Gonzo

Andrew sprained his ankle playing flag football a couple days ago. You can add this injury to the long list of things that, I think, will one day leave my brother handicapped. And all because of flag football. Why do they even use the flags if they are going to break their bodies anyway?

Text conversation from this evening:
Me: How is your foot dear brother?
Andrew: Mangled!! But getting better. :) it looks like gonzo's nose.
Me: That's what the pictures look like. Did you go to the doctor?
Andrew: Ya. He said to take 2 high fiber low fat diet cookies. How was your Saturday? Are you watching the Colts tomorrow?
Me: Did the doctor say your foot would lose weight if you did as prescribed? and yes I want to watch the Colts!!
Andrew: Ya. He said also to make my foot throw up.
Andrew: It's called Bullemic foot *(spelling not changed, I promise)

hahahahahhahaahhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaa


I consulted the picture that Mallory sent earlier in the day:

And then I consulted Gonzo's nose:

Precisely.

5 years

5 years ago, today, my big brother came home from his mission. This morning (at like 6:20 am), while on the bus to work, I saw the date on my phone, and texted him right away.

He tried to act surprised that I remembered the date--- and honestly, I doubt that he remembered. 

But I counted down the days until November 16, 2006 like a mad woman. I told him, this morning, that this day, 5 years ago, was one of the best days of my life. It really was. I missed by big brother more than I can say. It was one of those painful things that you are obligated to be happy about-- he was doing the right thing, but I just wanted him to come home!

I remember one night while he was one his mission-- about 3 months before he came home-- he called. It was midnight. I answered the phone and FREAKED OUT. He was calling because he had really bad asthma. And he was scared because he couldn't breathe. So he called to talk to my mom. She told him what to do. 

I missed my brother so much that night. 

And  frankly, I missed him a lot all the time. I wrote him more than anyone else did. And that is the truth. Every week. Sometimes twice. Or three times. I just always had so much to say. Unfortunately, (yes, I've already shed tears about this) I used my dixiehigh.org email account to email him so that I could do it at school (during graphics class). And then when I graduated.... my account disappeared. And so did the emails. Oh that just makes me so mad. SO MAD. But I do still have quite a few of them from my hotmail account. I'm just going to paste a small sample below. These emails were a constant confirmation that Andrew was the still crazy, random banana brain that is my brother. But I could see a change for the better, too. You'll see what I mean. :)

May 23, 2005

"im so proud of you for throwin water on innocent bystanders.  i hope you ran away really fast.  did you know my friends and i used to pull up to red lights and throw water balloons in peoples cars?  but that was the apostate andrew.  now i'm saint andrew.  the hurricanes are coming next month. oodillaly how exciting."

And that would be the whole email.  The WHOLE thing. But I loved it. It's SO Andrew.

And then, 

April 17, 2006

"...thats why knowing of something greater and more constant is so important.  thats why missions are awesome.  i would love to write you a quote about that so you could use it in your graduation speech but it would be too religious and not politically correct.  how are you coming with ideas about that anyway.  im so excited for you.  dont let yourself get nervous.  get up their knowing that you as an individual are so much greater than the situation you are in.  and for the rest of your life you will be able to look back and smile on the memory know matter what is said.  give a speech of hope on a topic that your whole class can relate to.  unity, hope, and memories are the keys.  if you can relay a message that brings a feeling of unity into the gymnasium then youve done an excellent thing.  gotta run"

This is why I love my brother. Anyway, for some reason, I just wanted to share. I try to tell people how great Andrew is, but nobody really gets it, because they are not his sister. Every girl needs a big brother to take care of her, and I'm just so glad that God gave me Andrew.  And I'm just so glad, that exactly 5 years ago, he came home to his family, safe and sound, having served the Lord so well. 

My big brother graduated.

My big brother graduated from Dixie State today. This means that after this summer, he and his lovely little wife are going to move away from St. George. I'm going to miss those two. I love them so. Featured below are pics of the graduation and of Andrew and Mallory-- just because I think they are so adorable.

In great motherly fashion, my mother arranged for Andrew and I to take pictures together in our caps and gowns. One year, two college graduates!

