Yet Another Baby Name Post

*DISCLAIMER*

Still not pregnant. Still not trying. Still not close.

But like any other normal female, I've had a list of baby names I like since circa age 10.

And since The Beard and I rarely agree on stuff and fight about pretty much everything (like music, for instance), I thought it prudent to talk about baby names early so we can work up to a good list and fight less when we actually have to name a tiny human. That's extreme, you say?

"You act like you get any say! You're gonna be KO'ed on the table and I'm gonna be the one filling out the birth certificate! And even then, I'LL be the one blessing it in sacrament. I can just change it on the spot and those are the records of THE CHURCH!" - The Beard.

Sunday School is usually the time we work on our list of potential baby names that we like. See if you can guess who chose which names.

On "Stealing" Baby Names - the only people who can truly "steal" baby names that will affect you in the long run are your siblings.  So talk with them if you're worried and GET OVER IT.

Boys

• Reepicheep
• Jacoby (Obi Wan Jacoby, to be precise)
• Jonah
• Boromir
• Dwight (80% kidding)
• Walter 
• Aslan
• Porter
• Apollo (already taken by our fake baby)
• Ender
• Samuel/Samwise

Girls

• Leila (or Layla, according to The Beard. psh. no.)
• Josie
• Arwen
• Lucy
• Leia
• Blair (headbands required)
• Alice
• Norah
• Eowyn (He insisted I add this one even though I don't have the special 'E' character)
• Amelia

Twins

• Merry & Pippin
• Fred & George
• Luke & Leia (weird, though, because they kiss...)
• Blair & Serena
• Peter & Edmund
• Stevie & Nick (get it??) 

 I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed by the number of LOTR, Star Wars and Narnia names on this list. No, I'm not. I'm pretty excited about it.

Although I don't know how we'll narrow it down or how I'll keep The Beard from naming our kids after Narnian animals.

I Can't Believe I'm Defending Twilight

I recently wrote about The Beard and I fighting over music. Another argument we often have, more good-naturedly (?) than our music arguments, is about our favorite series - LOTR for The Beard and obvs Harry Potter for me. Neither of us have read the other's favorite series, but we have watched the movies several times and enjoy it.

{I DID read The Hobbit and liked it, and I've tried to read LOTR like 10x but I just can't get past Rivendell. One day. One day. And The Beard and I have listened to 1-4.5 of the HP audiobooks on drives to St. George. Compromise}

Our arguments are usually just joking - "Harry Potter has more applicable and meaningful life & moral lessons. They aren't just kids books. They are adult books that also can be for kids. You learn something new about them and YOURSELF every time you read them!!!!" vs. "LOTR is an allegory and it's just so deep and noble and blah blah" I don't really listen that closely because at that point I'm usually crying about Dobby the second I hear the word "noble."

We usually never even talk about Twilight, because why? The Beard, like all men, hates Twilight. This Oatmeal video accurately sums up his ideas.


Last night we started arguing about it, even though I don't feel that strongly about them. Did I like Twilight? Not really. I enjoyed the first book and hated each one more and more after that. Are they groundbreaking? No. Should they define our generation? Hell no. But would I stop my children from reading them? Absolutely not. And here's why.

"These books are pointless and STUPID."

Yeah, so? If kids are excited about reading something that isn't 50 Shades of Gray or Halo cheat codes, we should be psyched about that. It's not Shakespeare. But it's something. Just read.

"It is PORNOGRAPHY for WOMEN."

Really? REALLY? Is it? It encourages waiting until marriage for intimacy and its pretty low-key when intimacy is involved. Sure, it's charged and emotional. But it is NOT pornography. You know what IS pornography for women? Trashy romance novels with half naked women and shirtless men on the covers that explicitly describes sexual encounters. Shut your stupid mouth you idiot.

Which brings me to my strongest, most angry argument.

"It just gives girls unreasonable expectations!"

I'm sorry - do you think they expect handsome vampires to show up and fall in love with them? Oh you think that the RELATIONSHIP is unreasonable, I see. Which part? The part where the man respects the woman? The part where the man protects the woman? The part where the man doesn't push a physical relationship? The part where the man is unselfish and puts the woman first?

