thankful:
today, natalie and i went coat shopping. if i haven't mentioned, i am in desperate need of a winter coat. being without one here {even just at the beginning of december} is devastating! fortunately, we have a water heater. in my small circle of kindred spirits it is fairly well known that i hate coats. winter clothing as a whole, to be honest. i have a phobia of feeling like a marshmallow. if it's too tight i won't wear it because it makes me claustrophobic in my own skin. if it's it's too big i won't wear it because i feel like a man. coats are difficult for me. so after turning in a massive research paper this afternoon {that i've been losing sleep and hair over for the past week}, and despite natalie's looming research paper, we headed into town in search of a suitable coat. she didn't really know what she was getting into, despite her superior knowledge of my coat disorder. we found one. sort of. see, i bought one, but i'm not sure i'm entirely satisfied with it. and. . . that's a lot of money to spend on something i'm not absolutely in love with. i like it an incredible amount, but i'm not sure if it's love, quite yet. so. i bought another coat online - one that i am absolutely in love with! if it fits, i'll take one back, and voilá! so it's undecided, but the good thing is, within the week i'll have a coat, and it was incredible fun with natalie bringing me just about every small- and medium-sized coat in the store. so. . .
1. natalie: i'm thankful for a sister that will let me drag her through the ordeal of choosing a coat, despite how difficult and ridiculous i am every time i put another one on. it was a darn good thing i wasn't alone, or i wouldn't have come out with anything!
2. water heaters: genni and were talking about how absolutely cool it would be to have one of those water heaters that never runs out of hot water - the ones that heat it as it enters or something specific like that. then, i realized that i am blessed to even have a water heater, even if it runs out of hot water after i do the dishes. i am so absolutely grateful for hot water when i wake up in the morning and freeze upon getting out from under the covers. hot water is an absolute piece of my physical salvation sometimes and i am thankful for that water heater!
3. coats: natalie has one i've borrowed this week and oh was i ever thankful for that coat! walking to class with just a jacket had my lips blue and goose bumps on my goose bumps on my entire body. i'm happy that i have a coat. so many people don't and this week having one to borrow (and now having one in my possession) makes me want to buy one for every poor college student in provo that isn't warm enough - not to mention the rest of the freezing world population. this christmas, i wish for everyone who needs a coat to have one.
4. finished research papers: i was so relieved today after turning in that paper that i could have danced. . . i should have danced! next paper, i will. i'm so thankful that i have the ability to be in a place where enough is demanded of me that i write things i never thought could come from my mind. i love feeling stretched; i love feeling relief when the result of said stretch is pleasing.
5. God-given time: i've needed a coat for quite some time. i've needed a little escape this week with someone to give me a tad bit of coat-support. i just haven't had time {and didn't expect to have time} until during finals week. today, i was blessed with a few hours {and so was natalie} in which to relieve some stress and buy some warmth. i'm thankful when God gives me things i don't expect sooner than i expected.
by the way, what were you thankful for today?
Friday, December 3
Tuesday, November 30
extra on the thanks
thanksgiving was lovely this year. for the first time in {we figured} four years, my entire family was together - plus a few extras. we had almost a pie per person! and the food... oh! the food. it was glorious, to say the least. this was also the first time in probably five years that i took part in the turkey-eating. i can tell you right now, it was darn good!
other than our passionate love affair with food, thanksgiving (and the beginning of the holidays in general) bring out a few little quarks in my family.
as has become the unspoken tradition, all chess boards remained on the tables in multiple rooms. i think i played over ten games of chess while home, and only lost two! unfortunately, the losses were to my dad and natalie's boyfriend {brant}. old vices, intimidation, drastically out of practice, the excuses could go on. truth be told, i've only beat my dad twice in my life - and we've been playing since i was probably thirteen.
