The Streets of Boise

Hello? Is this thing on?

Ahem.

I guess this is my first post on this blog (even though Alyssa created it months ago). I figured it was about time that I wrote something on here.

Boise has turned out to be a really great city to live in. My favorite thing about it (besides Alyssa) is the one way grid they have set up. It runs throughout all the city center (about 1 to 2 miles of one way streets back and forth). What I really like about it are the stop lights.

The stop lights are timed perfectly so that you never have to stop. The first light you stop at will likely be the last light you stop at (if you're just going in a straight line anyway). What I mean is: when the light you're stopped at turns green, the light on the next block is timed to turn green a few seconds later, making it so you never have to stop until you've reached the street you are trying to get to. I find it to be very efficient. Also since Boise has so little traffic it means that it almost never gets backed up. Alyssa and I have been in only one traffic jam, but that was during rush hour so it's understandable.

I ride my bike to work. We paid $35 for it used from a seller on Craigslist. We ended up paying more than the price of the bike for the helmet, lock, and tire pump. But those were costs that would have been necessary with the purchase of any bike. The one way streets are pretty nice as a cyclist. Boise is a Bicycle Friendly City, so most of the sidewalks are wide enough that I can ride my bike on them. The one way streets make it a lot easier to cross intersections safely, so that's another bonus to a one way grid.

Today Alyssa and I went on a casual bike ride. It was really great just exploring around some of the back roads behind the town. On our way home we saw a fox! It was running along about 30 feet away from us in the grass. We stopped and watched it for a little while, but it was starting to rain so we couldn't stay for too long. I wanted to take it home with us, but Alyssa wouldn't allow it. Something about a non-domesticated, potentially rabid animal just didn't sit right with her. I guess all that advice I've heard about "making a decision as a couple" really just means "if the wife doesn't want to catch a fox, you don't get to catch a fox." Oh well.

Dear, Sweet Libby

Copyright © 2011 Brian G. Rudd Photography ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (http://briangrudd.com)

Today has been a very sad day for me. Libby, my sweet cat, had to be put to sleep. She had been losing a lot of weight and wasn't eating much at all. Lindsay said that it became drastically noticeable within the last couple of weeks just how much weight she had lost. My mom took her to the vet today and he found that she had stomach cancer. He said that the tumor was about the size of a plum. I was very distraught but knew that she needed to be put to sleep because she was in a lot of pain.

When I was eleven years old I wanted a kitten of my own so badly. My parents decided that if I saved up my money I could buy one from the Humane Society. $50 was a lot for a little kid but I was able to do it through chores and odd jobs. Thirteen years ago this summer I picked out a little calico cat that I could hold in one hand. I named her Libby because that was a name of a character on a TV show I liked at the time. I was probably more rough with her when I was younger than I ought to have been. I know I must have dressed her up in doll clothes at least once. Libby endured it but remained a sweet cat. She became the friendliest, most personable cat I know.

Libby, unlike many cats, would always come when I called her. I would put down my hand and she knew exactly what that meant, for she would come and put her head right beneath it. Sometimes I would bring her into my room and put her on my bed and she'd fall asleep there with me but I had to leave my door cracked else she'd jump onto my nightstand in the middle of the night, knocking things over so I would let her out!

I've always bragged about how smart Libby was. Sometimes people might leave the basement door open and she'd saunter downstairs, only to find that someone would close the door behind her! She would just come to the top of the stairs and stick her paw up under the little gap between the floor and the bottom of the door. Then, as much as a cat can, she grasped the door and shook it until someone came and let her out.

Libby loved to be outdoors. We have a bit of a forest behind our house and she loved being out exploring or lazing about on the grass in the warm sun. If she caught site of you taking a walk you might even notice her trailing you from several feet away! She certainly loved people.

This photo was taken when I was fifteen or sixteen years old:
I went to college and had to leave Libby behind in Maryland with my parents. Apartments in Provo, for the most part, are not very keen on allowing pets. I feel so sad at having had to leave her. I feel sad that I couldn't be more a part of her life during her last days. I hope she remembers me always and knows that I love her very much.


