What I learned

I gotta say...

graduation has kind of left me feeling like a 4th grader coming home from school. Mom asks, "What did you learn today?" and I lazily reply, "Nothing."

Not that I actually learned nothing in my four years of undergraduate studies. It's just that it's kind of hard to really pinpoint the different levels of knowledge in my head. How much more is in there today than was in there 4 years ago?

"What did you learn?"

Well, I'm proud to say, I figured it out.

The answer came while I was taking a trip down memory lane, using a handy new tool on my ASU profile page that let me quickly scroll through every semester of my college life and see what classes I took and what grade I got in each.

*Confessionary side note: I've always been a grade-aholic. Dallin doesn't "play that game," as he says, but I do. I keep tabs on my grades. Laugh if you want, but hey, if that helped me get my Summa Cum Laude, I'm laughing right along with you. Side note over.*

So anyway, looking through my grades, I quickly notice the lowest grade I ever received in all my four years: a B-. As in, B minus. I hated that grade. Those minuses bring you down, man.

Then I noticed what class I got that hateful letter-with-a-negative-mathematical-sign in. And I remember...I hated that class. It didn't interest me. I didn't like or agree with the teacher. The content was rather pointless. And it was one of those huge classes where all we really could do was listen to lectures accompanied by power point presentations. Boring. Poorly presented. Just an all-around bad fit for me.

You see where I'm going with this?

I didn't like this class, so I didn't really try. Sure, at the time I probably thought my grade was totally unfair, but really, it wasn't. I didn't really study for the tests. I didn't go to class if I had any kind of basic excuse to avoid it. And I didn't care. I really didn't care.

If I had put in the effort, I would have received a better grade. Bottom line.

It seems so obvious - what you put into something is what you take away. Output equals input. You're not going to benefit from anything - a class, a project, a goal, a marriage, a church calling, a cookie recipe - without putting the right amount of effort into it. And the more you put in, the more you'll take out.

As I looked through the rest of my classes, I remembered some of the ones that I loved. Those classes that had me reading new and exciting things, discussing ideas with my other classmates, and hanging on the teacher's every word because you could just tell they loved what they were talking about. My grades? A's, baby.

The point is, I can do it. Because I can work hard. I can find the time to do the important things. Somehow, what I give is enough. If I devote time and energy to something that is important to me, it will pay off.

Like, oh, my degree.

No, a Bachelor's degree in English Literature isn't exactly a one-way ticket to a successful, prosperous lifestyle. But it's a subject that I love. It's something that I've put a lot of work into. No, I didn't have to memorize dates, charts, equations or theories, but I got to think and analyze and bring my own thoughts and experiences into a wonderful world of literature that was just waiting for me to visit.

And even if, right now, I can't really see how this is going to pay off, I know it will. I've been taught the importance of education since I was little, and I truly believe that any kind of knowledge and truth that I have received will benefit me. Because I did my part.

Now it's time to do my part in other places too. To put more effort into my marriage, my home, my job, my preparations for motherhood, my church calling. And, of course, to keep putting effort into my education. To never, ever, stop learning.

Because hey, someone's going to ask me what I learned when I get home.

Your mom goes to college.

But I don't.

Not anymore.

Let's just forget about the fact that I'm going to grad school in the fall, shall we? With that forgotten, as far as anyone reading or writing this blog is concerned right now, Katie's done with school. Right? Right. Glad we're on the same page.

So here are some pictures highlighting the big event. Well, big events. This graduation thing was quite the drawn out spectacle.


Obama speaking at our commencement. Can you see him? Yeah, I couldn't really see him either.

Alice Cooper was also there, to sing his good old "School's Out" song. That was cool. I didn't get a picture of him. But here's one, if you want to be picky about it:

Squeem. At least his song is good.

Here's Dallin getting his diploma cover at his convocation. So distinguished.

Here's the face Dallin made at the video camera right after receiving his diploma cover. They made him give the diploma cover back. Ok, no they didn't. But I'm sure they wanted to.

Look, it's me! Getting a diploma! Ok, a diploma cover! Holla!

With Dallin's parents.

With my parents.

With my grandparents.

You just gotta know that all three of these sets of people sat through two rather long convocation ceremonies just to hear one name called. They basically rock.

Well, I guess that about covers it. I mean, my mom took a gajillion more pictures but I think you get the gist.

Now, I think a future post is going to contain just a little bit of reflection/gushing about my college experience, but at the mo', I'm bed laden with a killer cold and really just want to read a good book until I fall asleep. I hope you understand.

Until then - CONGRATS CLASS OF 2009! WHICH HAPPENS TO INCLUDE MYSELF! YAY!

And, as always and until the end...GO DEVILS!

The Case of the Disappearing Belly

MISSING:

One pregnant looking stomach.

Last seen: last night

Last seen with: Dallin and Katie

If you have any information, please contact us. We're not putting our phone number on the internet, duh. You're reading our blog. Contact us that way.

Ok but seriously...

I wake up, and my body looks like it doesn't even know what the word "pregnant" means, let alone that it has been experiencing it for 14 weeks.

