On my mind tonight...

Scanning slides has led to some interesting discoveries; some that I am proud of:

Mamma's girl

...and some that I'm not so proud of:

why was I crying?

Summing up my thoughts of today: Should I be mad at the woman that came into my office to pay her bill only told me after I took the check from her hand that she has the swine flu? How long should I have to write the forwarding address on the previous occupants' mail before I just start throwing it away? How is it that my visiting teacher knew exactly what I needed to hear today when she came over?

In other updates, we got a calling at church! We're gospel essentials teachers and will be teaching every other week. Ask and ye shall receive! Also, after being 220th in line at the library to read Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games, my sister-in-law sent me a copy so I can read it now. I don't even know how I have the patience to write this blog post because I really just want to be reading it. Another good book I just finished was The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt. There is an absolutely beautiful brother-sister relationship in that book that brought tears to my eyes. Please recommend good books to me!

the ABC’S of me

I saw this on another blog and thought it would be fun to do.

A – ADVOCATE FOR: children! Helping them learn but also protecting their innocence. A difficult balance.

B – BEST FEATURE: my hair. I think it's also my nemesis. But it has the potential to look really good if I try.

C – COULD DO WITHOUT: unclean bathrooms. Yuck. I would rather do laundry or dishes any day than clean the bathroom.

D – DREAMS & DESIRES: to be a good mom, to grow old with Kevin, to travel, to see my family happy.

E – ESSENTIAL ITEMS: cherry chapstick. can't live without it!

F – FAVORITE PAST TIME: hiking, reading, blogging, and more recently, running.

G – GOOD AT: multitasking, talking to strangers, being an aunt

H – HAVE NEVER TRIED: sushi. I know, how could this be possible? It's not that I won't try it, I've just never had the opportunity.

I – IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS: I'd keep dying my hair red. :) No, really I would love to go on a big family vacation with everyone. I would also save it for retirement so Kevin and I could serve missions. I'd get a personal trainer. And a house. And cars. Not fancy cars or a fancy house, but good ones that will last.

J – JUNKIE FOR: Peanut Butter M&Ms.

K – KINDRED SPIRIT: Too many to list! My best friend, confidant, and love of my life Kevin. He understands me in a way that no one else can. I've also been truly blessed with great friends that have come into my life right when I need them: Meghan, who always let me wear the pink dress when we played dress up; Tawnya, who made high school not only bearable, but fun; Aubrey, who helped me transition from home life to mission life and then back again; Marcy, my dear friend and long lost sister who could listen to me talk about Kevin forever (I'm not even kidding: she knew almost everything from our first date to our wedding day); my mom, who always thinks the world of me even when I really don't deserve it.

L – LITTLE-KNOWN FACT: In fifth grade I was Simba in our elementary school play The Lion King. I try not to tell people that might have access to my parents' old home videos because my nickname from then on was "Stephanie Spielburg." I'm not going to elaborate on why. (Kevin hasn't even seen the video yet...and I'm pretty sure that if he had seen it pre-marriage, I'd be single. Or mercilessly teased.)

M – MEMORABLE MOMENT: Kevin surprising me; I had no idea that a person could be so thoughtful. When we were dating, he brought me soup and Reece's Pieces when I was sick, brought me flowers on my birthday, left notes for me on my car. Such happy memories.

N – NEVER AGAIN WILL I: not ask doctors more questions before doing what they say. I was so naive when I had a kidney stone. That lesson cost me $250, but I'll pass it along free of charge.

O – OCCASIONAL INDULGENCE: Seinfeld. That show is hilarious.

P – PROFESSION: wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, visiting teacher. I also answer phones and send faxes for a bi-monthly paycheck.

Q – QUOTE: Never suppress a generous thought!

R – REASON TO SMILE: I get to see Harry Potter 6 tonight with Kevin! Been waiting forever!!!

S – SORRY ABOUT: I love my brothers, I just wish I could've had a sister too.

T - THINGS THAT ARE WORRYING YOU RIGHT NOW: Why don't I have a calling in church yet?

U – UNINTERESTED IN: science-fiction stuff...Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.

V – VERY SCARED OF: spiders. I have nightmares about them.

W – WORST HABITS: road rage. This has softened quite a bit since getting married, but I still could be more patient on the road.

X – X MARKS MY IDEAL VACATION SPOT: Cancun, Europe, New York, Toronto, China, Montana.

Y – YUMMIEST DESSERT: Mississippi Mud. Kevin and I have decided that dessert is our only hope of drawing people to come to our house, and have subsequently made it a secret family recipe. But I might give it to you if persuaded.

Z – ZODIAC SIGN: Pisces.

Mysteries Revealed!

**Warning: Dad, if you happen to look at our blog, don't read this post. I know you might be tempted, but it'll be better if you don't.**

Thanks for participating in my little guessing game!

The correct answers are:

A) Antelope Island

B) The Bean Museum

C) Teton National Park

D) Point of the Mountain

E) Slide Canyon and Rock Canyon (overlooking Provo; this is where the trail to the Y goes if you continue past the Y on the mountain and loop around the back to come out at Rock Canyon)

The winners were our moms and Amy! They emailed me their answers. Some of you were really close! And just so you know, Amanda, Kevin has been oogling pictures of Banff since you guessed that--he wants to go up there next summer!

We've been a bit delayed in posting answers for the following reason:

Well, I was actually working on it alone. And I gave up before finishing because we were missing so many pieces. I guess you get what you pay for: we bought that puzzle at DI for $1.50.

Kevin, on the other hand, has been busy building a Web site: ScanMySlides. We bought a 35mm slide scanner and have been scanning my dad's mission slides (unbeknown to him--it's a Christmas gift, so don't tell). Additionally, we want to do this as a side business. So check out the site and if you know anyone that might be interested, refer them on over! The site also has a picture of little Kevin.

Hoopes clan circa 1986 or 1987; Kevin's the baby