Welcome. Welcome, February. In case you have noticed the perkiness of my writings already, I shall introduce myself. I am Maya, the monkey. Bella and her husband adopted me and my friends Gerard, Zulie, and Leo a while ago. Part of the payment for our adoption went to the worthy cause of sharing the joy of reading. Feel free to contribute to the cause.

As you know, books are near and dear to the heart of the Bella, so sharing them is like candy to her. She seems to be devoting some time to sharing love right now, which explains why she sits amidst piles of paper and fabric.

Since she disappeared shortly before lunch, I decided to take over her blog. I bet she won't even notice. She came home with bananas and milk and disappeared out the door again. When she returned, she babbled something about adorable little violinists. I wonder if I should be jealous...

...is not defined by gifts or flattery.

...does not require lies to be maintained.

...does not seek after that which belongs to another.

...is compassionate.

...has room to love various people in various and appropriate ways.

...seeks to assuage the pain in this world.

...embodies that which Bella holds dear.

...brings people together instead of tearing them apart.

Clearly, my heart is heavy again. I have many people who I love dearly. They have earned that love, whether it is my husband who has earned the unique love one should reserve for their spouse, my Heavenly Father who bestowed the ability to love others on me, and family whether they are biological or have been fostered into my twisted family tree. When someone hurts one of these people, it bothers me--a lot. When they try to justify betrayal, abuse, or neglect, my eyes narrow and I struggle not to point out that they wouldn't have to defend their actions over and over again. I hope that all of my dear readers have true and honest love to carry them through each day, even in months where the card and candy companies aren't making so much money.

On my short list of goals for this year, I included counsel to read through the many piles of reading material that have accumulated on shelves, on tables, under tables, under beds, and in inboxes. As I have been doing this, I find myself focusing more on increasing my spirituality, which is always a goal whether I put it on paper or not. This has caused me to post quite a few quotes over the past few months. I find to my joy, that I am not alone in posting uplifting statuses.

As annoying as social media can be, I enjoy seeing that my friends are happy. I love knowing that many of them feel as deeply loved every day as I do. Of course, I mourn with them, too, but I enjoy their happy moments the most.

The sister missionaries were kind enough to visit me today, so I spent an exciting day forcing my baked goods on the unwary. The sisters got monkey bread and pizza. Don't worry, I fed them salad and fruit as well. I believe in keeping the brave teachers of the gospel as healthy as possible. Later in the day, I forced innocent elders to eat cookies. If they weren't kind enough to accept my gift, I would probably be munching on one right now.

Some events worth reporting have transpired since the last time I remembered to stop in for one of our one-sided chats. Maybe if someone had brought me a pazcki this morning, I would know where to begin. Luckily for my self-esteem, I haven't found one of those to plaster onto my hips yet today.

Yesterday, my husband informed me that a couple of our neighborhood squirrels succumbed to the winter blues. He found them floating in a trash can of water that probably shouldn't be in our back yard to start with. We really should find the lid to that and make sure it stays attached, so the rest of the depressed squirrels don't follow in terrible footsteps.

In other news, it has been two years since I registered my car. Since I have to do this every two years, I decided to make the journey to the DMV. As most of us know, it is critical to check to make sure we have everything we need before making such a journey. As I sorted through a huge pile of old insurance cards, I realized that my registration was nowhere to be found. This resulted in a scramble to figure out where it has been while I have been driving around like a rebel. Luckily, I managed to find it in one of my many piles of paper.

Of course, my fun didn't end there. As part of the test, all of the lights, the horn, and the gas emissions must be tested. Pretty simple, right? Not for this genius. It took me a while to remember how to turn my high beams on. Apparently, my brain doesn't process how to do that when the sun is shining in my face. Somehow, I think the guy who was in charge of the test is probably still chuckling about it. Oy.

I really want a pazcki.

My husband and I embarked on a magical journey today. He needed to attend a conference a couple hours away, so I followed him since we still can't be apart for very long. I have been told that the luster begins to fade away after the first couple of years of marriage, yet I still find that I miss him when he isn't around. Since we haven't been together long enough to establish the codependency of an old married couple, I can only surmise that I still love him to pieces. Disgusting, isn't it?

I continue to prove I shouldn't be allowed to navigate on these trips. We got lost twice while searching for our hotel. Of course, I would have done a better job if they crystal city we were entering had an emerald tower in the distance to use as a guide. Better still, a tin man, cowardly lion, and scarecrow may have been able to help me interpret the ramblings of the flying monkeys known as mapquest and googlemaps. Luckily, my husband possesses the skill of finding the right path.

Upon our arrival in our room, I began looking for drawers. To my complete amazement, the dresser has shelves. I believe the room may have been designed for gnomes or people who like to kneel on the floor when they acquire clothing. When I finally located a drawer in the nightstand, I found a Bible and The Book of Mormon nestled inside. I guess I didn't need to drag my own copy along after all.

Having made this wonderful discovery, another meal needed to be eaten. We wandered about in search of a place worthy of our patronage. Finally, we found the paradise of cows known as Chik-Fil-A and Cold Stone. Needless to say, I am still burping and loving the deliciousness that is my life. Now, I should go work on a rousing entry for the fiction blog. Are you reading? If so, you should comment!