People of Walmart

As I look out the window I see Mt. Timpanogos with a nice sheen blanket of snow on the top. Despite the reality of the winter months approaching I have been blessed with something to lighten my spirits on this cold and windy day. My dear friend Alana sent me an email a few weeks ago and I feel so inclined to pass it on to all of you in hopes that you can get a laugh or two out of it. For those of you in sunnier parts of the world today (Aaron and Stacey) disregard this post and go find joy in the beach, the icecream man, and tan lines.

Just in case you had the urge...

Nothing says sanitary like a parrot in the produce isle.

This website is awesome. You can win a $100 gift certificate for having the best picture of the month. Fabulous. I love Walmart, an now I love it even more. So remember to take your camera next time you go.

I Spy: BYU Edition

Maybe it's because we are only a few weeks into fall semester but I feel that I have been a lot more alert and wide-eyed lately and have noticed a lot more things because of it. I've been able to take a few pictures with my phone (hence the poor quality) of things I've seen around campus.

Mark your calendars. Something you'll only see at BYU.
I had to snap a picture of this boy perched on a rock reading his scriptures. Maybe he's trying to get closer to God? I mean by reading his scriptures-- not by climbing on top of some 8 foot stone to sit in some awkward position...Let's just say hopefully they got a call back.

Post-Edit: I love attending BYU. I don't want people to get the wrong idea. Also, I will be most likely attending that seminar.... hopefully no one was offended by the "The things seen around BYU"- there will be more to come. I guarantee it.

Go Cougars!

We snagged some great tickets to the game on Saturday from Spencer's Grandma who is a life long member of BYU sporting events and gets two tickets to every football and basketball game-- for LIFE. However, as if losing wasn't bad enough, we had some raging fan behind us. I suppose it could have been worse. He could have been for the Seminoles.

(Don't mind the double chin-- its the angle, I swear.)

Dear Neighbors,

Hello! We are the Ortons. We just moved in to our apartment this week. We might live underneath you, or to the right or left of you. We really enjoy our place. We both attend BYU as full-time students. You may be wondering why we vacuum our apartment around 10:00pm each night. The truth is, that loud noise you might hear waking up your sleeping babies, is actually our Snow Cone maker. Sorry for the inconvenience.
- Your New Neighbors.

9/9/09

I almost forgot to celebrate today until my little art history professor asked us to name and date a sheet of paper in preparatory for our quiz.
HOW COULD I CONCENTRATE WHEN I JUST REALIZED TODAY WAS 9/9/09?!?
(Needless to say I scored 9/9 actually 10/10 but isn't 9/9 just so fitting...)

I posted something about this date a little while ago. And our friends in the far east did not disappoint.
you mathematicians out there have probably had a field day on 09/09/09

The date falls on a Wednesday in September, both of which have 9 letters.

September 9 also is the 252nd day of the year. 2+5+2=9

In addition, if you multiply a single-digit number by 9, the resulting two digits add up to 9. Consider: 4x9=36; 3+6=9
(more from this article can be found on cnn.com)

I'm wondering how many pregnant women due around this time are trying to get induced on this day. Maybe that will be something I'll be blessed to consider around 10/10/10.

There are great deals all over the web today celebrating 9/9/09. Hotels.com is offering $99 hotels. Restaurant.com is offering 90% off of gift cards! As well, the Beatles albums have all been digitally remastered and have been released today.

September 9, 2009. What a great day.

Back to School

Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo

755 miles into our 2,050 mile journey we stopped in Nauvoo, Illinois. A quaint town on the edge of the Mississippi River that has some important historical sites pertaining to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Nauvoo was a refuge to the Saints between 1839 and 1846, however, difficulties increased forcing the Saints to flee their homes and start their trek westward to the Great Salt Lake.
Spencer and I loved walking around the quiet town and taking a look at all the historic homes. The weather was absolutely perfect. (I visited Nauvoo in 2002 for the temple open house when the heat and humidity were unbearable) We attended the temple and loved looking at the dark hardwood and intricate details replicated of the work the Saints did before it was destroyed. We were able to see the cemetery of the final resting place for the Prophet Joseph Smith, Emma Hale Smith, Hyrum Smith, Joseph Sr, and Lucy Mack Smith, as well as many other Smith family members. We toured Carthage Jail (22 miles away) where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were martyred June 27, 1844. We walked down Parely Street "Street of Tears" where the Saints on February 4, 1846 said farewell to their beautiful city and homes and crossed, in that bitter cold winter, the frozen Mississippi River. It was such an amazing experience to see where these events took place that we as members of the church read and hear so much about. We spent two nights there and took off early the next morning to continue on our own personal trek the other 1,296 miles.