Dig a little deeper

I took my little sister to see The Princess and the Frog. I was excited to see it. Everyone else in my family had seen it before me. I think that this movie is something that I need to see again to fully appreciate it. I will know what to look for. Regardless if it was a Disney movie, I still cried. Ha, it shouldn't be a surprise, but I did.

I finished reading the Book of Mormon! Last night! I am so excited about this because I think it was the first time that I can remember reading it all the way through, all by myself. It made me incredibly happy and I feel complete. :)

And I proved that I can accomplish a goal!

I tried to stay away from Facebook. That didn't work to well. I even had Denay change the password. I will try again, this time for real. Usually when I have school, I can concentrate on necessary things, but I am here at home and usually I have nothing to occupy my time with. Hence checking Facebook too often. I am excited for school to start. New classes and this time I am going to start my secondary education classes. I am nervous to be a teacher in a year. Teaching is such a huge responsibility! My mom had me come visit her school and sit in on some history classes. Mount Ogden is a inner city school. Maybe not all schools are like that, but there are enough students that don't want to go to history classes. I am nervous. I want to change students lives, and makes them socially responsible people who want to do good in the world too. But at the same time, I can't do everything. At some level, parents have to educate their children too.

Tonight I am going to a mocktail/moustache new years eve party, 1940's style. Pictures forthcoming.

And I am going to dye my hair again. Again, pictures forthcoming.

Gah, my sister is watching Jurassic Park and the raptors are about to make their entrance and I am getting antsy. So intense.

Anyways, see you next year! Have fun!

Family Wards

I made a new friend today! He is about three or four (I have THE hardest time guessing how old toddlers are...) anyways, and his name is Lucas. I sat behind his family today during sacrament meeting and about halfway through the meeting he came over to the side of the bench where I was sitting and we bonded over a colorful book. :) His father noticed how much fun we were having and he leaned back to tell me that his name was Lucas. I asked if Lucas wanted to come back to my bench, and his dad hoisted him over, but Lucas didn't like that. So we played with a bench between us. I think his parents were sad to learn that I am a college student and that I wouldn't be sticking around.
Regardless.
Sometimes, I miss children in the ward. Single college students can only be so much fun. And the best part about ward children is that you can hand them back to the parents if things so sour.
All in all, it was a delightful meeting.

Wedding dresses and late night chats=the best ever

Christmas vacation rocks. I get to sleep as much as I want to, eat whatever I find appealing...and, I get to see friends!
School is great and all, but there are just some people that I can't find in Provo. Mostly 'cause they are here, at home.
TODAY was exciting. Lydia took me wedding dress shopping with her! We found a wedding dress. Cause she is getting married! In a pretty dress. That we found!
I love watching the TLC show "Say yes to the dress" and this was like, real life! Terribly exciting. I have never been involved in a wedding before and so this is something new. AND: I got to hang out with Victoria Maez Green. We have been friends since elementary school, which is impressive considering how many times we switched schools. And well, she got married and had an adorable baby girl and we just got busy, but this year, we got to hang out a bit. I just got back from talking with her. It was amazin just being two busy girls, handling life as best we can and like girls, talking until our mouths were sore. It's funny how we piece together the bits and pieces of what we know about mutual acquaintances so in the end, we know everything about everyone. It's beautiful.
Yup indeedy.
It was a good evening indeed.

The Water Fountain's Vendetta Against the Piano

Funny story at work.
Once upon a time, there was a ballet class room that had a piano to play music and a water fountain to refresh tired ballerinas. Well, somewhere along the way, the water fountain decided that it did not like the piano anymore. So, it waited until all the classes were done when it attacked. At first it was a subtle approach. It sprung a leak and soaked the piano platform. It's evil plan was discovered before too much damage was done and the piano was moved so the platform could dry. Not to be deterred, however, the water fountain hatched a new plan. When no one was looking, it sprung another leak. But this was more aggressive. It shot right up and into the piano. The next time someone looked, the piano was full of water.
Now the piano is in pieces, drying and the water fountain is getting therapy, aka getting its problem fixed.
Hopefully no more drama in the ballet room.
Hahaha. True story.

Golden Anniversary

Typically, anniversaries are to celebrate weddings. This post is NOT going to celebrate a wedding, but it is a big milestone in a way. This is the 50th post on this here blog. Aren't you excited to be a part of this?! You should be, cause I am. In reality, I couldn't think of what to write, and so I was fiddling around and noticed that I had 49 posts. Which meant my next post would be the 50th. Which meant that this is a big deal. So here I am celebrating this momentous milestone...in the basement of the SWKT, waiting to help a Hist 201 student. Not exactly how I pictured it, but you know, one makes the best of situations as they come. I think I when I go home, I will make pudding.
Mmmmm.
Pudding.
Good way to celebrate.
:)

Shakespearean Finale

So just to be honest right up front. I am procrastinating. I am very good at it. I have been perfecting my craft since I was little. So, right now, I am NOT doing my Shakespeare final. We have to rewrite a scene from Shakespeare. In iambic pentameter. I did NOT sign up for this creativity nonsense. Tell me to write a 10 page paper on the historiography of Shakespeare and I will do it, and do a dang good job too, but rewrite a play? Use my imagination? What?
No.
Not cool, Mr. Shakespeare-Professor-who-I-adored-all-semester-long. I have complained to everyone who cares to listen. I have known about this stupid final since the midterm. Does that mean that I did anything about it? No. Of course not. Silly rabbit, that is what procrastinators do. They don't do anything that they could do tomorrow! I never study for finals as much as I ought to. Then I get there to take the final and then I realize.
"I am an idiot. I should have studied more."
Does realizing this make me change my ways?
Nope.
Have fun procrastinating with me, cause I know you all do it too.
:)
k bye.

