And then my hairpiece fell off

There I was, having a "good hair day" with the pony-tail, braided hair piece over my wimpy, flat hair. Dang, I looked good. So, I'm up at the board, in front of my Italian class last night, when I hear some giggling from the back. I turn around and there it is... my hairpiece lying on the floor. I froze for two seconds. I couldn't believe this had actually happened... and to me. It was like I was having an out of body experience - looking at myself and this nightmare - the professoressa who wears a hairpiece!? It gets worse. I tried to laugh it off, then I put it back on, only to have it promptly fall off again two minutes later. The humiliation was complete. I threw it on the table and moved on. An hour of night class to go... Gulp. Somehow, I got through it. After class, I got therapy from a few of my friendly female students who could relate. We all had a good laugh. But it is still soooo embarrassing! Of course, if I were them, I would be chortling up a storm and telling everybody, but alas, I was the clown for the evening.

Winter Visitor

I've been debating whether or not to go to AZ over Christmas break because Peter and I are driving to UT for almost two weeks, and its already a long time to be away from my thesis.... Well, my nephew, 2 year-old Theron broke the deal. All the pictures and reports I hear of him are just too cute , he's such the jokester, he's the party animal, etc. , that I couldn't stay away any longer!? So, Theron, I'm coming to visit you... and all of the other Reynolds clan. January 2 - January 11. Classes at UNO begin on January 12, so the professoressa has to be back by then! Looking forward to it! Yay.

A spiritual feast!

I love General Conference; it is truly an opportunity for revelation and refreshment. We don't have digital cable - the only way to watch it at home in Omaha - so we went to my in-laws, where they had a laptop se up. My favorite talks, quotes and stories include:

1. President Uchdorf's talk on HOPE. I love when he said that hope is both a principle and a commandment. It is manifest in confidence, enthusiasm and patience. Quoting Abraham, when times look bleak, "against hope we believe in hope.

2. Elder Oaks talk on appropriately partaking of the sacrament and preparing for sacrament meeting. "We cannot consistently retain the spirit of the Lord unless we consistently obey his commandments."

3. President Monson's reminder to "enjoy the journey!"

4. Elder Wirthlin's story about his daughter's blind date... who turned out to be there for her younger sister to go babysitting.

5. Elder Christofferson's talk on ZION, especially his thoughts on unity.

Of course, General Conference is ALL GOOD! As Brother Mecham, my institute teacher would say, these are our "marching orders." What are some of your favorites?

Here are a few pictures of us watching conference. Of course, we always maximize our time at the Nelson home. :)

The not-so helpful husband

Peter tried to fix my FAVORITE pair of boots when the heel and bottom came loose last week. I was gone all night, teaching my night class at UNO. With all good intentions, he pulled out the 'ol gorilla glue... and here are the disastrous results. For any of you unfamiliar with Gorilla Glue, it EXPANDS... a lot... so hopefully you'll learn from our mishap. Anyway, I'm grateful for Peter's willingness to help me. He's adorable. Poor guy spent all night trying to wipe it off. Someday it will be funny. But not quite yet. :)