Feb 24

I Live in a Cold Place

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Beautiful, right? Looks can be deceiving sometimes. Well, I guess it’s not really “deceiving.” It IS beautiful, after all. But it’s also. So. Freezing. Cold.

You know, I ought to be used to this sort of thing by now. I grew up in Utah – Missouri shouldn’t feel that different. Here’s the catch though – I was born in Southern California. I think when you’re born there, you get an automatic gene that says “I. Love. Heat.” Whatever it is, I’ve got it.

All my love for heat can’t stand in place of my family though – and they live in this freezing place. In fact, this is part of their front yard. “Yard” is kind of a misnomer. They’ve got 25 acres of “yard.”

This beautiful place can be kind of dangerous sometimes. You know how I was supposed to take the Iowa Bar Exam this week? Well, it didn’t happen. Winter storm warnings, combined with actual winter storm conditions, made the risk just too high to travel the 3+ hours to Des Moines on Saturday, Sunday OR Monday. (The Iowa Bar examiners are pretty inflexible about “mandatory orientation” held on Monday. There is no getting around it. Even if you’ve taken 3 bar exams in the last 2 years and it would have been your 4th. If you can’t make Monday’s orientation, you won’t be allowed to take the Tuesday exam. You’re simply out of luck – and money.) At any rate, I made the choice to stay put. So you know what I did? I had that virgin mojito early.

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Feb 19

A Girls Night… PLUS “The Man”

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I was on kid duty tonight. A voluntary thing, let me assure you. I like spending time with my siblings. Since Mom, Jess & Logan wanted to go see “Dear John” (I already saw it and enjoyed it – I LOVE Channing Tatum), I offered to watch the kids. Reece was away on a camping trip (who goes camping in the snow anyway?), so it was the 2.0s , Wade and I. Dad is in Brazil, but he gets back soon, wahoo!

At first we said we’d have a “girls night plus Wade.” He quickly corrected us – we were going to have a “girls night plus THE MAN.” And we did – a little popcorn, a movie, cupcakes and some nail polish. (The Man skipped out on the nail polish.)

This isn’t the first time this week that Wade has cracked me up. Mom and I were hanging out at the table while all the boys were being their usual crazy selves.  I said we needed to think of a word to describe them – without skipping a beat, Wade had one. “Sexy.” And then he walked out of the room.

Can I just tell you I love my life? Really, how could I not?

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Feb 10

I Heart You

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Yes, I said “heart.” NOT “hate”! Please make sure you’re listening. (Ahem. Reece.) For all of you that are oblivious to the month of February, Valentine’s Day is coming up. At FHE this week (you’ve heard about FHE before), our family talked about L-O-V-E.

My first memories of Valentine’s Day involved special Valentines on our kitchen table surrounded by great treats. (Thanks Mom!) For a couple of years, I didn’t realize that Valentine’s Day was a “romantic love” sort of holiday – I just thought it was a day where everyone made sure to tell the people they loved that they loved them. Really, you should be doing that on a pretty regular basis – how sad would it be if you saved all your telling for one day a year?!? I know that I’d never have enough time to make sure that everyone I loved knew it.

In the spirit of the holiday, this Monday night my siblings, mom and I spent the night making hearts for each other. (Dad is in Brazil, or he would have been making them too, don’t worry. He still likes us. Why on earth do you think he goes to work every other month?) We put them up on the doors in our house so that we’d all remember how much we love each other. (Kind of like texting - except better.)

Here are a few of my favorites…

Is it any wonder I heart my family?

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Feb 06

Then I Don’t Want to Be Beautiful!

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At the Christensen household, we’re not big believers in unibrows on women. Unfortunately for us, it seems unavoidable. So we wax. More appropriately, we “sugar.” My youngest sisters have now joined the club. (They enter when they want to; no one should make a little girl sugar!)

This morning, we were doing the deed – Cassie had asked me to take care of her unibrow at the same time I was annihilating mine – and I told her that “Sometimes it hurts to be beautiful.” Almost instantly she responded, “Then I don’t want to be beautiful!” Fortunately for her, she’s beautiful both ways. Unfortunately for her, at the same time she was yelling, I took her unibrow right off.* Distraction is everything. Besides, sugaring doesn’t hurt nearly as much as waxing. Don’t ask me why – I have no idea.

*Before you think I am into inflicting cruel and unusual punishment, Cassie’s been sugared before. She totally knew what she was getting into.

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Jan 30

Just Wait ‘Til We’re Out With Someone We Actually Want to Kiss

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Normally I don’t blog about my dates. I consider it bad form. You see, my family has to deal with the fact that I blog about my life. (Yes Dad, I’m still going to blog about our family, much to your chagrin.) I don’t think dates sign up for that kind of intrusion.  So great dates, bad dates, bleh dates, good dates, mediocre dates, horrid dates, fantastic dates… I leave them all alone when I’m blogging. Even if I could tell some great stories. ;)

This week I am making an exception. I went on a date that I have to blog about. And I went with not one, but TWO handsome guys. We didn’t do anything expensive. We didn’t drive very far. But man, we had a great time.