Yes, Bella is worthless. Yes, Edward's dedication, selflessness and perfection is unrealistic.

I believe that if we're going to rank fictional characters to model our ideal men after we should DEFINITELY be going for a Neville Longbottom over an Edward Cullen. 

But if there's something that attracts females to these books that they can learn from, it's certainly the idea that women should expect respect and care from a male suitor. I see so many girls - students, friends, acquaintances, randoms in a restaurant - with complete DOUCHEBAGS that treat them TERRIBLY.

If all we take away from Twilight is that love should be happy, mutual, selfless and safe - then that's a lesson plenty of women in this world need to learn.

But make sure you read all the Harry Potters first. They have better lessons. And I hear LOTR has some good lessons too. :)

Why I'm Not a Hipster Reason #274

Actual Conversation Yesterday:

The Beard shows me this picture/caption of Ron & Hermione-

"When two people are in love with each other but are too shy to admit it, although they still show it."

"Awwwwww cute right?!!!" - Beard

{He always expects like extra credit for showing me HP stuff. It shouldn't be extra. He should be just as obsessed with it as I am.}

"Awwww! Wait. Wait...... that's what skinny love means?" - me

"Yeah. Like when you like each other but don't say it and it's like fragile you know?" - Beard

{Also he kind of IS a hipster and loves this song and Bon Iver.}

"Ohhhhh..... I just thought it was like his girlfriend was really tiny or whatever." - me.

"Oh my...! Are you serious?!" - Beard *Embarrassed shock and laughter*

In case you aren't familiar with the song, here it is. I think I'm justified in thinking he's singing about his girlfriend. I never "get" the "deep, intellectual, symbolic" meanings of folk/hipster music.

The Beard has written one song about me and I hate it because it sounds so sad and depressing.
"No it's a beautiful love song! It's deep."
Sure it is. Sure.
Maybe I just want a love song that is pretty straightforward and awesome like this, then. Will you give it a try, Beard?
Sorry, this is my new favorite song. Yes, I'm embarrassed. No, I'm never going to stop loving it.

Goodbyes Are Such B*tches, You Guys.

I don't know who decided to fill my dream summer with bittersweet moments, but it wasn't me. And don't start into the whole "You can't have the bitter without the sweet." I know. I get it. But still. I spent a decent amount of my summer saying goodbye to things I loved.

First, The Office. Well, The Office as it should be. I WILL still be following The Office this fall, without Michael Scott. But we all know it will never be the same. Laugh all you want at Little Miss Danica, but The Office means a lot to me. It defined me during formative years. It nails my humor in a singular way. There have been times when I've felt lost, discouraged, depressed, and the only prescription that seemed to work was the friendly Jim/Dwight rivalry, a handful of ignorant Michael Scott comments, a dash of wacky Creed, and general Office camaraderie.

The clock just would not stop ticking as the "Goodbye Michael" episode neared. I didn't even want to watch it. I felt like a part of me would die or be lost. The Office without Michael is like chips with no salsa. Coke with no Diet. Danica with no Beard. OBVIOUSLY I was gonna watch it. But I was scared. Especially to watch it with The Beard. I knew I'd be emotional. And I've never really been a crier. But it was inevitable. The Beard would have to see that side of me sooner or later.

Well, it was sooner. I fell to pieces. Absolutely fell apart. Ryan's white tee sleeve was streaked with mascara. I couldn't believe it was happening. The moment between Jim and Michael melted my heart completely. The years of frustration and anger dissolved in the cathartic goodbye that wasn't. They did a fantastic job. It was hard, but it was time. I said goodbye.

Then it was goodbye to the LAO. No need to dwell on that. It's all been said and done.

When a student is struggling with a concept, the recommendation is to increase the FIT.

Frequency

Intensity

Time

I practiced my crying by increasing all three of these during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2. It didn't stop. My head was throbbing. The Beard watched with me and concealed his embarrassment. That's why I love him. It was really hard to say goodbye to Harry Potter. Again, something I've loved since I was probably 11. Harry Potter is amazing. J.K. Rowling saved books. Twilight is ridiculous (although I read them), Hunger Games are pretty awesome, and there are other respectable options for young adult and universally appealing fiction. But I think I'm right in saying nothing will touch Harry Potter. Ever, probs. I love to reread them. The movies got better and better. The geek humor of following Harry Potter religiously is incredibly endearing. Thank you, J.K. Rowling. Thank you Harry Potter.