There once was a man with a wooden leg named Smith.

fyi, at the actual graduation, he was wearing a shirt and tie. Not a v-neck. I thought that was important to note.

 and then Grandma Colleen exclaimed, "I never got to wear one of these when I graduated from high school!" (referring to a cap and gown of course), so then we held an impromptu high school graduation for my grandmother. Ain't she a gem?

Andrew's cap and gown was a little too big for Stephanie.

We tried to recreate an engagement picture pose. It didn't work.

The happy couple. Married 1 year and 7 months. I think they still like each other.

And then there was one.... person looking at the right camera. Dang it me. I always mess up the shot with my wandering eyes.

Andy-roo and Mal pal

If you don't know my brother, you should. He is the coolest. The. coolest. The best big brother a little sister could ask for. For real.

ALSO, my Moe graduated today--- we are now co-founders of the WHEDBDAWTBT Club, which stands for: "we have education degrees but don't actually want to be teachers." It is shortened to " WHBT (first two and last two letters) or, "we hate being teachers." It sounds harsh, but it makes sense.

But Congrats MOE! You are a rock star. And you have a cute little baby that I love to laugh at.

Other randoms:

1. Think of someone who you think might be obsessed with the royal wedding a little bit. If you thought of me, you are right. Yesterday I spent about 2 hours online trying to figure out what I'd have to do to get my masters degree in the UK... so I could go royal hunting on empty afternoons.

2. Can people stop writing song lyrics as their facebook status? It's seriously getting old. But hey, I'm not judging.

Love, Audrey

PS, I had to throw this little guy in, just so you can see how cute me and Andrew are (even though it's blurry).

Dodge Barrage Mirage 2010.

This post is about a month overdue. The magnificent event occurred on September 18, 2010. My big brother's 25th birthday.

Throughout the day my brother was known to proclaim, repeatedly, "THIS IS THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!"

And well, it should be.

Andrew and his friends organized a dodgeball team to compete at the Dodge Barrage, a tournament sponsored by Deron Williams and Kyle Korver for some unknown charity. It was a big tournament all day that culminated into the championship in the afternoon. Andrew's team made it into the top 8, which is pretty good, out of more than 64 teams. BUT, the championship game was played between an all-star lineup of:

Deron Williams
Kyle Korver
Al Jefferson
Ronnie Price
And lots of these four professional athletes' friends

(I have to add that the Jazz team wore light blue ghostbusters T-shirts, little red shorts, and red sweatbands around their heads. And tall tube socks with their sneakers. They were cool.)

And these guys:

 
Yep. This team of rag-and-tag 80's styled Dodgeball professionals, flown in from the exotic land of California. Their shirts literally say on them, "The Charles Bronson Make a Death Wish Foundation." And the back of their shirts say, "Dodgeball4life.com" Check it out.

But guess. who. won.

The latter.

That is probably my favorite thing that happened all day.

Oh, and also this thing:

Deron Williams. With the fam.

We went to dinner afterward for Andrew's birthday:

Andrew and Mallory have now been married for a year. Woohoo!

After dinner we all drove back to Provo. Andrew and Mal stayed at Stephanie's house, so me and Elise met everyone there. We watched "Dodgeball" (an appropriate choice after the day's festivities) and ate brownies and ice cream- more birthday celebration.

I just remember that all day, we all kept repeating, "this is SO MUCH FUN!" Cause seriously, one could not have predicted how much fun it is to watch a dodgeball game. It's really fun, okay?

My Aunt Judy, cousin Nicole, and Grandpa Don and Grandma Karen all joined us at different times during the day, and fun was had by all. AND, the Dew Tour was going on at Energy Solutions, and we were at the Salt Palace, so I was able to go and visit Rachelle and Brad at the Dew Tour just after they got engaged! 

It was a great day, and seriously, I a little bit love dodgeball now.

My Best Brother's Wedding

Warning: This is a long one, and there is no reason that you should have to read the whole thing,

I love Andrew and Mallory. I love them together, I love them separate. I am very happy about them being married. And I know that I have made a really big deal of it all, but I feel so much better about the whole idea of him being married that it's insane. I love it. The moment I saw them walk out of the temple together, I loved it. Maybe it's because I was no longer anxious-- there was nothing to be nervous about once they got married. It was already over. And done. And so perfect, I tell you.

So here is the timeline-- a listing of events, from beginning to end.

