Haircut

So I did something kind of crazy--well, crazy in my view of things. I chopped my hair off, about 4 or 5 inches and now have a sort of layered bob. My hair is more often than not unruly and sort of a interesting mix of wavy, curly, frizzy, poofball style, so I am hoping that having less hair to fix will help with that problem. I am still trying to figure out what to do and how to style it. It will likely be a process of trial and error. This picture is my attempt to tame the mane.

Alissa visits Charlotte

Now it's my turn to go on a roadtrip! I rented a car and drove up to Charlotte on Friday July 18 to visit Ruth (arrived late in the evening). We spent the weekend at her branch president's house and were blessed by their generous hospitality. Saturday was full of all sorts of fun activities. We had authentic Mexican tacos from a little mobile vendor that we ate in a park near Ruth's work (asada, barbacoa, lengua, etc). She gave me a tour of her office and then we got ice cream from a shop just down the street called the Elizabeth Creamery--all flavors are made homemade everyday. There are a lot of references to royalty in the city (The Queen City, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Queens College, etc.), in honor of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenberg who had become queen consort to King George III the year before the city's founding. The locals hoped to gain the favor of the crown by honoring Queen Charlotte in this way. Charlotte is also a major U.S. financial center and home to Bank of America and Wachovia.

We visited an open air farmer's market with fruits, vegetables, baked goods, bottled products, fresh flowers, and arts & crafts. Ruth and I had planned a Sunday picnic so we purchased a variety of foods to snack on. She also bought several bouquets of fresh flowers as gifts for friends she has made here; we were little elves and delivered them secretly. Afterward, we went to the Lowe's Motor Speedway, which is amazingly enormous! The visitor's center was already closed, but we found an open gate and slipped in just to see the track. For dinner we had Eastern North Carolina BBQ (vinegar base instead of tomato base) at a place called Bubba's.

Sunday after church we visited the gardens and greenhouses at UNC-Charlotte and had a picnic in a little gazebo. They had a great display of pitcher plants and orchids and a beautiful Tibochina in full bloom. Another great weekend!

Ruth visits Atlanta

Over the weekend of June 13-15, my great friend and previous BYU roommate Ruth came to visit me in Atlanta. She had an internship at a law firm in Charlotte, North Carolina for the summer and was able to come down (about 3.5-4 hour drive). She arrived Friday evening and we ended up talking until the wee hours of the morning! Saturday was quite a full day. The day started with going to get pedicures--a first for both of us. My favorite part was the foot massage in a spa-like tub, which was quite relaxing. Then we visited the Atlanta Temple grounds where the flower beds are looking their best right now. As the summer goes on they have a tendency to get rather wild, but in mid June they are at that picture perfect stage--yea! We went to lunch at a little American continental bistro place called Fresh to Order (F2O) in Sandy Springs. Most of the rest of the day was spent at the Georgia Aquarium, which is a fairly new feature to the Atlanta touristy scene and one of the biggest in the world. We played with starfish and sea urchins, pet sharks, watched whales, and stingrays, and otters, and sea lions...and had a great time acting like kids! To finish off our day we went to a fabulous Cajun seafood restaurant called Pappadeux. Ruth was feeling rather adventuresome and ordered froglegs & fried alligator; I was much more conservative and just ordered gumbo and a greek salad. And of course, we HAD to order dessert--true southern fare: banana pudding and sweet potato-pecan pie. Yum! Ruth was able to stay and attend my ward (Northpoint) where she ran into someone she knows from her law school program! She left early Monday morning at the same time I left for work at the temple. What a wonderful weekend!

Yellow Rose Memories

I talked to Mom on Sunday about Grandma Hoke's memorial service, which I was not able to attend. As part of the service each person who felt comfortable doing so could share a good memory of her and then place a yellow rose (her favorite flower) on the stand. I want to record here some of my yellow rose memories.

One consistently memorable thing I remember about her is that in any letter or birthday card she sent she always began it, "Hi sweetie..." I have always liked pet names or nicknames, and even though they may be generic, they are still endearing titles of affection. Perhaps all the grandchildren were greeted with this same title; it doesn't diminish its significance for me.

On my eighth birthday I received a package from Grandma Hoke. I still remember the hot run out to the mailbox in bare feet to find it. She recognized it was a important milestone for me, though she may not have understood all the reasons. She sent me a little Precious Moments plush doll with a birthday cake in her hands and a card wishing me the best on my "special day."

At BYU one birthday, (sophomore year perhaps?) she send me some fancy custom-made cookies shaped and decorated like flowers. On another birthday she sent a collection of soup and muffin mixes.

Our Christmases in the recent past have been fun because of the thoughtful gifts Grandma sent. One year all the girls received different types of animal slippers (monkey, pig, elephant, kitten...etc.) Another year all the girls received pajamas.

Grandma supported me in my achievements even though we rarely ever lived near enough to make her visits very convenient. She came to Iowa to attend my high school graduation and we took old fashioned vintage pictures just for fun (Grandma, mom, Emily, and me). She also attended my college graduation and gave me a beautiful cross-stitched and custom framed design commemorating my achievement. Her gift hangs on my wall in the front room of my apartment.

In January of 2000 I went up to visit her over a long weekend while at BYU and recorded her life history. How grateful I am that I did that! It has since been transcribed and distributed and though not terribly detailed, is a record, nonetheless, and a blessing to have.

Though the last years of her life were often discouraging and painful, they served to help bring together my mom, my aunts, and my grandma. I am grateful that her cancer provided that opportunity for their relationship to be rebuilt.

Home Sweet Home

Happy day! I was home with my family in late June and it turned out to be just the girls and mom and dad. A girls weekend usually means much silliness--like dance parties and Jane Austen-ing, but we also enjoyed the gardens at Temple Square, lunch at the Lion House, an IMAX about the Alps, and some gallabanting about the planetarium. Lauren gave me an update on her recent artwork projects, which were, as usual, most impressive. Dad is working on some marketing for agave nectar and we used the free samples in a bread recipe--it turned out great! We had a free dinner at Chipotle--a happy accident, and I stocked up on quinoa (25 pounds of it!). At the end of the week we drove to Boise to visit extended family on both sides.
In Boise Grandpa shared with us some of his own homemade grape juice, made from the grapes that he grows in his own back yard! This is pretty impressive for an almost 87-year old! Aunt Susanne was, as usual, all generosity with her food and good company. The main reason we went, though, was to see Grandma in the hospital. In accordance with Haslam tradition, before we left, Dad gave her a back massage and Lauren and I each took a foot and plenty of lotion and massaged her feet. She loved it! Good memories.