Under a Polka Dot Umbrella

I really should be doing homework. . .

2010-09-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

*I was thinking about becoming a vegetarian, but then I remembered how much I love my mom's green chilli burros(and those amazing pork salads from Costa Vida), and I decided against it.

*I absolutely love my new polka-dotted sheets from Target - they were only $5.98 and make me smile every time I slide in between them.

*The new director of the Russian choir says "ready. . . .go" whenever he wants us to sing. It's quite possibly the most ridiculous thing I have ever had to witness multiple times every Thursday.

*Last night I quite literally fell asleep into a textbook. It's definitely in my top ten list of most pathetic moments as a college student.

*My new roommates think I'm completely nuts because I constantly practice Russian under my breath and literally squealed with joy when I opened a box to discover that my "Big Silver Book of Russian Verbs"(yes, that is the actual title) had arrived from amazon.com.

*I miss my brother the most when I'm making omelets.

*Next weekend will be filled with general conference, visiting Kalia, pajamas, bran muffins, macaroni salad, and jigsaw puzzles. It will be glorious, and I can hardly wait.

*The other day my roommate was filling out some dumb survey thing that asked what kind of an animal she would be. After literally a half hour of debating, she said, "Oh! Maybe I'll put dolphin. Wait. . . a dolphin is an animal, right?" She was totally serious. People, I can't make this stuff up.

So it's been like five months since I posted, and all I've got is this lame post about some shirts I got for a steal. . .

2010-04-16T23:50:00.000-07:00

My friend Camille over at Archives of our Lives has been doing a "Saturday Steals" feature on her blog recently and I decided to participate this week(you should too, I'm sure she would love to have you).

Anyway, so earlier this week I ran into Old Navy to pick up a new white shirt for work. I have to wear white, and I'm working like a bajillion and two hours this week, and I desperately needed a new white shirt. Not the point.

Anyway, I went into Old Navy and lo and behold, they were having a sale in which all of their clearance items were fifty percent off. It was glorious. It was also thoroughly picked over(it's a college town, these things happen).

Of course, there was not a white shirt to be found amongst the clearance racks, but I managed to find one for $10- originally $14.50. Not exactly a steal, but this story gets better, I promise.

I then found a cute purple sweater with huge brown buttons for $3.49. I kid you not, $3.49. The buttons alone are probably worth that.

I also purchased three simple, but cute t-shirts. One was $2.98, and the others cost me $1.98 a piece. That's almost cheaper than fifty percent off day at Goodwill!

Grand total: five shirts, $21.83 - I realize this would be far more impressive had I not needed the ten dollar white shirt, so if you take that out, that is four shirts for $11. 83, and that is a steal indeed.

PS, sorry for the crappy, last minute cell phone picture.
PPS, I am three finals and one nasty work week away from a much needed break in sunny AZ! [insert hallelujah chorus here]

Well, it finally happened

2009-11-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

It's snowing. . .

hard.

And sticking.

Crap.

I hate winter.

About a half an hour ago I was lying in my bed staring out my window and talking to my brother on the phone(he's in Arizona). We were chatting about nonsense when it started snowing, so I said, "oh my gosh! I'm looking out my window and it just started snowing!" I was hoping for some sympathy or something, but instead he went, "cool. . . .oh my gosh! I just looked out my window, saw how hot it was, and started sweating. Weird."
My brother makes me laugh.

Where did that come from?

2009-10-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

This morning I was walking across campus and this song(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bC07e7PReM) popped into my head from out of nowhere. How's that for random? I was probably six years old the last time I watched that.
It's completely stuck now though. I keep catching myself humming it. That could be awkward to try to explain.

Random Thoughts and Things I'm Happy About

2009-10-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

* I work at the Marriott center as an usher and it's basically boring. But I was working last night for homecoming spectacular and there were like a billion and twelve people there. So I was standing in my portal passing out programs and directing people to their seats and there was a few minutes where I was surrounded by like a bajillion old people wanting me to help them find their seat and give them a program. I was starting to feel frazzled and a little annoyed but was still all smiley and trying to be cheerful and helpful even though I was tired and stressed about how much homework I had sitting at home waiting for me, when the crowd began to clear and people started moving out of the doorway to find their seats. During this momentary lull, an old gentleman touched my arm to get my attention and then said simply, "you are beautiful." He turned away and went to find his seat. He can have no idea what an impact those three words had on my night. I'm so grateful that he took the time to pay a compliment to a stranger.

* It is officially fall and the colors here are so beautiful. The weather has warmed up a bit this last week or so and I absolutely love spending time outside. I should take some pictures. or rather, I should find my camera. . .

* Since I came to BYU I have been looking for my favorite study spot on campus. There are plenty of options, and I've tried a bunch of them, and found some that I liked and will frequent, but I had yet to find the perfect spot. Until Wednesday. On the fourth floor of one of the buildings there is a deck area with tables and chairs and potted plants and the most beautiful view of campus and the mountains. It is truly a perfect place to read during my long breaks between classes, and I'm only sad that it will soon be too cold to sit out there and I didn't find it sooner.

* So, I love to bake, right? This is pretty much common knowledge, but my very favorite baking of all time is fall baking. I love it when it's cold outside and my house smells like pumpkin and spices. Is there anything better than that? I think not. So a couple of weeks ago I made a pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting and it was divine. Then this week I made pumpkin cookies and used my leftover frosting and also made some with mini chocolate chips. They were so yummy. I'm trying to decide what it will be this week . . . maybe a pumpkin roll? Pumpkin pie? Pumpkin bars? Pumpkin bread? Are you seeing a theme here? I love baking with pumpkin. But maybe I'll branch out and try a spice cake or something. Hmm, any suggestions?

* Is anyone else out there obsessed with glee? It's pretty much my new favorite show. I really don't watch tv very much at all, but every once in a while a show comes along that catches my attention. And now that pushing daisies is cancelled and I've watched every episode on dvd enough times to be ridiculous, I'm happy to have a new show.

* Speaking of tv, Hillary, I'm sorry I made fun of you for watching Phineas and Ferb. My roommate and I have caught it a couple of times and it is surprisingly entertaining. You were right, it's hilarious.

* As of Tuesday I will finally be done with midterms. I just have to finish my take-home New Testament exam this weekend and then take my killer Russian midterm on Tuesday. Whose idea was it to take Russian, anyway? I'm telling you, this class is intense.

* I am literally counting down the days until Thanksgiving. I have to work, so I can't go home this year, but Cassie is coming to visit me again and I am seriously so excited. It cannot come fast enough. And then in December, my old roommate Kaila is coming to visit me and then a couple weeks later I get to go home for Christmas. I'm so excited, these thoughts are seriously getting me through my classes right now.

* I wish there were good movies out right now, I'm dying to go to the movies. Anyone seen anything good lately?

* So, I just read back over this and I asked like six hundred questions and the train of thought makes absolutely no logical sense. Oh well, I warned you it would be random.

* Happy Friday.

It's still September for crying out loud!

2009-09-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not know: I hate winter. More specifically, I hate the snow. I know, I know, people always tell me: "it's beautiful, it's clean, it's pure, blah, blah, blah." Really though? Winter means snow - snow means ice - ice plus my complete lack of stability/balance means that I fall down a lot. Seriously, I have trouble walking across carpet. Barefooted. No, really. I run into walls - often. Not to mention the other stumbling around and general slamming into things that is a daily occurrence. Put me in shoes and on ice and tell me I have to walk a half mile uphill to school everyday, and all I see lurking on my sinister horizon is ultimate disaster and humiliation, not to mention the bruises.

Now, not to be a total Bitter Betty(that's for you, Kaila), there are some things I kind of like about winter. Namely, scarves, fires, cute coats and hats, electric blankets, hot cocoa and tea, etc. Basically, I like the idea of winter, I just hate actually having to be outside so much when its freezing.

That being said, for the past few months, I have been living in a blissful world where winter doesn't exist. Anytime anyone mentions snow, ice, or winter, I usually ignore them and remind myself that there is no such thing as winter. You see, if I were to let myself dwell on the fact that Provo will soon be covered in treacherous snow, I would probably be curled up sobbing somewhere. Therefore, I'm much happier living in complete denial.

Last night, my roommate informed me that the news reported that it would be colder this week. I made a snarky comment and quickly pushed the thought from my mind. This morning, I got up late, threw on my usual capris, t-shirt and flip-flops and headed out the door to school with my hair still wet and pushed up into a mass of curls at the back of my head. It was fifty-five degrees out. Fifty-five. In Arizona weather, that's like negative twenty. But did I go back for a sweater? Of course not, sheer stubbornness forbade it. I practically jogged to school to keep from freezing and arrived unable to feel my fingers. It is now nearly noon and according to weather.com, it is a sunny fifty-seven degrees with an expected high of sixty-four. The sun is out and shining, but the traitor is creating no warmth, no pleasing rays, nothing but light. I'm freezing.

I think I may have to face the facts that winter is indeed coming, and actually dress for it tomorrow. It's still September, I should be able to wear capris and a t-shirt. Heck, in Arizona, I'd still be sweating in this outfit. I thought I would at least have until mid-October before I began freezing, but sadly it isn't looking like it.

Point being, if I catch pneumonia and die from dressing like this when its in the fifties, I want it to be known that the cause of death was not stupidity, but rather, sheer undiluted stubbornness. Also, the fact that my blood is 100% Arizonan.