Finally, I said goodbye to my last name. Danica Budge had such a nice ring to it. That's been my name. It's everywhere. Email, Twitter, all kinds of social media, all my online shopping accounts (which are numerous, I assure you). Social Security was a bit of a hassle. Changing my information with Nebo School District took a while. I still haven't even dealt with BYU. It's still a little weird when I habitually sign my name "Danica Budge." Have 200 kids call me "Mrs. Holdaway!" or "Mrs. HALDaway!" all day has helped with the tradition.

But you know what? I love being a Holdaway. I didn't shed a tear over that one. I've joined another family that I'm so proud to be a part of. I like to label myself as The Beard's by taking his name. It's an indication of our new little family. I'll always be a Budge. But now I'm a Holdaway. And it feels great.

How to Parallel Park a Bookcart: A Secretary's Tale

Three years ago, I was a newly-graduated 18 year old, full of hope and excitement for the opportunities lying ahead of me at BYU. I decided I wanted to be more of an adult. More independent. More grown up. I decided to move out and to start applying for part-time jobs, even at the behest of my parents. I was lucky enough to get 10 or 12 interviews for jobs on campus, but nothing seemed to pan out. I was a freshman. No one will hire a freshman for a demanding secretary or receptionist position, which was exactly what I wanted. (Knowing my addiction to The Office, you can hardly be surprised.)

I still remember my interview at the LAO. I remember standing in the atrium, waiting in the chairs by the front desk, the interview with Wendy & Dave, and walking to my car thinking "Well, there's goes another interview with people who just classify me as a naive freshman." I was sitting in my room days later when Wendy called to offer me the job. I was absolutely pumped. I knew my prayers were being answered and that this job was going to be very important to who I became at BYU. And I was right.

I began at the bottom of the totem pole. I worked with Cody & Dave, both married seniors who had worked in the LAO for quite a while. From them I learned how to be professional. How to relate to adults in a work environment. How to use Google Docs and program code for Wiki sites. The best tips and tricks for the Testing Center, bookstore, and campus in general. Because of them and this job, I never felt like a true freshman. Because of them I was ahead of the campus curve. Thanks guys.

After Cody and Dave left the following April, I became #1. It is a coveted position. The AUL's (Assistant University Librarians, the administrators in my office) began to trust me. Librarians and full-time employees began to know my name. I really started to get a hang of it. The LAO became my home away from home, and I sold my soul to it. I would miss class to help with lunches and projects. I'd stay late for conferences. I would often get in trouble for working over 20 hours a week, but everyone in my office knew I was a slave and loved it. I knew I was a goner when my friends and family would ask how the library was going every time they'd see me. Embarrassing.

Last summer when I left for Wales, I was so grateful the LAO held my job for me. It might have been a deal breaker for my study abroad if they hadn't. Being gone for 6 weeks made me realize how much my life revolved around my job. All my study abroad friends new about my job and how much I loved the library. I missed the inside jokes and even wondered about how daily tasks and small projects were going back at the office. I found myself snapping hundreds of pictures of libraries and sending them to the office.

In all honesty, the best part of my time here at the LAO has been the friendships. I have formed some of the greatest friendships of my life here in this office. People I would never have been friends with otherwise. People that have impacted my life immeasurably. People I love.

• Katie. [We bonded over Michael Scott, Cocoa Bean and Las Vegas.]
• Kami. [A co-secretary, now on a mission, that became a much-needed friend and fellow Harry Potter enthusiast for Summer and Fall 2009.]
• Aremy. [An LAO Secretary legend. She is the cutest mother and wife, and I always looked up to her.]
• Paul. [My baseball buddy back in the business office, and a Royals fan. Ouch.]
• Eliesa. [BFF, and the best little designer I know. Congrats E & B! Love you!]
• Tiffany. [One of my best friends that taught me it's ok to be a little touchy-feely. :)]
• Chris. [Started as a shy little project for me, and became one of my best friends and Zombie partner in crime.]
• Laura. [The only person who understands my Star Trek jokes.]
• Jeanette. [Mini-Me and the funniest freshman I know. Look out for this girl in the Advertising program soon. She'll change the world.]
• Cassandra. [Actually not an employee of the LAO, but we'll claim her. She's our newest little buddy and we just love her.]