the holidays awaken another sleeping monster, especially prevalent in hailey and i (although vigorously shared by my dad and natalie, too). epic movie marathons are always on the mind around this time of year. usually the lord of the rings, star trek, or pirates of the caribbean. something along those lines. but this year (in light of the newly released craze), we waved our wands and borrowed the entire harry potter collection from my oldest sister, carrie. yes, that's right: harry potter 1-7 (part one) in a week! i'll admit. . . i still have hesitations about harry potter. i was outright anti for quite some time. after reading books one through five i was absolutely fed up with the recycled plot, lack of all natural consequences for the main characters, and well, other things. but i've reduced my sticklerness lately. harry potter, while not fabulous literature, is fun. and sometimes, i'm okay with just fun. i've realized (after slowly beginning to eat meat again) that i don't have to be obsessive about the things i feel strongly about. just cautious.
and oh was it fun!
the honest truth: i think i might even see 7 (part one) in theaters again. . . and possibly pick up the last three books during the semester for a bit of light escapism.
okay! now, what i was actually going to write about when i started this crazy post was how i'm working on an attitude adjustment. in light of the season, i'm starting a thankful series. the plan: at least five things i'm thankful for per day - recorded starting today {but i had to review thanksgiving, too, after all}. we'll see how it goes. basically, being thankful makes me un-grouchy. sorta like the LOVE game. but here's the thing. it's the last two weeks of the semester, so. . . crunch time. i'll miss some days probably. but the point is to keep me from ripping out my hair if finals go kerplunk. i think it will!
oh yeah, and to all you other college students: happy finals. i'm praying for all of us!
thankful:
1. i'm so very thankful for a new heating pack. i love not having rice in my bed, and i'm so thankful that i can sleep warmly.
2. i'm thankful that i could see the spectacular mountains this morning. i always seem to forget how breath-taking they are when snow was completely dumped on top of them. add to that an incredible sunrise on my walk to campus and you get a fabulous morning - that's for sure.
3. i'm thankful for sabrina perkins. this semester, so many times when i needed a lift, she was the one that realized, that got me out of the house, convinced me to buy the incredible jacket and yellow boots, made me feel like i was trusted and worth trusting, let me talk as long as i needed and cry as much as i wanted, made me dance to lady gaga and laugh till i was giddy.
4. i'm thankful for ink in my printer. . . and getting slightly more simple, for my printer. the expense and hassle of printing in the library for a month was starting to drive me bonkers. i live on convenience, i know. i almost feel guilty for being thankful for a printer. after all, it's not a necessity. but maybe that's all the more reason to be thankful.
5. my mom sent back two bottles of homemade turkey noodle soup - thanksgiving leftovers. believe me, i'm thankful for that soup this freezing week in provo. and thankful for my generous mother to make the soup and insist i take it. i love soup and mom!
other than our passionate love affair with food, thanksgiving (and the beginning of the holidays in general) bring out a few little quarks in my family.
as has become the unspoken tradition, all chess boards remained on the tables in multiple rooms. i think i played over ten games of chess while home, and only lost two! unfortunately, the losses were to my dad and natalie's boyfriend {brant}. old vices, intimidation, drastically out of practice, the excuses could go on. truth be told, i've only beat my dad twice in my life - and we've been playing since i was probably thirteen.
the holidays awaken another sleeping monster, especially prevalent in hailey and i (although vigorously shared by my dad and natalie, too). epic movie marathons are always on the mind around this time of year. usually the lord of the rings, star trek, or pirates of the caribbean. something along those lines. but this year (in light of the newly released craze), we waved our wands and borrowed the entire harry potter collection from my oldest sister, carrie. yes, that's right: harry potter 1-7 (part one) in a week! i'll admit. . . i still have hesitations about harry potter. i was outright anti for quite some time. after reading books one through five i was absolutely fed up with the recycled plot, lack of all natural consequences for the main characters, and well, other things. but i've reduced my sticklerness lately. harry potter, while not fabulous literature, is fun. and sometimes, i'm okay with just fun. i've realized (after slowly beginning to eat meat again) that i don't have to be obsessive about the things i feel strongly about. just cautious.
and oh was it fun!
the honest truth: i think i might even see 7 (part one) in theaters again. . . and possibly pick up the last three books during the semester for a bit of light escapism.
okay! now, what i was actually going to write about when i started this crazy post was how i'm working on an attitude adjustment. in light of the season, i'm starting a thankful series. the plan: at least five things i'm thankful for per day - recorded starting today {but i had to review thanksgiving, too, after all}. we'll see how it goes. basically, being thankful makes me un-grouchy. sorta like the LOVE game. but here's the thing. it's the last two weeks of the semester, so. . . crunch time. i'll miss some days probably. but the point is to keep me from ripping out my hair if finals go kerplunk. i think it will!
oh yeah, and to all you other college students: happy finals. i'm praying for all of us!
thankful:
1. i'm so very thankful for a new heating pack. i love not having rice in my bed, and i'm so thankful that i can sleep warmly.
