Happy Christmas!

My Christmas Tree (with many presents)





Details of the Tree


 SANTA!!!!!!


 
Angel, of course



My Cookies :)



My favourite cookie



Even more cookies 


One Thousand Words...






I love this one. Also, I haven't posted one in a really long time.

Post Finals Life

Well. I survived finals. I didn't think I would. Which is why I didn't blog at all, even though I said I would. Sorry about that. To make up for it, I'll give you an update on my life. How's that?

Finals were stressful. They always are. But this semester, I had a film project instead of a test. Those take up about one million hours, rather than about 7 hours or so that are normally devoted to finals cramming. But my project turned out really well. Although the alloted time was 3 minutes, and my full version is almost 6. The full version will be posted online when it's cleaned up a little more.

After finals, I drove home. Well, I didn't drive. Diane drove. I slept most of the way. It was great to be home. Played some Beatles Rockband, watched some Office, and then had some food poisoning. I think. I'm still not sure. In any case, I haven't been feeling well since. Stupid sickness. Get sick the first day of vacation. Oh well. Christmas is coming, our tree is decorated, my shopping is done, and Luke might/is coming to visit! Life is good.


Also, when I have my own Christmas tree, I want this one:

Pre-Finals Life

With the stress of the season upon me (and I'm not referring to Christmas), I have found the one thing that keeps me sane/procrastinating responsibly. What is it you may ask?

Click here, no, not there, HERE to learn more.

More distractions coming soon.

On This, the Day of Thanksgiving...

I am thankful for:

0. The Gospel.
1. My family.
2. My friends.
3. Luke.
4. Canada.
5. Chocolate.
6. BYU
7. Being a film student.
8. Beatles Rockband.


Luke is Awesome Because....

1. He's crazy smart, and can figure out just about anything. Like, this one time, he fixed his car with a paper clip.
2. He works hard at whatever he does. He doesn't do something halfway. He'll work until it's all the way done.
3. He can be just as silly and crazy as me.
4. He's much more levelheaded than I am. It takes a lot to get him upset and stressed, whereas I panic at the drop of a hat.
5. He's stable. I know I can count on him. Always. He's there when I need him, and that's more important to me than anything.
6. He's so supportive of everything I do.
7. We can talk for hours about the craziest, randomest, stupidest things.
8. He's the kindest guy I know. He never says anything bad about anyone, and helps people when they need it.
9. He's just so great to be around!!
10. He loves me, and I know he loves me for who I am. And I love him too. He's the awesomest person I know.

My Weekend Away

I just got back from one of the greatest weekends ever. And when I say just, I mean a few days ago. Luke took me home to meet his parents/see his house/get out of Provo. It was fantastic! Mike and Katie came with us, which made the trip. I couldn't have asked for better company. Highlights of the trip include:
-driving around in the dark in rural Idaho.
-meeting Luke's parents (who are absolutely amazing. They are some of the nicest people I know, and I'm so grateful for them and their hospitality)
-meeting Luke's goats
-driving around seeing all the places where Luke grew up (which was great!)
-drinking wassail and sitting in front of a fire while playing cards with some of my very favourite people
-"kitten piles" and "ya'll be frontin'" and "you....are a goat".
-riding in a Model T
-watching Mike and Luke push the T up a rather snowy hill.
-homemade ice cream at Grandma's

There was a lot more, but this plus Facebook pictures gives you a pretty good idea. I can't wait to go back!

A Nice Metallic Slice of Irony

It's that time in the semester when you procrastinate homework with....other homework. And during this particular instance, I found that my professor has scheduled a lecture entitled " 'Why am I Doing This?' and and other things to ponder as your stressful semester continues on its merry way" for the Wednesday of Thanksgiving break.

Life Rocks Because:

-it's cold, and I can wear my cute sweaters and scarves from London.

-the sci-fi movie that I worked on so hard is going to be AWESOME when it comes out in January!

-my friends are awesome!!!!!

-my family is awesome!!!!

-like it or not, midterms will be over by Monday

-I got free cookies at work today

-the world isn't as awful as it seems (check here)

-my boy is fantastic! I am so lucky to have him.

-this is my 50th post!

