Summer Potpourri

Summer has come and gone. Gosh I hate that. It always seems to go by way too fast for me. Although, it's not so depressing this time around because usually with the end of summer comes back to school...but not this time! ISU started school this week and thankfully Brandt and I had nothing to do with it. So even though technically summer has come to an end, I won't be sad about it until the weather changes and it gets cold. Here's a recap of some of what we were up to this summer:

Lindsay came to visit in May! She was here for almost a whole month, so I lived in Burley during that time (one of the perks to being unemployed, you can do whatever the heck you want!) It worked out great, because that was when Brandt was in New York living the dream with APX, so I just "moved" to Burley for the duration. It was so fun to see her. Here's me with my sistas at Olive Garden. Yum! (I'm not sure why I look so much shorter than them in this pic. Hmmm)

Kate and Zac playing on the rocking horse

This girl is so funny. Right before I snapped this pic, she decides to pick her nose. Classic.

Me, Sam, and Kate at Chili's

This video is just funny. This was on the way home from Utah and Kate kept throwing her sucker at Syd. I'm not sure if was on purpose or not...p.s. The quality of the video isn't the greatest; we're still trying to figure out how to upload them without lessening the quality.


Sheena (Brandt's sister) had her baby in June. This is Brandt with our newest nephew, Kye. It was great to see them and attend Kye's baby blessing in July.

Of course we had to go see the new Harry Potter movie in July! We were much anticipating this, but as with the rest of the HP movies, it did not measure up to the book. It was still fun though.

Shane (my cousin) got back from serving a mission in Mexico at the end of July, so of course a bunch of us met him at the Twin Falls airport with our signs to welcome him home.

An honorable mention also goes out to my other cousin, Kyler, who left on Wednesday to serve his mission in Texas. Go Kyler! :0)

I had to post this pic more for the story that goes along with it. This is my cute mom who was taking the picture of all of us at the airport. As she was leaning back to try and get all of us in the pic, she leaned against the "Emergency Exit Only" door and set off the alarm! Which, by the way, is REALLY LOUD! It was super funny, though the guard on duty didn't think it was as funny as we did.

We bought this rope for Rex (my family's dog) at Wal-Mart for 97 cents and it was totally worth it. He loved it! (for the whole three days he had it before he buried it somewhere and now can't find it.) This pic represents all the time we spent in Burley in the month of August. A hygienist there had an accident and broke both of her legs, which is bad news for her...but good news for me! :0) I was able to fill in for her and get some great and much needed experience. I was able to live with my mom for the duration to cut back on travel (Thanks Mom!) so Brandt and I spent a lot of time in Burley in the month of August. We were able to go to the Cassia County Fair while we were there, which is always a good time. We went to the rodeo with the Moultons and we also got to see a bunch of friends from high school. We had a great time in good ol' Bur-town, but it's also good to be back home.

After my first day of work, I came home to flowers, a poem, Freschetta pizza, popcorn, and Redbox! My favorite things! (Note the TWO bags of popcorn; we're piggies) Brandt had rented "The Soloist" because we had both been wanting to see it, and I surprised him that same night by renting the same movie! It was funny. Good movie, too, by the way.

I was so exhauted after that first day of work, but I'm getting more used to it. That first day in private practice was a bit of a culture shock for me compared to school. Everything was so different, in both good and not-so-good ways. But I'm glad that at least for now I'm enjoying what I do. In a couple weeks I will start a full-time job in Idaho Falls while their hygienist goes on maternity leave. I love it there, so I'm super excited to start.

Looking back on it, I wonder where all the time went, then I remember that I had the nightmare of Boards in June, and after that another month and a half of looking for jobs, making hundreds of phone calls, going on interviews, etc. But even with all of that, it was a good summer and I'm sad to see it end. But fall is fun too; I just hope this warm weather holds out for at least another month; I'm not ready for that to go.

All Grown Up

I guess it's about time someone updated our blog. It seems like Brandt and I have been on this never ending roller coaster since the beginning of 2009.