The last time I saw Libby was during the days before and on my wedding day. I remember that every time I came home for a visit and she was out in the driveway I would scoop her up and pet her and hug her and kiss her on the head. Though preoccupied with my wedding, I am at least certain I was able to give her this love for the last time. She loved having so many people around for this event and especially brought joy to little children. A couple days before the wedding my parents invited all of Bryan's family over for a barbecue. They had just arrived that day and no one was more exhausted than poor Ella, who cried a fair amount. Her dad took her outside and she cheered right up when she saw Libby, exclaiming, "Ki-ee!" Ava also loved seeing Libby, and would crack up when she got the opportunity to pet her. Here is a picture Lindsay sent me today of Ava petting Libby:
And Ava's reaction:
Seeing these today brought peace to my heart for Libby because of how happy she made people and how many people loved her.

I had an inkling that something was going on because Lindsay texted me and told me that Libby was skinnier than ever and that my mom was going to take her to the vet. So, my mom called me this morning and told me what the vet had found and that she needed to be put to sleep. I cried on and off all day because Libby was more than just some animal to me. She'd been in my life for more than half of it! She was a part of my family and it hurts knowing I'll never be able to hold her close to me and kiss her head again. It is still hard to believe she is gone.

I asked my mom to take one last picture of her before she was put to sleep so that I could see her one last time. She sent me this:
It hurt to see how thin and sickly she had become but at least I got to see her one last time, even if it was through picture message.

Mom stayed with her while they put her to sleep and held her in her arms as she drifted off. I asked if they would bury her in the backyard so that I could go to her grave and say goodbye the next time I am in Maryland. They did so-- my dad even left work especially to come home to help with it. Here are some photos Lindsay sent me:
She is at rest, looking peaceful and much healthier than before.
My heart aches at the look on my mom's face. I think I've worn that expression many times today. I think everyone realized they were even more attached to her than they had thought.
After the burial, they said a little prayer. It seems she was laid to rest in a beautiful spot. I miss her so much now. I just wish I could have been there for her. Even though I haven't been able to be near her I knew I could see her again when I visited back home but now that is gone. My consolation is this:
Maybe this sounds corny, but Heaven seems to be smiling down on her. I know that one day I will see Libby again. I like to think that she is so happy in Heaven, much happier than she was here on earth. Maybe my grandparents are up there looking after her for me. And maybe, just maybe, she can look down on me and know how much I loved her. Libby, you are so loved.

Anne of Green Gables

Down the street from where we live is a little domed building for the Boise Little Theater. All summer Bryan and I have been driving/riding/walking past this theatre and saying we need to go to a show there. We'd like to be more involved in community events, something there are a lot of in Boise. We haven't taken part in many, save an old car parade we happened upon when we rode our bikes downtown one Saturday to go eat at a delicious Mongolian Barbecue restaurant. I finally looked up the community calendar of events so we are going to spend our last month here out and taking advantage of the neat things this little city has to offer. Anyway, last Friday Bryan and I finally made it to a show! We saw the play production of L.M. Montgomery's "Anne of Green Gables."
It was a lot of fun! This was a youth production. We think it's pretty neat for kids from the community to be spending their summer break involved in a play! Anyway, I've never read the books before but when we got home I downloaded eight of them onto my Kindle App for my iPod for just 95¢! I just started the first book. Anyway, we rode our bikes there and back! It was a fun evening!
Then I realized that we almost never have pictures up here on our blog of ourselves... so here you go!
This is what we still look like, in case you were wondering. I would like to get a hair cut but Bryan likes it long. I have had it long since about 2007 so I'm feeling ready for a change. It's just so long and shapeless:
At some point I want to cut it to just below my chin but I will probably get it cut a couple inches below my shoulder this time, so it's still a little long at least. Or maybe I'll keep it long and just cut layers into it again since they have obviously grown out. I think that is the real issue with my dissatisfaction with my hair. Whatever I do, layers need to happen.

Anyway, in other news, Bryan is baking us up a couple of loaves of french bread today.
Mmm, I can't wait. What a great hobby of his! Today he decided that another hobby he wants to pursue is being a blacksmith. I told him we need to get a house before he can do anything like that!

So, life is going well. We're enjoying Boise but will be happy to be back in Provo to see our friends and family on a more frequent basis. We'll head back to Utah on August 20th but probably won't be down to Provo until the 24th or so. Bryan has one more year left at BYU and then we'll start another adventure! What that adventure is, neither of us know for the moment.