But by bedtime, after a day's worth of eating and drinking, I look like this:


And even though I know this little pooch could still easily be interpreted as "Whoa. She's put on some pounds." instead of "Hey! A pregnant lady!" you gotta start somewhere.

Really, I'm ready for this come-and-go belly to become a perma-pooch. As it is, I end up just feeling really fat and bloated after I eat. Which is pretty annoying.

In other non-pregnancy news...we GRADUATED! Stay tuned for a post on that...I gotta get some pics from my mom's camera first.

But hey- it's summer! I love summer. Summer and I go waaaay back. It is a deep and abiding friendship that I can't wait to develop further this year.

Oh. Develop. My belly needs to do that.

Sigh.

Mother's Day-slash-Anniversary

That's right.

Mother's Day this year - Sunday, May 10, 2009 - marked the one year anniversary of this happiness:

Ah. Bliss.

Seriously, this year has been amazing. I love my husband with all my heart. I know he loves me too. And I'm so excited for the rest of our very own eternity. I'm sure there are many surprises in store...

like the one we experienced last Saturday.

I say "we," because apparently Dallin had no idea what was going on either. We were in this together, saving the world - or at least the President.

Let me explain.

So Saturday morning, Dallin made breakfast. I came to sit down to eat, and noticed an envelope with my name on it sitting on my plate.

"What's that?" Dallin asked.
"Oh, I don't know," I said jokingly, sure it was a love letter from him as usual.
"Well open it," he said.

I argued that it would probably make me cry, and I'd rather do that alone, but at his urging, I opened it. I was glad I did.

It was a letter from none other than Jack Bauer - who, in case you've missed out on one of the best television shows to ever exist, is a special agent involved in thwarting attacks on our country. He's pretty much a stud.

So Jack told me that he was working with the government to rescue the President, who was being held hostage. There were all kinds of details in there, but basically, they wanted my help.

I was given an address and told to go there to do some research. We left immediately (obviously, since this is pretty top priority stuff). With the help of our handy-dandy iphone (which we named Chloe - which all you 24 fans should get), we reached the designated location. It was a Barnes and Noble (to research - obviously!). After a few minutes in the store, we were approached by a contact that presented me with an envelope. This had a B&N gift card in it, along with the address of our next location.

The letter told us we were going to be doing some physical training, so we went home for a bit to change. Then with Chloe's help, we reached the next destination - an incredibly nice gym. I'd told Dallin I was thinking about getting a gym membership so I could stay relatively fit during my pregnancy. We toured the place (did I mention- incredible?) before our tour guide informed me that I was already a member there! Woot! So we hung out there for a while, went swimming and stuff, and then it was time to move on to the next location.

All I knew here was that I needed to pick up a package. It happened to be a flower shop, and waiting for me was a lovely bouquet of hot pink roses and daisies! I. LOVE. FLOWERS.


From there, we were told that we would have to meet up with some contacts. Ultimately, we were hunting down a guy named Victor Creed. The next address led us to a restaurant where we had some yummy dinner, and our waiter brought an envelope with another letter and movie tickets inside. "Wolverine!" YES.


So we went and saw "Wolverine." The bad guy's name? Victor Creed.

Of course, he was defeated. Day saved. Problem solved.

My last envelope included some "Thank you coupons" from the government as tokens of appreciation. These will give me future opportunities to get massages, hand off dinner preparation, and send my dutiful husband out to get some strange food I'm craving at any and all hours.

One coupon made me a promise - that our family would take a vacation together every year. This is something that's very important to me, since my family has always tried to do it in the past, so it means a lot to me to be carrying it over to the future!

I can't believe I got so lucky. How many guys put this much thought into a present? This guy is THE BOMB.

Or Weapon XI. Whichever you prefer.

News

Do you really think no news is good news?

I would submit that most of the time it is not.

Especially in blogs.

I mean, blogs are all about news, am I right? So no news isn't really the best strategy to take.

Not that no news is bad news either...it's just no news.

I mean, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. This is what my four years as an English major has taught me.

Anyway...I haven't posted in a while, but that doesn't mean there's no news. Here are some headlines from the Harris Family Gazette:

Julie Allen Marries Chris Boyster
Katie's sister Julie tied the knot on April 25, 2009 in the Mesa, Arizona temple. It was an exciting (but busy) week/weekend and we're sort of glad it's over so they can just get on with their Happily Ever After already! Reception was party-style at Dave & Busters at Tempe Marketplace.

I guess weddings are usually pretty close to the obituaries, so here's one of those:

Sunglasses Found Broken in Purse after 5 Years of Faithful Service

Katie found her absolute favorite accessory, her lovely sunglasses, broken in her purse last week. Katie says she has no idea how this tragedy occurred. Attempts to find a "replacement" pair have been, as of yet, unfruitful.

"I have no idea how this happened," Katie says. "I just can't believe it. They've been there for five years and now they're just...gone."

Katie remembers this as one of their most memorable times together:

Katie hopes to find a "replacement" soon, so that she can avoid taking more squinty pictures like this:

Local Couple Sets Record for Shortest Doctor's Visit Ever

The Harris family was stunned at the brevity of their OB-GYN appointment yesterday in Chandler, Arizona.