As far as highs, Brandt and I both graduated in May! I thought that day would never come. It was a great day for us. The night before ISU's graduation, we had a ceremony for us dental hygiene graduates where we received our professional pins, our expanded functions certificates, recited the dental hygiene oath (yep, there's an oath! kinda funny), and received awards. I was the recipient of the Western Society of Periodontology Award. I usually don't win anything so I was excited, especially because Periodontology was one of my favorite classes (Brandt says that makes me a nerd; That's probably true).

It was fun to have my family come up and support us. That night after the dental hygiene thing we went to Grecian Key to celebrate. They have the best gyros and steak fries ever! Brandt and I love their food. Anyways, we were all talking and eating, etc. when Kate just started screaming. We thought she was mad because Linds made her sit in the high chair and she wanted down but then we looked at her and she had fry sauce all over her face, and she was not happy about it! No idea how she managed that but it was so funny I had to take a picture of her. Funny girl. That night, my mom and siblings and Kate all had a sleepover with us in our lovely one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment. You can imagine we had some good times crammed in such a little space.

Brandt was a bum and decided he didn't want to walk for ISU's graduation; instead he opted to sit in the stands with my family and watch me walk. It was fun since nearly all of my hygiene girls decided to walk so we all sat together. One of the girls brought electronic Tetris so we would pass it down the row and each take a turn with it to help pass the time. We had a good time. I'm going to miss those girls. They are all such good people and good friends. No one truly understands the living hell that is the ISU Dental Hygiene program unless you've gone through it.

So after graduation, I had to take my clinical boards in June. That was tons of fun :) Thanks to Bryan for coming up and being my board patient. That particular day I left the house and the weather was totally fine, but not ten minutes later when I got to the school it was literally raining cats and dogs (ok, not literally but it was raining really hard). The closest parking spot I could find was three blocks away and I had to carry this huge box with all my tools, so running was out of the question. So by the time I got there I was soaking wet. It was great; you gotta love Idaho weather.

Two weeks later I found out I passed my hygiene exam and on July 9th I got my license! I'm official now: Danielle Hines, RDH. Now comes the crappy job hunting part so we can pay back all those loans to Uncle Sam. It feels like I have been unemployed for forever, but technically I've only had my license for three weeks, but I still feel crappy. There have been so many hygiene schools popping up that everywhere is pretty much oversaturated with hygienists so it's been difficult even finding jobs to apply for. And then those that I do find of course want someone with experience or someone who speaks Spanish. I've never applied for a job and not gotten it before, and in July I was turned down for two. It's not very fun. I've been in and out of this mild depression for several months now (ok lets be honest, I've probably been mildly depressed since I got into this dang program :) But I keep praying that things will work out the way they're supposed to, so I think I just need to have more faith and be patient. I have so many good things in my life and I try to remember that when I start feeling sorry for myself. I've got a great husband and great family and friends. Brandt may not have his dream job with Lowe's, but it pays the bills. Life is really pretty good.

Brandt is also struggling with figuring out what he wants to do with his life. He spent the month of May working with some friends in New York installing security systems for APX. We had hoped to make enough money to help with our student loans, but with the economy in the crapper things didn't work out so well. So when APX asked for volunteers to go home, Brandt volunteered and thankfully he was able to get his job back at Lowe's. At least he got some good stories out of his time in New York; I think he's working on a post to vent about his experiences, so stay tuned for that (You would think that he would be over it by now, but we hung out with some friends the other night and somehow Wyoming got brought up and it brought all those repressed feelings right back to the surface; anyways you'll have to read it to understand:)

So that's where Brandt and I stand at the moment. We're all grown up and graduated. I feel like such an adult now :) Weird. Hopefully we're on to bigger and better things!