I drove home the Wednesday before the wedding- October 14- with Elise and Stephanie. After a good night's sleep, all the craziness began. I had a list of approximately a gajillion things to do that day, all in preparation for the wedding. We were all quite overwhelmed and to say the least--cranky. At least I was. I was stressed. Emotionally stressed.

The day before the wedding, Thursday, I got up around 8, showered, then left for Pebbles to work on the sign-in book. Later, Mom and everyone picked me up and we went to Wal-Mart for some necessaries. After running through Wal-Mart because we were low on time, we rushed to Corri Theobald's house to try on our dresses (that she made for us!) one last time and pick them up. On the way, the van started acting crazy. My mom pulled over, we prayed like crazy, and somehow got it going again. We got to Corri's, did our thing, then went back to the car... that wouldn't run. It was totally dead. SO, we called Dad for a ride and a tow truck to get the van. At this point, stress levels were high and we were all not so nice to each other.

We had about an hour to drive to Target (to get a sweater for Elise to wear at the temple and luncheon), Roberts (to find letters for the front of the sign-in book), and Costco (to get the flowers for the luncheon). It was probably the shortest hour I have ever been awake for. We rushed around like crazy people (after getting the car that I had left at Pebbles and leaving dad with his car to figure out what was going on with the van), and somehow, some way, we made it back home only a little but late. It's amazing what can be done when pressed for time.

Andrew met us at home-- I finally got to see him--- and it was the day before the wedding!! He helped my dad get the tables for the luncheon while we started the clean-up and everything at the Stake Center (the luncheon was at the stake center on the corner of that one street and North Bluff-- you know, right by where you turn to go to my house). We had to iron all the table cloths, wash all the dishes (enough for 150 people!), set up tables, arrange flowers, make the place settings, etc. It took HOURS. I hung around until about 5:00pm, when I realized that I still needed to finish the sign-in book. Stress overwhelmed my again, and I ran out the door to Pebbles. I finished the book fairly quickly, picked up the dresses that were altered in the last few hours, and ran back to the Stake Center. We spent another hour or so to finish setting up, and finally got home around 8. But THEN, me, Elise, Stephanie, and Moriah, had to go back to Wal-Mart because we still needed to buy the presents we were supposed to give Andrew and Mallory at the luncheon. By the time we got home from that, it was about 10pm. We were all exhausted and wanted to go to bed soon, but then Andrew got there, and we had to celebrate Stephanie's birthday still. She opened her presents, and we all sat around and talked for a couple of hours. And we did our nails. That was important. Before we all went to bed, we coordinated when everyone was going to get up, where they were going to take a shower, where they were going to get ready, which curling irons they should use, etc.

Andrew stayed the night at our house. I thought that was appropriate--- it was sweet that the night before he got married, he stayed in his home with his family, even though he doesn't live there anymore. I loved having him in our home-- all of us together.

The next morning was actually NOT CRAZY. Surprising? YES. Very. My family members are a bunch of stress-balls, but somehow, we all got up early, got ready, and things went smoothly. My mother had even prepared a breakfast quiche and made cinnamon rolls the night before, and just stuck them in the oven that morning. We were all pleasantly surprised at my mother's initiative- that breakfast was usually reserved for one morning a year- Christmas. We all were like, "I didn't know that Andrew's wedding was Christmas! Andrew! You should get married more often!!" So, we all had breakfast, semi-together, and then had family prayer. It was perfectly lovely, and I was ready super early. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I am NEVER early.

Andrew and Dad left for the temple earlier than everyone else, and then I drove up with my Mom, Moriah, and Grandma Colleen about 15 minutes later. Stephanie, Elise, and Celina met us there at around 10:30-- the sealing started at 10:40.

We sat around back, waiting very anxiously and watching all the kids (Dustin kept stamping on the bushes!), until FINALLY, everyone that was in the sealing gathered around and Andrew and Mallory came out to lots of cheering, excitement, and merriment.

After taking some pictures on the front steps of the temple, we rushed to the stake center to get everything set up for the luncheon. And it went just swimmingly. The food arrived on time, and we were ready to go when everyone started showing up. Well, everyone but Mallory and Andrew, that is. They were about 25 minutes late to their own luncheon. But it wasn't their fault, I swear. The photographer was still taking pictures of them at the temple.