"Daddy, they took my boot!"

Actually, they took my lunch, but me and Jane were similarly put out about it. Indignant even. So me and my good friend Amanda Jardine have this pleasant little tradition of attending devotional then heading to the creamery afterward to enjoy a cheap lunch. Usually it is a good experience, we get to eat food, chat, and have ice cream. It gets a little harder to eat the ice cream during the winter months but somehow we manage it. BUT TODAY WAS DIFFERENT.
They called my number and I went up to get it and as soon I got up to the pickup counter, some kid swooped out of NOWHERE and took my lunch! My lunch! Seriously? And what was a person supposed to do in that type of situation? I wasn't prepared for it. This is not something we learn in elementary school, like those say no to drugs and alcohol lessons. I know how to handle those types of situations (not that they have ever happened, but you know *shrug* at least I am prepared) Having someone take your lunch though, no one can ever really prepare you for that so I turned right around and went back to the table. Amanda has more backbone than me so she complained. Twenty minutes later and no food. I did get my ice cream though. Then Amanda got her ice cream and when she came back, they brought my food! I have such good friends. :)
Point of the story?
The best solution if someone tries to take your lunch, just tackle the poor fool, since he obviously doesn't know what he is doing. It saves a lot of heartache, especially if you don't have an Amanda there with you to get you your food...
The End.

"Happy is what happens...

...when all your dreams come true."
This line from Wicked has been in my head all week. I got to see the show this summer in San Francisco, which you have all heard about. I couldn't shut up about it. Anyways...I don't really agree with it. If you wait until all of your dreams have come true, then you have missed out on living. Happiness is found in the process of fulfilling your dreams, not the end result. That is something I have to constantly remind myself. I am always planning, scheduling, but if I don't step back and enjoy what is happening right now, it will be gone before I know it and I won't have any memories to look back on. I am scared of not living my life in the best possible manner, of not being of the most use to people and not loving everyone as deeply as I should. This may seem to be coming from out of the blue, but some things have happened this week that have made me think about how short life is. A friend's little sister passed away in an awful car accident this week. And this December is the year anniversary of my great-grandmother's passing away. I wasn't super close with either of these people. And I know that where they are now is a very happy place. But I empathize so deeply with the people left behind. I keep thinking of how they must feel and how sad it is. People really mourn. And seeing their sadness makes me want to live my life in such a way, and this sounds wierd, but in such a way that people will miss me when I am gone to.
This week has also made me realize just how grateful I am for the gospel. I have seen what deaths have done to people who don't have these truths. There is a hopelessness that is only helped by knowing that one day we will see our loved ones again. And that is another reason to live the best life possible, is so there will be nothing standing in our way when we are reunited with those we love and care about, and those who we have missed so much.
Anyways, I hope I didn't bring anyone down, reading this blog. This is just what has been on my mind lately.
Love ya'll

TRC at the MTC

I did it, I did it, I did it!
Woo!
Ok, background so ya'll can understand me. I am in Norwegian 340, also known as Norwegian Literature and this is the class that all the RM's take so they can get credit for the classes that I have already taken. Anyways, there is a kid in my class who is the Norwegian teacher at the MTC. He mentioned they needed volunteers to help the missionaries teach the lessons to. I was nervous. I couldn't take anyone with me. (I can't find any norwegian speakers when I need them, go figure.) So I would have to go alone. Alone, all by myself, in a foreign environment, surrounded a foreign language. So I kept putting it off. I had all sorts of excuses. Mostly I was worried that I wouldn't understand anything. But I did it last night. I went, I sat and listened to a native speaker being taught by the elders. IT WAS AWESOME.
I totally knew what they were saying. I am just a little slower in responding. It was a good experience.
Missionaries are awesome, the poor things! They were trying so hard!
So the lesson to be learned?
Go out and do something that you have been putting off because it is good for you.
true story.
:)

Opportunities?

I'm excited about this. My English 292 (British Literature) teacher is amazing and I like his style. Because I am so impressed with him, I want to be the best student he has ever had. (I can't help it, I am a people pleaser at heart.) Anyways, yesterday he passed around a paper that called for papers to be published in the literary criticism magazine on campus. Normally, I just pass these flyers along, but this time, I actually wrote down the information. I went to talk to him today and I am really excited. I have no idea what I am going to write about, but I will figure that out later. The paper should be about 15-20 pages, which is a little longer than what I'm used to, but I can do it! It would look really good on a resume to say that I have actually been published. Even though I am not technically an English major (history major, english minor) but I think I can contribute. Also, there is an English conference later on this year, and my teacher is in charge of that. He basically guaranteed me entrance into the conference. WOo! Here's for being a teacher's pet!
So, basically, it is going to be more work, but what the heck. When have I ever said no to putting more on my plate?
I wonder if there is an undergraduate history conference? THAT would be exciting too. Oooh, I like pondering new things.
Anyway, that is what is new.

The Kautokeino Rebellion

International Cinema. Done it again.

I can't watch a movie there without leaving the room in tears. I cried through the last 15 min of the movie, walked home in a state of shock, then got home to tell Shannon the whole affair and cried AGAIN!

This was a very sad affair. These native people of Norway, they didn't want to pay alcohol debts but this evil, greedy store clerk got the church and the government involved and then these innocent men were arrested without charge. And they needed to help their wives get the reindeer in and it was so unfair! And then two of the men were executed, beheaded, and this little boy saw the whole thing and it was so so so so sad.

That is why I cried.