These are the gentlemen:

Flattering pictures of both, I know. You recognize them now, don’t you? Logan and Reece. AKA Manly Men.

So how’d I end up on this date? Well, first of all, I hadn’t eaten much all day. I had a caramelized apple cider for breakfast/lunch and wheat thins for dinner. Caramelized apple cider is fantastic. And I am addicted to it. But it is not very filling. Wheat thins are not a very good dinner. When my stomach was contemplating all this (and loudly protesting the day’s events) I announced to my brothers that I wanted to go someplace and eat something totally unhealthy. So we went out. They opened the car door (after fighting about who got to do it), let me pick the music in the car (easy, because we all agree on loud country music), and didn’t mind that I had the heater full blast (in Missouri, I am always cold). We went and picked up some beautiful greasy cheeseburgers at Sonic. And then we drove to Wal-Mart and ate in the parking lot.

Classy, I know. Reece is the one who coined it “date night.” We hung out and laughed our heads off. And then Reece made the observation of the century – “This is so fun already! Just wait until we’re out with someone we actually want to kiss!”

The. Date. Was. Awesome. And maybe one of these days we’ll all go out together – with people we actually want to kiss. But if we do, you won’t hear about it. Remember? I don’t blog about those dates.

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Jan 27

160 Characters

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That’s how many characters I can send in one text. (20 more than a tweet!) My sister Jessie and I have a “feel good” sort of thing going right now. We came up with it during a girls’ night (so normally it’d be top secret), but I’ll let you in on what we’re doing. (I’m so nice.)

Every day, both of us will text the other something nice… anything nice, but it always includes “I love you and…” Here are some examples from the past week.

  • “I love you and your beautiful eyes.”
  • “I love you and your beautiful singing voice.”
  • “I love you and your luscious long hair.”
  • “I love you and admire your guts.”
  • “I love you and think you’re an awesome bottle washer.”
  • “I love you and your luscious long legs.”
  • “I love you and your deep brown eyes.”
  • “I love you and your smokin’ hot booty.”
  • “I love you and how nice you were this morning.”

Now, it’s just a little thing – you’ll notice that all of these things are LESS than 160 characters. I actually think they’re less than 140. (So you could send them in tweets too!) But what a great way to have a connection with your sister! It takes about 10 seconds – more like 60 if you text like my dad – and makes you both smile. Don’t you think it’s worth your time?

Today, I’m issuing a little challenge… well, more like throwing down the gauntlet. Yeah, that’s right. Throwing down the freaking gauntlet.

Text someone. Think of someone you care about, and let them know. It’s easy – you could even copy one of our examples. (Use the “luscious legs” text judiciously please. And the “smokin’ hot booty” should only be used for those people that you are super close too. Trust me.)

Oh? And before all the rest of my siblings start being sad that this is a Jessie/Leila thing – I texted you this morning. Because I love you all too. And your luscious legs.

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Jan 11

“Every Moment of Every Day, We’re Manly”

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No, this was not me talking. I’m more of a “four-inch heels and a pencil skirt” kind of gal, if you really must know. And if any of you are wondering – four-inch heels and a pencil are NOT manly. (That tends to be the kind of thing that ATTRACTS a guy who’s manly.*) Take a look at the picture. (See? It’s not me.)

These are my brothers. You’ve been introduced to them before – you saw the Man Boots post, right? (If you didn’t, now would be a good time to read it. It’d save me some time. There’s no way I could write EVERY way my brothers are manly in just one post.) If you’re still drawing a blank on who’s who, let me re-introduce you. From left to right, this is Wade, Logan and Reece. I call this their “Bad A Moment.” And Mom, if you’re reading – I totally mean “Bad Apple Moment.” Because they are definitely the “Bad Apples” of the Christensen family.

Logan is the genius behind the statement “Every moment of every day, we’re manly.” He had this stroke of genius while sitting with Reece and Wade at the dinner table talking about a fight.

So, you’re curious how they can back this bold statement up? Let me give you four examples. (Yes, just four. As much as you might be dying for a novel tonight, I am not dying to write one. Sue me. Really, try it. I’m a lawyer after all.) First, my brothers shoot guns. (See the aforementioned post. Told you you should have read it.) Second, my brothers open doors. (You’ve heard about this too.) Third, my brothers carry in heavy things. Like me. Or sacks of chicken feed. Or groceries. (Yes, I know groceries aren’t normally as heavy as chicken feed, but maybe you didn’t know that. One of those special “living in the country” tidbits. I’ll let you wonder if I’m as heavy as groceries.) Fourth, my brothers fix things. I’ve watched Reece change a tire in the middle of the night on a highway with no shoulder while semis were screaming past at 75mph. Notice I said “watch.” I am not manly. But I’m sure glad my brothers are. Because trust me, I know – every moment of every day, they’re manly.

*Note to all of you. My pencil skirt and heels do NOT have the same effect on my brothers as they do on other manly men. They are on me after all. So don’t be gross.