We had Pasta Factory cater, and it was DELICIOUS. The best news is that we had LOADS of extra alfredo sauce, and I love that stuff. I still have a container of it in my fridge. :) And then for dessert, we had Dairy Queen ice cream cake. Andrew insisted on it. He said there was nothing else that he would want, and if he couldn't have ice cream cake, he didn't want desert at all. But he said it in a nice way, promise. He just really likes ice cream cake.

After we ate, my dad said a few words, and the show began! All the siblings of the newlyweds gave either Andrew or Mallory, or both, presents! We all talked a little bit and told funny memories, advice, or warnings about the craziness of the other person. I gave them a DVD of "Sandlot" and a Clue game. BECAUSE, I think that both of the presents are very representative of me and Andrew's relationship. We have always played catch and pickle, and street hockey, and basketball, and football (with my dad as all-time quarterback), and every other kind of neighborhood/family game there is. We were a team. That's what "Sandlot" was for. And the Clue game was because Andrew and I used to play it and Monopoly all the time, and he used to make up rules that made him win EVERY TIME. So fun, but so ridiculous. So, I warned Mallory about letting Andrew add his own rules. Seriously, is it really fair to be paid from the bank when you land on your own property? Not a good rule. And we always played Clue-- with only 2 people--- which doesn't really work--- and Andrew was always Mr. Green and I was always Mrs. White. And he always won.

Oh, and because it was Stephanie's birthday in addition to it being Andrew's wedding day, my mom had a cake made for Stephanie, and Andrew gave it to her at the luncheon. We all sang for her. :)

So anyway, the luncheon was lovely. And somehow my mom got all the young women from our ward to serve the dessert, fill water glasss, and do the dishes. They were a MAJOR blessing. I had thought that WE were going to have to do the dishes. But thank goodness we didn't have to, because we only had about an hour between the luncheon and the time that we needed to be at the reception for pictures. It was crazy busy....
SO.... skip to pictures and the reception. It was beautiful. I. loved. it. It was in the Morby's front yard. They had lots of tables set up, all with green tablecloths, and there were lights in the bushes and trees all around the yard. Not just Christmas lights, though, whole chandeliers. They were awesome. There were pictures of Andrew and Mallory all over the place looking amazing and...so... I don't really want to describe the whole thing. But it was great, promise. And so fun. And there were SO MANY PEOPLE! Tons and tons throughout the whole night. Like, they prepared food for 600 people, and they ran out. And I just walked around talking to people, eating delicious food, taking pictures in the photo booth (which was totally awesome), watching the slideshow and video of Andrew and Mallory, taking pictures, laughing at my mom and dad because they had to stand in line for so long, chasing little cousins around, limping through the grass with my painful heels, etc, etc, etc. It actually was a lot of fun, especially because I got to spend so much time with family AND because I was all dressed up like was part of the cast and on display a little bit. I love that.

After the reception, and Andrew and Mallory drove away, we helped clean up a little bit, then drove home. Me and the sisters watched "Labyrinth" a bit before we all fell asleep (I have rarely been so tired).

The next day was devoted to family (the extended kind that we hardly ever see) and opening presents. Both Andrew and Mallory forgot their birth certificates- a necessary when one is going on a cruise- so they came back to the Morby's house that afternoon, and we all watched/helped them open presents. I've never had the privilege of doing that before-- it was a lot of fun. I really can't wait to open my own wedding presents and tally up the earnings... Please ya'll, just give me cash. Thanks.

It was a lovely day, and a lovely weekend. I love weddings. And I love that Andrew and Mallory are married and that she is part of my family forever.

<3.

14 Days of Summer

I came home from D.C. with 2 weeks of near-freedom. I spent the majority of it very peacefully. I LOVE living life in St. George.