But they spoke Norwegian, mostly...

only highlight of the movie.

it was good but sad.

ah.

ok.

i am done.

Busy Bee

It is a silly wish of mine every weekend that it will be opposite of my weekdays. But they are always as busy as everyday anyway. I'm not complaining. I love having my days filled with friends, family and acquaintences. I love people.

It is my biggest dream, when I grow up, to have this cute little house, and have it be warm and delicious smelling inside and having it stuffed to the brim with people. I want the kind of house that people can just run into, no need to knock, with kids (mine or neighborhood kids) who call me mom and I will always have something delicious to eat to offer to people.

Woah. Sorry to get lost on that sidenote. My weekend. So my roommate from freshman year turned 21! And to celebrate, we had afternoon tea at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. It was so fancy! And it was so good to visit with Ali and celebrate this milestone in her life with her. There was a handful of girls, mostly from her high school, but they were such neat girls, like it just reaffirmed the fact that if you are already friends with someone, the chances that you will like their friends is pretty good. So good afternoon. AND!!! It was hightened by the fact that I found this AMAZING dress for the party! I took Shannon shopping with me on Friday, but we couldn't find anything. Stupid mall. I tend to have a very specific image in my mind of what I want to look like. So most of the time, I don't find anything at all. I wish it was easier to make clothes. I would be so stylish. Hah! If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.

Anyways, Friday was fun but I still need a dress so Saturday morning, I went out on my own to a couple of places. And I found a dress that was perfect. So stylish, so flattering. And only fifteen bucks! I is a smart shopper. Mah! So I hurried and got some groceries and ink! (very important) So I dashed home, got ready in just enough time to fly (as in drive really fast) up to SLC and made it just in time for the party. Had a really fun time (so fancy) and then came back down to Provo to find everyone gone to Adult Session of Stake Conference. Oops. So I made banana bread and watched "Smokey and the Bandit" (burt reynolds...so funny) I will have to tell you about that later. (Only 5 bucks!) And then Debra called! Game night! So after the movie, I dashed over there and had a blast, chatting it up with really cool people. And we played Cranium. Me and Debra talked smak. *shrug* It's what we do. ;) Neither of our teams won. Ha! Then I came back home and went to sleep. Good day. Busy, but good.

I think life is never going to slow down. Ever. So I guess I will just have to get used to flying so fast.

zooM, zooM, ZOOM!

Manly Men

So, me being me, I dislike Halloween intensely. You would think that dressing up and exaggerated makeup would be right up my alley right? Well, yes, until I got about twelve. Then Halloween stopped being about being creative and started being scary. I don't DO scary. Trust me. If you haven't had the opportunity to watch a movie with me, then you wouldn't understand. I get very into my movies. So scary movies scare me right out of my pants. So this year, to avoid all of that mess that comes with grown up Halloween, I escaped home to my parent's house and helped my little sister extract candy from nice neighbors. AND more importantly, I rented old movies. Like, my favorite pastime EVER! I got The Four Feathers(1977), Captain Horatio Hornblower....Gregory Peck is amazing!!!!!.... (1951), and Captain Blood...dang it, they don't make 'em how they used to!!!.... (1935). On our way back into town, me and Denay started making a list of actors, or characters or just awesome men in general who epitomize the essence of manhood. Here is what we got so far...
(if you feel that we have missed someone essential, please comment. We want to celebrate as many awesome manly men as possible...)

• Gregory Peck
• also: Atticus Finch, Horatio Hornblower
• Cary Grant
• also: Dr. Praetorious
• Errol Flynn
• Humphrey Bogart
• aka grumpy man, but a man nonetheless...
• Laurence Olivier
• Paul Newman
• Yul Brenner
• Steve McQueen
• Rhett Butler
• from Gone with the Wind
• Mike Rowe
• aka "Dirty Jobs" host
• Henry Feversham
• from "The Four Feathers" book
• The Count of Monte Cristo
• aka Jim Caviezel
• Sean Connery
• James Garner
• Robert Redford
• Dustin Hoffman
• George Clooney
• Fred Astaire
• Tom Burlingson
• aka The Man from Snowy River
• Will Smith
• Superman in the Gym (earlier blog post...)
• Batman
• Val Kilmer
• Sully
• aka the mountain man from "Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman"
• Robin Williams
• because of Jumanji, Bicenntenial Man, Genie, and Mork
• Robert Downey Jr.

Nay says Patrick Swayze...but I disagreed...he goes on a maybe list.

There, there I can't think of anymore at this moment. Got any ideas? Let me know! :D

Askeladden og Smørbukk

Goodness, I can't believe the semester is halfway over. I love, love, love my classes. My favorite one, believe it or not, is my Norwegian Literature class. It is combined with the Danish Lit. class because the languages are so similar, and Denmark controlled Norway for ages. (norway is better...grumble, grumble...) anyways, so for a large majority of the class we have been reading Danish stuff, which, you know, is cool, but ah yes, we just started "nasjionalromatikken" which is the Romantic period in Norway. And there are these two men, Asbjornsen and Moe, they are the equivalent of the Grimms Brother in Germany, well they went to the backcountry of Norway and collected all of these fantastic folk and fairy tales. I love this. I love fairy tales. And fairy tales in foreign languages are even better. Askeladden translates roughly into "the ash lad" which is like Cinderella. He is slightly different though, as he has many adventures, but there are plenty of similarities, trust me. We watched an old school stop-motion animation movie about Askeladden yesterday and I was in heaven. Ah Norge! Dette er det best sted i hele

verden!

Smørbukk is another character, translated into butterball, but he is this adorable kid who has adventures too. He just likes to eat...

