Lessons learned

• Don’t tell your parents that their new car (or the car they think is their new car) is “too sporty” for them. They will take this as an insult to their age and/or level of “fun-ness.”

• If you’re picky about you pillow, travel with it. Even to your parents’ house. Your neck will thank you.

• Decide to take it as a compliment when the visiting pastor at your parents’ church asks you if you’re visiting from college. Do not, under any circumstances, share this remark with your brother (Jason) who tells you that the visiting preacher thought you were married to him (Jason) and didn’t look “very pregnant.” This will hurt your feelings.

• Load the dishwasher and do the dishes at night. Because you won’t want to do it in the morning and it’ll screw up the hot water situation with your shower.

• Don’t carry a travel coffee mug that doesn’t close. See here and here for more information. Also, don’t pick a fight with Rain. He’s not big into accepting any sort of blame, deserved or undeserved.

• Accept that it does not make you a stalker if 56 people viewed your blog because they searched for “Michael Phelps.” It doesn’t make you a stalker to kind of want the video of Phelps’ legendary Olympics performance that NBC is constantly hawking. But taken together, it is a bit creepy. Maybe I shouldn’t write about my Olympic boyfriend anymore.