Book Review: Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin
By Harriet Beecher Stowe

To me this book perfectly depicted life in our country just preceding the Civil War, specifically concerning slavery and all that it entailed. I felt so connected to all of the characters, and this book brought out a whole gamut of emotions within me: happy, sad, frustrated, angry, etc. I have wanted to read this book for several years because it is a classic in American literature; other than that I didn’t know much else about the book. The particular edition I picked up from the library was really helpful; it had a section in the back of the book with “explanatory notes” that helped make the text clearer and more easily understood. It is a legend that this book was what started the Civil War, and after reading it I can completely understand how that happened! She writes in such a way as to make people think about their own role in letting slavery happen. I could picture both Southerners and Northerners alike reading this story (it was first printed a section at a time in an anti-slavery newspaper from 1851-1852) and having it take hold on their hearts and forcing them to contemplate their actions and instigate change.

I always thought that Ms. Stowe was a black woman who was brave enough to write an anti-slavery novel. But no, she was a white woman living in the free states who, after the passage of the Slave Act of 1850 (requiring all citizens to aid in the return of runaway slaves to their owners or be held accountable by law), she decided to do something. I wonder how American history would be different if Ms. Stowe would never have written her novel. At some points in her book, she writes with such cynicism and mockery of the system but she does it in such a way that you have to laugh. She was a brave woman to voice her opinion the way she did!

This is a Christian novel, and Ms. Stowe uses scriptures from the Bible and popular hymns of that time throughout the text to showcase the Christian spirit of her characters. I thought it was interesting how both slave-holders and abolitionists alike used the Bible to plead their side. It reminded me of people today, who may manipulate the meaning of scripture to fit their own lifestyle and fancies. Another thought that came to my mind as I read was the parallel that can be drawn from their time to present day. In the 1850’s, the vast majority of people thought that slavery was okay; and because of the integrity and persistence of those who knew what was right, eventually slavery was abolished. Satan will always be there trying to “claim the hearts of men” in any way he can. Back then it was with slavery and the idea that certain races are better than others. Today, he uses other tactics, and it is up to those in the minority to continue to stand up for what is right.

Who knew you could draw so much from a book about slavery?! All kinds of stuff comes to my mind when I read, it’s kind of funny the stuff that I chew over when I’m reading for fun.

Tribute to the King of Pop

One of my favorite artists of all time passed away today. I was sitting in an insurance office waiting to have my WREB results notorized (I passed by the way) when I heard the news. Cardiac arrest, but how did that happen? He passed extensive physical exams before beginning rehearsals for his upcoming tour; I hope he didn't do this to himself. Michael Jackson was an amazing artist and I can't believe he's gone. I'm a little bit devastated.

Several months ago, on one of my Saturdays when I should have been studying about teeth and gums, Brandt and I were watching tv and "Free Willy" was on the Spanish station, so we were watching it (in Spanish of course!) and I was telling Brandt how I always loved the theme song from that movie, "Will You Be There" from Michael Jackson. So of course I had to look it up online and play it for Brandt and that led to over 10 hours of internet searching of everything Michael. I just got sucked in. His life was so fascinating to me. I read bios and watched documentaries and news reports and several videos of him performing. I learned so much about him that I didn't know before. Growing up, the gossip that I heard was that his skin turned white because he had AIDS, which is completely rediculous. That rumor probably got started because 1) people didn't know what caused AIDS, nor its side effects, and 2) Michael was involved in fundraising for AIDS research and AIDS awareness so people assumed he had it. I learned that at one time, and he maybe still does, Michael was in the Guiness Book of World Records for most charities supported and money donated to charity (or something like that). At the time, he had given over $300 million to charity. I also didn't know that he wrote or co-wrote nearly all of his songs. I looked up several of his songs and what inspired them and it's amazing how much thought and deeper meaning there is to his songs.

Michael Jackson passed away at age 50. Can you imagine what he could have done if he hadn't died so young? He has sold more records than any other artist (750 million). I was so excited to hear that he was going to start touring again and I wanted so much to be able to see him in concert (of course, ticket sales for the entire tour sold out within minutes and I would have had to travel to Europe to see him...but still, I was hopeful he would come to the US next!)