I'm actually falling apart emotionally as I type this and realize just how special the camaraderie in this office is. It's even better than the great relationships I built with teams I played on. And I don't know how it happened. I'm just eternally grateful that it did. These people have changed my life and made me better, and they aren't just work friendships. We will be friends forever. I know it. Even though I'm leaving, I can't wait to come visit Katie's baby, have dinner parties with E&B, congratulate Chris on his engagement and wedding, watch Jeanette take the Advertising world by storm, and hear about all the guys that come into our office just to ask Laura out.

I became who I am because of the Library Administrative Office. The technical skills I've learned have been absolutely crucial to my academic career. The social and professional skills I've learned, I'll carry with me in my personal life and in the classroom for years to come. But the memories, the most important and most valuable, I'll have forever. Cocoa Bean. Binder assembly lines. Office parties. Lemonade and Christmas punch slushies. Office supply shows. Arrested Development quoting. Treat Monday/Tuesday. Hating on Grad Studies and random librarians. Inside jokes. And especially just the daily office time, catching up and hanging out together. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Thank you LAO. Thank you HBLL. Thank you Wendy. Thank you friends. Thank you Heavenly Father for providing me this job, this opportunity and these wonderful people to color my life.

LAO Secretary for life!

Wales: Day 12 & 13 Getting Wet in Bath

After our adventures in London, we arrived home in Cardiff around 8:15 am. Tom had cancelled the days events and left us only a movie to watch as the requirement for the day. I came in, brushed my teeth, washed my face and absolutely crashed. CRASHED. I was in bed by 8:30 am and slept until almost 6 pm. That was probably a mistake, because then I couldn't sleep until almost 2 am.

Friday we were back on schedule and ready to see more stuff. We began the day at Bradford-upon-Avon. This pretty little town features a Norman bridge and a Saxon church. They also boasted of the "Best Loo of the Year," which is quite a feat.

Next, we traveled to a little town owned entirely by the National Trust - Lacock. This town is very popular for Jane Austen and various Bronte films, as well as Harry Potter! It was very cute and quaint.





The best part of Lacock? Lacock Abbey. This building was converted to a house and added upon by the owners in the post-Cromwell era, but still retains many recognizable features of an Abbey. It's very pretty and well-kept.

The courtyard and a couple classrooms may be of some interest to some of you...

What's up, another Quidditch-conversation-scene courtyard? Oh and hello various Hogwarts classrooms. One of my friends thinks this was used as McGonagall's Transfiguration class, 1st year, but I can neither confirm nor deny that without checking for myself, which I plan to do when I get home.

I told my friends that I was going to start telling people that I was on a Harry Potter study abroad. We decided that we'd like nothing better than to get approval from the Kennedy Center to research the Harry Potter books and movies, and then plan a study abroad around those sites. As we walked out, there was a big charter van like ours that said something like "Film Tours" and Harry Potter was listed on the side. We laughed till it hurt. It was fantastic.

The main city of the day was Bath. Bath was pretty incredible. Unfortunately, it rained for most of our time there. We still enjoyed it. It's a beautiful town, and like Lacock, it's been widely used for cinema settings.

We had a lovely city walk, seeing the Royal Crescent (which apparently has some Masonic symbolism and myth. Dan Brown, you got anything yet?), several monuments and parks dedicated to or by Queen Victoria (one of my favorites) and walked through the catacombs under the cathedral! Very cool.

All over the city they have these lions that are decorated all crazy. Some are painted, some are covered in tesserae in a mosaic, this one was on top of a chocolate shop and I loved it. Made me think of my Grandma Vi! :)

Following our cohort city walk and free time (shopping....I know. I should have gone to one of the cool museums, like the Fashion Museum. My bad), we reunited with the group and took a tour through the Roman Bath. Funnily enough, the town was named after a Roman....bath. The ruins were covered and preserved remarkably well, so now there is a killer museum with tons of great displays. It was probably my favorite museum next to the British Museum, which just can't be topped.