I officially survived my first week back at school

2009-09-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

It went something like this:

Minor panic attack Sunday night about going back to school - overcome by making an amazing dinner for my friend Chase
Survived day one of classes
Made a fool of myself by begging a teacher to add me into her Lit. class and then promptly dropping it after one day
Started driving to my old apartment instead of the new, not once, but three times
Wrote my first paper of the semester
Paid $124- for one textbook
Did about three hours of Russian homework a night
Called and complained to my landlord because nothing in my new apartment had been even remotely cleaned
Slowly but surely began cleaning and organizing apartment
Re-arranged the furniture in my living room twenty times before finally getting it right
Was at school for eight hours on Tuesday, came home and did four hours of homework and fell asleep on the couch watching "You've Got Mail"
Amidst the stress of moving and a new semester, consumed an entire package of oreos by myself, in one week
Started diet
Had dinner and watched "Sense and Sensibility" with my old roommates
Went grocery shopping at twelve-thirty at night due to the full moon and lack of anything else to do
Discovered that it is a bad idea to buy groceries in the middle of the night due to the random assortment that seemed logical at the time, but was actually sort of humorous this morning
Am now celebrating the fact that week one is over and there is no school on Monday. Maybe I will finally have time to finish unpacking, cleaning and organizing. Maybe.

Happy Weekend!

Let's talk movies, shall we?

2009-08-19T02:30:00.000-07:00

**Warning: this post was written incredibly early in the morning after being awake for nearly 24 hours. It may contain severe rambling and broken thoughts. You have been warned. **

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is 4:30 in the morning. Why, you may ask, am I blogging? Well, why not? I'm certainly not sleeping. . .I have insomnia. Have I mentioned this? No? Well, I do. And it's lame.

I have been lying in bed for literally hours attempting to achieve peaceful slumber but instead, achieving nothing. Which is why I decided I may as well get up and find something to pass the time for awhile. So let's talk about movies. I L-O-V-E movies. I love going to movies, I love watching movies, I love basically everything about movies. I also love basically any kind of movie. Action, adventure, drama, romance, musical, comedy. The only kind of movie I really don't like are scary ones. Seriously. I am a total baby when it comes to scary movies. I can literally count on one hand the number of scary movies I have actually sat all the way through. I just can't handle them. Okay, now that I think about that a little more, that's not entirely true because I think Alfred Hitchcock is brilliant and I love his films, but other than that, I hate scary movies.

In spite of this absolute loathing of anything resembling a scary movie and the fact that I gett be way more terrified than I ought to be, tonight I watched a scary movie. All alone. In the dark.
Why? There are two basic reasons:

Reason number one: It was one in the morning, I was very awake and bored, and I discovered that the entire movie was on you tube (love that, by the way).

Reason number two: It had this kid in it:
Um, so confession: I love Shia Lebeouf. He makes me laugh, he's totally cute, he's great in everything I've ever seen him in, and I think that Even Stevens was one of the greatest shows on Disney, judge me if you will.

Point being, I watched Disturbia tonight.
Did you guys see that movie? It was basically creepy beyond all reason. No, really. It scared me. I had to watch something happy after I finished it because I was still creeped out. Which, by the way, is one of my pet peeves about scary movies. You spend two hours being totally scared and watching these characters you have come to like be chased by some crazy, deranged, psychotic murderer, and them bam - crisis averted, murderer/stalker/total creeper is dead. After forever of being totally tense, they give you like a maximum of two minutes of seeing the main characters happy and expect you to believe that the world really is good and safe and that they live happily ever after, and I can just turn out the light and go to sleep now. I think not.

That being said, as far as creepy movies go, I actually kind of liked this one. Sure, it had all the usual cliches, middle of the night chase, lightning storm, power outage, creepy music, dead bodies, etc. But it was still scary, but not so much so that it's going to keep me up at nights (though like it would really matter, I'll probably be up anyway). I think I would actually watch it again though. Someday. Preferably with the lights on. Also preferably watching it on my couch, holding the hand of some cute guy, rather than watching it on my laptop alone in my dark room trying not to wake my sleeping roommate.

Overall thoughts: pretty good, and if you like creepy movies, I definitely recommend it.

Hmmm, what other movies have I seen lately that I can ramble on about?

Julie and Julia

Last week my friend Kaila took me to see this, and I loved it. I thought it was adorable, though I have to admit that there were a couple of things that bothered me. For one, everyone constantly eating in the movie was kind of disgusting. Especially Amy Adams characters husband. It was pretty nasty, seriously. I have no problem watching people eat, it was just the ravenous way in which the characters were constantly consuming food in this film that was a little disturbing at times. And while Amy Adams was borderline creepy stalker at times and her haircut was pretty bad, I thought she was adorable, as always, and her clothes were amazing. Meryl Streep, on the other hand, was fantastic. If I hadn't known any better I would have thought that it was actually Julia Child, she seriously became her. It was unbelievable.

Overall thoughts: I loved it and I highly recommend it.

500 Days of Summer
Words cannot describe how much I loved this movie. It is cute, it is charming, it made me laugh out loud, it made me cry, it ended perfectly, Zooey Deschanel is fantastic and her clothes are adorable, the music all the way through is so great(gotta love The Smiths), it could very well be the perfect movie. . .except for one thing. Sad to say, there is quite a bit of smut in it. Much more than necessary, in fact. It definitely deserves its PG-13 rating, let's put it that way.

Overall thoughts: I totally loved it, but am unsure of how heartily I can recommend it.

Star Trek
I know this one has been out for awhile, but have you guys seen this?
Confessions of Alicia: I am totally a closet star trek fan. I know, right? Maybe I should be ashamed that my geeky side is showing? Oh well, it is 4:30 in the morning, who really cares? Up until this point in my life though, my theory on star trek has been that it is "Star Trek: The Next Generation" or nothing. I used to love that show, but had never had anything to do with star trek besides that until this movie came out.
That being said, I totally loved this movie. Seriously, I thought it was great. I may or may not have even seen it more than once. I liked it that much. What else can I tell you? It has action, adventure, romance, comedy, and is intense at times. And, despite what my mother may say on the matter, I think Spock is surprisingly handsome. I know, one minute I confess that I like star trek, the next I'm telling you a vulcan is handsome. Severe lack of sleep people, it does this to you. But seriously? Zachary Quinto, c'mon mom.
Maybe without the terrible haircut and creepy eyebrows?

Where was I going with this? Somehow lost my train of thought. . .

Overall thoughts: see it, its basically awesome.

Well, its after five now, I think I will try to sleep again. Wish me luck!

Coming up with a clever title: not as easy as you might think. . .

2009-08-16T23:50:00.000-07:00

I'm back in the blogging world, and I've decided to change things up a bit.

For starters and a little update on my life, here are some of the random things my summer has consisted of:

Finished up the semester and decided to not do summer school, but just work instead, not realizing how difficult that would prove to be.
Moved out of the scary spider infested duplex into a beautiful condo around the corner.
Looked for a job.
Found a job doing custodial on campus.
Passed out in front of the entire crew on my second day of said job.
Scraped up my face, took an ambulance to the hospital.
Was told it was a combination of stress, dehydration, and exhaustion. Awesome.
Went home to reassure my mother that I really was fine.
Bummed around with my family and friends for a week.
Came back to Provo and played for the weekend with my sister Cassie who drove back with me.
Looked for a new job after quiting the custodial job due to the total humiliation.
Went to California for a fun-filled weekend, ended up doing nothing in California all weekend(it's a long story, you really don't want to know).
Worked at the Stadium of Fire for July 4th (sadly, only a one day job).
Continued looking for a job.
Met up with my dear friend Kayley (one of the girls I went to Russia with and have not seen in years) and her husband Paul.
Planned on meeting for lunch, ended up spending twelve hours together.
Went home to AZ for three weeks:

Nearly died from the heat,

Chatted with my mom,
Played with Linds and Chels,
Was surprised with tickets to see Beauty and the Beast (thanks girls!),
Held sweet little newborn Ruthie,
Laughed with my brother,
Played in the game room with my dad,
Saw Wicked at Gammage,
Went swimming,
Bummed around with my sisters,
Had my nails done by Annie about a million times,
Visited with extended family at LJ's Pizza (my favorite),
Turned 24 and was given Pushing Daisies season 2 and tickets to see Chicago (the band, not the play).
Watched about a billion movies and relaxed.

Nearly sang myself hoarse as I made the eleven hour drive back to Provo, looked for a job.
Was visited by Hillary and James:

Stayed up way too late every night talking and laughing,
Went shopping all over Utah,
Realized how much I have missed those two - love you guys!

Looked for a job.
Sat in absolute horror and tried my hardest not to giggle through the worst concert I have ever attended, but couldn't just leave because there were only like twenty people total there.
Narrowly escaped being puked on by a poodle the size of a great dane. Still a little traumatized.
Spent a few hours lying in a meadow in a sleeping bag up the canyon watching a meteor shower.
Had the sprinklers come on and discovered how difficult it is to get out of a zipped up sleeping bag while trying to find your shoes, cell phone and keys, at the same time scrambling up a hill and attempting to avoid the jets of icy cold water while laughing and freezing.
Continued looking for a job.
Watched numerous lightning storms from my stoop, and was reminded of how much I love monsoon season.
Registered for classes for the fall.
Started packing to move(again).

That's all I can think of for now. The only other thing that comes to mind are the numerous drives up the canyon, movies, and excursions to my favorite Thai restaurant. Pretty boring, I know.