Anyways.

That is my geek out moment for the week.

:) Cheers and Happy Halloween!

One snowflake, two...three snowflake, four...

...now you'll see 'The Snow Queen', if you count a million more...

This is the Snow Queen, a story by Hans Christian Andersen and it was made into several different versions. This one I have showcased for you today is a 1957 Soviet Union version that my childhood is based on. I love this story. I couldn't tell you exactly why, but I do, I do, I do. So if you ever get the chance to see it, don't judge it too harshly. It is amazing in its own special way...

and winter is coming...BTW

Pandora and Bob

This is a music box. It is not mine. I have lots of boxes, some musical, some otherwise but I wanted to picture a box that kinda represents Pandora's box. The greek myth is kinda of sad, as she unleashes all the world's aliments when she opens her secret box and it gave Greek men a reason to hate women, but it has a hopeful ending. She doesn't let hope escape and that is why we still have it. Anyways, that isn't really where I was wanting to go with this post...
Another connection to Pandora. I am sure ya'll know the website, Pandora the internet radio station. I freakin LOVE it. I made a radio station for Tchaikovsky and Journey and most importantly, BOB SEGER.
He is the man.
And he should be more appreciated than he currently is.
I love him.
Bob Seger, ladies and gentlemen, check it out.
that's all...
...
..
.

6 Degrees of Separation

I'm pretty sure ya'll have heard of this. I had too, but I learned about it today. Sociology (my last GE thank goodness!) made us get into groups and normally I hate group work. Not that I don't like the people but, gosh dang it! Sometimes, i just need to do the work my way, you know? Surprisingly though, this group is pretty awesome. Especially considering it's just three of us. Anyways sociology was teaching us about weak connections i.e. acquaintances and how it's better for you to find a good job through a large network of weak connections rather than a network based on close friends. And the assignment mentioned how not everyone is connected to everyone else, rather, we are connected to a few who seem to know everyone else. Anyways, they had us do this little experiment, try the 6 degrees of separation with Kevin Bacon. Pick a name of any actor or actress and try to get them to connect with each other. We picked Cary Grant. Not any connection you say? Well, you'd be wrong...it took like twenty degrees of separation, but we got it! It was so much fun! We kept bring up all of these fantastic old movies and actors and I had a blast. Connections rock. Try it sometime. The world is a lot smaller than we think. :)

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?

so the other day, I packed an apple for lunch. So when I got hungry (around lunch time) I pulled it out and bit into it... And the fruit was the whitest I can remember eating. I was like whoa! I feel like Snow White eating her apple...
.......
... I wonder when my prince will come? :)

"The Doorway to Norway"

Ooookkaaayy, so this semester has been breath-takingly busy.
Meh. I wake up to go to work at 5 a.m. then classes from 9-4 or 9-6 (depending on which day exactly) then I come home, do homework solidly until I have to go to bed to get up early to do it all over again! Why am I doing this again?!
Oh, that is right... because I have to.
There, there. now. My pity party is over. Now I can do what needs to be done and be happy with that!
Anyways, the moral of this story is: funny things happen ALL the time and even if I don't get to share these gems with people, it's a good thing I learned to laugh by myself when necessary. In my Scandinavian Culture class that is also Comms 381 (wierd, I know...) we have to read a Scandinavian newspaper every week and blog about it. (no worries, I am not turning this blog into a running advertisment for Norway) Anyways, he gave us some websites for newspapers that have been translated into English. And the subtitle to the Norway Post is "the doorway to Norway"
Hahahah. I laughed out loud the first time I read it. And I still giggle, everytime. This may be a sign that I have wayyy too much school, but hey, I think it's funny. We can't all be comical geniuses. Sometimes all we can do is be the person you think of and sigh while saying..."oh kiera..."
yup.
that is me.
sigh, ohmeohmeohmy

Before We Begin...

Who can guess which national landmark this is?! Anyone, anyone? GOOD! The Golden Gate Bridge! To get this picture, guess where in the USA, I had to be? YES! IN SAN FRANCISCO, BABY!

hmmm...yes. I took off on a fantastic roadtrip across the wastes of Nevada to the Bay Area the week before school started...

We saw "Wicked" the musical! "I am defying graaaavvvviiittyy!!!" We saw the Oakland Temple and the Jelly Belly Factory! (Wed)

Then we went jet skiing...I fell off and basically ripped my shoulder off... And then got back on and jetted off at 50 mph! Now, that is zoomin for me! (Thurs)

Then we went white-water rafting. Level 3 rapids, so nothing too bad...except the bottom of our boat completely deflated and almost fell apart. No worries though, we made it back alive. I saw the place where they first discovered gold in California!! (Fri)

Then we went ATV-ing. Learned a clutch, kinda. Stalled on every freakin hill I came to. Drove back in the dark. Still supa fun! (Sat)

Then we drove back Sunday. Completely trashed. As you can see...

*note: these are real people, not actors.

Then school the next day...gahh...who decided to come back?!

Global Surprise

Wowza. So early one morning, as I was cleaning the classrooms in the RB (i've moved up to classroom cleaner! woo...) i found THIS ^ in the trash! *GASP* How could anyone throw away anything so beautiful?! So I adopted it and took it home with me. :) (big smile) It now cheerfully greets anyone coming through our front door. It's bigger than I am (well, almost)! It is so pretty. I have three other maps in my room.....

I like maps...

