20 things I've learned from mama.

1. When you get a bee sting, make a paste of water and baking soda and put it over the sting. You'll be smiling in no time.
2. If you feel like you only have 2 options in life then you really have no options.
3. Everything is made better with quality food.
4. How to make bread...along with many other culinary skills. I was in high school before I found out brownies could come in a box! I was shocked, I thought all brownies had to be homemade. Mama is the best chef in the world. Hands down.
5. The desire to have an orderly and clean house.
6.  Going to the movie theater is a special event--one that warrants sneaking in a root beer and Twizzlers in your purse and maybe getting a theater popcorn (if it is a really special movie).
7. A love for holidays and holiday traditions that knit our family together.
8. When you've had a crazy week in high school there isn't much that can top splitting a pretzel and a lemonade then picking out a pair of bright colored earrings from Claires.
9. To be proud of our Italian heritage.
10. There's rarely one right way to do something so go ahead and be creative.
11. The best end to your day when you're a kid is bath time while mama sits next to you telling you stories and playing songs on her penny whistle.
12. The difference between you're and your--along with numerous other grammar and writing tips that pop into my head while writing thanks to mama.
13. Life should be enjoyed and full of adventures.
14. How important it is to be giving and always look for ways to help others.
15. The importance of playing and the importance of work, but most importantly having a balance of the two.
16. To think outside of the box. Ask questions, be thoughtful, and don't be afraid of having a different answer than someone else.
17. Everyday tasks like washing dishes, weeding and chores can be fun. Make a game out of it, play music, or chat and tell stories while working.
18. That my Halloween costumes would always be the most creative because they were hand made by mama.
19. That there is no end to mama's creativity, kindness and wisdom.
20. That mamas make the bestest of friends.

Oh mama. I love you more than I will ever be able to articulate. Happy Mother's Day!

Published!

A couple weeks ago Jas was published in the Journal of Computational Economics! Mr. Jason is a smarty pants that's for sure. I'm so proud of all of his hard work--he has so many amazing ideas and skills. I love hearing about his latest research...even though I might not understanding all of it. :) Good job baby! So proud of you!

Slope Day.

We successfully survived our first Slope Day at Cornell. Just right up the road from our apartment is a big hill where there's a concert for Cornellians on the last day of classes each year. This year's line up was Neon Trees and Taio Cruz. Jas and I were a little in shock because it was such a different atmosphere from our undergraduate experience at BYU. There were EMTs surrounding the place helping students who had passed out from drinking too much. Hmm, not sure if that's the best way to spend the day before your finals...but it was fun to listen to the bands and definitely an adventure. :)

Spring picnic.

Happy May! This past week amidst lots of studying we took a little walk down the road to Collegetown Bagels for some delish sandwiches, coconut rice pudding and relaxing in the sun. It was a much needed break. There's been lots of studying in the Cook house lately, Jas for his qualifier exams and I'm studying for the GRE. So we may be going a little crazy...but just one month left! And then summmmmer. We got this. :)

Easter!

Happy Easter! Almost a month ago...better late than never? Before Easter we were explaining the holiday to a couple of our friends from a different country. It's a holiday where we celebrate Christ's resurrection....with bunnies and eggs? And candy in baskets? And we hide eggs and try to find them? Oh dear. Some of our holiday traditions aren't super related to the main point I guess, but we still love it. I love having my fingers multicolored for weeks after dyeing eggs, eating yummy Easter goodies, and sharing the day with friends making lots of yummy food. Of course we are most thankful for the reason why we have this holiday, Christ. And the reminder that we can all have new beginnings in areas of our lives that we want to improve.

 

Jas won the chicatta egg game with this very egg. And his skills of course.

General Conference.

A few weeks ago Jas and I were chatting with a friend about why we have prophets today. Since then I've been thinking a lot about it--why do we need prophets?

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Mormons) we believe that Christ's church was restored again to the earth in our modern day. And we were given living prophets and apostles to guide, comfort, and teach all of us. We get to hear from them at General Conference, a meeting twice a year where leaders of our church speak to us. Most of the time these talks are simple reminders of how we can improve to be better people. And let's be honest...definitely sign me up for that one, I've got a lot of work to go.

This past conference was no different as we listened to great men and women and you can find all of the talks here. Some of my favorites taught about how to avoid comparing ourselves to others and how to obtain revelation and inspiration in our personal lives another on how to become more forgiving of ourselves and others and a fabulous talk on an important aspect of parenting-- how to prepare and encourage children to use agency and make their own decisions. If you're curious about what General Conference is about start with this message from Thomas S. Monson, our prophet today.

I'm thankful for living prophets today. Parts of life can be overwhelming, challenging, and sometimes a bummer--but we don't have to do it on our own. Prophets are on the earth today to share messages from God with us, so we can learn how to pattern our lives and become the best people we can be.

Old pic.

This week my sister sent me a picture of us when we were little. I love it. Nora looks so relaxed and beautiful holding her crab shell and I'm freaking out. Ha. Love you Norrie-oreo.