All About Harry

I wasn't always a Harry Potter fan. I am embarrassed to say I was actually quite anti-Harry Potter for a little while! I remember hearing about a book series that everyone was into when I was in middle school but I probably didn't really know much about Harry Potter until 9th grade or so. I was very hesitant to jump on the bandwagon and be like everyone else. I decided it looked pretty stupid. This probably wasn't helped by my not getting along with a girl at church very much who happened to be completely and utterly obsessed with it, so I had bad connotations with it. My dad, an avid reader, started reading them and wanted to buy the first movie when it came out. I'm pretty sure I told him I'd burn it if I found it! Of course there wouldn't be follow through but how ridiculous!

As time went on and I started to mature more (thank goodness!). The spurt of anti-Harry Potter was followed mostly by indifference for a couple of years until my sister, Lindsay, asked me to watch the first movie with her. I was trying to be more open minded at that point so we watched it. Then we watched the second movie. The rest of the movies hadn't come out yet and I wanted to know what happened! So, I read books three through five (all that were out at the time) and then went back at read one and two. Actually, Lindsay and I read the 4th and 5th books aloud to each other. We cried when Cedric died, we laughed at Ron's funny quips but mostly we just bonded. It really felt magical! Suddenly, I understood why everyone had been jumping on the bandwagon. It wasn't just some bandwagon! It was really good. I could have kicked myself for how immature I'd been (by the way, the girl and I eventually became friendly with each other).

After that I must say that I am the one who became utterly and completely obsessed with Harry Potter. I drew pictures of scenes from the book. I wrote and read fan stories that about Harry Potter (I can't believe I'm blogging that! I used to be so embarrassed about it!). I checked MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron on a frequent basis. One time Lindsay and I sent birthday presents to Rupert Grint as part of a MuggleNet package. I went to the midnight release of the Goblet of Fire dressed up like Hermione, who I dressed up as on Halloween more than once... I went to bookstores for the midnight release of both the Half-Blood Prince and the Deathly Hallows.

When the Deathly Hallows was coming out I decided to re-read all the books in preparation for it. I have a rule that I avoid reading the books too close to the movies because I don't want to compare them, even though I still remember pretty much everything (for some reason my brain holds on to all things Harry Potter in finite detail). Anyway, the fifth movie came out two or three weeks before the last book so you can imagine how fast I zipped through the HUGE fifth and 6th books. I left the last chapter of the Half-Blood Prince so that I could read it right before starting the Deathly Hallows and move seamlessly through the books. I cried when people died but I especially sobbed when Dobby died because of how he died, loyal to Harry to the very end.
Though the obsession has died down a lot, I still keep The Harry Potter Lexicon bookmarked as a tab at the top of my screen just for fun. Bryan and I saw the Deathly Hallows:Part I when we were just dating and now we'll see Part II as a married couple! We are so excited for the movie. We've had these puppies:
on our fridge for a week now! We are going to the IMAX theatre! Bryan says I'm going to cry. I don't know if I will... but I he's probably right.

Anyway, Harry Potter has been such a huge part of my life and I'm kind of sad for it to end. At least there is Pottermore. More than that, though, we'll get to read these stories to our kids and get to be there when they are living this story for the first time. I cannot wait for that day. :)

Boise Temple, 4th of July, etc...

Bryan and I have been lucky to have a temple so close by while we are out of Provo. We have gone to the temple most weeks since we got here. It has been so nice to be able to go and feel the peace that is there. However, the Boise temple has just closed for two years for renovations! Lucky for us, we will be back in Provo in August and able to go frequently again.

We had a nice, quiet 4th of July. We spent the day at home and then went over to Bryan's co-worker's house for a little barbecue with him and his wife. Then we went to Ann Morrison Park and watched fireworks.

In other news, my temp job at Saia is over and I could not be happier! I was not made for call centers. I think I have decided I do not want to do office work when I get back to Provo, as a result. I would, ideally, like to work in an Elementary or Preschool in some capacity, but we'll see.

Bryan and I also gave talks today on Elder L. Tom Perry's most recent conference talk, "The Sabbath and the Sacrament." I think it went pretty well... I referenced Harry Potter over the pulpit. Anyway, everyone had nice things to say. I am very happy to have it over with! However, Bryan and I were called to be Family Search Indexing specialists in this ward so, on Wednesday, we get to give at 30 minute lesson to the Young Men on it's importance followed by teaching them how to do it.

On Thursday we have a barbecue for Clearwater Analytics that I am very excited about and then on Friday we're going to see the final Harry Potter in the IMAX theatre! I have heard the reviews are very good. We are both very excited for this!

That's about all, for now. Now that the temple is closed we may go do some interesting things on Saturdays that I can blog about. :)