Higher! Faster! Stronger!

If I were tagging all the entries I've made about M. Phelps, he'd probably have more posts than people I actually know (in the flesh not because of the flesh) and love. The post didn't originate with Phelpsy (it started brewing in Olympic Week #1 but was thrown aside due to time constraints). However, after last night's foray to the multiplex for a viewing of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2", the Great Lookalike of the XXIIV Olympiad just had to be created.

Kostos as Michael Phelps. Or Michael Phelps as Kostos. I'm not too sure which.



Erica as Nastia. Or Nastia as Erica.



Stephanie as Kerrie. Or Kerrie as Stephanie.


Ryan as Ryan (Lochte). Or Ryan as Ryan.


Those babies as these babies. Or these babies as those babies. Same diff.


Honorable mention that I really don't want to post but can't help it: This guy as this guy.

Strong Jaw

This just in.

Michael Phelpsy has been tapped to host SNL on September 13. I'm pretty excited. But will he of "awkward hottie" status, be able to keep a straight face?

Thanks kids, I'm here all night.

They say you never forget...

... but I'm not so sure.

Yall know I'm moving (five days, woot!), and my new digs put me less than two miles from work. With the disaster known as Boston parking and the travesty known as how sick I get on the bus, I've decided to bike. How green of me.

Look what I bought yesterday!

Isn't he pretty? A beach cruiser look with multi-gear functionality. Craigslist introduced us--I got a steal of a deal from a chap moving back to the motherland; God bless America and the lengths we go to send people back. The bike is only five months old and hombre threw in the lock and helmet as well. Steal!

But here's my problem: I've never been the greatest of riders. Maybe it's because I learned to ride on a bike with no brakes. Or I've never owned my real, own bicycle. (That makes it sound like I have had my own virtual bike, but I have not--and I shall not rephrase) Either way, I need to practice this thing called bike riding. I have two options, help me decide.

Shall I practice:
a.) in my work parking garage.
b.) out on the scary urban streets that may or may not have bike lanes.
c.) not at all and let fate run its course.

and d.) how important is it to wait until my aflac accident insurance kicks in on September 1?

On... Second Edition

...living vicariously through me:

* The week before a big move is the week you should be hap-hap-happy you're you and not me.

* The aforementioned sunburned forehead, lips, and face are another reason you should be hap-hap-happy you're you and not me.

* Don't get me wrong, it's great to be me, I just want you to be happy being you. Because I like you. That's why we're friends. Lurker or not.

... "A Walk to Remember":

* A rogue copy appeared in the house-gutting. Sick from the packing, I bunkered down to enjoy an evening of light, romantic "is-it-pro-Christian-or-not" dramadey.

* This movie is cheesy. The lines are cheesy, the acting is cheesy, the facial expressions are Whole Foods organic cheesy. Shane West is officially the worst on-screen crier ever.

* It just doesn't matter. I actually shed two tears. One when Shane broke down in the car, and the other when Mandy walked down the aisle. Remember how she was only cute when the pulled her bangs to the side? I haven't cried in movie since I bawled watching Little Women on Demand.
* I honestly cannot remember who I was with when I first saw this movie. I think it came out my first year at BYU (the soundtrack places the date), but I'm having a brain block--that doesn't happen very often!
* Shane was listening to a discman. How far we've come in the last 8 years.

... a roof with a view:

* Some friends moved into this crazy posh apartment complex on the Cambridge-side of the Charles. Through no illegal action, said occupants found a way onto the facility's roof.

* Journey to the top includes 22-flights in an elevator, an indoor ladder to an unpadlocked hatch, and voila! Unguarded, unfenced roof access.

* Treacherous or not (and it wasn't, the roof is large enough to avoid getting close to the edge), the views of the city were a.maz.ing. Seriously, can't be replicated. I'll never look at that building the same. It will be a sad day when the gate is padlocked as it probably should be.

...the ()lympics:

* I got my life back. How I'll miss the nightly coverage. I did shed a tear last night during the credits-rolling highlight reel after the Closing Ceremonies last night.

* I love that for two weeks I became an expert on all kinds of sports I won't give a hoot about during the next 3.92 years. I know the rules, I know the game's history, I know the athletes and their stories. Some of my favorite stories included:

........the 33-year-old gymnast who left the old Russian bloc to seek treatment in Germany for her son w/ cancer, the guy who began swimming after he almost drown, the French swimmer who left her country to date a swimmer in Italy only to lose her Italian nationality and her boyfriend to an arch swimming rival, Shawn Johnson carved into butter, the Redeem Team, Michael, Michael, Michael, Michael, Michael, Michael, Michael, Michael (did I spell that right? it looks so wrong now), the US Men winning indoor volleyball gold for the coach whose parents-in-law were stabbed (one killed) the night of the opening ceremony, Misty May and Karrie Walsh winning the gold but now wanting to give up volleyball to have families, and a host of other stories I'll bury deep inside until 2012.

* Maybe working the 2010 Vancouver Games? NEver too late to start thinking. I did get the chills during the preview spot.

