My beautiful memories-

So here's something.  My parent's house burnt to the ground last night. Today the embers are smoldering it all to nothingness. The only thing left..is our trampoline, complete with teal rubbermaid slide. Thank goodness that was untouched.

The things I left in my parents' house for safekeeping until I grew up:

1. Any art I ever did

2. My little ponies
3. Trolls
4. 20 years of journal writing
5. a bronze cherub miniature
6. a bronze medusa miniature
7. The legless ceramic man on his inner tube
8. A 8"glass mermaid panel
9. My birth certificate
10. Some souvenirs
11. Not a big deal

Most of that stuff is pretty minor. I know at least three years of journal writing in high school just said what I'd eaten that day. Posterity won't miss out on that much.

The good news
1. It is summertime now.
2. The goats are ok.
3. All the stuff I own is already here with me
4. Lots of the junk accumulated over the years, that wouldn't have been cleared out for a while, has disappeared.
5. Nobody was in the house
6. The trampoline and slide are unscathed
7. We know what our house looks like burned down
8. Any physical evidence of my childhood weirdness has also vanished
9. Christian scanned and posted a million old pictures of us, so until the Internet stops working, we have access to all of them. Thank goodness all those nerdy photos still live.

The morals of this story are: 

1. It gets crazy hot in the summer in MO. 

2. When you have full-time missionaries in the field your blessings come in disguise. 

3. Lots of people love our family. 

It's snowing-

It's not, but at gun practice last week my scalp got sunburned. So now my hair looks snowed on. That's the nice way to mention dandruff. Most people like the idea of snow, even if they don't like actual snow.  It has melted a bit, but there are still a couple flakes hiding out. As long as they hide and don't come out until I'm alone and can monkey them out. Then they are a-ok. 

We couldn't have actual snow here because in Dublin, close to San Francisco, it is currently 76 degrees F outside. That's 76 degrees fabulous to you. Nothing wrong with being in the 76ers club, it's a nice place to chill. If you call that chilly. 

Speaking of chilly, Russia is chilly. Who is from Russia? Dostoyevsky? Yes, that's right. His book The Brothers Karamazof is still only halfway read. I will try powering through it. Then I can return it to its rightful place at the Doxey residence and check it off my Goodreads list. 

What things am I looking forward to this summer? I'm glad you asked

1. Strong Reunion on the Oregon coast

2. The smell of summer

3. Mangos

4. Being Whitney's roommate

5. Birthdays

6. Finding out what happens when Rand finally goes crazy- #WheelofTime

7. Eating lots of cream cheese with raspberries

Bathrooms ought to be warm and cozy-

I've always thought this. It's especially apparent in cold bathrooms. Warm bathrooms make you want to stay for a long time. They are cozy and homey. It's nice to be there. Sometimes I don't want to leave.  As a side note, Japan has heated toilet seats all over the place. I liked that about Japan- amongst other things. 

I ate the bones (I know it's terribly juvenile of me, but I really enjoy this series of commercials). Or rather, I had a peanut butter bar last week and didn't die, nor feel much in the field of adverse reactions. Cool. Now I can be better friends with George Washington Carver. We were estranged during my 18 month Guatemala mission. Phew. 

Sorry these photos are so dark. These pictures can be like one of those fancy books where you try to figure out what you're looking at from limited data. Call me Pinterest, but I've tried getting a little more creative with my jewelry problem. The problem is, I have way too much jewelry. 

These trinkets I never wear because they are stored out of sight. Thus, I've tried storing jewelry in my line of sight. Still nothing. Next to my jewelry stands, is one of the reasons they call me "The Wizard". Well, nobody calls me that. Yet. But look at all the books on my desk. I am on my way to crazy town, I'm halfway across the bridge. My one consolation is I'll read them all, fill up my online Goodreads bookshelves, and pass them along. I only have four more books to get through to start the bold 36. 

I have recently confirmed with friends that everybody loves lists. I love lists. They make me feel camaraderie with others who see the lists and make them. They group my ideas and opinions with others'. Lists are important and I sometimes just like to make them. 

Delicious drinks

1. Banana milk

2. Chocolate milk

3. Grapefruit juice

3.5. Raspberry lemonade 

4. Tomato juice

5. Water

And now, a poem: 

Banana drink, you make me oozy. 

I think chocolate milk and you are cousins.

Grapefruit juice looks like a floozy.

Raspberry lemonade brings out the buzzins.

Tomato juice is better warm.

Water is good.

Some of these are old people drinks.

It's not a drink, but I like pud-ding.

Ice is too cold for my mouth methinks.

The Truth about Pockets

I shot a gun this weekend. Turns out if I had a gun, someone was breaking in to kill me in my house, and I had a full clip already in the gun, I might be able to nick his shoulder or the tip of his leg. All the instruction and positive reinforcement was really nice though. With some practice I could be a real whiz at the gun.

It was an Appleseed revolutionary war memorial weekend. We only shot guns Saturday, not the full weekend including Sunday. I learned 100% more information than I already knew about shooting a gun. It was a 22 rifle...I shot a pistol the night before our event. 

Turns out pistols have some crazy kick, are louder, and are harder to load than rifles. Good to know. I also better understand the positions taken by snipers and more fully appreciate their skills. 

This is a picture of a couple girls and me in front of a flag pole. We did a No Fear run in memory of the bombing at the Boston marathon. It was like 2.56 miles or 1/8 of a marathon. Whatever the actual number for that is. I walked it, some people ran or jogged it. We did it for FHE so I just walked and talked. I love talking. 