2. i'm thankful that i could see the spectacular mountains this morning. i always seem to forget how breath-taking they are when snow was completely dumped on top of them. add to that an incredible sunrise on my walk to campus and you get a fabulous morning - that's for sure.
3. i'm thankful for sabrina perkins. this semester, so many times when i needed a lift, she was the one that realized, that got me out of the house, convinced me to buy the incredible jacket and yellow boots, made me feel like i was trusted and worth trusting, let me talk as long as i needed and cry as much as i wanted, made me dance to lady gaga and laugh till i was giddy.
4. i'm thankful for ink in my printer. . . and getting slightly more simple, for my printer. the expense and hassle of printing in the library for a month was starting to drive me bonkers. i live on convenience, i know. i almost feel guilty for being thankful for a printer. after all, it's not a necessity. but maybe that's all the more reason to be thankful.
5. my mom sent back two bottles of homemade turkey noodle soup - thanksgiving leftovers. believe me, i'm thankful for that soup this freezing week in provo. and thankful for my generous mother to make the soup and insist i take it. i love soup and mom!
Tuesday, November 23
the LOVE game: IV
2. i love snuggly kitty cats - late night, early morning, and during yoga.
3. i love ingrid michaelson while i'm eating breakfast.
4. i love thanksgiving pie planning meetings.
5. i love epic movie marathons and ahi's taste of asia with hailey - oh the memories it brings back!
6. i love the anticipation of drawing christmas "sister" names.
7. i love waking up in the same bed as two cats and a sister.
8. i love the view from the front windows of my ivins home - the william's house, particularly.
9. i love the smell of autumn - the smoky rich air, the wet sagebrush, the sweet things baking.
10. i love now - two days before thanksgiving when the adreniline hits me in the face and i can't stop jumping up and down like a two-year-old, when thanksgiving food is home from the grocery store, when the tv blares christmas music, when shoppers have smiles on their faces. i love now!
Monday, November 22
be careful what you wish for
remembering back a few years ago, if i had known i would be moving to seattle soon, i would have been thrilled. no, thrilled is an understatement. i would have been packing my bags today! all i wanted was to go somewhere far away (and provo was not far enough). byu was about the last place on the list; i didn't even know that marriage and family studies existed. my top pick was anywhere in the northwest: oregon, preferably; washington, a close second; even northern california would have satisfied my craving for far and different. but i drew the byu card, and packed up my room to move to happy valley.
it only took a few months before i really started to love provo. i fell in love with the ancient houses, first. the first morning i glimpsed the mountains on fire with autumn, i knew no other sight could have satisfied my soul as much. screaming at the ice on the sidewalks and slipping every two steps had me laughing harder than is allowed at straight-faced straight-laced byu. the morning rain in the spring. the train's whistle at night. the campus bells at noon. yes, i am deeply in love with provo - in a way that i never thought possible. can you believe i'm sad to have missed the first huge snowstorm of the season? i am! thinking backward, i'm shocked i didn't want to be there.
i'm amused that i thought i needed the northwest so deeply. just when i was resigned to the fact that portland or seattle was a dream possibly too far-fetched, i found the flourishing families project. launched from byu and based in seattle. that was a little over a year ago - the first time i applied for the internship. two days after submitting an application, i withdrew it again. it was definitely not the right thing for me! at that point, i forgot all about the northwest. goodbye, redwood forests and rocky seashore!
but, i should have been more careful what i wished and prayed for so fervently. you see, i guess even when we forget our dreams (those that we really held so close and so deep), God doesn't forget. he remembers all those things we wanted so much we thought we'd die if we didn't get them.