* Give Bob Costas a vacation!

Well friends. I'm really shocked it's been so long since I blogged last. I was in Portland for a week and between my good friends the 29th Olympiad and my fam-damily; I kept busy. But for tonight I bid adieu. I'm sitting in a room half stripped of it's wall-hangings (plaster holes gaping), 88% of the clothing bagged and boxed, and ready to go. Seven more sleeps....

True Story

My forehead is so severely sunburned that I can't raise my eyebrows. Looks like I got botoxed. Botoxed and chemical-peeled. Sigh.

And I guess I'll try to blog more later. It has been awhile.

A Poll

True or False :

Married people comment blogs more frequently than singletons.

I have my theories, but I'm going to let you battle it out in the comments. Discuss.

A Night Not Wasted

Last night, I had one goal. Finish my book. Not a hard task considering my book is a very very very very fine book, but between work, family, sleep, and the Olympics coverage, I haven't found the 90 minutes needed to put the nail in the coffin and lay it to rest.

I decided to take a breather from the sucking-my-life-away Olympics (I just can't help how much I love them) and finish it once and for all.

The sisters had other plans.

We didn't go anywhere, we didn't do anything, we didn't even eat. In fact, we didn't even leave the house. Kendall and I sat and chatted about everything and nothing while we waited for Mallory to come home. After the grand arrival, we somehow migrated from the family room to the guest room. We talked, we giggled, we compared Wms vs Wood traits. We discovered that we each have oddities--the way I move my hands, the way Mal's nose moves when she speaks, and the fact that Kendall wants nothing more than to see our baby niece without any skin.

The night got later and later. Needless to say, my book didn't get finished. I'm not too broken up about it. And hey, if you don't have any sisters, go find some. Or borrow mine.

High School Reunion

High School is somewhat of a scary place. I've been out eight years now and still wouldn't love to go back. Even still, my high school experience was rather mild. Somewhere in between the singing and dancing of High School Musical and the reality-documentary American Teen. I saw this movie last week and haven't stopped thinking about it since.



There's so much to feel in this movie. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I wanted to shout warnings at the screen--but mostly I wanted to hug some of the kids and tell them that life only gets better. . . This movie has a lot of heart. Horrible as some of the characters can be, you ultimately end up rooting for them to succeed.

American Teen is in somewhat limited release (thanks Boston for being a select city!), but find a way to see it. Call me--we can go see it together.

If you have seen it, what's your favorite part? (Mine has to be Mitch in the dinosaur costume.) What'd you think of the movie? Would you recommend it?

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*A fabulous feature article by my friends at EW--and their movie review.

Made in China

Can't. Stop. Watching.

Opening Ceremonies. Fencing. Handball. Indoor Volleyball. Weight-lifting. Swimming. Air Rifle. Badminton. Boxing. Gymnastics. Beach Volleyball. Cycling. Basketball. Diving.

Less than 48-hours in and so much has happened--with round-the-clock coverage and 3-4 channels showing events at any given time, my Olympic obsession has only grown.

My highlights so far:

• Opening Ceremonies (no words can be spoken to express this event. find highlights online. now.)
• Michael Phelps winning his first gold.
  
• Watching the second-to-last seeded Olympic-studs-of-the-day Latvians upset the #1 American pair in men's sand volleyball. Anything can happen in the Olympics.
  
• Sasha (USA) on the pommel horse.
• Tearing up at every mini-documentary NBC produced. Tear count: 6

At the Opening Ceremonies party I attended, we had a "least favorite Summer Olympics" vote. Mine went to equestrian and rowing. Snore bore. Some of the boys voted for rhythmic gymnastics--they don't understand how exciting the ball routine can be! Any highlights or lowlights from your Olympics viewing thus far? Or am I the only obsessed nut?

**Update (9:21am Mon.) - Okay. So the men's 4x100m freestyle relay had my heart racing for nearly an hour last night. Seriously. If you didn't watch it in "live" time, I'm sorry--it was probably the greatest moment of the Olympics so far! The come from behind in the final 5 meters? Ahhhh. I'm getting chills just thinking about it now.

Since Yesterday

* I hauled fifteen loads of left behind crap other occupants of the house left when they moved out trash to the curb. Not only was going down the stairs that broke my leg nerve-wracking, I have to deal with the fear that the garbageman won't actually take all that garbage away. Then what people, then what.

* This morning, I noticed that my fifteen loads of trash had been picked-over. I hope one of the neighbors enjoys the tent with no poles. (Maybe they'll be as handy as Nate was in NH last year.)

* I started getting nervous that my quest for optimism might be turning me into a SeriouslySoBlessed blog. Don't worry, my life totally sucks on certain days. Rest easy yall. I might make cards and sport a half-braid in the front, but I still have dark parts in my heart. Dun dun dunnnnn.

* Went crazy buying country songs on iTunes. INCLUDING a fabulous new song by Darius Rucker. That's right. Hootie is b(l)ack. Both meanings speak wonders for the country-music scene.