Speaking of drives up the canyon though, I took this picture this afternoon somewhere along one of my stops up the Provo canyon. I took it on my cell phone, so the quality is pretty bad, but it was a beautiful day and I was reminded of how much I love summers in Utah.

PS, while looking for the above picture on my phone, I came across this little beauty and thought I would share. This was taken while driving back this afternoon:

I know it's hard to see, but those are sheep. In the back of a truck. Cruising down the highway. Why? The world may never know. . .

Some days you're the bug; other days you're the windshield

2009-04-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

Today I am definitely the bug.

Enough said.

I'm not dead, I'm just the worst blogger on the planet

2009-01-28T12:35:00.000-08:00

No, really. I haven't frozen to death, I actually survived finals("wonder of wonders, miracle, a miracle" name that musical, anyone?) , I have lived through numerous snowstorms, I made it through Christmas and New Years with my crazy family and managed to get (somewhat reluctantly) back onto the plane to return to my own personal ice world, I survived my car window getting stuck down(*cough*again*cough*), I lived through the first four weeks of a new semester, and I drove through Orem in a snowstorm with a windshield wiper that wouldn't move. Not pleasant. But, I survived.

Point being? I know its been ages, and I really am sorry, but life has been insane and living without a computer is lame. Thanks for all of your emails, texts, phone calls, and concern. Just know that I am still here, still alive, still crazy, and still happy.
Also? I really have no stories worth sharing. All I ever do is go to school and do homework and occasionally sleep. Repeat those three things over and over, and you've got my life. Oh. My. Boring. I am still looking for a job, and still freezing nigh unto death, but other than that, life is pretty good. Boring, but good.

I will admit that I have recently discovered a passion for Russian literature. I highly recommend Pushkin's Eugene Onegin or Gogol's Dead Souls for anyone looking for a good read. Read it, and then call me, k? Russian Lit is fantastic, who knew? Also, I have officially decided to Minor in editing. It will put me here for at least one extra semester, which is ironic considering how much I loathe all things school related, but I am(surprisingly) really enjoying my basic editing class and think it will really help me when/if I ever actually graduate.

Anyway, I have put off homework long enough and am off to a study group for a big test I have next week. Wish me luck! Love you all!

If Finals Don't Kill Me, This Wretched Snow Will!

2008-12-16T07:38:00.001-08:00

This morning I woke up and got ready for school same as usual.

When I looked out the window, much to my dismay, there was a freaking blizzard. I'm not kidding, it was SNOWING. Hard. *Sigh*

I put on three more layers of clothes(not an exaggeration), a scarf, my cheap jacket from AZ, and determined that today I was going to buy a real coat and actual shoes because ballet flats just don't cut it in the snow.

I grabbed my trusty polka-dot umbrella and set off for an adventure. I only got about a foot from my front door before deciding that snow is absolutely wretched.

By the end of my driveway, my socks had slipped down to the toes of my shoes due to the slippery nylons I was wearing under them. Not like I could really stop and take off my shoes to fix it because it was still coming down. Also, my cute little flats were so full of snow that I could hardly tell the socks from the piles of ice. Wretched.

Determined to actually make it past my street, I continued on. Note: while the umbrella did help to keep my head dry, and the snow out of my eyes for the most part, the wind started to pick up about this point, and I was covered with snow.

I was trudging along at a terribly slow pace, trying to convince myself that it wasn't all that bad, but knowing at the same time that I was a terrible liar, when all of a sudden my little flat failed to grip and I went down. Hard. In the middle of a street I was crossing. *Sigh* I picked myself up and heard someone yell: "Are you hurt?" To which I replied: "Just my pride, thanks!"

I brushed myself off and continued on. After all, I was almost a tenth of the way to campus. Wretched. Freaking. Day.

I then began wondering just how many times I was going to fall before actually making it to campus. And then I pictured the eighteen stairs I would have to climb, and the ginormous hill I have difficulty with when its nice out. Those stairs and that hill covered with snow and ice? Kill me now. The only emotion present was dread. Pure and simple dread. This was going to be humiliating, but it was too late to turn back and I had two papers to write, a study group to meet, and a final to take and both(yes, both) of my computers decided to die on me within the last two days. Once again: Wretched day.

It was about this point that I began questioning the reason I even moved here. Why was I willingly subjecting myself to this torture?

Then it began snowing harder.

I now could barely see a few feet in front of me, which didn't really matter because I was staring at my frozen feet attempting not to fall again. Almost two tenths of the way to campus.

It was at this moment that I heard: "Do you want a ride?" I peeked out from under my polka-dot umbrella, and there in a car pulled to the side of the road was a man I have never seen before in my life. With no hesitation I replied:"Yes please." I trudged off the sidewalk and climbed into this strangers car and promptly filled it with the snow I was covered with.

The man told me his name was Camon and I told him that I was from Arizona and that this was my first real snow. He tried not to laugh at me and almost succeeded.

He took me to campus and I thanked him profusely. He really can have no idea of just how grateful I am for that.

The moral of the story is: there are angels among us and those angels drive old beat up red Toyotas and rescue strangers from fates worse than death.

Thanks Camon.

I'll be Home for Christmas...

2008-12-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

do, do do, do doooo. (Uh, that was the next line of the song, of course!)
Anyway, it's true! My wonderful parents have lovingly bought their pathetically poor college student/daughter a plane ticket to go home for a whole week! Yay! Thanks Mom & Dad!

So, in celebration of that fact, and in order to totally avoid my life, stress, and homework, I decided to do a random Christmas post just for kicks. Feelin' Christmassy? Join me!

1.Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper, totally. Way more fun than gift bags.

2. Real tree or artificial? All my life we've had an artificial tree and I think this is the first year ever that I haven't helped put it up. (Just kidding. Now that I think about it, I didn't help the year I was in Russia for obvious reasons.)

3. When do you put up the tree? Day after Thanksgiving. Right after shopping and a nap.

4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime soon after New Years usually?

5. Do you like eggnog? Only the Meadow Gold kind, which I can't find in the grocery stores here. The Shamrock kind is way nasty though and tastes like that bubble gum flavored junk the dentist used to use on me when I was little. I hated that stuff.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My adorable Cabbage Patch baby doll. Her name is Marianne, and yes I still have her. (In a box at my parents house - not like I still cuddle up with it at night or anything, sickos.)

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, a really cute one that is also in a box at my parents house. Huh.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Cassie. Love ya Sis, but you know its true.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Not sure, probably Annie and Lynnsi.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Probably nylons. That would actually be an okay gift now knowing how annoyingly expensive they are and considering the fact that I can only wear them once before ripping them, but I was like 15 at the time, so it was just kind of strange(love ya mom!)

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Christmas cards? What?

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Elf. Miracle on 34th Street. Muppet Christmas Carol. The Grinch(both the cartoon & Jim Carrey versions). White Christmas. It's a Wonderful Life. Okay, okay, so I can't choose, and apparently I LOVE Christmas movies way more than I realized!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Well, considering I haven't started yet, your guess is as good as mine.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can remember(or would admit to if I could).

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cap'n Crunch, Ham and potato casserole, and my Grandma's(or whoever actually makes them) caramels. Mmm!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? We always used to have colored lights, but now our tree has clear lights already on it which is so fantastic. If I'm doing a pretty theme tree then I like clear, but if we are doing the random conglomeration of ornaments from all over, then I like colored.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Like I could ever choose. I must say though that I seriously LOVE Josh Groban's Christmas album. If you don't have it, get it. If you don't want to get it and don't mind my gushing over my Joshy-boy and singing along, then you can just come over and we will listen together. I pretty much listen to it year round.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? It all depends. The last couple of years my family has headed off to California or a cozy cabin, but this year I am going home and I can hardly wait!

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yes, but not without singing.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? We always had a star until a couple of years ago when I convinced my Mom we needed an angel. We discovered that it was kind of difficult to find a non-scary looking angel, but did eventually succeed and she adorned our tree for a couple of years until we found the most adorable star topper ever at Joanns! Oh, my red and cream elf and star tree is my favorite!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning for sure!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The commercialism. Although I must say, living in Utah and freezing basically all of the time is pretty annoying as well.

23. What I love most about Christmas? Everything! I seriously love it all! The baking, the music, finding the perfect gift for someone, how happy and generous people feel, singing Christmas hymns in church, visiting friends and family, going home for a whole week, the Arizona weather, everything!

My computer is LAME

2008-12-02T21:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay.

Yes, I'm still here. Yes, I'm still alive. Yes, I'm still having crazy adventures. And yes, I have tons of stories for you all.

But...

my computer is SO dumb! I worked for like forever and a day on this really great post, and it wouldn't let me post it! I've tried like six times and it freaks out every time! It's so frustrating. So then I abandoned that wicked awesome post and attempted to post this really great Thanksgiving message complete with totally awesome picture, and I couldn't do that either. Grrr.

Point of the story is: this computer is lame.
Also? My life is going to be crazy stressful for the next three weeks until school is over and all I wanted was to do one more happy post before my life became a living hell during finals week, and instead all you get is this lame post of me complaining. Sorry bout that.

**Okay, I cannot believe that it let me post this. I seriously have tried so many times to post that other stuff and it wouldn't do anything. So why this? Why now? Boo.

A Few Things I've Learned Since Moving to Utah:

2008-10-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

Arizona sweaters and "jackets" don't cut it in places that actually get cold.

Scraping ice off your car every morning gets really annoying.

Trying to buy an ice scraper for your car when you've never even seen one, can be difficult.

You can buy food storage supplies ANYWHERE in Utah, including grocery stores and gas stations.