:)

F.Y.E addiction

...so I totally could NOT wait for work to be done today because it was PAYDAY! yeeeeaaaah! And when I have money now, I do one thing, and one thing only. Well, it at least takes first priority...I go to F.Y.E (For Your Entertainment) on University Parkway in Orem and spend about twenty bucks. I am addicted, I must admit...and I shall blame Karina and Garrett on this one...Not that I mind terribly. I happen to love this addiction. I get movies I love for a great price AND I have found that FYE makes a brilliant escape when couples invade my living room. There I can go and be single in peace.
All in all, its a beautiful thing...
:)

Look At Me, the newest, coolest history T.A. BYU has ever seen!!!

AHHHHHHHHH
You GUYS!
I got the History T.A. job!
I was so excited I almost cried! Thank goodness I had someone nearby to remind me to calm down and breathe.
Fall is gonna Rock.
No joke.
Love to all the World, in big big armfuls!

Some New Opportunities for the Fall...

So...I know that I have a lot on my plate for fall semester. I have to take a lot of credits (19). and I will be working (early morning again) but I can do all of that. But I got an email, the other day, annoucing T.A. positions in the History Department! Ahhh! How cool would that be?! I am way excited. So I turn in my applicaiton on Monday, and we will see how it goes, right?

Once Upon A Time...

"A good book should leave you... slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it." ~William Styron, 1958
As I pondered on what to write for this post, my mind thought back through the events of the day. Not much there. For the next two weeks, my co-worker, Philip is getting married and thus otherwise occupied; so I am bored at work. We usually talk and I have some new interesting topic of conversation to wow my friends with. Not for awhile folks. It doesn't matter, this will just force me to be more creative.
On our way to work this morning, me and my friend Chelsea (the only other person in the vicinity awake at 4:45 a.m. I guarentee it) were talking about a variety of different things and she asked if I was planning on going to Harry Potter. Alas, I am not. I read the series until about the fifth or sixth book and then I got tired of it and the fan-mania. So I went on a Harry Potter strike. Surprisingly, it's been really healthy for me. The only downside is trying to explain it to other people.
When I told her no, Chelsea said something interesting along the lines of: You are a classical book kind of person then? And here I paused and have devoted some thought to this question. I don't know if I would describe myself as such. It's flattering to think that I may have developed high scholarly tastes but as I think back over my favorite books, some of them are not so scholastic. I don't know what it is, all I know is that once I have developed some sort of memory to attach to a piece of writing, I love and praise it forever. I guess the fact of the matter is I like good books?
I like what the quote I found at the beginning of the post says. I have a really good imagination (not bragging it's just a fact), hence why I can't help but look at the ending of a book and also why movies affect me so much. I get really attached to the drama that is playing itself out before my eyes, and I need to know how they end so I don't fall to pieces if something bad happens to my favorite characters. Trust me, I have cried through several books and movies.
All I know is that I hate Mormon/Christian romance novels, Harry Potter/Twilight and uber fantasy novels (you know the ones that go on for like, fifteen books?) I think the main reason why I dislike these genres so much is because they are the same thing written to the same types of people over and over again.
I like books that you find hidden in some random corner of the library, ones that no one has heard of before. I like the real folk and fairy tales, like the Grimm Brothers, Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Anderson, so like the stuff that has been passed down orally for generations! (there is so much history in those fairy tales, you can't make fun of it). I like books that make me think! Books that make me want to find someone to talk about it with! I like books that make me want to be a better person, not just morally obligated to do so.
I am always up for suggestions on what to read and I'll read everything once, I am not a book snob.
Anyways, what do you guys think?

The End

It Really IS a Small World After All...

Crazy story today, kids!
I work in the Richards Building, more commonly known as the RB on campus. I am a custodian, I clean things. *shrug* Anyways, with as much time as I spend in the RB, one is bound to pick out a few regulars. Most of the time, it's the people whose offices I clean that I see all the time [weird, its like they work there too or something! ;) ] I can still remember the first time I actually ran into one of the professors whose office I clean. It felt like I was meeting my rock star idol, because it feels like I know them so well! Its strange how much about a person you can glean from looking at a space they inhabit on a regular basis. Is anyone understanding what I am trying to say? I'm not trying to win the creepy janitor award, I am just trying to make a point that sometimes I see people, regularly, and it feels like I know them, but I don't...
*the only other people who don't work at the RB and who are still there on a regular basis are the dancers. Specifically the ballroom kids. If they could figure out a way to actually spend the night in the RB, they would do it.
Anyways, the secretaries are mostly students. So, like, my age. And there is this one kid, Russel McDonald (he has a name tag on his desk, ok?) that looks like a nice kid, but I never had the chance to talk to him before.
WELL! Today on my way home from work, I saw him walking toward the RB (so opposite direction) and so I waved. (we have gotten to the point of recognition, ok?) He smiled and waved back but he was with a girl! (and that is fine! good for him, seriously!) This girl recognized me! She is a friend of some good friends of mine, affectionately known as Apartment 35 (even though they don't live in a #35 anymore) and so we were chatting, and then I was officially introduced to Rusty, as he is commonly known, and apparently him and Sydney (this girl) are in the same ward, and used to be in the same ward as Apt 35! CrAzY! Its funny because the only reason I am friends with 35 is because they were good friends with the Gilliland sisters, some good friends of mine in MY ward! It's like one giant circle! (the circle of life, and it moves us allllll!!!!)
This is a very small world. Being mormon makes it smaller. (everyone knows everyone else) AND being mormon and college-age and attending BYU makes the world even smaller.
Hence the story.
The End
:)

Road Trip

As most of you know, I recently returned from a 700+ mile road trip to Oregon. Come to think of it, I haven't done anything like that before ever. I mean, the longest distance I have ever driven previous to this excursion was Provo to St. George, when my mother ran in the marathon down there. But strangely I wasn't terribly nervous about that. I had some heartache over my car for awhile (turns out the starter was ka-puuutt) but it worked fine on the trip.

