Dear Subconscious,

Please stop sending first day of school dreams. This is getting old.

I'm not going to forget to plan a lesson. And I'm not going to forget that school starts August 16. And I'm certainly not going to get lost trying to find the classroom.

And everybody knows that kids always behave on the first day. Even if that's the one day of the year that nobody will give me trouble, I promise you they will be nice for at least that first day.

Thanks,
Brittany

Dear Engineering Friends,

Good news. I checked Katie's and Bryan's academic calendars and GUESS WHAT!?! They have the same spring break. So guess where we're going? Atlanta.

We have two options. We can go Friday - Monday (or Tuesday) March 23-27, or Thursday - Sunday, March 29-April 1. I'll let you guys decide.

And while we're in Atlanta, we can visit:

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site
A two-block area in memory of the famed leader of the Civil Rights movement and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Features include the Freedom Hall Complex, Chapel of All Faiths, and King Library.

CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC PARK
This 21-acre urban landscape, the largest urban park to be developed in this country in more than two decades, was the central venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Atlanta Botanical Garden
The Atlanta Botanical Garden is a beautiful exhibit of nature's glory, right in the heart of the city. A walk through the garden is a great stress reliever. There are always special events going on, including unique flowers, summer concerts, romantic jazz nights, and children's activities.

Stone Mountain Park
One of Atlanta's most recognizable tourist attractions, this huge monument to the confederacy covers 25 million square feet and rises 825 feet above the surrounding area, carved with the likeness of three confederate heroes. There is plenty to see and do, including the ever-popular laser show, holiday events, hiking, boating, fishing, and souvenir shopping.

High Museum of Art
American art at the top of the High is well worth a visit. Varied collections, beautifully displayed in stunning building.

or Atlanta's underground

...to name just a few. And we can eat at:

South City Kitchen
The culinary traditions of South Carolina's Lowcountry inspire the cooking at this cheerful restaurant. This is the place to get fried green tomatoes with goat cheese, she-crab soup, or buttermilk

Ray's on the River Seafood House
On the banks of the Chattahoochee River, Ray's on the River draws crowds, particularly for the Sunday brunch.

And then we can head down to Macon for

Cherry Blossom Festival / Local Events
Third week in March featuring the best of Southern traditions and contemporary entertainment. Attractions include hot-air balloons, arts & crafts, parades, daily concerts, dances, and amusement

Neat Museum
We really enjoyed the Music Hall of Fame - it was the first attraction we visited when my man moved to Macon. It was smaller than we expected, but packed with interesting music info about GA artists

or

www.tubmanmuseum.com


and eat

Southern Food with Gourmet Flair
i love the concept. southern food with a gourmet twist. i just felt like i could lounge and take my time. no one was rushing me. and everyone who works there was so great to talk to.

or have a

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-reviews-2980732-prod-travelguide-action-read-ratings_and_reviews-i;_ylt=ArfZDp1.I6QkHgPxywHT21fGQGoL#1
Service and food was excellent. Great pasta and the best steak my husband has ever had. Nice, romantic ambience, tucked away in downtown Macon (almost hidden).

and dessert at Bruster's.

And if we want to continue the outdoorsy/camping tradition, there is plenty of camping to do in the Northern part of the state.

So who's on board?

Dear Mom,

Would you mind sending me that National Geographic article that I was coveting from your house? Thanks. You're the best.

Love, Poodle

PS: Thanks for the outfit.
PPS: And the shoes.

Newlyweds

So last week I was reminded of the time that my brother and I won a deck of cards playing "The Newlyweds Game" at the Provo mall, and how they didn't even make us pretend to be newlyweds. (For which I am eternally grateful, because pretending to be married to your brother is jut plain wrong. Even for a deck of Tommy Hilfiger playing cards.)

And then I remembered that we won mainly because Ryan knew I had a crush on a boy named Aaron, and I knew that he was interested in a girl whose name will not be mentioned because we are all very grateful he did not end up with her. Not that there was anything wrong with her*, per se, but not ending up with her meant that he could end up with Brianna, who is not afraid to tell him what a big fat baby he's being when he tries to blame her when he loses a game of spoons.