College kids really can survive on nothing but ramen noodles. And ice cream.

Leaves that have fallen onto the sidewalk can be slippery when stepped on wrong.

The BYU testing center is purgatory.

People like to sometimes do odd things while walking to school such as listen to music, talk on the phone, read, study, eat, and shave. (I actually saw a guy shaving with an electric razor on his way to class last week. Took every ounce of self control I had not to laugh out loud.)

Spiders can grow to horrific sizes, pop up when you least expect them, and fake their own deaths to trick you into a false sense of security.

English professors can, and do, talk about church-y topics in class, and some have opening prayer every class period and assign scripture readings as homework.

Huffing and puffing the 3/4 of a mile up the ginormous hill to school every day makes those jeans that were a getting a little snug two months ago a little more comfortable.

College professors who occasionally sing during class lectures do not get a lot of respect.

Fall is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Windows that have been stuck down for two weeks without budging, then magically decide to smoothly roll up the moment the mechanic lays a finger on the button, can be quite embarrassing.

Giggling like a crazy person in front of said mechanic who failed to see the irony in the situation, can also be quite humiliating.

When having a panic attack at eleven o'clock at night, there is nothing better than a roommate who takes you out for pizza, ice cream, and girl talk.

Having one entrance to your street closed off for a month and a half can be really annoying, especially when you never once remember to turn before you get to it and have to go all the way up and around to get to your house.

Not cutting or dying your previously dyed hair for two months straight has some pretty scary results.

Having neighbors who own movies like What's Up Doc? and North and South, and who have parties on "National Talk Like a Pirate Day" where they watch Pirates of the Carribean and eat Chips Ahoy cookies, means instant friendship.

Singles Wards will use ANY excuse to get everyone together, such as "ward prayer."

Life as a full-time student, part time employee, Relief Society music coordinator, roommate, and friend means always having adventures of some kind or another!

Kill me now!

2008-10-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

Want to know what the last two days of my life have been like?

Here, let me show you:

(That's an electric blanket controller, in case you were confused)

(And those are textbooks, because reading for pleasure has become a dream of the past)

I hate being sick.

Sucks to be me.

THE END

PS- this:

is the best soup ever. I think I've had this soup every time I've gotten sick since...birth, probably. It's great stuff. Try it. I promise it helps.
Just don't get the kind with chicken, its way nasty. And I wouldn't recommend the "extra noodle" variety, unless you are some kind of noodle fanatic. I myself, am a regular amount of noodles kind of girl.

*All pictures taken from here

Greatest Invention EVER!

2008-10-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have discovered the most amazing thing ever!

I really don't think I could survive here without it.

Someday I really hope I get to shake the hand of the person who invented.....

the electric blanket.

Not kidding. Best investment of my life. I turn it on while I get ready for bed, and let it get all nice and toasty, and when I climb in, its like heaven on earth. It doesn't even matter any more that the heater in my house isn't working, or that the water bottle sitting on my desk is partly frozen, or that I'll have to scrape ice off of my car in the morning, or that every time I move my bed makes terrible squeaking sounds, or that I've barely been functioning all day because I'm too cold to move, because for the first time all day, I am actually warm. It is fantastic.

Therefore, I dedicate this post to the inventor of the electric blanket, the person who has saved me numerous times from freezing to death. Thank you, whoever you may be.

I'm still here!

2008-10-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, its been forever.

My excuse is that I haven't had internet at my house, which is.....completely.....wretched.
But, good news: I actually have internet now!!! Yay! (Insert rejoicing choir music here)

I am officially a part of the online world again, and it is fabulous!

I have a confession to make: I love Utah, I love Provo, I love my gorgeous view of the mountains, I love my roommates, I love my ward, and my calling, and occasionally my classes, and I even like my job, but the truth is:
I am F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G!

Pathetic, I know.

Seriously though? I feel like I should be listening to Christmas music if its this cold outside. Maybe I'll just start listening to it now even though its only October. Last year I started towards the middle or end of October sometime(don't tell my mom. Her rule is that if we listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, we don't get any turkey. She hasn't caught me yet, but better safe than sorry.[Mom? You didn't see anything])

Last night I finished my homework, put on my sweatpants, hoodie with the hood up, and socks and climbed under my four blankets to go to sleep, and still shivered half of the night. And frankly, I'm scared. Its only October people! How am I going to survive the winter? Although, I must say, the fall colors are amazing. I live in a place with seasons, actual seasons, I'm talking spring, summer, winter, and fall, not just somewhat pleasant sweater weather, hot, hotter, and freaking hot, actual seasons! Its amazing.

There is supposed to be another storm this weekend though, and I heard a rumor that if it gets cold enough, it might snow. Snow. Do you realize what that means??? I'll tell you exactly what that means: Snow=cold, cold=ice, and ice=bad news for me. I have difficulty walking on completely flat surfaces and often trip over nothing and run into things, so ice? And walking a mile to school? Yikes. Plenty of opportunities for humiliation.

Let's talk about something else, this is getting upsetting.

Here we go: The things I miss about Arizona(in no particular order):

My awesome and totally crazy family

My amazing friends

My adorable cousins

My incredibly comfortable bed

Arizona Mountains

Mattas
My moms cooking

LJ's

Actually knowing my way around town

Wow. That's sad, can you tell I'm starving right now?I feel like I'm forgetting a ton, but that's good for now.
Also, Provo is seriously lacking in amazing places to get Mexican food and Pizza, it's very sad. But, to it's credit, there is the most ginormous DI I have ever seen in my life. It's basically amazing. I bought these great shoes there that looked brand new, and they are so comfortable, I wear them practically every day. I've gotten into this really bad habit though, whenever anyone compliments me on anything, before I can stop myself, I tell them what a great deal I got on it at DI. It's so sad, I should totally get paid for how often I advertise that store. Someone says, "cute shoes," and my instant response is: "thanks, I got them for three dollars at DI. It was pretty much the best day ever!"

I think I've avoided my homework long enough, but the point is, besides missing Arizona and everyone, and totally freezing and being terrified for winter to come, and hardly ever sleeping, life is good. I'm unspeakably happy up here. Love you all! Mmwah!

Hello from Utah!

2008-08-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I feel like its been forever since I've seen all my AZ friends and fam.

This is just a quick post to let you know that I am officially a resident of Provo, Utah. It's true. I don't think it has really sunk in yet that I live here, but I do. After an adventure filled week seeing the sights with my family, I have been left here on my own to suffer in Mormon-ville. Alone. (Kidding, kind of)

I have ridiculous stories and pictures and tons of randomness to post soon, but just want to quickly remind you all that I do still own a cell phone(with the same number), I have unlimited access to a computer and email, and I am jobless, friendless, and life-less for the next few weeks until school starts.

If that hinting wasn't enough, let me be more blunt: I am not dead--I moved to Utah!!! I realize this may seem like death to some of you(especially my family, all week most of what I've heard is "this is the last time you'll ever...{fill in the blank with anything}), but I assure you I am still here and as lame as ever.

I miss you all already and expect to hear from you often!

Catching Up

2008-07-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

So I'm basically a failure at this whole blogging thing. Its been forever since my last post.
So what, you may ask, have I been doing in all this time that I have been neglecting my blog? Not a lot to be perfectly honest. Mostly I've been avoiding packing, cleaning, or anything else even remotely associated with my moving in three weeks. I prefer the avoid-at-all-costs-until-its-absolutely-necessary-and-I'm-having-
a-panic-attack approach.
That being said, in order to fully avoid, I have:

*seen a lot of plays:

The Wedding Singer (with my mom)
My Fair Lady (with Lindsay)
Aida (with Chelsie)
Children of Eden (with Cassie)
High School Musical (with my little sisters-there is no way to describe in words the sound of literally thousands of little girls screaming their lungs out when Troy Bolton walked on stage)

*Watched a lot of movies: To make a list would take all day, so we're not going to go there.

*Gone to see a lot of movies: Even if there was nothing new out, I would just see something I had already seen.

*Hung out with my fam at the Diamondbacks game at the Gardner family reunion:

Our view of the field

I have super shaky hands, so my pictures are always blurry :(

My parents

Doug & Stacey

My adorable cousin Emma

Around the 6th inning, with the score 0:0, boredom set in:

At this point, my lame-o camera died, and i took no further pictures of the remaining few days of the reunion. Anyways, on with my list:

*Chelsie came home from her mission in Brazil

* Kalia got her mission call to England

* I bummed around with my cousins and played games at Geronimo

*Read some amazing books: Right now I'm reading Twilight and getting ready for Breaking Dawn to come out. Only 13 days!!! The thought of actually having it in my hands makes me want to squeal like a little girl who just met the Jonas brothers.

*Went to a couple of card classes with my cousin Hillary and made some adorable cards. And in the continuing style of the cruel irony that is my life, during the Christmas in July class, my ticket was drawn and I won the $20.00 August class free. Too bad I am moving to Utah the week before the class. It worked out good though, cause at least Hill will get the free class and I can steal the card ideas later.

*Never missed an episode of So You Think You Can Dance or Project Runway

So that's basically the story of my life, or at least the last couple months of my life. Other than that, I'm still working(only five more days to go{insert rejoicing choir music here}), spending time with family & friends but not actually thinking about leaving them, trying to figure out how I'm going to fit my entire life and my 1,000+ books into my little Cavalier(j/k,actually trying to decide which books to take, and which to leave-which is no easy task, mind you as they are all my dear friends), hanging out with my cute Mia Maids, and bummin around livin the good life.

