at all times. No other action required! Obviously Miss America qualified for this prestigious prize decades ago ...

I love Autumn ...

Today I made my favorite soup. And I am wearing my favorite pumpkin lotion. I love Autumn. Both the season and the sister, for the record ...

The Comcast experience ...

Last week at this time, a New York City Comcast man from somewhere in Eastern Europe had no idea of the lovely scene he would encounter the next morning.

But, if you keep reading, you will ...

The scene: The darling Upper West Side apartment Heather and Kevin moved into a mere five days earlier. It is now 9:20 a.m. on Friday. Kevin has managed to get ready for work amidst the four girls who have invaded his space, and he has now escaped to the safety of his office somewhere in the city. Heather is asleep in their room. Jennie and Callie are asleep on the couch bed in the living room. Katie is asleep on the inflatable mattress next to the couch bed. Karli is, inexplicably, showered and dressed, hair and makeup done and looking perfect. She hears a knock at the door. She answers immediately, far too cheerfully, with nary a question or a glance at her four sleeping friends. It is, of course, the Comcast man, who had told Heather he would come between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and would call a half hour before he came.

So, the Comcast man takes two steps into the living room to see three not-so-fresh, we-rode-on-a-bus-for-nearly-six-hours-and-then-went-to-bed heads peeking up from an assortment of sheets and blankets and beds, which happen to be two feet from the television and the computer. That would be the television and computer where the Comcast man needs to do his Comcastic things.

Karli, remember, already looks like a supermodel. The kind wearing clothes. Heather has awakened enough to grasp the situation. The three of us in pajamas clearly are not and have not. We make a beeline for the bathroom. We huddle there, deciding what to do. We opt to be normal. Or as normal as possible, under the circumstances. Which means that two of us should leave the bathroom. One at a time, we get ready.

An hour or so later, the scene has changed. Now the television works. And the people have all showered. But somehow all end up back on the couch bed. This time, watching the television. And unavoidably watching the man, too, still working on said television. So what started with four sleeping girls in pajamas ends with them all sitting on the couch bed, fully clothed and presentable, waiting for the Comcast man to finish his Comcast things ...

A supercalifrajalisticexpialadocious week ...

I had a good week. Actually, a surprisingly great week.

Monday night, Jennie surprised me.
Tuesday morning, Karli flew in from Las Vegas. Surprise squared.
Wednesday afternoon, I found Katie from Cleveland on my doorstep. So, naturally, on Thursday we took the bus to New York City to see Heather.
Thank you, Provo.

Maybe because of the fabulous surprises, or because we now live in five different cities, I realized once again this weekend that I am really, really lucky to have such talented, witty, kind, stylish and just plain amazing friends. I am also really lucky that expert photographer Katie documented our week of fun in these photos:

Pretty much sums up how we act we when get together. In D.C. ...

or New York City ...

Cute Heather ... and baby!

Back in D.C. at our impromptu photo shoot.
The out-of-order photos add to the fun of the post, right?!

Times Square. College roommates. Classic.

Central Park, obviously.

Eating our way through New York. We also had delicious cupcakes, pizza and nutella on toast (thank you, Kevin and Heather). And yes, I am blurry in this picture. Apparently I am frequently blurry in pictures. I guess I am not so good at holding still. And that is required for some pictures. Picky, picky.

This was legitimate picture-taking movement. And they clearly didn't call her Karli Cartwheel for nothing.

The Brooklyn Bridge, always a favorite.

I took a few photos of my own, for good measure ...

The church next to the World Trade Center site.

A bench where firefighters working at Ground Zero would rest between shifts.

Still the church ...

We saw Mary Poppins. I LOVED it. Preview: It included tap dancing on the ceiling.

Thanks, girls ...