Filled with....

I've developed a head cold in the last day. It's not much fun and I've made friends with Tylenol (although I take this sparingly). Stress always seems to wear down my body... for some reason this cold hit before the stress actually ended.. convenient. So I have a report and a journal due Monday, a test tomorrow, wednesday and thursday. Really I'm not that stressed but my body decided to weaken anyway. I wish my body kept going as long and my brain. I'd get tons more done. Anyway my tactic of combating head colds is vitamin C and fluid. I think I'm at about %1000 percent of my vitamen C daily value and well.. I have to go to the bathroom about every 20 minutes because of how much liquid i'm drinking. This fits in perfect with my procrastination of writing my report. This is what happens. I'll sit at my computer, do random things like check email or read an article, decided to start my paper. I'll open my paper and then decide I need to go to the bathroom cuz my bladder is full. I'll finish up with the personal stuff then sit at my computer again. Then I'll remember an email I need to send or this and that. By the time I've gotten to my paper again I need to go to the bathroom again. This leads to my paper being barely started and me sick of the smell of my bathroom hand soap. But now I better go. I'll work on my paper for a few minutes, probably have to go to the bathroom again and then dilly dally some more. (but in better news my sore throat is almost gone and now I've only got a pluggy nose.)

Filled with discontent

I know why I'm not suppose to do homework on sunday.. because I get so angry at my teacher for not teaching how I think he should (this is my way of trying to nicely say i think he's teaching crappy). It makes me so angry I'm thinking not very nice thoughts and thats not very christ-like is it. And homework frustration make me eat... a lot.. and then I feel bad about myself because I justa at a lot of candy that really I didn't want to eat. Thats why i'm giving up on homework and going to read my book.

The Empathy that comes through experience

Usually I try to keep posts light and fluffly but sometimes life gets serious.

As most of you know my wonderful husband was diagnosed, went into surgery for, had radiation for, and became free of cancer between October and December of last year. It was an amazing growing experience. Is that a requirement? That the first years of marriage aren't enough of a growing experience but you have to be tested even more? I think that Brett and I took it in stride. We managed to maintain optimism (which was easier considering it more easily treated type of cancer) and laugh through the hole thing. From crying in front of my boss, studying for a P.Chem test through CAT scans, nausea in a hospital waiting room, to ringing a bell of triumph at the final radiation treatment every moment was a moment of growth and learning. While one of the most valuable things was growing close with Brett something more was attained that I never realized the value of. Empathy. I'm a cry baby. I actually got it from my dad. And while I managed to not cry much during the 'ordeal' I find myself easily moved to tears during little things like an episode of everybody loves Raymond or extreme makeover home edition where people, real or fictional, are touched by cancer or illness. To know the feeling of worry that can so easily take over, to know the fret 'of what more can I do I feel for these people'. I barely kept the tears from brimming over when, as a cub scout pack, we visited primary children hospital. I still can barely fathom the pain of seeing your child in pain and suffering. Mow, I try to not express my religious beliefs here because they are sacred to me, however I cannot touch on this without realizing that this is why our Savior and Older Brother had to suffer and feel the pains of all man kind, so that he can empathize and therefor succor each of us.

I'm sure Brett would prefer to have a part of his body back, I however find the gains of the experience invaluable (okay maybe they have a set value... they are called medical bills).

(I also guess this would be a good time to let everyone know what Brett just had his 3 month check up and everything looks good.)

Just because I can't have an entire serious post.... Can I just say I love the show "The Joy of Painting'. I'm pretty sure that's the name of it. It's the guy with the Afro that paints happy trees and serious trees and all sorts of personified trees. I find his show very relaxing. (Oh yeah and I don't paint)

You gotta love conference weekend.

Most people love conference weekend for the relaxing PJ filled weekend that it is for most. For my family it usually involved a trip to salt lake and at least 1 session in the conference center. (Since living in salt lake I don't have to take a trip to salt lake of course... i'm already here silly!)
This conference was no exception. It has been a fantastic weekend.

Friday night was a mission reunion for Brett. I did not want to go. I had gone to one with him while we were dating but I didn't complain, went, and had a pretty fun time. After we stopped at the hotel my family was at and chatted with my brother, sister-in-laws and my dad.

Saturday was an early morning. We went to the morning session. It was awesome all the talks were fantastic. After the session Brett went to see one of his friends. My dad took me to lunch and then we went to fashion place mall to put the invisible shield on his new phone. After dropping my dad off I stopped at the store for the third time in 24 hours. Why did I stop at the store so much? Because I invited all my family over for refreshments after priesthood session. This means that starting at the end of the second session of conference I started cooking and cooked for 4 hours till people arrived at 8:45. This is in addition to the hour or so of preparation the night before. Here's what we had:
Spinich Dip
Seven Layer dip
Buffalo Wings
Sticky Fingers
Bacon Wrapped halapenos
vegetables
ranch and blue cheese dressing
and chocolate cake.
None of which was very healthy but all of which (luckily) turned out tastee. I made all of it from scratch besides seasoning packets... those technically aren't from scratch but close enough. I was pretty proud of myself that I got it all done and my kitchen was still presentable when I was done.

Following gorging ourselves on food we started talking about the comedians on the worship channel. We youtubed some of them for my family to watch. And at that moments the fates aligned and this video played on our computer:



Brett and I had heard Tim Hawkins before on the worship channel but never heard that songs. And when I saw the video played on our computer I mean it did on its own accord. You know how with youtube once one video ends you have to click on another for it it play. This one played on its own.. we were meant to hear it I guess.

I must say. I love the worship channel for bringing so many laughs into my life. Thank you congress for forcing DTV upon us and how giving my the worship channel.

Anyways, the weekend has been great. Just thought I'd share that with you.