application round two, and i'll be moving to seattle for the summer! i'll admit it - i had mixed feelings. see, when i forgot my northwest dream, i found others. other dreams that now seem more deep, more fervent, more... well, desirable. i'm ecstatic to have found a reality in my dream! i know i'll be quite more than content up in my little corner of the united states! and i have to remember that God gives us our righteous desires - eventually. after all, this internship is solid proof of that!
here's the thought: a wise professor told me a few days ago, oh honey, we hardly ever get what we want in life!
and after mulling it over for several days, i've seesawed slightly. at first, it seemed just the advice i needed! after all, it's not what i want that really matters. it's not where i am, but how i'm living. and that's all that really matters. but then i remembered... wait, i wanted seattle. i wanted that northwest coast so badly it ached!
and i think we do get what we want, just not necessarily when we expect it. it's easy to be so set on getting what we want now, when we want it, that we lose sight of what we wanted - or really want. because (as long as we're wanting good things, and wanting them for the right reasons) we get what we want.
and that's . . . a good thing, right?
inconvenient, perhaps.
but definitely good!
Saturday, November 20
apparently when i ramble, it always ends with a goal! :)
i've been writing too many research papers. after the fourth or fifth time someone asks you, "how's life??" and ten minutes later you find yourself rambling on about the research articles you're reading, you know it's time to take a little break from the social sciences {for a while}. i get hyper-focused. luckily, i realized this early enough in the semester to make some changes. next semester the cure will take place i hope. but. if i start writing poetry in my creative writing class about the social sciences, i hope someone gives me an F - or some other massive wake-up call! sadly, although i'm home on thanksgiving {break}, my homework level has bumped itself up significantly - which doesn't help my conversational skills this week. my professors have decided they'd rather be out for christmas a week earlier than planned. consequently, all my finals (except one) have been moved up a week. pro: i get an extra week of christmas break! and there's one less to endure of this insane semester. con: all my final papers have to be finished while i'm on thanksgiving break...and all my finals (except one) are on the same day. eeeek!
but.
final papers are not going to be the death of me this week. if that happens, it will be death by turkey. that's right, folks. this year, i am eating turkey.
and finals aren't going to be the death of me, either. if that happens, it'll be the eight inches of snow i get to trudge through to get to finals... before the test, rather than after.
but... let's make the goal that i am not going to die... i like that one.
*first goal of my 21st year: don't die - not because of fourteen page papers, not because of finals, not because of turkey, not because of snow.
in fact... here we go. i like this better!
*first revised goal of my 21st year: be happy about my fourteen page papers (after all, it really is fascinating research), study my eyes out for finals (the hope is for A's!), eat as much turkey as i want (it's been sooooooo long!), and make more snow men this year than i ever have before.
ready....GO!
okay.. maybe not tonight. but...come monday, the papers seriously begin!
by the way, have i said how much i love the holidays?
because i do.
also, it is so good to be home!
happy early thanksgiving!
but.
final papers are not going to be the death of me this week. if that happens, it will be death by turkey. that's right, folks. this year, i am eating turkey.
and finals aren't going to be the death of me, either. if that happens, it'll be the eight inches of snow i get to trudge through to get to finals... before the test, rather than after.
but... let's make the goal that i am not going to die... i like that one.
*first goal of my 21st year: don't die - not because of fourteen page papers, not because of finals, not because of turkey, not because of snow.
in fact... here we go. i like this better!
*first revised goal of my 21st year: be happy about my fourteen page papers (after all, it really is fascinating research), study my eyes out for finals (the hope is for A's!), eat as much turkey as i want (it's been sooooooo long!), and make more snow men this year than i ever have before.
ready....GO!
okay.. maybe not tonight. but...come monday, the papers seriously begin!
by the way, have i said how much i love the holidays?
because i do.
also, it is so good to be home!
happy early thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 18
random review, a few lists
okay, it's been a while... {again} so instead of trying to make up for anything, i'm simply going to do one of my favorite things: make a list. and probably include a picture or two.
thanksgiving plans! and plan of attack:
- leave tomorrow (friday) by noon
- create really fabulous driving playlist with all my new favorites from natalie and sabrina (including blind pilot, whom i now love).
- packpackpack tonight.. at some point hopefully.
- buy myself a couple sweaters - or at least long-sleeved shirts. believe me, i NEED winter clothes.
