real life is calling

well, the time has come.

the time for me to snap out of the blissful reverie of summer and get down to business.

as dad said tonight, "the vacation's over."

i need to find a job. 

and also this

oh, and here's another reason these olympics are so good:

i heart the olympics

remember how today is the last day of july? i'm always amazed at how quickly the time goes.

anyway, since the olympics have more or less taken over my life since saturday, i decided to list the reasons i love them. in a particular order. here we go.

1. bob costas. i'm not sure what it is, but every time bob costas is on the screen, i just squeal with delight. i unequivocally equate him with the olympics.

2. volleyball. the past two mornings i have woken up to u.s. women's and then men's indoor volleyball. it is so awesome. i think i maybe like watching volleyball more than any other sport, and olympic-quality volleyball is especially great.

3. olympic theme and fanfare, courtesy of john williams. even as i was looking up that video, i got chills. so great.

4. swimmers. like this guy.

5. national and international pride. i feel like i'm a patriotic person, but the olympics magnify that times a thousand. i love cheering on team usa. but, i also love that the olympics are a time when the whole world is coming together. rooting for the underdog, the country that has never won a medal, the athlete with the heart-warming story--what's not to love about all of that?

6. obscure events that end up being really intense and/or entertaining. handball? i changed to that channel and didn't recognize what sport was being played. how is that possible? archery (not that obscure but still)? that gold medal match between the u.s. and italy was crazy! who knew that i could be on the edge of my seat for archery?

there are some things about the olympics that bug me (a million commercial breaks=why i don't watch tv anymore), but i won't go into those so as not to take away from the majesty of the games. can't wait for the next two weeks!

a matter of laughing

sometimes i think i laugh too much.

anyone who knows me knows that i really do laugh a ton. in general conference this past april, elder scott gave a talk about receiving personal revelation. one thing he said worried me for a while:

Another principle is to be cautious with humor. Loud, inappropriate laughter will offend the Spirit. A good sense of humor helps revelation; loud laughter does not. A sense of humor is an escape valve for the pressures of life.

 though i wouldn't say my laughter is often inappropriate, it is loud. i worried that this trait, this thing that is such a huge part of me, was actually holding me back. but then a few people reassured me that, just as elder scott says, a good sense of humor is healthy.

this weekend was our ward campout, and there were many standout moments, but by far my favorite thing was our late night, hour long game of big booty, classic campout/party/children's game. you can see an example, which is a slight variation on the game we played, in this video. (note: this is from big brother. i don't watch big brother. but it was the best youtube had to offer in the way of big booty demonstrations. start at about 5:20 and watch until you get the gist.)

i'm pretty sure i'm not going to be able to capture the hilarity of our particular game of big booty, especially since no one else seemed to be laughing nearly as much as i was. but, three boys in particular were very intense about this game, and their intensity was killing me. this all went down four days ago, and i can still crack myself up if i think about dan's nonchalant introductory ritual or tyler's sing-song technique or michael's fake-out strategy. i wish so badly that we had some video evidence of the game, because there were times when i was laughing so hard that i was on the floor, and it was then that i had this realization.

sometimes i get laughing so that i lose control of my body. i find myself on the ground or flung over the side of the couch or whatever and i think, what the heck am i doing here? i'm clapping and hiding my face and rolling on the ground, but i can't stop it because the comic urge has struck, and i just have to ride it out. i think most of the time people think i'm ridiculous, that i'm laughing for show or something. i'm not. i really do think a lot of things are funny, and i can't suppress it when it comes.

one observer commented that, if you ever want to think you're funny, just spend a day around courtney. and that's probably true. i find humor and amusement and delight in many things, and i'll let you know when i think you are funny.

the same observer later told me that he thinks that if he spent just 10 minutes in my shoes, in my mind, he could die happy. and that maybe changed my perspective a little bit. so i'm going to keep laughing.

what i did today

{among other things. but, in general, the olympics=pretty much i don't get anything else done. and olympics+london=there's no chance i'm doing anything besides watching bob costas and the team covering the stories and events from one of my favorite places in the world. yay for the olympics!}

to my future children: third installment

we will go on adventures, whether that means taking a trip to the grand canyon or to the public library. i'll teach you to look at life as a series of adventures that help you to grow and learn. and it will be pretty dang fun.

i'm not going to let you be bad daters, so we're going to start early. not with the actual dating, because that would be weird, but with the theories and principles that make up good dating practices. chivalry, how to be a gentleman/lady, communication (which includes, but is not limited to, asking someone on a date, telling someone you like them, being honest even when it's scary), and dating etiquette (like no marathon first dates). never fear; i'm not going to send you out into the dating world, a terrifying place on its own, unprepared...like some people i know. it might still be hard, since dating isn't easy, typically, but at least you'll have a good foundation.

some thoughts on fear and faith

obviously i need a little pick-me-up these days :)