Remember two weeks ago?

First of I hope you all remember that I am an entity in the blogging world. I know I've been gone for two weeks. Evidently a week off from school also means a week of from blogging. But anyway. So at the end of my last post I talked about my 'chemical engineers do it in packed beds' shirt (which coincidentally i'm wearing right now). I told you I'd give the first person tell me what it means would get a prize. Well only one person guessed and they are close enough so they get the prize. This is what my aunt-in-law Heidi guessed (Heidi does it feel weird to realized your technically Brett's aunt?)

Heidi said...

Ok I am nowhere near being as smart and educated in the chemical engineering department as you are, so this is as far as I could understand that term: a packed bed is a hollow tube of some sort designed to hold packing material (or structured packing, depending on who is doing it, right?) to improve contact between two phases (commonly known as matter, I believe). Yeah, I feel smarter already. Of course, like I said before, nowhere even close to you, but I did learn something new today. Thank you for expanding my horizons! :)

So she got the gist of it. A packed bed is short for back bed reactor (at least where I spent all my time that is what it means!) And usually (at least in all my homework problems) the packing is a catalyst. So what chemical engineers do in packed beds is chemical reactions. So true to my word Heidi gets a prize. So what is a good prize? I don't know. So I decided on something I made myself and something I use all the time. A wooden spoon & spatula set. Sound random? It is. (My mom actually makes the wooden kitchen utensils but these ones, with her help, I made myself. They work great in nonstick pans, stirring cookies and I imagine for spanking children as well.) I'd hoped to make all the rest of you jealous of heidi by telling you what her prize was but alas most of you who read this are members of my family who either have a wooden spoon/spatula from my mom or I gave you one for christmas already. So Heidi, do you want your wooden spoon and spatula? if so email me at fitch.margaret@gmail.com with an address so I can ship them to you.

And the rest of you should be jealous just because!

Colorado weekend numer dose! (A little late)

I told ya a few posts ago I was going to document my second weekend in Colorado (this time in Ft. Collins at Colorado State University).

It started early friday morning when 10 Chemical engineers and two professors piled into two white dodge caravans.Then this happened. That's the transmission fluid on the side of I-80 east a few miles past rock springs. That was from the other van. After a few hours spent in Rock Springs Wyoming a suburban was rented and we were on our way. The suburban was a BIG upgrade from the as-little-extra-features-as-possible government vans. Most people slept the rest of the drive.I also discovered Wyoming isn't nearly as long when you aren't stuck back-seat-middle-feet-on-the-hump in a truck (like the weekend before). Which gave me more time to enjoy the countryside.Everyone on the trip (well at least in my car) discovered how great my dad is. I have the dependent habit of calling my dad whenever I need to know something (he's usually pretty close to the internet). The rest of the car is convinced 1800-freeinfo goes directly to my dad's phone.

Well we were late but me made it to CSU. In time for dinner and a hypnotist show... which I volunteered for. It was a hard choice which pictures/videos to post. I took a derivative to optimize funniness while minimizing embarrassment. (just kidding by the way). Do I post flexing my butt for an audience, ballet dancing, disco dancing, doing CPR when I heard blood not mud...

Now if your wondering if I was really hypnotized... I think so. I do remember most everything but I also remember being willing to do perfectly embarrassing things (see video above). However I could choose to not do things... like I didn't look at the nudist volleyball tournament and I did gamble.

The next morning was bright and early. We listened to some papers presented and then was the Chem E car competition. The Chem E car competitions is between various AIChE Student Chapter through out the region (glossary of terms: Chem E=Chemical Engineering AIChE=American Institute of Chemical Engineering) The car has to go a certain distance carry a certain weight (announced just before the competition). The car has to run off of a chemical reactions. This years car was a Sodium Bicarbonate and Glacial Acetic Acid reaction. (I wasn't on the team so I'm not sure of specifics but I'm pretty sure what goes down is the reactions happens within a pressure vessel and then the pressure is released and that runs the car. Courtney is that right?) Here is the car running.. You might turn your volume down I'm yelling through most the video.

Following the days activities there was a banquet.
This is everyone dressed up. Afterward we all went out for drinks. I've been 21 for just under six months and I figured it was time to get IDed. This was my conversation with out waiter. He hadn't IDed anyone else at the table who had ordered alcoholic drinks and I had to be sure to be IDed so:
'If I order a Margarita will you please ID me?' 'Um. Okay' 'Good. Can I have a Margarita' 'Can I see some ID' 'Course I have it right here.'*pose for picture* 'Okay good.' 'Thanks, now can I make mine a virgin please.'

(you gotta love how ineffective and scary looking the red eye tool is)

Well that kind of summed up the trip. There were lot's of funny stories that would make this post even longer but most of them were you kind of have to be there or at least know the people they are about. But here are a few more pictures.

See these two people. That is Dr. Whitty and Steve. Dr. Whitty is wearing Steve's hippy-old-man sweater and aviators. That is the straightest I've ever seen steve stand the the most slouchy I've ever seen Dr. Whitty. We decided the sweater just make you look like your slouching.
Thats me (and Dr T and Brandon) waiting for the Car competition to start. They held it in the stock judging pavilion... can you guess what the room smelled like.. Some people were trying to decided if the extra methane gas in the air would effect their reaction.
Again Dr. Whitty. He admitted to us that he and his wife religiously watch desperate housewives. Well when we saw this at a gas station for only $4 and it was even his birthday... we had to get it to go with his paper plate birthday car we'd made him.
And finally the girls that made the trip fun. These girls are two of the coolest girls in the major (2 out of not very many but still.)

You see our shirts. Can you read them. They say 'chemical engineers do it in packed beds' the first person that can tell me what the shirts means gets a prize. (Courtney I'm not sure you can compete in this competition)