So Oregon is basically amazin! I think travel in general is one of the best things you can do with your time. Sure, I only went a couple of states away, but there are differences I noticed, believe me. That is the thing with travel. It makes you realize that people are different from you and they are happy that way. Sometimes I can get really caught up in myself and the way that I live and I begin to think that what I am doing is the ONLY way and that any other way is wrong or bad. And that is one of the most dangerous mindsets anyone can find themselves in. Not only do people live their lives differently from me, more often than not they live their lives better. I think the gospel has spoiled me a little. It's entirely my fault, but I've grown up with the knowledge of the church as being the one, true church and it was a big, brilliant lesson when I realized that there are good things, good people outside of the church, and more especially, outside "mormon culture".

Once I learned this lesson, the world has become a much larger, much richer place to live and grow in. This is partly the reason why I have decided to study history, and the art of teaching it to others. I want to show them this lesson that has been so valuable for me to learn.

History is like traveling, but in the past. You not only get to travel from continent to continent but from time to time. That may seem really obvious to the reader but its true! History isn't just about dates and names, those facts are good and necessary, but that seems to be the only thing people associate about history. It's so much more than that! It's about going through the millions of different stories in the world; picking out the best things and incorporating them in your life, so that at the end of the day, at the end of YOUR story; you have become the best sort of person you could be.

Without things I have picked up from my association with history and the study thereof, I would be a much less motivated and much less pleasant person to be around.

Woah.

Back to my stories of Oregon. Sorry, I got so sidetracked!

We went to the ocean and it was the greatest experience when I first caught glimpse of the endless horizon and smelled the ocean breeze. It was seriously like coming home. I have lived my whole life in Utah, and really only spent three months living by the ocean, but I'm telling you man, once you've had it, there really is no going back. The weather was storming and chilly and typically not the most excellent weather for the beach, but while I was there I couldn't stop thinking how perfect it was. It was absolutely perfect.

Let's see...we took a day trip into Portland. It's not the capital, but its the biggest city in Oregon. It was a good experience. We took the wrong exit coming into the city and had to find the interstate again. It totally wasn't my fault, as the road suddenly split and I was in the wrong lane. I kinda just flowed into the wrong exit. Good news though, we miraculously found the interstate and then the next exit was ours! Hallejulah! So there are like five bridges in Portland. I'm fairly sure we went over at least four of them. NOT on purpose mind you. There are so many danged one-way streets in Portland, we went bridge-touring because we were so lost.

One of the best things of Portland? The International Rose Test Garden. Soooo pretty...I love roses. Did you know the rose is the flower of the month for June? It's like it's meant to be. Oregon is like THE best place in the world to grow roses, apparently. The red ones are my favorite. So Dramatic!

So things I learned/experienced in Oregon:

• People drive slowly. very slowly, and yet, so much roadkill...


• Women dress naturally. They don't look "made-up", so no exaggerated makeup (guilty!) and natural colors, and comfortable shoes.


• THEY FILL UP YOUR GAS FOR YOU: this is a biggie, it was one of the biggest culture shocks I had to get used to.


• Trees everywhere! This shouldn't have come as a shock but no, I was still amazed.
  

Last picture: there was a train engine in a park. Just so you know...and now you can look at it too!

Memories of Birthday's Past

Hello All:
On the eve of my twentieth birthday (its a big deal ok? I realize that people have birthdays every day and everyone has been twenty before but I haven't, which makes this birthday pretty neat.) I have decided to sit down for a moment and share a couple thoughts of birthdays past.
Birthday on the Island
So this is probably one of my bestest birthday memories ever. So the summer after I graduated high school, I flew to Catalina, California and lived on the island there for three months. I worked at a boy scout camp (i'm sorry that i tend to talk about it a lot...its basically the only cool thing i can remember doing *shrug*) anyways...this was my first birthday away from home, and this was only a couple weeks into the summer. So we lived only a couple of yards away from the ocean. (mahvalous!!!) Between meals, we would have free time and of course we would go to the ocean to relax. The girls in the kitchen, we tended to ignore the scouts. And it was a monday and so the staffers were strategically placed in stations to teach the scouts about water safety and various other lessons. So as me and my friend, Haylee, walked to the beach, we passed each station and said hello to the boy-staffer there. Well, at each station, they sang happy birthday to me, personally! And it wasn't like these stations were very far apart from each other. It was like one long, beautiful chain of personal attention. That, and the beautiful sun and weather, and just all the great people I worked with...sigh, yes indeed that was a wonderful birthday. Oh...haha, I just remembered...it wasn't all sunshine and happiness. Like I said before, it was my first birthday away from home, so I got really homesick...and called one of my best friends, Ben. And basically bawled to him, gee. I feel bad for the kid. I have put him through a lot. Ha, but I guess that is what good friends are for right? All in all, good day.
Antelope Crush
This one makes the record books because this was one of the first times I remember having a crush. Haha, oh silly elementary school crushes. Anyways, my mother planned this big excursion to Antelope Island (Utah's readily accessible island in the Great Salt Lake) and we had a picnic and played in the sad, and my crush came! Aw!
Birthday in the Park
Summer birthdays are a trial sometimes...The weather is almost always nice and therefore, the usual activity is almost always water oriented. Blah! After several years of water activities, it gets a little redundant. So this birthday (during high school) I planned a picnic in the park. We had a BBQ and food and games. It was delicious. The reason this one is memorable is because we had a watermelon and nothing to cut it with, except for this huge knife that we used to check the meat...so this kid (scott kershaw) really was brilliant, decided to santize the knife by sticking it in the fire. Good plan, except he tried to use it while it was still hot. And burned long knife mark in his hand. Poor kid. Still. In school, he was a smartie.....
Enough memories.
This year is going to rock too!
Love birthdays.

p.s. Did you know that eskimos don't celebrate birthdays?