Drama, drama, drama

2008-06-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

I nearly died this weekend.

Not kidding.

Saturday night I was driving home from Chandler, singing along to my Wicked soundtrack, and thinking about what I was going to do when I got home. I wasn’t tired enough to go right to sleep yet, so I decided that I was going to go home, get ready for bed, get all comfortable and put on the movie that I’ve been wanting to watch for a couple of days, then watch that until I got tired enough to fall asleep.
It was a great plan and I was excited.
Now, you have to understand something about my bed. I am the proud owner of a queen size princess bed. I inherited it from my Aunt and Uncle when I was like 15 and we have been nearly inseparable ever since. I seriously love my bed! When standing, the bed comes almost to my waist and is covered with a down mattress topper, six pillows, and a huge down comforter(hence the “princess bed” title). It’s basically amazing. My very favorite thing is to get all the fans blowing on me and curl up in my huge bed and watch a good movie. It’s fantastic!
Anyway, so I went home, got all ready and popped the DVD into the player. I began trying to locate the DVD flipper among the blankets on the bed and during my search picked up one of the pillows that was lying on the bed near the wall. I lifted the pillow, spotted the flipper, and sitting right next to it looking perfectly content and sinister was a huge cockroach! I’m not talking about one of those wimpy little half inch ones, I mean, this thing was A BEAST!!! And not only was it huge and revolting, it was in my bed!
I saw that revolting little spawn of Satan sitting there so casually and an involuntary scream escaped my lips as I dropped the pillow and jumped back a few feet.
I was panicking. What was I going to do? There is nothing I despise more than roaches – especially a monster like this one. Halfway to my bedroom door in search of help, I heard my sister Cassie's voice from the other side: “Leash? Are you ok?” I flung the door open, and in near hysterics told her that there was a roach in my bed. Knowing my love for my bed and my extreme loathing of roaches, she sprang into action. “I need the spray and a cup or something!” I ran to grab the necessary roach destruction items, and upon delivery went to find my Dad in case she needed further assistance.
I explained the emergency to him, and he went to help while I sat impatiently on his bed lamenting the story to my Mom. After what seemed like forever, he returned and informed me that the crisis had been averted.
Halfway up the stairs, I was greeted by the revolting smell of roach spray and entered my room to find my sister putting things back under my bed and attempting to arrange the bedding in a way that it would not appear that she had just chased a roach all across it.
She then informed me that she and my cousin had been sitting in their room watching a movie and as soon as she heard my scream through the wall, she paused the movie, informed my cousin that there was a roach crisis, and came directly to rescue me.
She then relentlessly chased that little devil around until she ended up on her stomach under my bed, where she attempted to drown it in bug spray, before chasing it towards my dad, who squished it. This had been no easy task, but knowing that I would never sleep in that bed or room until the little sucker was dead, she persisted.
I love my sister! Not many girls would be willing to go through what she did for me. What would I have done without her? She quite literally saved me from a fate worse than death.
Not only did she correctly interpret my scream, but she gave the problem everything she had. Can you imagine if I had crawled into bed to go to sleep before finding it? The mere thought makes me shudder! Who knows what could have happened? Dang I love that girl!
Who could ask for a better sister?

The bane of my existence:

2008-05-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

What exactly is a bane anyway?

Drawing on the poetic meaning of the word "bane", this means that the subject is a perpetual thorn in the speaker's side, a chronic cause of trouble and difficulty and even suffering. A useful phrase to pull out when you're all out of swear words to describe a certain coworker, roommate, or college professor.

Originally referred to a kind of poison, and as Webster 1913 points out, an especially deadly one at that. Today the poisons all have obscenely long names straight out of a chemistry textbook, so "bane" has moved on to a more poetic meaning. You may sometimes hear of someone describing another person as "the bane of my existence"; the toxic metaphor has not been misplaced.

Ya. That describes it.

I. Hate. Full. Moons.

For some reason that is beyond me, I get insomnia when the moon is full. I know, I know, sounds ridiculous, bizarre, peculiar, and a little creepy, but all werewolf jokes aside, its true.

Its been this way for as long as I can remember. Whenever the moon is full, I lie in bed for hours, and no matter how tired I am, it takes FOREVER to fall asleep. And then when I finally drift off, it is not into peaceful slumber as one hopes for, but rather, I spend what is left of the night tossing and turning and having ridiculously strange and disturbing dreams.

It is beyond annoying. Its my dads fault though. He's the same way, but no one else in my family seems to suffer from the same ailment. In fact, hes the only other person I've ever met who complains of something so strange. Although, its probably not something people generally admit to.

And its not just one night, oh no. When its a full moon, the agony usually lasts for about three nights, and no matter how exhausted I get, there is nothing to be done. Sleeping pills? Bad, bad idea. I shudder at the thought. Seems logical, but makes it soooo much worse.

So, if you see me with dark circles under my eyes, frazzled hair, and a grumpy expression, check the phase the moon is currently in, and chances are good that it will be nice and full and mocking me with its bright and sinister...fullness.

By the way, anyone seen the moon lately?

777 1/2

2008-05-11T20:15:00.000-07:00

This has been the longest weekend of my life!

My Mom & I left early Thursday morning and drove for eight hours to Hurricane, Utah where we stayed the night at my cousins adorable house. Hurricane is basically the smallest hick-mormon town I have ever seen, but its cute and seems like a nice little place.

Friday morning we left my cousins house and drove the four remaining hours to Provo where we promptly got a hotel and I cleaned up to go to my appointments on campus.

I wandered for awhile around BYU's huge campus looking for the right building and room. I finally found what I was looking for, and met with an academic adviser who was very kind and sweet, but not a lot of help.

I left her office much earlier than anticipated and set off to find my next appointment location. I very quickly realized that it was in the next building over and that I had some time to kill before my next appointment, so I called my friend Chase who got me into this in the first place, and luckily, he was on campus at the time, just a couple of buildings over and had some free time, so he came to meet me. It was really fun to see him and catch up for a few minutes(love ya Chase!).

I then met with a financial adviser who was about as much help as the academic adviser had been, and I started feeling a little discouraged as I tried to locate my car, but soon realized that it was not a completely wasted effort, because I at least got to see and get a feel for the campus and talk to my old friend Chase.

That night, my Mom and I went to dinner and two movies(ya, two movies in one night is not that unusual for us. What can I say? We're movie people).

The next morning we drove around for a ridiculously long time trying to find the SLDC(It's a long story). We drove all the way to Bountiful because the dumb girl who gave us directions told us to get off the freeway on 90^th street, which apparently is Utah slang for 9000 South, which is the actual name of the street. She knew we were from out of town, why would we know that 9000 South is sometimes referred to as 90^th Street? We ended up driving way out of our way and having to come all the way back, but we found it in the end. The point is, we spent all morning long doing something that should have taken an hour or so, at the most.

That afternoon I called a few places trying to find somewhere to live. This being the main purpose of the trip, I began to get discouraged when the first few places I called were no longer available, or would not become available until later than I am hoping to move.

After a few tries, I talked to a woman about a duplex and made arrangements to see it that afternoon. When we pulled up to number 777, this is what we saw:

Cute, huh?

I loved it, but was still a little unsure.

We went inside and checked everything out and found that it was small, but cute, and should work for what I need. I was pretty sold, but then I was informed t hat I would actually be living in the back duplex rather than the front, which I had seen.

I was informed that it was the exact same layout, and was taken outside, where I saw this:

Apparently there was more to this house than I realized.

Upon closer inspection, I discovered this:

How cute is this? It was love at first sight! I know its cheesy, but 7771/2? I love it! We didn't even look at any other places, I told the lady I had to have it, paid the deposit, and as of July, I will be living in 7771/2!

I'm so excited! Its a really cute little place and the other girls that are living there seemed nice, and its really close to campus so I can walk, and I'm so happy and relieved to have found a place!

We returned to the hotel, bummed around all night, and left early this morning for the twelve hour drive home, feeling pretty good that although the trip was not exactly all that we had planned or hoped for, we accomplished our main goal.

So, to sum up: We found me a placed to live, but basically accomplished nothing else. On the plus side, we laughed a lot, sang a lot, and made a lot of U-turns. :)

Guess What?!?

2008-05-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

No I'm not engaged, you sickos.
Why is it that lately whenever I ask someone that question, people just automatically assume that I'm getting married? It drives me nuts, but that's another post entirely. Anyway, my actual good news is this:

Dear Alicia:

We are delighted to inform you that you have been admitted to Brigham Young University to begin Fall 2008. Through your preparation and personal achievements you have distinguished yourself from a very strong group of applicants. We believe you will make a positive contribution to the BYU community. It is a great pleasure to welcome you to our campus to pursue your educational goals.

We look forward to having you on campus. We encourage you to maintain the standards outlined in the University's Honor Code. You are to be commended for your accomplishments!

Warmest regards,

R. Kirk Strong
Director of Admission Services

Yep. Its true. I'm going to BYU.

Whenever I tell anyone this, they all ask the same questions, so here are the questions and my answers, in case you wondered:

Q: What is your major?
A: I don't know.

Q: Where are you going to live?
A: I don't know.

Q: When are you leaving?
A: I don't know.

Q: Where are you going to work?
A: I don't know.

Q: What classes are you going to take?
A: I don't know.

Q: What made you decide to go to BYU?
A: I don't know.

Q: When are you going to figure any of this out?
A: Ya, you guessed it - I don't know.