Puzzles Never Did Strike My Fancy

I'll be honest: I'm confused. I feel like I'm doing one of those ridiculous puzzles that's all white, or of the sky or something. No. It's some stupid field of wildflowers, and everything is either red, yellow, or green, and it all looks the same. Sure, it's easy to do the edges, cause they've got straight lines. But the rest of it? You can forget about it. It's just not gonna happen. You can't make sense of it. And it gets to the point where you want to throw the pieces everywhere and stomp on them. Or stalk it like a velociraptor. Or move on to a 24 piece puzzle of a puppy or something.

I say screw it. I'd rather colour anyway.

Honest Procrastination

So, I had so much I wanted to share, and then I sat down to write this. Thoughts scattered like deacons when there's a service project. Hmmm... Well, how about I leave you an assortment of my jumbled thoughts? No? Too bad, I'm doing it anyway.

*film is awesome. I'd marry it if I could. For some reason, nothing gets me out of a funk like a little set construction.

*religion classes should not have tests. Or assignments. I'm just sayin.

*I'm about to pull my first all nighter of my senior year this weekend. Oh goodie. But it's for film, so I'm alright with that.

* things are better this way.

Re: Update

At the start of the school year, I set some goals to work towards for the rest of the semester. Here's how I've been doing so far (note: this blog is more for my benefit than anything else):

1. 4.0 GPA for all of my classes.
-So far so good. My first midterm is this week though, so we'll see how well I prepare for it. Other than that, classes are really good. I just need to stay on top of my reading better.

2. Read four books outside of class/just for fun.
- Ha. I haven't been doing this at all. Although I do have a book from the library. An overdue book......

3. Work on a student film (check!)
-I've worked on one so far. It's kept me pretty busy. I've also signed myself up for another project. I'm not sure if that was the greatest idea, but I did it anyway.

4. Develop a daily habit of prayer and scripture study.
-Here's where I'm really slacking. Every once in a while I read from the Doctrine and Covenants. But I'm not very consistent, and I haven't been doing much personal study. And I need to be better about my prayers in just about every aspect.

So I've got lots to work on. Especially making school and religion more of a priority. Thank goodness it's the start of a new week, and I can try harder and be better!

It's About Time...

...to update my blog. It's been two whole weeks (yikes!), and yet I have nothing to say. How is that possible? Probably because all I do is school stuff. Which includes making movies and watching movies. Oh hey! That's something interesting to blog about! I'll make a list of all the movies I've seen recently. I'd write reviews of them, but that sounds like more work than I'm willing to invest at the current moment. So, in no particular order:

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Up!
Transformers 2
G. I. Joe
Angels and Demons
Julie and Julia


I've also seen Big Fish and Seven Pounds and 17 Again and Cloverfield. But those weren't at the theatre. Oh, and I watched Dark Water in class. And I think that about covers it.

Blink

So, I went to see Blink 182 tonight. It was awesome!!!! Travis Barker is phenomenal. Like, literally. And that other guy is pretty great too. I'm not a fan of Tom. He's nasty, and somewhat full of himself. But the show was still great. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to talk tomorrow, but that's okay. The ringing in my ears is going down, too, so that's a relief. They played all my favourites, and I'm pretty proud of myself for knowing almost all the words. They played a few that I didn't recognize. But that's okay too. Mike, Katy, Luke, and I tried to figure out a way to sneak down to the floor (the boys wanted to mosh). However, we saw someone try what we were about to try, and security tackled him and carried him out, so we changed our minds.


Like I said, the show was great. The songs were awesome. I don't think I'm a fan of them live, though. Partially because they don't sound as good live, and partially because Tom's a dink. But I had fun anyway. However, the best part of the evening was the encore. After the "last" song, the lights went off, but the house lights never came up. So clearly something was going on. After 10 minutes of insessant screaming and chanting the curtain came up again, and there's my homeslice Travis Barker, playing the most wicked awesome drum solo you've ever heard. Then, somehow the platform that he's on raises about a story into the air!! And he's still playing!!! Then, somehow, they move him so it's at an almost 45 degree angle, and swing him back and forth across the stage. And he's still playing!!! Then, they tilt him so he's at a (and I'm not kidding) 90 degree angle, and yeah, he's still drumming away. Then, he starts spinning. It's like it's a merry-go-round or something, and he's perpendicular to the stage, hanging in the air, spinning. It was the sickest thing I've EVER seen. And for that, he now has my heart.

