Pictures!!!

Hey everyone! I thought I'd help spread the word: Sean started a group on Flickr called hhs2008 where you can post pictures of graduation, so everyone please join it and post your fun pictures! We'll look forward to seeing your pictures and sharing some memories. I promise it's not that hard; I even figured it out. ;) Rachel - if you read this will you post some of Regan's pictures? Thanks everyone!

Maybe someday I'll think of something to blog about. Just know that I haven't forgotten about you. I just haven't been able to think of anything interesting to say. Any ideas? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

The Promised Henry Photos

Henry was about 2 weeks old in this one. He looks concerned.

As you can see, Grace was thrilled with the prospect of a new sibling.

Isn't he cute?!

Almost Old

Well, the time I've waited all of my life for is almost here: graduating from high school. I've been so ready for this day for years, but now that it's finally creeping up on me, I'm not sure I'm prepared. Sure I'm ready to be done with school. Heck, I've had senioritis for years! I'm just not sure I'm ready to leave my friends. I've had such a well structured life for so long. Now that I'm faced with the unknown I'm feeling a little apprehensive. Not nervous exactly, I'm sure it'll all be ok. Just mostly sad. I'm checking out a week earlier than everyone else to go watch my brother's graduation from law school, so I'm missing a lot of the typical closure activities. I'm missing my last choir concert, and as the choir president I feel really bad about that. I absolutely love choir. It changed my life and attitude so much. I made some amazing friends there. In fact I feel like all 26 (I'm including Mr. Morrise) of us are best friends. We can tell each other anything. That's what happens when the gift of music is involved. You almost don't have a choice. I love it!
I'm also missing the seminary senior testimony meeting. I'm the vice president in the seminary council, so I feel really bad about that. I was looking forward to hearing the testimonies of my peers and being able to share mine. I have a very strong testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. The promise about asking and receiving (was it Moroni?) can change lives. I'll never be able to deny that I know the truth.
I've made such good friends with all of those kids on the council! Some that I never imagined speaking to in my life. I'm so grateful for the chance that I was given to be with them. It was a great blessing. I'll truly miss them all. Maybe we can have seminary council reunions!
There is also a scholarship-presenting-ceremony-thing on Wednesday that I will not be able to attend, but that's ok. Jody said he'd take care of it for me. It would just have been fun to see all of the scholarships my peers get.
It is starting to strike me that I'm not going to see some of these kids again. Maybe ever. I really have a great class. Sure, we have our share of...unique individuals, but for the most part I love them all. Even the unique ones. I've had the opportunity to get to know many people from all groups last year and this year through the different activities I've done and I've learned that, for the most part, people are good. They may look strange and have some weird ideas, but they are worth getting to know. I will truly miss high school.

P.S. Golly! I need to learn how to write shorter or something!

School is dumb.

The Newest Chamberlain

I am pleased as punch to announce the newest addition to the Chamberlain clan: Henry Alexander Chamberlain. Isn't that a dashing name? He was born today, April 24, at 2:50 to Alex and Jenny Chamberlain. We discovered that he will be a very punctual child, as he was born precisely on his due date--the only grandchild so far to have done this. He was perfect, weighing 8 pounds and 3 ounces and being 21 inches long. I have yet to see him, but I hear tell he has a lot of black hair coming out of the top of his little head. Alex says he looks just like Grace, but with black hair. His older sister, Miss Grace, is currently in a state of denial, but I'm sure she will soon be thrilled to have a baby brother. Henry, we are so glad to have you in our family. See you soon, little tyke.

P.S. Grace can now say my name: Publissa! It sounds suspiciously like "pizza" when she says it sometimes, but it counts!

P. P. S. I will post pictures as soon as I get some. So probably next Monday-ish. I won't get to see him till Sunday. :(

P. P. P. S. Yes, that is a picture of Grace, but they said Henry looks like Grace, so, I figure it works. Plus, she's just darn cute.