So, basically I have no idea what I'm doing, all I know is that for some reason I'm supposed to go to BYU. How exactly do I feel about this? Let me try to describe:

I feel excited, scared, nervous, happy, terrified, grateful, cheerful, uneasy, joyful, concerned, glad, tense, stressed, delighted, agitated, pleased, distressed, alarmed, and anxious. And that's just how I feel at this moment. It's complicated.

And to top it all off, I just received a call from a girl I worked with at my old job. Let me give you some background first:

I used to work at a Physical Therapy office and it wasn't the greatest job in the world, but I really loved it there. The people were I worked with were great, I loved interacting with my patients, they were training me to do tech work during slow times at the front desk, the hours were good, I got benefits, and I was good at what I did. To make a long story short, they closed my branch in the beginning of January and I got laid off.
I now work for a CPA, and in my desperation to get a job after being laid off, I took a major pay cut and now work with crabby people who expect me to have been born with an internal and extensive knowledge of all things accounting, which I was obviously not blessed with, I get no benefits and am always given the dumbest and most pointless tasks and am treated like an idiot if I do even the tiniest thing wrong.
Basically, it kinda sucks, but has been getting better over time. I have been kinda happy though that I will be leaving in a few months and can find a new job.

So, enough background, back to my story: Yvonne called me this afternoon from the Physical Therapy office(she worked at the other branch, the one that didn't close), and after catching up for a few minutes, she informed me that she had found a better job and was looking for someone to replace her. Since I was already trained and knew everyone and they already knew they liked me, I could basically have my old job back, no questions asked.

Ouch.

I could have gone back to a real pay check, people I like, and be able to do something I like and am actually good at.

Oh, the cruel ironies of life.

I know without a doubt that I'm supposed to go to BYU next semester, so I turned it down. Not nice, not fair.
I really didn't mean for this post to turn into me whining, but I'm a little bummed that I can't go back. I mean, the PT office wasn't perfect by any means, but I was happy there, and I obviously have mixed emotions about going to BYU. I know that that's where I'm supposed to be, but I don't know why I'm supposed to be there. It just better be a dang good reason, that's all I'm sayin.

I know this post is getting ridiculously long, and if I haven't bored you to tears yet and you are still devotedly reading, either you love me much more than I deserve, or you are laughing at my pathetic life and the reasons I find to whine. Either way, let me conclude with this, I'm planning on going to Provo next weekend to scout out apartments and jobs and talk to a counselor.

Hopefully I will find an amazingly adorable and ridiculously cheap place to live, a fantastic job, and decide a major, at which point the PT job will become a thing of the past and I will be able to confidently answer everyone's questions.

Cross your fingers for me.

100% Girl

2008-03-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

I finally did it.

The temptation was just too much to handle.

I couldn't resist any longer.

I gave in.

I'm embarrassed to admit it,

but...

I bought another bookshelf.

I know it's sad, but its true. I had to. The books were starting to pile up on the floor in front of my crammed full shelves.
I think that what is even sadder(more sad?) about this situation, is that I don't even feel that bad about it. In fact, I am kind of looking forward to watching the shelves fill up. Its sick. I'm addicted to books. I suppose there are a lot of worse things I could be addicted to, but still.

The shelf has been in my trunk since last night. I was just to tired to drag the box up the stairs, but tonight, with the help of my brother, I got it up the stairs. This was no easy task, and I thought the hard part was over, but then I saw the instruction manual. It was normal letter size paper and about thirty pages thick. I could almost feel the impending failure hanging in the air around me. I've never been good at this kind of thing - I'm such a girl! When I put together my last shelf, (I can't believe I'm admitting this) almost all of the nails came through when I nailed on the back. My Grandpa was a carpenter, he would be ashamed.

That was when I saw the notice on the box that read:"No Tools Required." Yes! How lucky can I get? This was my chance.

Everything went fine until one stubborn little plug absolutely refused to go into it's designated hole. I scoffed at the 'no tools required' sign and looked around for something to pound the un-compromising little sucker in with.

And that was when I saw it: my favorite wedge shoe lying on the floor. Who needs hammers? I pounded that plug and a couple of other stubborn plastic things in with that shoe.

My dad once told me that all a shoe like that was good for was a broken ankle. Well, sorry dad, but I think you have been proven wrong.

Not only are my favorite shoes adorable and look great, but they can be very useful.

I didn't think it was possible, but now I love those shoes more than ever. Cinderella can keep her glass slipper, give me a good wedge heel any day.

Wildlife World Zoo

2008-03-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

Today I took my little sisters out to the Wildlife World Zoo. Well, I had planned to take just my two little sisters, but ended up with my three sisters, my aunt Jenn, my cousin Angie, my cousin Katie and her husband Robert, and Alyssa, who we consider a part of our family because she has practically lived with us since she was about two, but is actually our neighbor.

Anyway, it was a long, but fun day. The zoo was pretty cool, I liked it better than the Phoenix zoo, but its been a long time since I've been there. The only problem is that this place is forever away. It took about an hour to get there, and looked really lame from the outside, but was actually really neat. It did get pretty hot today, which is so annoying. Seriously, it's March 1st. It should not be this hot already. Its just wrong. I actually got sun-burnt today. Sad, I know. I was the only one - I mean, what kind of an Arizona girl am I? I can't even spend a few hours at the zoo with out frying. wretched fair skin.

So, it was forever away, and really hot, but we had a lot of fun.

First stop was the reptile exhibit. This is Lynnsi (my littlest sis) and Angie(my cousin) in front of the zoos claim to fame: albino alligators. They look huge in the picture on the website, and were a bit of a let down.

We also saw a few snakes like this,
which probably doesn't seem that cool unless you grew up reading books like this:

By far the most disturbing thing about the reptile house(besides the large hissing cockroaches) was this:

I know its hard to see, but that is a huge boa constrictor on that branch and Cassie and Angie are leaning into the cage because there was NO GLASS!!!
Anyone else think it disturbing to put huge reptiles that could easily eat a child Angies size in a cage with no glass? I was slightly horrified.
In order to ease my horror, I tried to get Cassie to climb into the cage and re-enact a classic Harry Potter scene, but to my dismay, she refused.

After the reptile house, we went and looked at the monkeys. Two of the spider monkeys had babies and it was absolutely amazing to watch them swing all over the place while the little babies just held on for dear life.
Sadly, none of my pictures turned out, but lets pretend like I took this one.

Angie was so excited to see her friends Timon and Pumba there, though they weren't quite as cheerful and musically talented as she expected.

Then we saw the rhino. Or, rather, we wanted to see the rhino, but it apparently did not want to see us.

Angies favorite was the flamingos. We seriously couldn't get her to leave.

When we finally drug Angie away from the flamingos, we went over to the petting zoo where there was all kinds of goats and deer. They had a machine where you could buy food for them, but if you went in the gate with food in your hand, you got swarmed.
Annie was the first to go in and got so scared when they all ran at her that she was clutching the food in her hand and yelling, so I had to yell at her from outside the fence to put her hand down and give them the food.

Once she ran out of food, some wandered off, but others stuck around to chew on her shirt and shoelaces until Katie chased them off.

After the petting zoo, we watched an animal experience show. I thought it was kinda lame, but the girls liked it. This is us waiting for it to start:

I've never been good at that hold-the-camera-out-in-front-of-you trick. And ya, my sisters shirt says "I dig your mom." I tried to convince her it was wrong, but she wouldn't listen.

Next we went to the giraffe feeding station, which was so cool. You had to drop the food on to the giraffes tongue, because if you just held out your hand they would wrap their nasty long tongues around your hand. It was hilarious. More than one child screamed as the long, slimy tongue encircled their hand.

We had a lot of fun, but it was a long, hot day and I've got the burn to prove it. : )

Soooo Frustrating!

2008-03-01T21:44:00.000-08:00

I tried to change my blog template last night to one of those way cute ones off a website and I followed all of the directions exactly how it said to and it did not work at all. In fact, not only did it not work, but it deleted everything and I spent like forty five minutes trying to figure out why it would not work and how to get it to go back. I finally got my original title thing back, and my posts, which was a big relief, but lost my list of links and I cannot get it to look the same now. Grrr.

Book Love

2008-02-28T21:26:00.000-08:00

Confession: Anyone who knows me knows that I love to read more than anything. The problem is, not only do I love to read books, but equally as much(this is where the confession part comes in), I love to buy them. It gives me great pleasure to sit in my room and look at my full shelfs of beautiful books.
The problem? Well, for starters, I am running out of shelf space, and I tend to buy faster than I can read. So, I should just stop right? Sadly, "I...can't...help...myself."( Ten points to anyone who knows that movie quote.)
The other problem? I am somewhat of a book snob. You see, I used to buy books from amazing and magical places like Borders or Barnes and Noble, but have since realized how foolish this really is. Now the only time I ever pay full price for a book is if it is one that I have been eagerly awaiting its publication and do not care how much it costs at full price as long as I get to read it.(i.e. eclipse, deathly hallows, etc.) I have now become rather proud of myself for the great deals on books I have found. There is little I love more than a good bargain, and cheap books is absolute heaven!
Mind you, I still love to wander in places like Borders and B&N, I just rarely ever buy from them anymore. It's not just about buying though, bookstores are like my therapy. I love to slowly meander through the shelves, picking up interesting-looking books and flipping through them. It is relaxing and somehow eases the stress of the day.
Lately I prefer second-hand places like Bookmans or thrift stores to satisfy my book-buying needs. Not only are the prices fantastic, but sometimes I can find books that are out of print, or harder to find in the big commercial stores. Occasionally there is nothing interesting to be found, and I walk away empty handed, but other times I have found stacks and stacks of books just waiting to be bought, opened, and loved.
My point in all of this rambling? I just had to brag a little because tonight I bought twenty-two books and paid a grand total of fifteen dollars for them! Twenty-two books for fifteen dollars! It was amazing! Truly-is there anything better than a good deal? Its sort of pathetic how happy it makes me. :)

Just for fun

2008-02-25T22:45:00.000-08:00

Take the Quiz here!