The appointment went something like this:

-sign in

-wait about 5 minutes

-pee in a cup

-get weighed

-sit on table

-wait for doctor and husband to arrive

-answer doctor's 2 questions

-have some jelly smeared on my tummy

-listen to baby's heartbeat!

-revel

-revel

-revel a little bit more

-have doctor tell you everything looks perfect

-make next appointment

-go home!

We were in and out in like, 20 minutes.

I suppose this is good...everything is totally normal! And the baby's heartbeat was beautiful. Gotta love the joys of pregnancy...especially when the sorrows are so...prevalent.

Katie Finds Favorite Candy on Super Sale at QuikTrip

Katie, craving one of her favorite candies the other day, went into QT to get some, since that is the only place she has ever seen them. Much to her surprise, they were not in their usual spot. With a little searching, however, she found many, many bags of Chewy Runts on sale for 25 cents a piece.

She may or may not have bought several bags. Food storage, people!

If you've never had Chewy Runts, you are indeed missing out. Call me. Perhaps I will share some of my goodness with you. But did the wise virgins share oil with the foolish ones? Nay.

Impending Graduation Cause for Great Excitement

The Harris's are more or less extremely stoked about their upcoming graduation in TWO SHORT WEEKS! Katie already has several plans that include reading books that are NOT Autobiographies of Malcolm X or anything close to the title Beloved, working a little more to make some extra moo-lah, and perhaps even making dinner a few times a week.

Hot Haircut Causes Quite a Stir

Katie, sick of having to take 30 minutes just to DRY her hair, chopped it off last Thursday. Pictures to come when I'm not feeling so ugly. (See above pictures for sneak peek!)

Whew! There certainly was news, wasn't there? I'll try not to keep you guys out of the loop for so long next time. Although I think part of me was relishing in my big announcement post.... Thinking about it even now makes me smile.

Holla!

Ok, so the bridal shower was a success. At least, I think it was a success. If you were there, please tell me it was a success. Thanks.

In honor of the fun bridal shower games, I thought we'd play a little blogging game. This game is called "You might be _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ if..." Ready? Here we go!

You might be _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ if....

You avoid drinking orange juice because it hurts when it comes back up.

You're still tired after 10 hours of sleep.

You can't cook/smell/look at raw beef. You just can't.

You strongly feel that smells of all kinds should be outlawed. Like, legally not allowed to exist.

You hear a sad song and it makes you cry.

You hear a happy song and it makes you cry.

You can't be on time to your first class of the day.

You've outgrown your sports bra.

You go to the doctor, they stick a gel-covered probe up your (whoa!), and suddenly, you're checking this out on a monitor:

If you are experiencing any or all of these symptoms, talk to your doctor. They'll probably tell you the same thing they told me: that you're:

HOLY CRAP I'M PREGNANT.

It's true! I'm about 10 weeks along and we are beyond excited for our new addition due November 14! Yes, I love to complain about being tired and hungry and sick and all that, but really, I could not be happier about this miracle that is going to bless our little family. And Dallin? Well let's just say that half of you reading this probably have already heard our big news, and that it most likely came from someone that Dallin just couldn't wait to tell. He's been busting more than I have!

So there you have it- in another 6 1/2 months there will be a mini-Katie or mini-Dallin that you will be forced to look at pictures/videos at on this very blog. I mean, not that you won't want to, since this kid is gonna be hot stuff...but you know. YAY!

Also, if you're upset that this wasn't actually a game, I'm sorry. I've already repented of my dishonesty. Now it's up to you to forgive.

Calling all women!

No, boys, this one isn't for you.

Also, if you're a boy- why are you visiting my blog anyway? Just wondering.

Ok girls, I'm in serious need of some chick advice.

My sister is getting married in a few weeks (yay, Sister!), and I am the resident Matron of Honor (yay, Me!). As such, I was given the chore task joyous responsibility of coming up with some games for us to play at her bridal shower.

I have never been part of the bridal shower planning committee.

I think I have been to...three...maybe four....bridal showers in my life. Two of them were my own.

I don't want to do all the games we did at my showers, because (duh) my sister has played them. I want to be unique, gosh dang it!

And I am currently swimming in a sea of lame ideas I got off the internet.

I think I have one game - one - that I am pretty sure we're going to use. One game is not enough, people!

Also, 70 people were invited to this bridal shower. My food-preparing grandmother and I are praying that not this many people show up...but even if they don't, we're talking a fairly large group.

So, I need game ideas. For a fairly large group. By Saturday.

No pressure, people.

I just might never speak to you again if this thing is a flop.

Also, if you know my sister and didn't get an invitation to her shower- trust me, this is a serious oversight. We probably didn't have your address. Because I'm pretty sure we covered everyone from childhood friends to random people we barely know anymore. So please don't feel bad. And if you feel like you should be there, come! I'll hook you up with all the deets.

Ok now that the polite disclaimer is out of the way...give me those ideas. I await your brilliance.