The Main Ideas:
1. The first day that I was home I often walked outside of my house and simply stood in the sun, spun around in circles, or swung on our tree swing and exclaimed my joy at the weather. Yes, it was hot, and yes, I love it when it is hot. I love stepping outside and feeling the heat just HIT you. I love feeling the sun kind of burn your skin when it touches you. I was obsessed with the heat when I was home.
2. My car. Imagine not driving a car in 3 and a half months. It was painful. I missed driving more than I ever thought I would. That first day I was home my first priority, after standing in the sun for a bit, was to drive and listen to my music.
3. Sleeping in. I slept in like a total of 2 times ALL SUMMER. So, when I got to St. George, I very much took advantage of my opportunity to sleep in. It was fantastic. And although it made me more tired because I often over slept (a good 12 hours isn't bad, right?), I loved every minute of my sleeping-in.
4. Disney Channel. I LOVE IT. I watched a mixture of JONAS, Sonny With a Chance, Hannah Montana, and Wizards of Waverly Place everyday.
5. Dairy Queen. SHALOM?!!!!! Why didn't anybody ever think to put one of those guys in Washington, D.C.? Those hoity toity Washingtonians are TOTALLY missing out. I must have eaten 7 Dilly Bars since I came home. My love affair with DQ has been going strong for several years now, and our relationship rekindled when I came home. And I am very attached to the back booth at the DQ in St. George. Good times, girls, good times.
6. My Moe and Jenny. When people talk about their BFFs, they often use the term loosely. These girls really ARE my best friends forever. I may have other best friends too (okay, I have a lot of them), but Moe and Jen are my LONGEST best friends, and I love them. They will always be there, caring about my life and depending on me to make them have fun. I love that. And I SO admire what they have become. They have both married men who are perfect for them, and they are doing so well! Jenny is a nurse and is going to have a baby! Moe is doing elementary education, and we are going to be teachers together! And when all three of us are old and married with lots of grandkids, we are going to ditch all of them AND our husbands and go on roadtrips and to EVERY Dixie High School event, completely decked out in blue and white (we may even wear our old Color Guard warm up suits!), and be the loudest flyer supporters in the stands. And all the students will laugh at us and act annoyed, when really, they will want to be just like us when they are old. Me and Moe and Jenny will leave a legacy.
7. Sand Hollow Reservoir. We went to the lake one day. The water felt great, the sand was amazing, there a lot of plants in the water, and a lot of bugs. AND, some people randomly picked a spot on the beach VERY CLOSE TO US for no reason. The entire rest of the beach was completely empty, but a family complete with grandparents, like 4 couples, and probably 14 grandchilden camped right next to us. We were annoyed. But the best part of the day was the sun. I got so much sun! And I did get a little burnt, but mostly, I just got tan. I will swear, forever, that the sun in St. George tans better than the sun in any other part of the world. It's a verified fact, not an observation.
8. The end of my Washington classes. I spent WAY TOO MUCH time in the Washington County library. I had TWO papers to write- one 5-7er, and one 15-18 pager. Lame-o. I hated almost every second of it. Except, I got a little bit into the research paper, and then I got excited. Sometimes writing papers make me a little excited. But I still don't like it, okay? So I wrote about the 1968 Riots in Washington, D.C. And I spent A LOT of time on it. But it still probably was not enough. But it's done, and when research papers are done and turned it, one finds a very happy Audrey.
9. Mom's school. I helped my mom get her classroom ready, and then I came with my Dad to help do testing. I loved her students. It almost makes me want to be an elementary school teacher.
10. Celina. She is staying with us! YAY!
11. Cafe Rio. Our reunion could not have been sweeter.
12. Me and Andrew had a sleepover. The whole family was gone, so I made Andrew keep me company. In a remarkable gesture, he agreed to hang out with me for a night instead of hanging out with Mallory! We went to DQ and then sat to watch a movie. We were both falling asleep, though, so we went up to bed. We slept on Mom and Dad's bed because it was the only place that we would both have a bed. We proceeded to talk for hours and hours and hours. Until about 3:30 or 4 in the morning. It was SO great. I can't remember the last time that we talked like that. And I doubt that we will ever have that opportunity again. He is getting married in less than 2 months-- which I am excited about. I love Mallory, and I know he is really happy. I love my brother so much.
13. Elise moved to Weber State! She is officially on her own, and I am SO excited for her!! We had a lot of sleepovers too. I love hanging out with Elise, and when she left a couple of days before I did, I walked around the house wishing she were there. I missed her.
14. Stephanie came down for Moriah's birthday. My sugar doll turned 14, which is CRAZY.

And then, my 14 days of summer ended, and I packed up and drove to Provo.