But then I remembered that our victory was not so much attributed to the fact that we knew all details of each other's lives, but because the newlyweds all missed the easiest question on the test.

If your wife could go on a date with anyone in the world, who would it be?

Um, Matthew McConaughey? NO? ME?! You'd rather go out with me? Huh. Cause I'd kinda like to go out with Cameron Diaz.

*Okay, so maybe there were a few things wrong with her, the least of which was her fashion sense. But I'm trying to be nice here.

what to read:

The Great Starvation Experiment

I'm pretty sure it just jumped to status of very favorite book of all time. And I don't even like history. I've tried reading them, but about 98.3% of the time, they bore me. This is an exception.

So read it. And if you don't think you can afford it, I'll buy it for you for your next birthday. Or Christmas. Whichever comes first. Because you NEED it. Even more than I need that new Coach handbag that blogger won't let me post.

what to read:

The Great Starvation Experiment


I'm pretty sure this book just jumped to status of all-time favorite book. And I don't even like history books. I've tried reading them, and 98.3% of the time, they bore me.

And if you don't think you can afford it, I'll buy it for you for your next birthday. Or Christmas. Whichever comes first. Because you need it. Even more than I need this:

jealousy

One of my favorite Reed family phrase is "I totally won."

Won what?

It doesn't matter. I just won. The best ex-boyfriend stories contest, the cutest baby contest, the best ice-cream chooser contest, whatever. We love to win.

Is anybody else aware that they're in a competition? No. Does it matter? Absolutely not. Because I won.

And just for the record, I totally won the best blog contest, if for no other reason than that nobody else in my family has a blog. So in typical Reed spirit, they all went out and got themselves blogs so that they could win the newest blog contest, or the bluest blog contest, or whatever competition they secretly have going with the rest of us.

So Ashley wins the most narcissistic contest. She'd really like to thank herself for being so awesome. A definite must-read.
]
The Shade wins the naivete award. So if you'd like to read about a BYU freshman who still believes that a boy who keeps her up until 3:30 am "just talking" is "only a friend" and "just being nice", this is the one for you. It's really very sweet.

And then Mom the Bomb wins the prize for the best dance moves. You should see her shake her groove thing. Whoa.

But I'm still the original. I win. So take that!

yummy

So the other day, my brother in law pulled out a bottle of breast milk that had been tucked away in the back of the fridge. The bottle that was tucked away in the back of the fridge because he had hid it there.

Um, I'm pretty sure Mabel isn't crawling through the fridge trying to steal extra breastmilk.

But no, of course she's not. He was trying to hide it from me.

No matter what angle I approach this situation, it is not flattering to me.

Lake Tahoe

having just returned from a glorious and gorgeous trip to Lake Tahoe, I thought I'd fill you in on the adventures.

What I took with me:

one hair straightener, just in case

a library, mainly because I'm easily distracted on airplanes and require at least 10 books to keep myself entertained

a new hair color, for show-off puposes

ten t-shirts, because i'm never sure which ones I'll actually feel like wearing

What I gained in Tahoe:

the kayak surfing championship, but only after Derek taught me the proper technique. So maybe I'll split the prize with him, 50/50

lots of funny stories

the knowledge that, although almost ALL OF OUR FRIENDS BAILED on us, Katie is very reliable. Thanks, pal.

a blister

three nights with very little sleep

an easy method for making the Chemistry Day T-shirt I've been wanting, stolen from Derek's Skunk shirt

Tahoe's best breakfast, involving vanilla custard strawberry waffles which tasted suspiciously like dessert

zero hot dogs. my one regret. camping without hotdogs should be illegal.

What I brought home:

one free round-trip ticket for anywhere in the continental United States I wish to visit

two sunburn stripes, one down the front of each leg

dirt. and lots of it.

plans for next year's spring break trip to Atlanta