Totally Random

2008-02-25T20:39:00.000-08:00

I'm not exactly sure how to explain this.

You know those moments when something completely random and unexpected happens and you can't help but smile? Those totally odd moments in time when you just have to stop and say "What? Are you kidding me with this?"
I'm sure you have no idea what I'm talking about, but I love these moments. Let me try to explain with an example:

A year or so ago I was driving down the street on my way home from school when I quickly put on the brakes. [It's important to know at this point that I have a huge fear of someday hitting an animal with my car. It scares me to death when cats and dogs run into the road and it would be the absolute worst thing that could happen to me if I actually ever hit one.]
Well, on this particular day I came to a halt because a rooster was standing on the edge of the street and it appeared to be considering making a run for it. This was no random little side street, mind you, this was a main city street and to this day, I cannot imagine where that rooster came from or how it ended up there, but that's not the point.
So, I slowed to a stop(no one was behind me) and looked at this rooster. It stepped off of the side walk and began crossing slowly in front of my car. When it got directly in front of my car it stopped and slowly turned its head and looked right at me. It stared for a second before turning around and walking back towards the sidewalk from whence it came. Once it was safely back on the step, I continued on my way, but it cracked me up. Where did that rooster come from and where was it going?

See what I mean? I love random things like that . They take my day from mundane to interesting. I also love random comments from people that make little or no sense. Don't judge me, but I actually started writing these kind of things down in a notebook. There is not much in it yet, but someday there will be page after page of random-ness that will(hopefully) still be funny months from now. Here are some recent ones:

-A few months ago, I was sitting on the front porch with my little sisters on a Sunday afternoon when a man walked down the street playing Mariachi music on a guitar. He was just strolling along our residential street, playing upbeat music and humming to himself.

-My mom made tacos last week, and when I pulled the plastic lid off of the sour cream container, the foil underneath had a picture of a bright green lime and these words:
"If life gives you limes, just rearrange the letters and return a smile."

Okay, not that bad of a quote, right? But why on sour cream? What does that really have to do with sour cream? It makes no sense - I love it!

-I gave my brother and his friends a ride home from a church dance a couple of weeks ago and I overheard one of his friends say:
"I had the craziest dream last night! I was a bottle of ketchup, and you were a bottle of mayonnaise...which is really weird, because usually in my dreams you're mustard."

What?!? Usually you're mustard? You've had this dream before? Do you often dream of condiments?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The reason I have been thinking of this today and decided to post about it was first of all, because I practically never post anything and Lindsay is probably ready to give up on me, and secondly, I witnessed the most random of all random things today.

I was sitting at the conference table at work today with my cousin while my boss was telling a long and ridiculously boring story and I was half listening in case he asked me a question, and half day dreaming about something most likely ridiculous, when he abruptly stopped talking. His sudden and unusual silence broke me out of my daydream in fear that he actually had asked me a question and I had missed it. I jerked my head up, expecting to see him looking questioningly at me, but instead found him staring out the window in wonder.
He told me that I had to see what was going on out there, so I moved around the table so that I could get a clear view out the window. What I saw there was very surprising indeed. [I think it is important to note here that I work in a very nice office building in a large complex of very nice office buildings. Its full of lawyers, accountants, and insurance places, all very serious, and all very boring.]
Standing in the parking lot was a women dressed in black pants and a teal shirt talking to a woman wearing...a gorilla suit. Yes, you read that right, a gorilla suit. And not just any gorilla suit, I am talking head to toe black shaggy fur gorilla suit. The woman was covered in fur from wrist to wrist and all the way to her ankles. She was even wearing feet and gloves, and the look would have been complete except that she had the mask pushed up on top of her head. She and the other woman were just standing there calmly, seemingly having a nice chat.
I don't know that I could ever have a serious conversation with someone dressed in a gorilla suit, and I rather hope that I never get the opportunity. It may be entertaining, but is also slightly disturbing.

And that, my friends, is why I am told that I am way too easily amused. What can I say? If women dressed in gorilla suits having casual conversations or dumb quotes on containers of sour cream don't make you laugh, what does? Because these strange moments keep me entertained and make my life worth living sometimes. After all, what fun would life be without completely random thoughts and situations to break up the monotony?

Tag

2008-02-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

Where I was 10 years ago:

Ten years ago? Wow. I was twelve and probably ridiculously lame. You know, junior high, braces, the whole bit. Though its painful to admit, I'm pretty sure I still thought spandex shorts and big t-shirts were cool.

5 Things on my to do list today:
1. Do some homework
2. WATCH PROJECT RUNWAY!
3. Clean
4. Hang up pictures in my room
5. Post on my sadly neglected blog

5 Snacks I enjoy:
1. Crackers (Wheat thins, goldfish, Triscuits, Ritz, Cheese its, Saltines, or pretty much anything else you can think of, I love them. I almost always have a box of some variety in my car!)
2. A banana and a scoop of peanut butter
3. Practically any form of chocolate
4. Cold cereal
5. Those big, ripe, fresh peaches my Mom gets from Utah

5 Things I would do if I was a billionaire:

1. Pay off my car
2. Buy a house
3. Travel all over the world
4. Quit my job and not have to worry about money while I traveled and looked for the perfect job.
5. Then invest the rest and help out my family

3 of my bad habits
1. Daydreaming - I have a very vivid imagination and love to escape into my own worlds and have to constantly remind myself to focus.
2. I'm chronically early, which doesn't sound so bad except that I spend a lot of time sitting in my car because I hate walking in to places really early, or, I end up sitting on the couch by the front door completely ready to leave, waiting for other people, or just waiting so I don't have to sit in my car for so long. It's pathetic, but I really do hate being late.
3. Starting cutesy/crafty projects and then never finishing them. I seriously have a couple of boxes in my closet full of unfinished adorable and clever things.

5 Places I've lived
1. Mesa, Arizona
2. Voronezh, Russia
3. Kiev, Ukraine (for one week, does that count?)
4. Camp Geronimo, Arizona (Every other weekend last summer, and probably this summer. If a week in Kiev counts, this should too, right?)
5. I really tried to stretch it to five, but that's all I can think of

5 Jobs I've had
1. Sales Clerk at Family Flix
2. Waitress at LJ's Pizza
3. Waitress at El Paso Barbeque
4. Front desk coordinator at Skyline physical therapy
5. Random, title-less position at an accountants office

5 Things people don't know about me
(Are there any? I feel like I basically told it all in the "100 things about me" post)
1. I love to drink herbal tea - I picked it up in Russia, Russians drink tea like Arizonans drink water in July.
2. I cut out random pages and recipes from magazines like Martha Stewart or Family Fun and keep them in a folder in case I ever need their brilliant ideas.
3. I also cut out the pictures from church magazines like the Ensign or New Era and keep them in a folder to use in my YW's lessons.
4. I secretly hate beautiful, talented, skinny people. You should only be allowed one.
5. I used to be borderline obsessed with The Monkees. I still occasionally listen to their music and own Season 2 of their show on dvd. Season 1 is like $85.00, so I will probably never own it :(

I tag Allison, Shantel, and Trent!

Confession:

2008-01-31T20:46:00.000-08:00

I'm basically the worst blogger ever (as if anyone actually reading this didn't already know). I went on a kick for like two weeks where I took pictures of everything and had all of these ideas for totally brilliant posts, but never actually sat down and figured out how to get the pictures off of my new camera and now they are all outdated and boring.

Also, I got laid off from my job, which totally sucked, and now I work for a CPA and have been ridiculously busy considering the close proximity of April 15th. It is officially tax time, which means lots of stress and long days around my office.

The point is: I apologize for my bad blogging behavior, and am going to try to do better in the near future. I have been tagged by two different people and promise to actually do something about it soon. Hopefully tomorrow, because tonight I am tired and my wonderful bed has been feeling neglected lately and is calling to me.

Don't give up on me yet! I am still alive and will return to the blogging world shortly!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I just got on my blog to see how this looks and would like to point out that it is nearly midnight and I have to work in the morning, but it says that I posted the above at 8:46 or something and I felt the need to explain that I am really not whining about being too tired at 8:46 at night, but that it is actually much later. Hows that for justification?

