Scarecrow Hair

I realize that I'm not very hip and up with fashion, especially considering that I think most trends right now are hideous. With that said, please take my opinions that I'm about to share witha grain of salt.

I hate scarecrow hair. What is scarecrow hair? Meg Ryan frequently has scarecrow hair. It was at it's worst in Kate and Leopold, as seen here.

The straight, super angles, unable to bend hair? It looks like straw. It looks like a scarecrow.

And it is completely mind-boggling to me that people like this hairstyle. When it always looks like a scarecrow. Scarecrow, I tell you!

So, stop doing your hair like this, folks! Your hair is meant to have the ability to move, and be blown in the wind, and to be shaped nicely around your face.

It is not meant to look like straw.

Don't get me wrong, scarecrows have great qualities. Like the ability to scare away crows. Also, singing, dancing and obtaining brains. But, they are not visually appealing. And they are not generally made to look like girls anyway.

An Echo

I just want to echo Carrie's request. If you have included a link to my blog on your site, could you kindly remove any references to my last name? I know I'm not particularly good about keeping anything about my identity a secret, but I do make attempts. And I am currently making an extra effort to do so.

Also, when you leave comments if you could avoid leaving references to my maiden name and that sort of thing, that would be really great.

So Many Songs About Rainbows...

We had a bit of rain this evening. And then spectacular views after the rain.

We could see one side of the double rainbow from one window, and the other side of one of the rainbows from the other window.

Guest Post over at Janssen's

Today I have a guest post over at Janssen's blog. It's about how Janssen met her husband since I was actively involved in that story. And it's a funny story, not so much because I wrote it, but because I wrote it, and Janssen inserted her comments throughout. Mosey on over and have a look.

And, here are a few pictures of the Topless Girls (please read my post at Janssen's for an explanation of the name) just for old times' sake:

This was after our semi-annual Y-Hike. As you can see, we are all very strong and powerful after our climb to the top. That night (or thereabouts) was Priscilla's birthday, so we ate cupcakes at the top to celebrate. Also, from left to right: Sherry (me), Janssen, Heather, and Priscilla.

One time we got together and dyed our hair. It didn't make much of a change for Heather or Priscilla (Soapy and Skilla as I affectionately call them). My hair looked rather dreadful, and Janssen's looked quite nice in the end. We had a great time nonetheless.

And this is us at Mimi's Cafe. It's one of our favorite places to eat.

All this looking at pictures and commentating makes me wax nostalgic. It really is unfortunate that the four of us are spread out across the globe now (one in Utah, one in The Great State, one in Canada on a mission, and me way the heck out here in New Zealand). But, we anticipate many good times gathering together watching the same movies over and over, playing Nerts and Settlers and gorging ourselves on sweets. That's what we do.

The Camp

I've talked a bit about the camp/conference, so I guess I should go into a little more detail. We were asked to be chaperones, but that really meant "chefs." The other couple that chaperoned with us were Matthew and Makareta. STOP! Before you think twice about her name, I have to tell you how to say it because I KNOW how you just read it in your head with your thick American accent, and it was wrong and ugly! The "r" is rolled, like a Spanish name. Other than that, it sounds pretty much the same as "margarita" but with a "k" in the middle, and without that first "r."

Matt and Makareta had come over to our house the Tuesday before the camp to celebrate St. Patrick's Day one day late. Of course, they brought their man-cub, William. He is about 14 months old and adorable. We decided we definitely liked hanging out with them and playing games with them on Tuesday, so we were happy to learn that the four of us would be chaperoning the YSAs at their camp.

On Friday, the four of us headed out to Waikouaiti, where the camp was held. We got there early, so we went to the beach. Not to swim, because it's cold here. You don't swim in the beaches here. That is, you don't swim unless you are Eric. And then when Eric swims Matt has to swim too. While the wives look on and think the husbands are just being ridiculous. And I tricked the baby into eating some bull kelp from off the ground. (The thing is, the baby will eat ANYTHING if you say "mmmmmmmMmmMMm," so I really had to do it!)

While we were at the beach, I waded in the water for about 10 minutes, basically the length of time it took for me to not be able to feel my feet. And then I was cold, so Matt gave me his sweater to wear. I felt a little silly wearing his sweater, but Makareta assured me that it was not really his because she wears it more than he does. So then I felt okay about it.

That day we went to the camp and met the YSAs. We ate dinner and did general playing around type things. On Saturday, the YSAs went down to the beach to clean it while Makareta and I readied lunch. The boys helped. That evening there was a hangi, a traditional Maori meal that is cooked underground (in theory). And that night there was a dance. While the younguns danced, the married played cards. Rook, to be precise.

Sunday was Easter, and we had church in the lobby. It was a nice meeting. That evening we had a traditional Easter dinner of spaghetti. Wait, not traditional at all. We are in New Zealand, where is the lamb? Actually, there were only 2 ovens, which is the reason for the lack of traditional roast of some kind. That afternoon were workshops, and Eric taught an excellent workshop on goal-setting. Such a cute husband, that one.

Also, Eric totally forgot his Sunday shirt, so he had to borrow Matt's, which was too small. So he put a sweater on over the top so it didn't look so bad, and he actually looked very smartly dressed.

That night the four of us went for a walk on the beach because it was a full moon. Matthew was wearing his sweater, and he joked about it being the "communal" sweater. I said, "Well, not really because Makareta hasn't been wearing it." Matt replied, "She's been sleeping in it every night." So, truly, the communal sweater.

Then, back to camp for sleeping. Only the boys didn't sleep. They played games involving a hill and tires.

On Saturday the festivities continued. Everyone participated in rolling tires down the hill at various human targets. The night before, a girl had rolled down the hill in the tires, and she loved it so much she did it FOUR times. I figured that if I had been awake, I also would have participated in this activity. Despite Eric's warnings, I climbed in a stack of tires, and the boys put more tires over my head. Then they rolled me down.

And the tires slipped off and spread out. And I banged my head like 3 times. I'm still paying for that. Really, though, it was quite fun. Besides the banging head.

Then we cleaned up and came home.

We had a lot of fun. We loved getting to know the BYU students who were studying abroad in Invercargill. Plus, it was great to get to know the YSAs in our branch. Such great people! And, of course, we loved spending time with Matthew and Makareta. So much so that on the drive home (we rode together) they asked if we wanted to come to their house for dinner, and I said, "Well, William is still not calling us 'mom' and 'dad,' so it is clear we haven't spent enough time together yet!"

Waikouaiti

On Sunday as part of the conference we went for a walk to the first settlement in Otago. It was a pleasant walk and had beautiful views! It's no wonder folks decided to settle there.

There were lovely woods to walk through.

And, of course, there was the sea!

And sheep! We never get enough sheep!

And here are the buildings. I don't know if the buildings themselves are real, but they might have been. They have been kept up pretty well so people can go in and see how big they were and what kind of furniture was in them. Sort of. Some rooms were empty. Rooms that were blocked off