- go running in the morning so i don't get crazy fidgety in the car on the way down to home.
homework level:
- affects sleep level, which is at a monthly low. fortunately, i've got another night to catch up before driving.
- last assignment before thanksgiving turned in as of 8:30 this morning
- school surprise this morning! both morning classes absolutely canceled. i am sorry my professor is ill, but also very grateful that i could eat breakfast this morning.
- 4 papers to go before the end of the break (big ones)
- two classes to go before the break... i think i can i think i can i think i can i think i can...
excitement factors:
- i get to see my family tomorrow.
- i get to see my cats tomorrow.
- i get to go shopping in the morning.
- i have a bunch of new exciting music.
- i got to sleep in this morning.
- there are still crunchy red leaves all over provo.
- ivins is going to be significantly warmer than provo.
- all my finals have been moved up - that much closer to the finish line.
- i would have been on time to both of my 8:00 classes this week, had one of them not been canceled - that's progress, i'm telling you!
- i get to read all the books i want to read over the holiday.
the last week{ish}'s events/highlights:
- genni smashing nilla wafers with a hammer
- only one night of less than three hours of sleep
- speaking in church - glad to have done it, glad to have it over with
- listening to lady gaga with sabrina dancing like crazy in the car
- laughing more at comedy sportz, with the whole crew of us here
- one and a half days running this week (and one yoga day) - not hitting quite the mark, but still much better than expected this week
- starting my christmas shopping (that's right, sabrina - you were first!)
- drawing christmas names in my apartment (i have genni!)
- redesigning {slightly} the blog. i was in desperate need of a change - however subtle.
- olive garden fhe
- a couple of really interesting experiences with crazy boys
- romeo & juliet: anticipated heartache, discovered freedom. allison, you are my favorite.
- really great hearttohearts
- pumpkin chocolate oats and bananas
- pumpkin pie oatmeal
- pad thai
- the emergency room for two hours (it had been a while - luckily, this time i wasn't the one with the bracelet)
- going to bed at 12:00, waking up at 11:30
- going to bed at 3:45, waking up at 6:30
- professor ripping apart my paper
- professor commending my paper
- professor condoning my eye-rolling and acknowledging my honesty in doing so
- helping hailey with math on less than three hours of sleep
- late birthday present from natalie - book by brian doyle!
- wearing a high-wasted skirt and being happy about it
- finally doing my laundry
- cornbread and toothpaste... then the lack of toothpaste
- cookies from mom
- new potential favorite game: atlantis
- and of course, spit. the game, you know.
what a week! and only one more to go till thanksgiving. november has flown, hasn't it?
Wednesday, November 10
black ink
today is monumental. today, my printer officially prints in black.
for the last several weeks (probably more like month or so), i have printed papers in blue, green, and red. sticky notes stuck on the front page of every hard copy turned in assignment apologizing for the strange colors - i simply couldn't get my hands on black ink. i bought ink twice: both times it was the wrong cartridge for my printer. that fact alone makes me want to run around in circles ranting about ink cartridge sizes and conspiracy theories and college student budgets and the end of the world.
luckily, last night natalie went to costco. we realized just two or three days ago that costco will refill our ink cartridges for much less than buying a new one. at least, we had heard the rumor. little did i know, that fact alone would save me more than fifty dollars this week! that's right. ten dollar refills. costco, you are my hero.
but i've had a slight realization... after printing my first paper in a month in black ink, i realized that i kind of liked all these colorful papers! it was like a signature... a stamp or mark stating this is the work of a gal that loves color! unfortunately, i don't know how much my aging professors would like to read yellow ink after all the other colors have run out... and to tell you the truth, this semester, i'd rather not test those limits!
so, thank you costco, for refilling the ink cartridges of desperate students for a much more reasonable price than all the alternatives. i am, for the rest of the semester, in your debt!
for the last several weeks (probably more like month or so), i have printed papers in blue, green, and red. sticky notes stuck on the front page of every hard copy turned in assignment apologizing for the strange colors - i simply couldn't get my hands on black ink. i bought ink twice: both times it was the wrong cartridge for my printer. that fact alone makes me want to run around in circles ranting about ink cartridge sizes and conspiracy theories and college student budgets and the end of the world.