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Jan 08

I Am Not a Marshmallow

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But my brother Logan has decided that it’s my new nickname. Maybe it’s because I keep wrapping myself up in fluffy blankets and hats while I’m inside. A girl’s got to survive freezing temperatures somehow, right? If I’ve got to become a marshmallow to make it through this winter, so be it. Maybe the marshmallow look works for me – take a look and judge for yourself. (And no, I did NOT cut off all of my hair. It’s underneath my beanie – I’ve discovered it’s warmer that way. Yeah, I’m full of helpful hints for staying warm.)

I think freezing temperatures have decided to follow me – when I moved to Las Vegas, it got the first snow it had seen in 30 years. (Yes, 30. Thanks very much. The kids in Vegas got a snow day for less than an inch of snow. Amazing.) Now that I’ve moved to Missouri, it seems like I keep hearing that this is “unseasonably cold.” My brothers and sisters have had snow weeks. (For more than an inch of snow. More like tons of inches of snow. And yes, that’s the technical measurement.)

This is the slightly more sophisticated marshmallow look. I know, I am totally kidding myself – this isn’t a look I’d take anywhere outside of the house! Oh – except I guess posting it online really takes it out of the house. Like to anywhere in the world with internet. Oh well. Enjoy. But know that if I actually walked outside, the beanie and the sweater would have to be the same color white – not winter white vs. white white. And that you wouldn’t catch me in glasses unless I was in front of the computer. Or the piano. Or reading a book. Okay, I admit it – given all the possibilities, you just might catch me in glasses. But NOT in a non-matching beanie/sweater combo.

One thing that I DO love about freezing temperatures is that you have the chance to wear lots of fun clothes. I’m a fan of lots of scarves, great sweaters, and fantastic jackets. I love rich colors, wavy hair, and dark lipstick. Winter’s the perfect time to pull off the cute layered look.  For today though, I’m content to be a marshmallow. Hot chocolate anyone?


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Jan 06

Shades of Gray

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My mom’s an artist - she paints. In my absolutely unbiased opinion, she totally rocks. Don’t take my word for it. Check out her work yourself. She normally paints with a technique called “grisaille” – she does an underpainting first in shades of gray, and then puts color on top of it. It’s pretty amazing to watch. Oh – you can watch it yourself. It’s on youtube. And for a little extra education – “grisaille,” loosely translated from French, means “gray tones.”

It’s a complex process, but it’s not just her paintings that are complex. Most things in this world come in shades of gray, because people are complex too. Wouldn’t it be unfortunate if you were so inflexible that you never recognized there was anything but black and white? (At any rate, it would certainly kill the grisaille method.)

In my professional life, I deal in grays all the time. Granted, my work isn’t the same as my mom’s, but work with me here – I didn’t get those creative painting genes, so I’m doing my best with what I’ve got.  Of course, in order to really grasp the grays, you’ve got to understand the rules that come with black and white. That’s just common sense. But when I’m at work (or anywhere else!) I remember that grays exist, and that’s part of what makes this life so interesting. The next time you’re out and about, take a look at the grays. You just might surprise yourself at what you find.

*PS – Notice my mom’s shirt is gray? Oh yeah, I totally planned that. Well, actually I didn’t. But I thought it was cool anyway.

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Jan 01

Smile When You Run

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Hello 2010. This is the year I’ll turn 25, a whole quarter of a century. Sweet, huh? Besides getting older (it happens to everyone if we’re lucky), I’ve got a few goals that actually require me getting a few things DONE (besides just breathing of course).  Now, these are not all of my goals, but they are a few that I thought I’d share. That way, I can keep you posted on a few of them.

Professionally:

  • Provide excellent client service and streamline procedures in my firm to run a more effective business
  • Read at least one business book a month and implement the things I’ve learned into my business
  • Attend the MO Bar’s Annual Family Law Conference in August

Personally:

  • Read the Book of Mormon every day. This shouldn’t be much of a change, but I’m going to aim for a little more focused reading. My days are always better when I get this reading in.
  • Be an awesome Primary teacher.  This year at church, I’m teaching the 9-11 year old girls. They are the BEST girls ever. Our class is a little bigger than last year – we grew from 5 girls who attended regularly to 11! We are going to have some fun times.
  • Take a lot of pictures. There’s something to be said for remembering the moments. Pictures help me do that.  (Note to self – back those pictures up! I dropped my laptop today. Totally obliterated the hard drive, including all my pictures. Sad day. But there IS a silver lining – I got a new laptop. That I love.)

Physically:

  • Smile when I run. A friend of mine told me he’d start running the day he saw someone smiling while they ran. I’m making it my personal mission. :)  In all seriousness – I’m totally running the Kansas City Marathon in October 2010. And I’ve managed to recruit my 13 year old bro to do it with me. ($50 goes a long way with a 13 year old. I am not afraid of bribery.)
  • Amazing abs. I want them. And this is the year that I’m going to get them.

There’s a couple of talks I read this past week while I was thinking about goals. They were excellent, so I’m sharing them with you. Both were given by Thomas S. Monson, the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The first is “Decisions Determine Destiny”  and the second is “Great Expectations.” Happy New Year!

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