These days, especially in the US, when people mention Michael Jackson it is usually to poke fun at his expense. And there was the whole deal with the child molestation charges that he dealt with. That was part of the reason I spent so much time researching him. Not only was I fascinated with him but I wanted to come to my own conclusion about him. So, after all of my study this is my opinion: Yes, Michael Jackson was different, especially the last few years, but he wasn't a criminal. He was a very misunderstood person who wanted to make the world better, especially for kids. And the media took his love for children and eccentricities and manipulated them to sell a story, ruining a man's life in the process. Maybe it's just that this is what I want to believe, but I truly feel that he is innocent.

But that's just my opinion. Everyone has their own, and I'm sure some people think I'm crazy. But I think it's amazing that for having grown up in the spotlight with so much fame and fortune that Michael was as kind and good as he was. And such an amazing artist. I don't think anyone will ever be able to top what he has accomplished. I'll admit that the last several years he has acted extremely strange on many occasions; but I'm not judging him - he's gone through a lot over the past decade. I will, and will forever be, a fan of Michael Jackson.

Here are two videos that I found on YouTube that are my absolute favorite of Michael Jackson. The first is an amazing performance from my favorite MJ era (late 80's/early 90's) at the MTV 10th anniversary singing two of my favorite MJ songs. The second is just funny. Michael Jackson has influenced our culture through his music and dance more than we probably will ever realize, and because of that he is, and always will be, the King of Pop.

Book Review: To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird
By: Harper Lee

"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

I've always wanted to read this book having heard a lot about it; I'm glad I finally did (it was a thousand times better than Wicked!). I think the early 1900's is a fascinating time period, with the depression, world wars, and the civil rights movement, among other things. I still find it a bit hard to believe that in our great country, African-Americans were treated so cruelly and unfairly. I don't understand, and probably never will understand, what led people to believe that that was ok. It's sad that in some areas of the world, and to a lesser extent still in our own country, people are still treated so horribly.

This was the only book that Harper Lee ever wrote, and to this day she has declined nearly all of the requests she has gotten for interviews about it. I'm curious how much of the book was based on her own experiences. It was first published in 1960 in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, so I'm also curious as to what effect her book had on the Movement and peoples' attitudes towards it. I found an interesting essay on the historical context of the novel that you can view here.

Anywho, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. The book is told from a young girl's perspective so it's easy to follow and understand. It was interesting to see the events of the book from the eyes of an innocent child. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It may be one of my new favorites.

Book Review: Wicked

Wicked

By Gregory Maguire

I always try to finish a book. Even if it's not that interesting, I'll still finish it just so I can say I've read it all the way through. That was impossible with Wicked. I bought it during spring break when Brandt and I were at the airport so I would have something to read while we waited. I have heard such good things about the play and have really wanted to see it so I thought the book would be pretty good as well. It's not. It's boring and weird and dirty and a waste of time. I would not recommend it to anyone. Maybe I'll give it another shot someday...but probably not.

A Most Happy Day

Today at school, Kathleen Hodges, the dental hygiene department chair, came in to our classroom with several other faculty members to make an announcement. She said that she had some special student awards to give out and so we all got quiet; we thought she was going to start announcing some cheesy awards like who won the golden curett or something like that. Then she says "We just received word that ALL OF YOU HAVE PASSED THE NATIONAL BOARD EXAM!!" We all started screaming, clapping, cheering, crying, etc.; it was one of the happiest, most elating thirty seconds of my life. We hadn't expected to find out the results for another week at least so it was a great surprise. We've all been so nervous ever since we took the exam nearly six weeks ago. You know that feeling of being so intensely happy that you are emotional and you don't care and overflowing with joy, you're just soooo happy?! I love it! That's one more requirement out of the way. Now I just need to graduate and make it through clinical boards in June. So...Congratulations to me...I think I might just go buy me a Jamba to celebrate! :)