Broken Bones

Don't worry everyone! I didn't break anything recently! I was just tagged by my sister to tell about the broken bones I've had throughout my life. She was writing about all of the many she's had, and I must say, they are all odd things to break. She broke her septum (the thing in your nose), her hip (and didn't know it), her jaw, and her tail bone, for starters. That girl's got talent! I've only broken two things that I know of for sure. I suspect a few others, but I'll start by dictating the "for sure" ones.
The summer before first grade my grandparents, who live next door, got a beautiful swing set. That summer I decided that if heaven didn't have swing sets, I didn't want to go. Anyway, I got really good at balancing on the bar that the swings are attached to. I could do spins, twist and jump things, all kinds of exciting stuff. My grandmother was convinced I would fall and break something, so I never did it around her (remember, I was a conniving child). Well, one day I was swinging. Swinging! Not even doing crazy stuff on the bar! When I was done I decided to jump out. I had done it a million times, so it was no big deal. I jumped, and I remember my body going higher than I was accustomed to. I went high enough that my body started flipping. I landed face down, buy my arm broke my fall. And itself. Both bones in my left arm. I started to cry, which I did often, but my grandpa said he could tell something was very wrong because I was crying differently. He came out, picked me up, and carried me home. I tried my hardest to convince my parents it wasn't broken, even though it was bent at an odd angle, because Michael had told me that when you break bones, the doctors have to cut it off. Such a nice brother. I remember on the way to the hospital saying over and over, "It's not broken! It's not broken!" Well, it was broken, and, much to my relief, they didn't cut it off. I got a pink cast. I had a reputation to keep at the elementary as the best at the Monkey Bars, so even though I had a cast all the way up to my shoulder I diligently kept my reputation. It was sure awkward going, though.
The second thing I broke for sure was my right pinky, right at the joint. I was going down the slide in fifth grade with 3 of my friends. All at once. I don't even remember how I did it. I just remember getting off the slide, looking at my finger and then looking at the looks of horror on my friends faces. Then it suddenly started to hurt. A lot. Funny how that works. My brother Nic came and picked me up and took me to Dr. Last. He took my hand and told me he was just going to go like this! He yanked on my pinky when he said "this". I started crying and glared at him. The nerve! Nic took me to the ice cream parlor place that used to be in Hurricane, then we went to the Library where my mom worked. Her boss, Lloyd Reed (or something like that), gave me a grape sucker. We've had a bond ever since ;)
I suspect that I may have cracked my nose a couple of years ago. My dad was tickling me, so I chased after him and tried to tickle him back. Dumb idea. I got him from behind, and when he turned he swing his arm up and accidentally whacked my nose. I saw stars! It killed. It's had a little bump on the top ever since then.
The other one I suspect is my back. I'm becoming more and more convinced all the time. Maybe it wasn't broken, but I certainly did something major to it. A couple summers ago I went to Lake Powell for a week with my friend and her family. They had one of those big tubes that are like a mattress that curve up at the back so you're sitting up. LeAira and I were on that and the driver was going really fast. Too fast for us first timers. She took a sharp turn and the tube went over the boat's waves. We got some major air! They said the tube was higher then the canopy thing on the boat. When we came back down the tube smashed on the water like bricks. My back just crunched. I couldn't cry because I couldn't breathe, so I just panicked. I was certain I was going to die, or at least be paralyzed for the rest of my life. They pulled the tube up the the boat (we didn't fall off!) and lifted me off. We were in the middle of the lake, so I just lay on the floor while they drove back to camp. That was the most pain I've ever been in. Every time the boat leaned one way or the other I felt a stabbing pain from my lower back. When we got to camp they put me on my cot and prodded around my spine. They gave me a blessing, which I don't remember. That was about the third day there, and they only had 2 more, so I decided to stay. Another dumb idea. I just stayed on my cot and slept for the rest of the time because I just about blacked out from the pain every time I moved, but they were so nice to invite me that I didn't want to ruin their trip by cutting it short. It was a long, miserable ride home. I mostly lounged around for the next few days until I could get to the chiropractor. Golly, that was a painful visit! They never took any X-Rays, which we should have had them do, so I might never know if it was broken. I still want to get some taken. I went to the chiropractor a couple times a week for a few months. It hurt to stand up or turn my body at all for about 6 months, then just hurt to bend for about another year, and now it only shoots stabbing pain when I bend certain ways. I can actually feel the vertebrae that was affected. The others are all smooth, and this one is bumpy when you rub it. Needless to say, when I think of Lake Powell, all I can think of is lots of pain.
That about sums it up for my broken bone stories. Nothing quite as unique as Brittany's. :) I tag everyone who reads this. Mwa ha ha! Take that! I'll be checking...