Edward Cullen

2007-12-18T08:22:00.000-08:00

Approximately three weeks ago, someone asked to borrow my Twilight books. I agreed and set them by my front door to await pickup in case I wasn't home when said person arrived. After a couple of weeks, I picked them up from the floor behind the door and lovingly placed them back on the shelf as no one had come to get them yet.
Now, you must understand that I have been dying to reread these books, but have not been allowing myself for fear of not getting any work done. I get way too sucked into these books, so I have been telling myself that I would read them at the cabin over Christmas when there is nothing to neglect in order to read. I have been looking forward to this for so long (Pathetic, I know).
So, yesterday I had jury duty and was looking for a book to read before I left the house. I decided that if I were reading something exciting while sitting for hours in the courthouse, I might not be so bitter about it. I decided that I would take Twilight to get me through that wretched experience seeing as I am fairly close to my Christmas vacation. How's that for justification?
So I sat around at the courthouse forever, but that's another story. The point is, I got to read about 100 lovely pages of Twilight before coming home and working on a project that I hope to post/brag about later.
So the doorbell rings and I leave my sewing to answer the door, and who happens to be standing there? Of course. The person who wants my books. I know I'm wicked, but I actually, for a split second, considered giving an excuse as to why they could not borrow them right now. (I can't believe I'm admitting that) But I took them from the shelf and my purse, pulled my bookmark from the pages, and passed all three books into a pair of very eager hands. It was worth it though, because they went to someone who has not yet experienced the joy of reading them.
It's not really that big of a deal because I can just borrow my sister's, but isn't life ironic? The very day that I officially give up on this person coming and begin reading, they show up.

Rainy Days

2007-12-01T07:29:00.000-08:00

Is there anything better than rainy days?
I'm sitting at my desk right now watching the most amazing storm gather outside my window.
I wish I had my camera because there is no way to describe the way the dark clouds look as they move across the sky.
I would give basically anything to not be stuck inside at my desk right now.

I've never understood people who complain about rain. I love it. I think it's so amazing, it makes me happy.
I love the smell, the sound of the drops hitting the pavement, and the hazy picture of the world seen through the drops.

Okay, so the middle picture doesn't have much of anything to do with rain besides the umbrella, but I really like that picture.

I love this picture. I'm not entirely sure why. I think it's because it reminds me of a poem that my Grandma taught me when I was really little:

The rain is raining all around,
it falls on field and tree.
It rains on the umbrellas here,
and on the ships at sea.

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Random? I know.

Oh the humiliation!

2007-11-30T11:16:00.000-08:00

There I was sitting in my Lit. class last night totally unsuspecting of the embarrassment about to befall me.

My teacher was discussing the papers that he was about to pass back which had been turned in three weeks ago. He began rambling about the six options we had to choose from and how he wished that more people had chosen option number four which was to write about an author not included in our semesters readings. I admit, I was only half listening, but no amount of listening could have prepared me for his next statement.
"In fact," he said, "the only person who did choose this option was Alisha."
My first thought was "I did?"
(Also, he calls me Alisha, I don't know why but it has been two whole semesters and he has not once gotten it right. )
He turns to me and says: "Tell us who you wrote about Alisha."

My mind goes BLANK.

Truly - I was just staring at him and could not even remember writing the paper let alone who I wrote it about. Meanwhile, the entire class is staring at me (we sit in a circle, so it was easy viewing for all) as my face turned a very unattractive shade of red never before witnessed in human skin tones.

So then he said "Sarah..." like he was trying to prompt me or something and still, nothing.
I made a total fool of myself muttering idiotic half sentences that came out something like:
"Oh--um--well--i guess--three weeks ago--i can't--" etc. etc.
Finally he says: "Sarah Josepha Hale?!?" while staring at me. The expression on his face saying you've got to be kidding me with this. Didn't you write this five page paper?
Ding! The light goes on.
Sarah Josepha Hale!
Of course! I almost killed myself over that paper! It took forever to find all of the information and I was totally stressed over it, but it ended up being a pretty dang good paper if I do say so myself. It all came rushing back to me, but alas, it was much too late to save myself at that point.
I don't remember exactly what I said, but I believe it was something to the effect of: "Oh right...that paper," amid amused chuckles from my class mates.
Holy awkward Batman!
He quickly moved on to other things, while I spent the entire rest of the class period trying to coax my ears and cheeks to stop burning.

Granted, this is not the most embarrassing thing that has happened to me or probably will happen to me in the course of my frequently humiliating life, but it was by far the most embarrassing moment of the month.

By the way, I got an A on my paper. Thank you very much.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

2007-11-21T09:19:00.001-08:00

Camera Shopping

2007-11-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

I decided that I needed a new camera.
My old one is only two and a half or so years old, but it does not work. This is a very frustrating fact as I do not take pictures very often(Okay, never), so it should work right? I only really used it in Russia and at random times since then. Stupid camera. The point is, I decided to buy a new one. So I got some advice from friends and a guy at work who gave me way more detail than I needed or really even knew what he was talking about, and then I went shopping.
I went to Best Buy and spent forever being indecisive and looking at all of the cameras. I finally decided on one that I liked and had been highly recommended, so I talked to a vulture salesperson about it.
It's basically perfect: small, cute, nice, good quality, but it only comes in silver. Wretched. I know I'm such a girl, but I really wanted a cute colorful one. I really liked it a lot though, so I decided to buy it anyway rather than starting the decision process over. (Although, I must admit, I almost decided to start over just to spite the sales guy who thought I didn't see him roll his eyes at me about the camera not coming in colors.)
This is my lovely little Sony Cyber-shot. Here's the sucky thing: when I got home I pulled out my old camera to see if it takes the same kind of memory card(no I didn't think of that before I went), and guess what? Just my luck, its the same freakin camera! Newer model, smaller, nicer, better quality, but the same camera! (It does not take the same type of memory card, by the way.)
My camera breaks and what do I do? Go out and buy the same camera over. I think I am just tempting fate with this one.
Also, when I was looking for this picture online, I discovered to my dismay, that this exact camera comes in all sorts of beautiful colors...
How do these things happen to me?

2007-11-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

100 Random Things About Me
(Thanks Linds!)

1. I love to read!
2. I lived in Voronezh Russia for five months and miss it everyday
3. I wish I spoke Russian
4. I absolutely despise peas
5. I love to buy shoes, but would rather be barefoot all the time
6. I am the oldest of five kids
7. I want to travel and see the world
8. I love to look at the stars
9. When I was young I wanted to grow up and be on Broadway
10. I love to watch movies
11. pajamas make me happy
12. I freak out at the sight of cockroaches
13. I have been blessed with amazing friends
14. I love to watch game shows
15. I work at a Physical Therapy clinic
16. I love the theater (movies, plays, ballet, symphony, opera, I love it all)
17. I wish I played the piano - I have taken a ton of music lessons but don't play anything
18.I love the smells of rain, wet dirt, and wet cement
19. I want to be a published author someday
20. I hate scary movies
21. I love to go on road trips
22. I love my family
23. I wish I were more brave
24. I love Dr. Pepper
25. I quote movies all the time (seriously, I hardly have original thoughts)
26. I want to be a mom someday
27. I love office supplies - pens, sticky notes, paper clips, staplers - for some reason it makes me happy
28. I spend way too much money on books
29. I love my little blue car
30. I love sweater season
31. I like being alone, especially driving, it gives me time to think
32. I love fairy tales
33. I have to force myself to throw away bags (its a Russia thing)
34. I like to paint walls, but wish I could paint pictures
35. I like to make lists and cross things off as I finish them
36. I like cooking with my mom and catering with my dad
37. I think snow is amazing
38. I like to make cute handouts for my lessons
39. I miss going camping
40. I love my unnatural hair color
41. I tend to get the giggles at bad moments (awkward situations, church, etc.)
42. I have the worst memory ever
43. I love Target
44. I like to sing in my car
45. No matter how many times I watch sappy movies, they still make me cry
46. I wish I were a better friend
47. I want to see all fifty states
48. My princess bed makes me happy
49. I collect random quotes
50. Borders is my sanctuary
51. I have never been to New York, but always wanted to go
52. I love to fly
53. My eyes change colors
54. I love rainy days
55. I start listening to Christmas music in October
56. I love my YW calling
57. I am afraid of heights
58. I love art and art museums
59. I have insomnia when its a full moon
60. Everyone calls me Leesh, which is not a name, but rather something that you put on a dog. (Except for my Aunt Jennifer, she sometimes calls me Joe. I don't really know why.)
61. I like to quilt and do needlepoint, but rarely find the time
62. I love to get pedicures with flowers
63. I love the beach
64. I stress out way too much
65. I steal pens (not from stores, just from people or places, not always intentionally)
66. I have a very vivid imagination
67. I have a really hard time making little decisions. The big life changing ones? No problem, but which camera should I buy? Where should we eat tonight? What movie should we watch? I have the hardest time with.
68. Someday I want to have a garden, mostly flowers, complete with one of those random little gnome statues
69. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday
70. I love vacations with my family
71. Chocolate makes me smile
72. I have absolutely no sense of direction and get lost all the time
73. I like breakfast foods at dinnertime, not in the morning
74. I love to play card games
75. I love love love Josh Groban
76. I love to sleep
77. I have the cutest little mutt named pixie
78. I was a waitress for three years
79. I love cute lamps
80. I want to learn another language
81. I have always wanted to work in a cute little book store (like the one on You've Got Mail)
82. I could not live without my fluffy feather pillow
83. I am ridiculously ticklish
84. I love a good bargain
85. There's nothing better than a hot cup of herbal tea on a cold morning
86. I am easily sucked into shows like Project Runway or So You Think You Can Dance
87. I still like to watch cartoons
88. I get grumpy and sarcastic when I'm tired
89. I think people are so interesting, I could spend hours just watching them
90. I'm a sucker for cute babies
91. I love to listen to peoples random stories
92. I hate loudly ticking clocks
93. I miss living in cold weather
94. I love random late night movies with my mom and sister
95. I like the color purple
96. I wish I were more talented
97. I like to make cute cards
98. I love the smell of cabbage patch dolls
99. I hated having to eat liver and pretend to enjoy it in Russia
100. I want to get married in the temple someday