I finished the 4th Wheel of Time Book. Now on to the fifth. I didn't know how fast I would get through those books on tape. Maybe I should finish The Karamazov Brothers on cd. Ha. 

I have an icepack on my foot again. It's a little swollen. I don't know if I told you, but about 2 weeks ago I got kicked in the foot on Wednesday night soccer. It was a great interception play, but I'm still paying for it. I can still run ok, but am really nervous playing soccer these days. I have a race to run for work in three weeks and don't want to be injured for it. I'll be running about 16 miles in two days time. 

Yesterday we played some indoor soccer. Not only did I shy away from the ball at all points of the game, I was nervous to even kick it. That makes playing soccer more difficult. Luckily, I had a great support system there and everyone was really nice about my inability to make contact with the ball in any productive ways. Thanks guys! To end this story, I declare the ice on my foot is due to an injury I received from twisting my foot weirdly last night in a play. Boo. 

I've been breaking out a lot on my face this week. Not awesome. I like this picture, it's nice and small so you can't see the fungal welts on my face. Anyway, I'd like to add, I'm grateful I don't have to shave my face every day. That would be terrible. No, but seriously, I know some people that have to.

Maybe it's a tuna? It's not a tuna-

Yes, it is a tuna can having fallen into my sink on its way to the pasta pot. It didn't want to be noodled. I had no idea with what Charles was messing in the sink, and when I finally looked over, I couldn't have been more amused. Ha. Let it be known he got it out before it fell all the way down- thank goodness, and without the aid of a butter knife. Into our pot went pasta, tuna, spaghetti sauce, green beans, and love. Lots of love. It was pretty good. 

Lately I have asked myself when I will grow out of braids. I then tell myself never and end the conversation. Braids are such a great way to keep yo hair out yo face. I have fine hair, so braids give it texture and body. A good braid will keep my creative juices flowing so I don't cut my hair every two months. Ask Sarah, it was once my favorite addiction.

On a different note, tagging commercials has shown me how many lovely infomercials are on tv these days. I am not a fan. 

I am a fan of Goodreads however. I love books and am currently reading four of them. So I finally got on that site and updated my book lists. Turns out I'm more excited about books than you thought. Also, it was the same as when I got onto Pinterest- I couldn't kick myself off. Now I can keep a real list of books I want to and have read. A public list, so people know I read. So people know I read good books and crappy books, just like you other people out in the world. 

Now you know, I'm not a perfect book chooser, but now you can know how I feel about all those books I read. Some I finish, even though I don't enjoy them. I will rate those so you know not to read them. This is my boyfriend Charles. Fishing for tuna. 

Release the Tiger- To those of you:

As I step onto this soapbox, please realize, I am doing so with full consciousness that none who actually should read this will, thereby nullifying all effect this should have on those personages. If you know of anyone who could benefit from reading this, please refer them to this message. 

From a popcorn eater: To those of you coming for the summer to my ward: Welcome. That said, please realize: I am the steward for the feelings of the sisters in my relief society. If you will only be here for four months and aren't impressed with the girls in my ward, sorry. If you decide to go to church for the right reasons, you ought to be ok. That's all I have to say about that. For now. 

Second. I am eating popcorn right now. Deluxe. I have decided I am what Emily calls an amateur popcorn eater. I often forget to chew my popcorn fully and end up choking on it. Often, or in other words, every time. As an amateur, I can only eat deluxe popcorn or I will choke on it. With all the fancy extras, I have to chew the popped corn to full measure and thereby pass over choking on particulates. 

I dream that one day I will be able to eat popcorn free and clear of additives, otherwise known as poporn, thereby becoming an expert popcorn eater. That would mean I also would be receiving the health benefits of eating popcorn. I know there are some. Unfortunately, those health benefits are not included in the the deluxe experience. Just so ya'll know. Also- if the next big thing is popcorn that flosses itself from your teeth crevices, I won't complain. Nope, not me. 

Here are some pictures Mom. See, I look the same. I am also going to an Oakland A's baseball game tonight. Booyah. Can't wait. 

Books don't read me, I read books

I forgot to bring my book on cd- The Shadow Rising; 4th book in the Wheel of Time series- to the car with me yesterday. I remembered it when I got to my car, but didn't want to go back inside to get it. I paid for my laziness with complete and utter boredom on my ride from and to work this morning. There were not as many new songs on the radio as I had estimated. 

I am also currently reading The Death Cure, the third book in the Maze Runner series. This is a shorter book, which I've tried getting from the library for about a year. I just want to finish the series and get on with my life. It's an interesting series.

Another book I am in the middle of is called The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky. I have been reading it for a couple months. It is such a large book I keep taking breaks from it with other books. I'm cheating on my russian literature with teenie bopper books. 

I never thought I would be the type of person to read multiple books at once.  I could never see the point of such madness. I am now in the middle of reading madness and I like it. It fits my needs and I'm getting lots of reading done. My life is great.

My roomie is getting married and moves out in June. I need a new roomie to share my room. Rent is pretty average- $550 a month. Let me know if you'd like to live with me or if you know of anyone who would like to. It's a 6 mo contract in an apartment in Dublin, CA (by San Francisco). June to Jan. 

I got kicked in the ankle at soccer Wednesday. Serves me right for being awesome at soccer. I have tried elevating and icing it, but it's such a pain in the foot. It's just puffy. When I get a huge bruise I'll post a pic.