F.Y.I

just so you know...i got johnny blingo to post on my facebook page.
check it out.
:)

Good Times, Good Times

This morning at work, I was just thinking of happy memories. I happened to have a little Michael Buble on and it got me thinking about dancing, real dancing, like waltzing (my fav) and other "social dances" (which I don't understand that title exactly, as when you are dancing these dances you are only dancing with one other person. which isn't the epitome of socialness...however, this could be debated further) AnYwAyS, I was thinking about waltzing and I remembered one of the coolest things ever that happened in my dancing career.
Once Upon A Time... (last fall semester) I took a beginning social dance class. They made you attend a dance lab to show everyone else in dance classes that you actually knew what you were doing...since it was required, I attended. Not expecting to know anyone I meandered around, said hello to acquaintences from my class, and tried to not get crushed to death by the huge mass of people. Lo and behold, I ran into a kid from my ward, who goes by the name AJ who also happened to dance, quite a bit actually. He is on the back-up ballroom tour team and had taught me earlier how to cha-cha properly. So, nice guy. As we were chatting, again avoiding death from five million other people dancing in the room, other girls from our ward joined us and we had a little mini 2nd ward reunion. All of a sudden, AJ turns to me and asks, "Would you like to dance?" Uh...hold on a minute, i have to think about this one...HECK YES. Ladies, this was the waltz! And he actually knew how to dance! And it was a beautiful memory.
So I thought I should share that one with you. I was thinking of others, but that is the problem when you are busy with memories and there is no pen or paper around. Next time, though, next time...I'll remember.
Perhaps its a good thing that I couldn't remember, that way I don't overwhelm you with memory lane. It's a pleasant thing to enjoy the past, just not all at once. A little goes a long way, don't cha know. Kinda like the time I substituted a handful of salt instead of sugar in my sister's cream-o-wheat...
p.s. salt goes a loooooooooonnnnnnng way.

Happiness is NOT found in having a car...

MY STUPID CAR WOULDN'T START THIS MORNING!

This is basically one of the worst ways to start a morning, and a sunday morning for that matter.
People who i have talked to about it said my ignition switch is dead. Which is great, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HECK THAT IS. I barely understand english most days, throwing in auto lingo, which is basically a different language, does NOT help.

I was happy pre-car. I had no car worries. I was fine. I walked places. In the snow, both ways. Now the weather is lovely and now i have a car, I am in constant heartache.

Stupid Car.

My room is a narcotic...

so as most of you know, I work early mornings and my job is wierd with crazy hours and whatnot. Basically, I get up at four-fifteen a.m. work til eight a.m. come home, twiddle my tumbs for four hours and then back to work from twelve to four. Actually, to be truthful, I don't twiddle my thumbs...that takes skill and a certain level of concentration, both of which I lack in large quantities...anyways, what I really excel at is sleeping. True story. I blocked out about half of my window with tinfoil and its basically turned my room into a hybernating bear's den. I take one step into my room and I zonk out. It's a miracle I make it to my bed each time. I almost didn't make it to work today, I slept for so long. But I love my sleeping skills and I felt like I should blog about this curious relationship I have with my room. So there you go. Ha.

Superman at the Gym

Once upon a time I was working out at the gym. And as I was walking the elliptical machine I pondered on all those present. (mostly boys) and then I saw....SUPERMAN!
I'm not kidding!
This guy was tall, dark-haired and huge!!! But he looked like a nice guy, you know, cool silver glasses (all clark kent looking)
AND...
He was wearing a superman logo shirt...
HOW MANY HINTS DOES A GIRL NEED?!

Pretty much the best day at the gym ever.

:D

The End

Change of pace...aka...change of color.

In a world of ever-changing settings, I have decided to contribute by dying my hair, again. I don't know why I do this, oh wait, yes I do. I like to shake things up a bit every now and then. And changin my hair is the easiest way to do that. I think to an extent its also a matter that I crave attention, and changing my hair also is the easiest way of getting attention. Everyone is all like, "you did your hair!!!" and it makes me smile. Both on the outside and on the inside. Actually, the bishopbric didn't even recognize me today. Which can be seen from both a good and bad perspective, I guess. But now, my hair is miraculous shades of brown and blonde. and various other colors that I am pretty sure I still have in there somewhere. I like it. But then, I love almost everything that I do to my hair. I was half giddy on Friday after I did it.



Even after all the fun events of the weekend, I hit a downfall on Sunday. We have a new ward, and its been a beautiful day and all, but somehow...I can't help but feeling blue. And I HaTe that!!! I love being happy and helpful to people but when I don't feel like that, and when I don't know why, I get so frustrated!!! AHHHHHGHGGHH. Blah.



Not to leave this blog on a bad note. I am going to start yoga! Its going to be amazin! And I am going to start going to the gym again. I haven't been for awhile because of finals, and family visiting and all. Which really isn't an excuse, because true devotees go no matter what. But the truth is, I got lazy, I guess. But have no fear! I will get back into the swing of things. And that will help releasing endorphins...which make people happy. YaY.



P.S. There is a new guy in the ward who looks like Robert Downey Jr. when he was younger. CHeaayah! Hahahahaha.

