owl on books

So. It's been a while. After classes the last semester, I worked fervently on getting the exhibit ready for opening on April 22. We were working until about an hour before it opened on finishing everything, and we managed to get it pretty well done. Not that many people came, which was actually a little disappointing (only people who work at the museum and their family/friends came). But whatever. My mom, Megan, Nathan, Eric, Eric's mom, his grandma and her husband, and my grandparents all came. That was kind of fun. A few pictures:

The case I worked on

The day after the exhibit opened, Eric had to go up to Salt Lake for a conference for his work from Wednesday til Saturday. He helped lots of people with their systems...at least I guess that's what he was doing. I wasn't there. I went up and stayed with him on Friday night, and there was a Sleep Number bed. Eric liked it, but I didn't really. Then on Saturday, I drove to Denver with my boss and a few other girls I work with for the American Association of Museums' annual conference. It was really good. I loved most of the sessions I went to, which basically gave insight into all different aspects of working in the museum profession. I especially loved one called "Stories are Serious Business," which talked about this program that this cooperation of museums was doing where Native Americans tell stories of their heritage in association with exhibits to help visitors better understand the collections.

After the sessions were over every day, we were able to walk around downtown in Denver and eat dinner. On Monday, we went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for this dinner thing and to walk around and see the exhibits. I had a headache all night, so it probably wasn't as fun as it could have been, but it was ok. Tuesday we went to this Japanese place (kind of like an upscale Panda Express) called Tokyo Joe's, and on Wednesday the museum paid for us to go out to dinner at this Mexican place called Croc's. Yummy food.

The blue bear looking inside the Denver conference center ("I see what you mean")

Dancing people sculpture outside the conference center

At the capitol building - the mile high marker!

A neat sculpture thing outside the Denver Art Museum. It was all about grievances of the U.S. against Native Americans, and includes all sorts of events (AIM movement, Dawes Act, etc.)

After dinner, downtown on the 16th street mall

Yesterday Eric and I went up to Ikea in Draper and got a new bookcase! Now I can actually fit all of my books on one place...without them being strewn all over the living room. It's a pretty color. I love it!

Waiting in line for Iron Man. We were about the 30th people in line, and we got snacks to hold us over while we waited...

Eric wants me to mention that last night, on our way from getting gelato to going to the movie theater to see Iron Man (which was awesome), we saw this guy in a fat sumo wrestler suit riding a longboard down the street. It was so weird...and really hilarious. We tried to get a picture, but he skated away too fast. Surprising for a guy in a sumo suit.

finally!

Eric and I are both finally done with all our finals and papers and tests etc. etc. for this semester!! This only comes after about a week of staying up way later than we should to work on papers and study for tests...but it's finally over. At least for a while anyway. Tomorrow is the exhibit opening, and I'm so ready to be done with it. I hope it turns out well. Everyone will have to go visit the museum and let me know what you think.

Mom is up in Provo right now, and I'm pretty sure that as a result I have not eaten a meal at home since about last Thursday. Wow. Eric's parents took us out to dinner at Applebee's tonight for my birthday (which is tomorrow), Megan and me and Mom went to Tucano's for lunch today and Old Spaghetti Factory for lunch on Saturday, and Eric and I had Cafe Rio for dinner on both Thursday and Friday. We need to settle down. I don't know what I'm going to do without Cafe Rio when we move away from Provo...hopefully by that time it will have expanded to wherever we go.

Eric's going to be up in Salt Lake for pretty much the rest of the week for a conference for his work, and then I'm off to a conference in Denver pretty much all next week. So we won't be seeing each other very much. Sad. Oh well. It's only a week and a half. But I'm kind of excited to go to Denver, I've never been there before. I'm going with 3 other girls I work with at the museum, one of whom is from Denver and is going to "show us the ropes." I really hate that phrase - what does it even mean? Anyone?

every other post seems to be about cats

And this is true anyway.


More about our real lives later, when we're less busy, I promise.

paris might be a dog

Not only does she lick everybody who comes her way, she also plays fetch.




Oh, and our bikes came! Eric's still working on them (especially his, there were a couple of things wrong with it), but I'll post pictures of them and us riding them (of course) as soon as they're ready. Happy Saturday!

happy april!

I'm so glad it's finally April. That means spring, and then summer! Although it actually snowed on Sunday for some reason and ruined my dreams just as it was warming up. Boo. We were feeling extra spring-y on Saturday (right before the snow...) and decided to go to the botany pond at BYU and feed the ducks before going to Cafe Rio for dinner. It was quite the adventure. Those ducks are really tame, which isn't all that surprising since people always come here to feed the ducks...and have their special couple time on the benches. But there were so many! Ducks that is, not couples. There were some (especially the big ones that might have been geese...or just fat) that would eat the bread right out of our hands...which was cool but a little bit scary. Those things have huge beaks, and it seems like they have teeth too. Yikes.