I mean, that's an actual Roman Bath remain! How incredible is that? That's like a couple hundred years after Christ. It's amazing. Plus the museum had little 1992 cell phone-looking things that corresponded with sign numbers. You'd punch in the number, hold it to your ear and then hear a little blurb about the statue or items in the case or whatever. It was great.

Bath is a really awesome city. I enjoyed it. Even though it was raining we had a good day. And I finally got some fish and chips! Hallelujah!

Wales: Day 10 & 11 Londinium

Tuesday was spent watching another history movie and then planning our London excursions, so nothing need be said concerning that. On to more interesting things.....

LONDON! I have honestly been dying to go to London since I was like 10. I am not sure what it is, but I'm just fascinated with it. I've been looking forward to this day since we got our schedule and saw that we had a full day in London. Fantastic. Here we go.

We woke up bright and early. Our house, Penny Lane, is about a 20 minute walk to our director's and fellow student's houses which serve as our headquarters. We had to leave our apartment at about 6:15 so we'd be there in plenty of time to leave headquarters by 6:40 to walk to the train station for a 7:00 train. This train took us to Cardiff Central, where we caught the 7:30 train to London. It was a slightly cold and rainy morning, but we were all so excited that it didn't really matter. We arrived in Paddington Station at about 9:45, ready to rock.

First we visited the Museum of London as a group. Tons and tons of cool stuff. Lots of artifacts, great exhibits, and enlightening historical models. I particularly loved all the Medieval and Victorian-era fashions, like this dress. It's over 6 feet wide! Crazy, right? I sometimes wish we still dressed like that.

After the Museum of London, about 11:15 am, we were released. On our own. Like adults. I know. Ridiculous. We had all-day metro passes and heads full of excitement as we separated from our director and peers to catch the nearest tube line. I LOVE riding the tube. It was so great. I think I would love doing that every day. So easy to get around, quick, fun, efficient. It was great. We went to Kensington Gardens to begin our adventure. Here is our group, the members of which, besides myself, are fondly referred to as "The Irish" because they traveled in Ireland previous to the program. I usually hang with them, but I am friends with everyone and glad we all get along.

Kensington Gardens are really beautiful. And huge! The fountains are so pretty. I think I would kick it here a lot if I lived in London.


We got to see the Peter Pan statue, and Jessica shared with us the "legend" of Peter Pan and Bird Island, which is signified by the location of the statue.

My favorite part of the park, and, arguably, the entire day, was the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. We almost didn't go see it. I really wanted to because I loved Princess Diana. Mostly because my mom did, but still. Who didn't? We decided to check it out and I'm so glad that we did. It's this big, circular, low procession of water through rock, with varying levels and stream directions. The signs said wading was encouraged, so we kicked our shoes right off and jumped in. The cool water felt fantastic on our always-sore feet.



We were trying to take a cute group photo, but we couldn't get a good shot or someone to take it. Finally I saw a cute older gentleman passing by and asked him if he'd take our picture for us. He acted like it was a huge pain and didn't want to, but was just joking.

I said "Oh, please?!!!!"

Old Gentleman (Imagine this in an Italian [I think?] accent) - "Well, what will I get from you young ladies?"

Me - "Ummmm.... Oh! I'll give you a kiss on the cheek?"

Him - "Well! That'll be just fine. You are beautiful young ladies so I am just a lucky old man to get to help you, yes?"

So he takes the picture for us, and then as he's walking away he turns back and is like "Ok so where-a is my kiss??" And he gave me this big smile and his wife was just laughing so hard and then pulled on his arm before I could respond and he finally sighed "Oh yes. I am much too old." Haha. He was adorable.

After Kensington Gardens, we headed for the famed Portabello Road markets. The street is lined with antique and crafty little shops, and street vendors set up on the sidewalks and shoulders of the road. We browsed through little shops of handmade jewelery, antique watches and clocks, mini tea sets, cashmere sweaters, and the typical London tourist souvenir stands. It was really cool, and I found some good stuff, including the ever-appealing "I heart London" shirt. Couldn't resist.