Winter Semester Idol

Haha, ok. Story Time!!! So this last semester, I found a beautiful crush. Ha! You should have seen it (or i guess him). I called him RB boy, because, A. I didn't know his name, and B. that is where I saw him practically every morning, in the Richards Building. He was beautiful, that is all I have to say. Tall, Dark and Handsome. So over the course of the semester, I saw him from time to time and once (!) I saw him in my stake conference!! So I had a clue...he was in my stake. (duh) And hahaha...so the last day of year we found another ward directory in the stake and guess what?! Yup, he was there in that stake. So I finally found his name: Darren ...and I found that he had a serious girlfriend. *sigh* Isn't it hard to have your dreams destroyed by reality? Haha, well, on to the next one. :D It was a good thing while it lasted.

Finals are over!!!

EVERYONE!!!! FINALS ARE OVER and summer is on its way... I am so excited. I am working now 40 hours a week. BLAH its soo much! But other good news! I have fallen in love with summer dresses and cardigans. I am so cute in them! Haha, just thought everyone would want to know...since a blog is an update on everyone's life, this is an update on mine. How is everyone else doing? :)

SHINY!!!

Haha, ok, so basically the whole world knows of my fascination of shiny/sparkly/glittery/bright things. My home ward, my student ward, roommates past and present, family, and now, complete strangers. Well, not necessarily complete strangers. Ok, so here is the story...

One evening in March, I had just gotten ready for bed. It was nine-ish at night. And I hear the doorbell ring and no answering footprints. Being the kind of person I am, I go to the door, and lo and behold I see my good friend, Stephanie Gilliland. She tells me to come to her apartment as their friends, "Apt 35" have a surprise for me. Not surprisingly, I was a little cautious. So I head down to their apartment...Apt 35 had made a movie, dedicated to me, titled "Johnny Blingo." Yes, ladies and gentleman...Johnny Blingo. "Dedicated to the girl who loves shiny things". heehee. I am trying to get a copy and maybe then I could share it with all of ya'll. It's pretty impressive. Hahaha. But in it, Johnny Blingo is the blingingest man on the island and he needs a woman. This man is decked out! and the movie is hilarious. And this work of art wouldn't have been possible without my affection for all things shiny. :D

The End

Aw...February, the month of LOVE

Hello, everyone, I'm sorry its been so long! I guess I haven't gotten into the habit yet. Maybe one day it will happen. You never know! ;)

So a new semester has begun. Oh goodie! No joke, a change of schedule and a change of pace is good for the heart and soul. Well, sometimes. In the case of school, its always good to mix it up a bit. :p So I am still taking eighteen credits. I like the look on people's faces when I tell them that. It kinda makes me feel like superwoman! I can do anything! Ya, like that -> haha, althought, to tell the truth, this semester has me a little worried. Maybe I bit off a bit more than I should have... But oh well, its too late now! I am in it for the long haul, at least until finals are over. There is just so much that I want to do and so much to learn in college, and I HATE how specific our higher level education can get. What if everything just went down the drain (not that it isn't already), but I don't know if we could get back to this point. No one knows basic skills anymore. Sure, I know how to use a computer but I have no idea the theories and concepts and actual practical knowledge to make a computer. Or even more basic, an engine! Who know how to build an engine from scratch? I can barely make a cake from scratch, and that is following a recipe!!! *sigh*

Enough doom and gloom. I am sure there are lots of people out there who know lots of stuff, more than I will ever know. I am just mourning the loss that everyone has, not knowing a little of everything, we are missing out on a lot.

Life is fun. I have really enjoyed this student ward this semester, they are really outgoing and loving. It's a combination of that, and a decided effort on my part to do more stuff with my social calendar. It's surprising what you can do when you put your mind to it.

BRAIN POWER!

I made it a goal to get my picture on as many cameras as possible. Which means I either have to kidnap everyone's camera and secretly take pics of myself (which let's face it, i do that plenty already) or I could make friends, especially friends who like to take pictures, and let them capture my social moments of brilliance. Haha...maybe I should make friends with professional photographers next...then I can get some flattering photos for a change. ;P But so far it's been working. I still take tonz of pics of myself, whenever I get my hands on a camera...but I have been better at being there when kodak moments are happening too. :D yeeyah!

So exciting moment in my dating life...I was able to plan a giant group/blind date with some girls in my ward and it was super fun! Each girl picked a date for another girl in the group and then asked the date for the girl. So we didn't ask our dates, but set up everyone else's. That way, it was still a group date, but everyone's date was a blind one! Woo! It was way fun, we had a great group and I think everyone had a good time. We fingerpainted. :D Ya, that's right, back to pre-school for us. I had never fingerpainted before, so it definately was a messy adventure. But fun. The picture is one i tried to take with one of my friends that I invited, for another girl. Bryce. haha, he was being all dramatic and wouldn't cooperate! Still, he is one of my favorite people down here in Provo, so I am grateful for whatever pictures I can get with him.

Oh, and I heard from another one of my favoritest people in the whole wide world! Ya, that is right, I heard from Elder Benjamin Byers. It was about time too, not kidding! He left in August, and I hadn't heard from him the whole time. :P But either his conscience got the better of him, or my nagging him finally struck its point and he sent a letter! Woo, and it was actually better than that, because, I got not only one letter, but TWO! Ya, apparently he had written earlier, but never had gotten around to actually sending it. grrr... And so he sent it along with his most recent one. It's funny how frustrated you get with missionaries, but the minute you get a letter from them, it's like "awww...precious boy!" :P :P :P Why do we think so much about boys!?!?

Ha ha, ya so I am thinking that is pretty much all that is up, as of this point. I am going to try and be better at writing here, just watch me. :D Anyways, peace and talk to ya later!