luckily, last night natalie went to costco. we realized just two or three days ago that costco will refill our ink cartridges for much less than buying a new one. at least, we had heard the rumor. little did i know, that fact alone would save me more than fifty dollars this week! that's right. ten dollar refills. costco, you are my hero.
but i've had a slight realization... after printing my first paper in a month in black ink, i realized that i kind of liked all these colorful papers! it was like a signature... a stamp or mark stating this is the work of a gal that loves color! unfortunately, i don't know how much my aging professors would like to read yellow ink after all the other colors have run out... and to tell you the truth, this semester, i'd rather not test those limits!
so, thank you costco, for refilling the ink cartridges of desperate students for a much more reasonable price than all the alternatives. i am, for the rest of the semester, in your debt!
Tuesday, November 9
run to love
i have a lot to talk about. but for a moment, i revert to an old summer subject: run.
i learned to run (and learned to love to run) in ivins. well, behind ivins, actually. back in those weaving red canyons, i learned to talk to my Heavenly Father - really talk; i learned to be happy, learned to love myself. a large portion of that learning peace came from the surrounding peace of the mountains, the barely-dawn light, chirping birds, silent streets, sparse housing. there, back in that desperate-clinging-overpowering peace, is self-discovery, is God-discovery. there, it's easy to pull my legs out from under the covers and into my running shoes, easy to get on that running trail.
naturally, then, returning to provo-running is more than slightly jarring. stop signs at every corner, backpacks back and forth on every street, crowding the thin sidewalks. houses with no yards or stacked right on top of each other. thousands of other runners with their ipods and minishorts. but peace? thought? prayer? especially when the privacy of your own room is invaded by roommates' music and upstairs residence movie nights twenty-four hours a day, those are scarce things to come by.
yesterday, i found a slice of that mountain-peace in provo. it resides at 6:00 am - before the beginning sunrays touch the mountains. i don't run alone in provo, especially in pre-dawn darkness. happily, my roommate genni is a willing *accomplice this week, enabling me to rediscover that peace. re-recognizing that provo is capable of holding a feeling even slightly resembling my mountain-prayer-peace encourages my good-opinion-growth of the city more than ever.
so there you go. it was dark. it was raining beautifully and freezing cold. but quiet, still, sleeping, inspiring, dreaming. and i remember that i have enough love, enough love for all of provo now, too.
ps. i saw a note in a campus bathroom this morning that read: smile! remember you are a beautiful daughter of God! it did make me smile, and i sent a silent thank you to the kind girl that reminded me.
pps. today was provo's first real snow of the season. thick flakes falling in clumps gracefully to the ground. and yes, they stuck on my nose and eyelashes!
ppps. and now i have officially used too many hyphens and dashes in a post... oh dear!
*also, i know i'm not technically using the word accomplice in its proper setting. i just like it a lot. it's what came to mind! and i wanted to use it today.
i learned to run (and learned to love to run) in ivins. well, behind ivins, actually. back in those weaving red canyons, i learned to talk to my Heavenly Father - really talk; i learned to be happy, learned to love myself. a large portion of that learning peace came from the surrounding peace of the mountains, the barely-dawn light, chirping birds, silent streets, sparse housing. there, back in that desperate-clinging-overpowering peace, is self-discovery, is God-discovery. there, it's easy to pull my legs out from under the covers and into my running shoes, easy to get on that running trail.
naturally, then, returning to provo-running is more than slightly jarring. stop signs at every corner, backpacks back and forth on every street, crowding the thin sidewalks. houses with no yards or stacked right on top of each other. thousands of other runners with their ipods and minishorts. but peace? thought? prayer? especially when the privacy of your own room is invaded by roommates' music and upstairs residence movie nights twenty-four hours a day, those are scarce things to come by.
yesterday, i found a slice of that mountain-peace in provo. it resides at 6:00 am - before the beginning sunrays touch the mountains. i don't run alone in provo, especially in pre-dawn darkness. happily, my roommate genni is a willing *accomplice this week, enabling me to rediscover that peace. re-recognizing that provo is capable of holding a feeling even slightly resembling my mountain-prayer-peace encourages my good-opinion-growth of the city more than ever.
