frustrating? yes.

So this blog post is just a rant. I thought if I typed it I wouldn't be so frustrated. Don't feel obligated to read this long, detailed story.

So I am currently on hold on the telephone. This gives me a couple minutes to blog about what it has taken me to get to this point to talk to an actual person and accomplish my task. Goal: reserve a public pool for an upcoming ward party. Simple task, yes? Or at least you'd think it would be simple. But no. I look up the pool online and it gives me a number to call to reserve the pool for a group party. I dial the number. One of those recorded messages comes on with about 8 different options (you know, like: "For information on ____, press 1." and so on and so forth). I patiently wait for my option to pop up, but it doesn't. Finally at the end it says, "For information on (the pool I needed), please hang up and dial ___-___-___." So what do I do? I dial this new number. This time there is another recorded message, but instead of options, it's just a LONG message giving every little detail about this pool. Finally at the END of the message it says, "To reserve a group party, please hang up and dial...(the FIRST number I tried).

I hang up and ponder what to do next. Not really having any other options, I called the first number again, listened to the whole message AGAIN hoping I missed something the first time. Nope. Hmmm...so I tried the 2nd number again. This time I felt like an idiot. You know those things that says, "How do you keep an idiot entertained for hours? Turn this over." (Turn over.) "How do you keep an idiot entertained for hours? Turn this over." Yeah I felt like that.

After I was sure I hadn't missed any options to talk to a real person, I called the FIRST number AGAIN and just tried pushing numbers that were about other things, hoping to talk to a real person who could redirect my call. Any real people to talk to? No. Only voicemail. So I googled "group parties" with the name of the pool and a THIRD number popped up. So I called it and I could put on hold. So then I started typing this. Since then, I talked to a real person! But, this person told me the other person who could REALLY help me with what I wanted is unavailable...so she will call me back. Yup that's the whole story. Super annoying.

The upside? I now know just about everything about this public pool. If your child is not potty-trained, you MUST purchase a swim diaper for him/her for $1. This was made very clear on BOTH messages. I even know how much money you will save if you purchase a punch card. So at least the last 10 minutes weren't a total waste, right?

4-year-old Liz

So you thought this would be a post about me when I looked like this (I'm in the purple and Abby's the darling one in pink)...

...but it's actually a post about 25-year-old me that hasn't progressed since age 4. Let me explain: I cannot eat without spilling on myself. This is not an exaggeration. One time I was on a date with a cute guy and he bought me JDawgs for lunch (famous hot dog place in Provo that has a special secret sauce). I thought the date was going well...good conversation, etc...until my date paused mid-sentence, grabbed a napkin, and wiped some special sauce off my forehead. Embarrassing. He never asked me out again. The reason I'm writing about this now is to document something funny Ryan said to me last night at Hires Big H. We went to dinner there for Annie's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNIE!) last night and it blew my mind how many times I spilled on my pants. White pants. Bad idea for Liz to own white pants. By the end of the night, I had like 5 fry sauce stains, 1 stain from the fudge sundae Annie got for free, and 1 stain from the avocado that wasn't supposed to be on my burger. It was disgusting. Ryan's comment: "You can always tell what Liz ate...just look at her pants!" Embarrassing.

economics for dummies like liz

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/07/18/156928675/episode-387-the-no-brainer-economic-platform#commentBlock

This podcast was fascinating to me! I am in NO way an economist and am still trying to get educated on things, but I felt like this helped me better understand the consequences of taxes, deductions, etc. a little better. In this episode, they gathered a panel of well-renowned economists of differing political persuasions to agree on 6 proposals for an economic platform...but then they drive home the point that no candidate would EVER get elected if they proposed to do these things.  (It's pretty entertaining when they have a fake candidate make a fake speech proposing them, love it.) Anyway, I have mixed feelings about a couple of them, but overall it made me think about our role as the people. We criticize the government and go on and on about how we need to improve the economy, yet many times politicians sidestep critical issues because they're worried about losing OUR votes. I'm not sure how we would fix it, but just enjoyed thinking about it this morning as I washed dishes in the lab! :)

cat dissection?

So I'm having one of those days where you realize there IS going to be life after grad school and that perhaps you should think of future plans just a LITTLE bit. So I was searching for faculty position openings around the country to get an idea of what's out there. I found one that looked pretty interesting, and I was reading the qualifications to see if I am, in fact, qualified. You know how it goes: "PhD in life sciences...CHECK...teaching experience...CHECK...well-versed in the biological sciences....CHECK...(and just when you're starting to feel really good about yourself, 'man I could actually get a job!!')...experience with cat dissection...WHAT THE?? CAT DISSECTION??" Yup, interesting field I am in isn't it? Let's just say I have ZERO experience dissecting cats.

