Interviewing 101

I had an interview for an internship last Friday, and I want you all to know I totally got advice from the best source possible: The Office. It taught me to ...

1. Use my brain to my advantage (when advantageous)
2. Tell myself they "saved the best for first" when I found out I was going to be the first interview of the day.
3. Make my weaknesses sound like strengths
4. Have a five-year plan
5. Wear a feminine business suit

Not that I did all that, but it was some pretty good advice.

You don't want to miss out on ...

Another blog! :) Doesn't it look fun?


Yes, I'm trying my hand at photography. And it's wicked-fun. This is the blog I'm keeping for my Custom Images course, a class that focuses (no pun intended) on photography and Photoshop. It's fun to post them and even MORE fun to get feedback, so if you know anything about photography, or if you don't, you might want to check it out. It's right here.

Not to be a cheapskate ...

but really. Yesterday, I brought soup to work with me to eat for lunch but didn't have a spoon. So I went downstairs to Café Kimball and asked for one.

And they charged me eight cents.

Eight cents. For a plastic spoon.


I know the economy is rough, but I still kind of think it was a joke.

Still a "City Beautiful"

The other day, Jenny said, "When are you going to blog about Nauvoo? I've been checking for it." And you know how I feel about blog requests. (They're my FAVORITE!)


So, way back in August, Ryan and I (and his parents, and two of his sisters and their families) boarded an "upgraded" RV that Ryan's parents rented. 36 hours and one visit from Roadside Assistance later, I first laid eyes what Joseph called "The City Beautiful." He was right.

Ryan's grandparents are on a mission in Nauvoo, and it was great to see them (and to get to know them — they left before we were engaged). Ryan has a great family and we had a blast!




Sister Olaveson showed us around the Pendleton Schoolhouse.



Carthage Jail



We went to the Nauvoo Temple with Ryan's parents and Tracy and Jeremie. It was even prettier on the inside.



Elder Olaveson took us on a trail ride. I kept the sneezing to a minimum (I'm allergic to horses)



Did you really think I'd miss this?

Some fun facts I picked up on the way:
1. The Nauvoo Temple faces west. Most face east.
2. The whole area was a swamp when the Saints came. They built a giant ditch to drain it.
3. The early saints used animal lard to make candles (who THINKS of that?)
4. Lucy Mack Smith was really, really short and petite.
5. Joseph Smith, Sr., was a barrelmaker by trade

Something Blue

They say history repeats itself. If that means I'll turn out anything like my Grandma, I'd say that's a good thing.

My Grandma Scott (or just "Grandma," since she's the only one I've known) passed away last week. All of the family was there and the funeral was lovely. And it got me thinking, not so much about death, but about life, and the life well lived. It also made me think of blue dresses.

Grandma wore a blue dress to her high school graduation in 1936. Lyle Scott, who she had met at a Gold and Green Ball, gave her an engagement ring for a graduation gift and they were married three days later. She wore the same blue dress to her wedding that she wore to graduation.


Almost 30 years later, Lylene Scott went on a date with Ron Bennett. He took her to a dance at Rigby High School and she wore a blue velvet dress. Dad teased her that night by singing a popular song: "She wore blue velvet ... bluer than velvet was the night."

A generation later, I pulled on my favorite dress — you guessed it, in blue — and curled my hair for a dance at BYU-Idaho. Ryan Olaveson had asked me to go after I saw him country dancing at BYU-Idaho, and LeaDawn and Daniel said they'd tag along.

Little did I know then that it was the day I'd eat my first meal at my in-laws' house and dance for the first time with my husband. I had no idea that I would follow in Grandma's footsteps and marry the boy I met at a dance.

I guess it's history repeating. Grandma started something wonderful with that blue dress. She married a wonderful man, and as they followed in her footsteps, so did her daughter and granddaughter.

I think I'll buy my daughter a blue dress one day.

Country music and drybeds

I'm not a big fan of country music, but I am in the summer.

I think it's because of what this article on medicinenet.com says:

"The memories and emotions that people associate with familiar songs can be traced to the medial prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain where the wiring for memories and thoughts about music appears to be linked, a new study says."

When I went to pick up my parents from the airport yesterday, my medial prefrontal cortex was going nuts.

Someone (ahem, Becky?) had left the radio on a country music station, and this time I let it stay. It always makes me feel nostalgic to get an earful of Garth Brooks or Tim McGraw when it's warm outside. I think it's because I only listened to country music when I was with my friends, and I was only with my friends much if it was summer.

Country music reminds me of Laura's Toyota Corolla and Sno Cones,
of Craigo's and rock shows. It reminds me of teaching friends to drive stick shift and going to Disneyland. Country music means it's time to float the drybed and check the Playmill schedule before it's too late. It was in the summer that I first met my future in-laws and fell in love with Idaho's sunsets. Summers are wonderful.

I think my favorite part of summer, though, was anticipating fall.

I loved going to football games and back-to-school shopping. I loved getting a new locker and going to cross country practice.

Maybe it's the future that's makes the present that much better.

Alert: New blog in the family

So, I have this predicament.

See up there in the url of this page? It says "breannabennett.blogspot.com." But I'm Breanna OLAVESON now, so I kind of have a problem on my hands.

Solution: this blog. I know you all love my *sparse* commentaries on life's oddities, but you've gotta have that super-cute journal-type family blog, you know? So, at least for now, I'm keeping both blogs.

But to make the transition a little smoother, I'll put a little teaser of our new blog's first post here. If you want to keep reading, come on over! Add it to your reader, your blog list — whatever you've gotta do. We'd love to see you!

So, without further ado:

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This month, we:
1. Got married! (pictures still pending. See this post for links to awesome pictures)
2. Honeymooned in Vegas

3. Hung out with some cool characters while we were there,


















4. Made a blue friend,

(three, actually)

5. And ... click here