* I asked an old coworker (from the D-Mark) in an IM conversation how her daughter was. After responding, she asked me how my bangs are. Bah-hah. Don't worry all; they're doing just fine. They're currently eight months long, standing up by themselves!, and their color is totally changing. Everytime I cut them my hair looks blonder. I'm seriously, so, so blessed to have bangs this great.

* BOOKED MY PARIS HOTEL. And found out Paris has free bike rentals throughout the entire city. I'll start praying for a dry day now. Pretty sure I might cry when I get there.

* I'm on day 26 of skirts. I think there's a light far off, but too far off to get too excited about.

* A combination of three things that hold a special place in my heart:


* If commenting patterns hold solid, I project three people will have something to say. And seriously, those three people make me feel so, so, so blessed.

Can't come soon enough!

1. My flight e-ticket finally arrived for the Q4 Euro Adventure. Cities I've only seen on a map--Barcelona, Zurich, Paris now have confirmation codes and official flight numbers. Only two full months stand between me and the greatest self-propelled vacation ever. (Rule #1 for trip planning: If you really want to go, you have to be willing to make it happen. Sounds simplistic, but it's true.) November 22nd can't come soon enough.

2. I set my mail to begin forwarding to my new apartment the end of the month. I also requested the gas and electricity be shut off. (Rule #1 for moving: Preparation will keep you from anxiety.) September 1st can't come soon enough.

3. Joe and Jamar coming this weekend. Friday can't come soon enough.

4. Per tradition, my parents are confirmed to come help me customize the new place. September 21st can't come soon enough.

5. My sister-cousin Erica is going to have a baby today! I'm so excited to see if they're having a boy or a girl. I voted "boy" in their online pool, but my heart says girl. Girls lead boys 12-2 in the Wms family. That baby can't come soon enough!

words to go with the pictures

* I've turned into "that woman" at work. You know, the one who has a fleece blanket and drinks hot chocolate in July? The only reason I don't have a space heater yet is because I keep forgetting to bring it from the place I specifically put it to not forget.

* The outfit I'm wearing today is very sister missionary-ish. If sisters were allowed to wear mis-matching patterns. (Surely there's a rule about that elsewise I would have seen some enterprising Sister mix-matching it up a little bit.) It's not awful looking, I think it's the mid-calf skirt length.

* By now, the entire (Mormon) world has heard of the Seriously, so Blessed blog. Is anyone besides me sick of it? The first 10 posts were funny, but now it's just overkill. The new, better-than-SsB activity? Finding real world examples of blogs that embody the SsB attitude and sharing them. I won't post them here, but I'm more than happy to share--both the ones I've found and the ones that have been forwarded to me. Fear not little flock, none of the blogs are of people I actually know. You can breathe easier now.

* This is just a shout-out to all eight of my sisters and sister-cousins. One of these days we should have a trip for just us 8. Summer 2010?

* Due to the impending move, I had a productive Saturday. I cleaned my closet, weeded out some old clothes, and decided to take advantage of my last month of free laundry by deciding to wash EVERYTHING I own. I'm six loads in, and haven't touched the main closet. (For my memories sake, the jeans, hoodies, winter blankets, and tank tops are done.)

* Boston continues to experience weekly hurricanes. I've never lived in a place with more frequent torrential downpours. I'm actually kind of loving it.

* I got called as a Relief Society teacher yesterday. Survey 1st Counselor says it's time I had more face time in the ward. I'll miss being the easiest calling in the church Visiting Teaching District Supervisor.

* Aren't you supposed to outgrow childhood acne at, oh, say 16? I love that my window of terror is 22-25. Awesome.

* I guess that means I look like a 16-year-old sister missionary. Double awesome.

* I'm headed to Portland in a week, for a week. Schedule your Nat time now if you want it. August is going to be over before I know it. (Which is never a bad thing as I get paid a month's worth of salary the first of the month.)

* As I laid/lie/layed reading in bed last night I decided I was kind of tired. 9:51. Too early to turn the lights off? I guess not. 9:51 is four standard deviations away from the mean in the standard bell curve of Nat's going to bed distribution. THIS IS AN OUTLYING OCCURRENCE PEOPLE. Bet your face it's statistically significant. (Kramer's V!)

* Want to see how gorgeous and adorable my sister and niece are?

* Any more lurkers want to self-identify?

* Lastly, I bought the movie Far & Away at Target last week. ($5? Yes please.) Sigh. Remember when Tom used to be young, hot, and not-crazy? I love everything about this movie. It's yours to borrow should you want.

Sweet Child of Mine

I keep thinking I've got Boston figured out--which is laughable, I know. Take our Friday night activity for example. Raise your hand if you went on a Guns 'n Roses tribute band Harbor Cruise/Booze Cruise.

We ushered in Linda's birthday with a band appropriately titled "Appetite for Destruction." They knew how to rock. And the people on the cruise knew how to drink, I'll tell you what. Come the end of the cruise, we were definitely the only people standing on good legs--and I'm not just talking about the rocking of the boat.

Trust me, it was even more fun than it looks.