"savor even the seemingly ordinary times..."

"Patience helps us to use, rather than to protest, these seeming flat periods of life, becoming filled with quiet wonder over the past and with anticipation for that which may lie ahead, instead of demeaning the particular flatness through which we may be passing at the time. We should savor even the seemingly ordinary times, for life cannot be made up all of kettledrums and crashing cymbals. There must be some flutes and violins. Living cannot be all crescendo; there must be some dynamic contrast."

- Neal A. Maxwell


I feel like I am always happy after quiet Liz time...pondering does that to me. :) Tonight I am "filled with quiet wonder over the past and ... anticipation for that which may lie ahead."

haven't had a nerdy post for a while...

Well, we just submitted this baby for publication! I started working on this one a little over a year ago...so it feels good to get it done and off! It will be my second paper as the first author (in the science world, first author = legit). They are both in review right now, so here's hoping they get accepted!

Role of Membrane Oxidation in Controlling the Activity of Human Group IIa Secretory Phospholipase A2 toward Apoptotic Lymphoma Cells

Elizabeth Gibbons, Jennifer Nelson, Lynn Anderson, Kelly Brewer, Stephanie Melchor, Allan M. Judd, John D. Bell

On a less nerdy note, I will be running a half marathon in 17 hours and 10 min! An old injury flared up after my 10 mile run on Tuesday, so I might be super slow tomorrow. We'll see...wish me luck :)

Ward Friends!

I was just thinking recently about how much I love my ward. It feels like home. These people have become dear to me. They've made the summer fabulous so far...

BEST HOMETEACHER AWARD:

LASER TAG:

 WARD ACTIVITIES:

DRESSING UP AND RACING GO KARTS:

CHALK ART FESTIVAL AT GATEWAY:

 FOUR WHEELING:

WARD SOFTBALL:

THE SOLAR ECLIPSE:

LATE NIGHT WALMART ADVENTURES:

LAZY DAYS IN THE PARK:

...and let's not forget saturday night...when Tracy and I got sucked into helping Jay, Rich, and Dan try to beat the Emperor on super nintendo star wars in Tracy's fort. I got close! :)

Blessed!

BEAR LAKE!

A couple weekends ago, I got to go to Bear Lake with William, Mitch, and Alyssa. William's extended family owns a bunch of cabins on the lake and as long as I can remember (since I've known him since 1st grade), he's gone there a lot every summer. I've always been super jealous so finally I convinced him to bring me along! Mitch flew in from Seattle for the occasion and brought Alyssa along...a good choice since she was so fun.

I got up early the first morning to take a run...man if I got to run along a lake every day I'd be a lot more motivated :)

We partied on the wave runners...

including a crazy adventure going across the lake for raspberry milkshakes. We decided to beach the waverunners in this muddy area...let's just say we were up to our knees in who knows what that smelled like you know what. Good good times :)


We were super hardcore on the four wheelers...

which is why we got so dirty...

We even found the bridge to terabithia!

And let's not forget all the times Alyssa and I read, suntanned on the beach, or watched "Princess Bride"while Mitch and William got all the toys ready to go. Being a girl has its perks. :) It was a much needed relaxing weekend with good friends!

grateful for family...

This summer, it's been fun to spend a lot of time with family! With the parents in Russia, the Bosters in Texas, and Josh in Mexico... Annie, Abby, Ryan, and I have gotten to hang out a lot! Ryan is such a champ to be the only guy most of the time haha. Some of our recent adventures include...

the CHEESECAKE FACTORY at city creek to celebrate abby's 23rd birthday!

i won 6 tickets to a country concert at the WESTERNER (aka a cowboy bar...good times) so i took the sibs, megan, and my friend darrell. the best part was ordering 2 orders of fries and 6 waters :) oh and playing pool was pretty legit too. ryan fit right in:

lots of random hangouts with annie! this one is from the night she came to a BASEBALL GAME with me to see a friend from my mission play... 

just last friday, annie came to provo to sleep over. we watched SMALLVILLE (our fav) with the shawcrofts while i made cream puffs for a bridal shower the next day. my first try was an epic fail (see top panel). luckily i had ryan, abby, and annie to help me get it right. turns out the words "rolling boil" are imperative. i was pretty proud of try #2 :)

it's also been a blast to see extended family recently! they are all so sweet to us with my parents off in siberia.

CAFE RIO with suzi when she was in town!

we also had a sweet visit with grandma and grandpa gibbons afterwards!

i'm sad i didn't get a picture last night of our party with the glenns at alta ridge! luckily it will be a fast sunday tradition, so i'll get a picture next time :) speaking of the glenns, it was a blast to hang out with them on andrew and haley's wedding day!