so there you go. it was dark. it was raining beautifully and freezing cold. but quiet, still, sleeping, inspiring, dreaming. and i remember that i have enough love, enough love for all of provo now, too.
ps. i saw a note in a campus bathroom this morning that read: smile! remember you are a beautiful daughter of God! it did make me smile, and i sent a silent thank you to the kind girl that reminded me.
pps. today was provo's first real snow of the season. thick flakes falling in clumps gracefully to the ground. and yes, they stuck on my nose and eyelashes!
ppps. and now i have officially used too many hyphens and dashes in a post... oh dear!
*also, i know i'm not technically using the word accomplice in its proper setting. i just like it a lot. it's what came to mind! and i wanted to use it today.
Saturday, November 6
birthday!! and a shocking surprise.
yes, that's right. this week {thursday} was my twenty-first birthday. because the last year has sincerely taken me for a whirl, i'll be updating soon. new profile. new layout. new life lists. new goals {i do this by birthday more than by year...i think it makes them more personal}. new pictures. new-ish me. . . . but not really more grown-up. i've officially decided i don't believe in growing up. not that i'm throwing responsibility to the wind and joining the peter pan generations, here. i'm just not growing up in the usual sense.. i'm growing up in the literal sense.
thanks mostly to the saintly natalie, my birthday celebration was an absolutely fabulous blast. she made me breakfast, bought me a package of guilty pleasure veggie corndogs, planned, organized, decorated, and more. a little group of close friends {natalie, sabrina, beth, genni, and me} went to dinner at happy sumo - YUM sushi. so so great. later that night, we played spit for hours, watched emperor's new groove, ate mountains of cupcakes, threw over a hundred yellow balloons around, played some kazoo, attempted an unsuccessful learning session of killer bunnies, and generally had a ball. my birthday had really been kicked off the night before {starts at midnight!} with a thrilling, ear-splitting round of happy birthday by the general living room crowd.
mostly, i felt loved - which is what a birthday is all about.
sadly, the decorations came down yesterday in preparation for our vigorous cleaning checks {PASS}.
and now for my news...
this coming summer, i will not be blogging from little happy valley. i won't be blogging from home-sweet-home-ivins, either. i'll be blogging from seattle!
shocked?
i was, too.
remember that internship i applied for? well, there are two branches: one in provo, one in seattle, washington. i applied for the provo branch. logically, i'd be close to home, wouldn't have to drive my car all over a huge city...it just made sense. but guess what? they offered me a spot in seattle. and guess what? i took it! i'm nervous, anxious, eager, excited, scared, anticipatory, still shocked, horribly sad to be leaving my family for a solid four months, fabulously thrilled by the thought of such a huge adventure, and feeling so many different and contradictory things i don't know how to react. except for excited. i am that. also nervous. i know i'm that, too.
did i say nervous?
satisfactorily, i can now say to my dear little future: i found you!
adventure, here i come!
i feel a little like buzz lightyear. see, for me, seattle is practically infinity. i can't even imagine what beyond would look like!
thanks mostly to the saintly natalie, my birthday celebration was an absolutely fabulous blast. she made me breakfast, bought me a package of guilty pleasure veggie corndogs, planned, organized, decorated, and more. a little group of close friends {natalie, sabrina, beth, genni, and me} went to dinner at happy sumo - YUM sushi. so so great. later that night, we played spit for hours, watched emperor's new groove, ate mountains of cupcakes, threw over a hundred yellow balloons around, played some kazoo, attempted an unsuccessful learning session of killer bunnies, and generally had a ball. my birthday had really been kicked off the night before {starts at midnight!} with a thrilling, ear-splitting round of happy birthday by the general living room crowd.
mostly, i felt loved - which is what a birthday is all about.
sadly, the decorations came down yesterday in preparation for our vigorous cleaning checks {PASS}.
and now for my news...
this coming summer, i will not be blogging from little happy valley. i won't be blogging from home-sweet-home-ivins, either. i'll be blogging from seattle!
shocked?
i was, too.