We jumped back on the tube, this time to Harry Potter's King Cross Station to visit Platform 9 3/4. Yeah. We went out of our way to see it. Worth it! I love this picture. It looks like I'm disappearing into the wall, right? Would I ditch all you guys if I could disappear into it and get on the Hogwarts Express? You bet your owl I would.

We then walked to the British Library, which was INCREDIBLE. Ok, I'm a library geek, I know that. But seriously. This library was fantastic. I don't know how anyone could leave unimpressed. In the "Treasures" room, I literally saw things I never even dreamed of seeing. We got in trouble for trying to take pictures, so I wrote down everything so I wouldn't forget. The amazing things we saw stunned me, including but not limited to

• The Gutenberg Bible
• The Magna Carta
• The original Beowulf manuscript
• Original composition manuscripts from Handel, Mozart, Haydn and others
• Beethoven's tuning fork
• The Beatles lyrics on manuscripts including envelopes and napkins - crazy!
• Illuminated manuscripts from China, Japan, Turkey, Persia, and elsewhere
• Da Vinci's Codex Arundel
• Codex Sinaiticus - the earliest manuscript of the complete New Testament, in Greek
• And tons more.

You guys know I'm rarely found wanting words for my mouth to say. I was almost completely silent for the duration of our time in the library. I couldn't even breathe when I saw the Gutenberg Bible. It was almost moving me to tears. I felt like such an idiot, but it really was that incredible. I can't believe I'm lucky enough to do this stuff.

After the Library, we decided to check out the British Museum. This museum is much larger and way cooler. The building itself was just phenomenal.



We didn't have much time, so I really hope we get to go back on our free day in London after our final (August 11). Still, the 30 minutes we spent there were well-used. We got to see the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian sphinxes and sarcophagi (Cleopatra's!!!), Victorian jewelery, Michelangelo's sketches and much more.



One goal we had for the day was to get some legit fish and chips in London. I love fish and chips and I've been dying to get some the whole time we've been here. Unfortunately we took so long in the museum and finding our way to our next destination that we didn't have time. But it's ok. I was able to grab a hummus sandwich, which was delicious. I am loving these sandwiches on baguettes. So delicious.

Our final stop was to meet up with everyone at the Globe for a performance of Henry IV, Pt. II. We finally found the theater, ate, and queued to get good spots. We had groundling tickets. They are the standing seats right in front of the stage. They're the cheapest, but also the most fun and the best experience. It was worth standing for a few hours to feel that close and involved. The performance was really fun and we had a blast because we were literally right up against the stage. I was resting my arms and chin on the edge of the stage. Some girls in our group got fake puke on them! Awesome.


Now. The plan was to head to the tube following the play and catch a line back to Paddington station to catch our 11:30 train back to Cardiff. Suffice it to say for now that that didn't happen. It was a night the likes of which have never been seen before by my eyes, and probably won't be seen again. Absolutely fantastic. The best story ever. But it's too much for this blog post. It deserves its own blog post, and will be following shortly.

Stay tuned to hear about my midnight adventures in London.

Wales: Day 3 Cathedrals and Castles and Plays, Oh My!

Tuesday morning we hit the road bright and early to catch a variety of sites. I was still battling jet lag as best I could, but was still a little sleepy. :) First we went to a GORGEOUS cathedral - Gloucester.

Does this hall look familiar to anyone?

Oh that's right. Harry Potter 2 & 6 were filmed here. It's the outside of the Chamber of Secrets. What? My nerdiness is amusing you? Perfect.

GRYFFINDOR!!!!!!

After Gloucester, we traveled to Kenilworth Castle. Kenilworth has a rich history and is one of the largest and best preserved of the medieval castles. I am only including 1 photo because I'd like to do a blog post about Kenilworth in conjunction with Welsh romanticism once I'm caught up.

We ended up in Stratford-upon-Avon. That's right. Shakespeare's hood. I loved this little town! It's definitely catered toward tourists, but I loved it. The streets were full of cool shops and I was finally able to exchange my dollars for pounds (We were in too big of a hurry at the airport). We enjoyed delicious truffles at a famous little French shop, and then prepared for King Lear. Great show. Shakespeare never ceases to amaze (and often confuse) me. We also got to see Shakespeare's grave inside this old cathedral.

Fantastic day and a fantastic show! I'm absolutely loving the UK!