This one was my favorite. It was also a greedy little pig.

An example of a scary goose/duck and how they would fly up to eat the bread out of our hands.

The pictures of ourselves are always separate because we don't have anyone to take pictures for us, and we sure weren't about to ask a cuddly couple to do it for us.

Anyway, so this weekend is General Conference. As such, Eric has not one but TWO mission reunions on Friday night! He's pretty excited. I guess I am too, but I wasn't in Iowa with these people for two years, so I'll probably just stand by the food table a lot. Eric's excited he gets to see all his old mission buddies though.

Let's see, other good news...I made spinach quiche last night and it was yummy, and my bike is supposed to get here tomorrow! We'll see if it actually does or not. Oh, and the old exhibit is coming down this Friday! That means we're getting so much closer to installing and opening the new kachina exhibit...ahhhh!!!

happy cats

Yesterday I had to volunteer for a couple of hours at BYU's Harold Cedartree Memorial Powwow. It was actually pretty cool. I helped for an hour or so serving food (Navajo tacos!) and then tried to help tally dancers during the Grand Entry (when all the dancers come into the ballroom and are introduced), but it didn't really work. So instead, me and a couple of girls from my class sat and watched a couple of the dances, and it was really interesting to watch. The "Tiny Tots" division was super cute - a bunch of under-six kids doing traditional Indian dancing. I had fun. After a little while, Eric came to pick me up, and we got some of those Navajo tacos, which were pretty good. A little expensive, but pretty good anyway. I figure it's not really a problem paying $5 per taco if it's for a fundraiser.


We had decided a little while ago that we were going to buy bikes with that money the government is giving out, and a couple of days ago we decided to check out some used bikes on Ebay. We both found ones we liked, and WE BOUGHT THEM!! I'm really excited. I haven't had a bike since I fell off of mine the summer before seventh grade and broke my wrist. Hm. Hopefully that doesn't happen again. I'm going to need lots of practice. Eric's also really excited. He's been planning out all the places we're going to go camping this summer, and I having bikes will give us something to do besides just hike and sleep. So, yay. Hopefully they come soon. I can't wait!
Oh, and here's a funny picture of the cats we took about a week ago. They're so weird. They used to have a box that they would hide in, but it broke and so now they just cram themselves into the corner of the hallway and sometimes fall asleep there.

a litle change

Oh, and in honor of spring attempting to spring, because the spring equinox is tomorrow, and mostly because I just can't wait for spring/summer, I changed our little name picture. That picture was technically taken in August, but wildflowers remind me of spring and other happy things. Enjoy.

top o' the morning to ya

I guess it isn't even morning right now, and I guess that's kind of a silly title, but it was St. Patrick's Day yesterday and I was reveling in my Irish-ness. Or what I claim to be my Irish-ness. Neither Eric nor I wore green yesterday to work/school (actually, I took a green scarf with me but didn't wear it all day) and felt rather unfestive. So before we went over to Megan and Jared's for dinner, we both changed into our greenest shirts.


Much to our dismay, however, no one in the Swinford house wore green. No one. But at least we were prepared for the holiday! We had corned beef and cabbage with potatoes (which we think is delicious - Jared would beg to differ) and looked at a few pictures of Ireland that I had gathered off the internet before going over to their house. The pictures are mostly of Gorey, County Wexford, which is where the Butler side of my family comes from. It's a pretty place near the coast and Dublin. I should go there someday. I also tried to do a little research on the name "Mooney" and came up with a website claiming that it was first recorded in County Offaly some time a long time ago. Fair enough for me. So I got pictures of the tartans of both Wexford and Offaly, as well as a few more pictures from Offaly. Here are a few of my favorites:

This is an old workhouse in Gorey. I don't think it has anything to do with anything, but it's cute I guess and I like it and this is my blog anyway.


This is some place in Wexford. It's so green! We're definitely going to have to go to Ireland someday. Someday soon. Eric, are you listening?

This is in Offaly somewhere. I can't tell if those are rocks or ruins on top of that teensy hill, but either way, it's a pretty picture.

Anyway, I like to pretend I'm Irish. Maybe I can convince Eric we need to visit the land of our ancestors. Maybe. Alright. Everyone enjoy your week, and hopefully something fun will happen!