remember that internship i applied for? well, there are two branches: one in provo, one in seattle, washington. i applied for the provo branch. logically, i'd be close to home, wouldn't have to drive my car all over a huge city...it just made sense. but guess what? they offered me a spot in seattle. and guess what? i took it! i'm nervous, anxious, eager, excited, scared, anticipatory, still shocked, horribly sad to be leaving my family for a solid four months, fabulously thrilled by the thought of such a huge adventure, and feeling so many different and contradictory things i don't know how to react. except for excited. i am that. also nervous. i know i'm that, too.
did i say nervous?
satisfactorily, i can now say to my dear little future: i found you!
adventure, here i come!
i feel a little like buzz lightyear. see, for me, seattle is practically infinity. i can't even imagine what beyond would look like!
Monday, November 1
i have the most amazing little sister.
hailey jo.
it's not really what her name is (my parents thought hailey jo johansen might be a little much), but it's what we've called her since she was born. since the day she came home to us, we knew she was destined to be great, to be important, to be beautiful. with dark curly crazy hair and wild green eyes to match, she stands the tallest of the johansen women - beating me by almost an inch and a half. she loves cats and dogs just as much as i do, and gives our two a little extra love for me while i'm away from home. she's slightly more than five years younger than me, but you wouldn't know it to look at us.
despite her age (most high school girls need a wakeup call, and i can say that because i was one of them once), hailey is cool. really cool. because of her early determination and stubborn nature, she's on her way to becoming a master pianist, already wowing us. at every trip home, one of my favorite moments is lying on the couch and listening to her play. i could do that for hours, and i miss hearing that everyday just as much as i miss my kitties. you'd think a brilliant pianist would steer away from high school sports slightly, right? not hailey. not only does she decidedly not avoid crazy high school competition, she chose the most intense to participate in. my sister's part of one of the first rugby teams in utah. i can't wait to see her play. add to the list a few more things: her passion for political discussion; love of education, literature, and history; her intense game of chess; and her strength of testimony in her Savior. she makes incredible raspberry cornmeal pancakes and perfect buttercream frosting which is just the right compliment to my cupcake obsession phases. she's willing to try just about anything - once at least, and because of that has a wide range of loves. she owns rock climbing shoes and heels. can beat me at spit and sprints {but not chess - yet}. i help her with her math homework and she tells me all she knows about current political candidates. she already knows what colleges she wants to attend, which degrees she's aiming for, and has a working oh, probably 20 year plan laid out.
this girl's got it figured out.
i love you, haimee.
and can't wait to see you in four days!
it's not really what her name is (my parents thought hailey jo johansen might be a little much), but it's what we've called her since she was born. since the day she came home to us, we knew she was destined to be great, to be important, to be beautiful. with dark curly crazy hair and wild green eyes to match, she stands the tallest of the johansen women - beating me by almost an inch and a half. she loves cats and dogs just as much as i do, and gives our two a little extra love for me while i'm away from home. she's slightly more than five years younger than me, but you wouldn't know it to look at us.
despite her age (most high school girls need a wakeup call, and i can say that because i was one of them once), hailey is cool. really cool. because of her early determination and stubborn nature, she's on her way to becoming a master pianist, already wowing us. at every trip home, one of my favorite moments is lying on the couch and listening to her play. i could do that for hours, and i miss hearing that everyday just as much as i miss my kitties. you'd think a brilliant pianist would steer away from high school sports slightly, right? not hailey. not only does she decidedly not avoid crazy high school competition, she chose the most intense to participate in. my sister's part of one of the first rugby teams in utah. i can't wait to see her play. add to the list a few more things: her passion for political discussion; love of education, literature, and history; her intense game of chess; and her strength of testimony in her Savior. she makes incredible raspberry cornmeal pancakes and perfect buttercream frosting which is just the right compliment to my cupcake obsession phases. she's willing to try just about anything - once at least, and because of that has a wide range of loves. she owns rock climbing shoes and heels. can beat me at spit and sprints {but not chess - yet}. i help her with her math homework and she tells me all she knows about current political candidates. she already knows what colleges she wants to attend, which degrees she's aiming for, and has a working oh, probably 20 year plan laid out.
this girl's got it figured out.
i love you, haimee.
and can't wait to see you in four days!
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