Back to School....

Well, I have returned to school. I love it so much! All my classes are great, I'm loving my work as a TA in the Religion department, I'm starting work on a BYU sci-fi film, and I get to see all of my friends who are now returning home from their missions. Life is grand.


With one week of school down, and about 13 more to go, I figure now is a good time to set some goals for the semester. And if I write them down here, people will read them, and then I'll be accountable. So, without further delay, here's what I hope to accomplish in the next four months:


1. 4.0 GPA for all of my classes.
2. Read four books outside of class/just for fun.
3. Work on a student film (check!)
4. Develop a daily habit of prayer and scripture study.


I figure with four goals, that should be more than enough to keep me busy.


Also, I feel like I should record what classes I'm taking this semester. Here's my fall line-up:


TMA 185-Basic Film Production. Basically it's like film boot camp.


TMA 105-"lab" for 185. Here's where I do a bunch of hands on stuff, like using the camera, editing, that kind of stuff.

TMA 114-Basic Narrative Construction. We're discussing the various types of films and story lines, with lots of film application (aka, I watch a movie a week!)

SFL 100-Marriage and Family Living. I took this class as a recommendation from Lauren, and so far, I have not been disappointed. The prof is great, plus it correlates with my research!

REL C 333-Teachings of Living Prophets. I started out not taking any religion classes, but that just felt strange. So here I am. Essentially, we're studying General Conference talks, and the men who give them.

WS 392R-Women's Studies Colloquial. Twice a month, the Women's Research Institute has a guest lecturer come in, and give a presentation. All are invited, so you should come! You won't get points for coming, but I will!

HLTH 450-Women's Health Issues. This class is great! It deals with health issues facing women, including eating disorders, body image, cancer, and other diseases. It's an elective for my WS minor, which is why I'm taking it.

Well, that's it. That's my schedule. I'm pretty busy. But I love it, and wouldn't prefer it any other way.

Thinking Forward, It's What I Should Have Done

Thinking forward; forward thinking. It's all the same. It all comes down to the pure and simple fact that hindsight is 20/20. It also comes down to the fact that life doesn't have a rewind button. I wish it did. I'd rewind and do things differently, just to see how things would work out. That would be interesting.

Change is Good, But I Can't Let Go

This is it. My last night in Reynold's 202. Strange to think I've lived in the same place for an entire year. Usually college students don't have this kind of stability. But tomorrow, I'm off to a new place, where I will stay for only a matter of months before moving again. And I have SO MUCH stuff to move! I'm just one person! How did one person manage to collect so much?! I can't imagine what it would be like to be married and have stuff to move around. Actually, I have a hard time imagining being married at all, or even seriously committed to someone (alas, another blog for another time). Back to the original topic.


This is the last night I'll lie here and swear silently at the crickets outside my window. The last time I'll have a decent view out my bedroom window (new place=basement apartment=view of an alley). The last time I'll look at these four walls in the dark. Okay, now I sound like an emo kid who's being sent to sleep-a-way camp for the summer. In any case, things will never be like they are now, or as they have been. Change is the way of the future. But right now, all I want to do is a little wallowing.


Disclaimer: I'm not usually all moody like these last few posts have been. I've just had a lot of change and a lot of thoughts in a very small amount of time. I'm sorting through, and I'll be fine. Please bear with me.

Indulge Me

I'm in a melancholy mood today. I have to leave my wonderful apartment in a matter of days, and I'm trying not to think about it. It's such a nice apartment, compared to where I've been and where I'm going. Since living here, I've met some amazing people who I hope stay in my life, I've strengthened already amazing friendships, and I know I have people in my life for the rest of eternity. Some of my favourite memories in this ol' house are:


-having "hot mailbox boy" turn into a really good friend.
-late night chats with Steven about everything, but mostly dating and marriage.
-Monday Night Hills Night!
-Thursday night Office parties.
-eating whatever Tanner makes.
-finding Fort BALL
-too many excellent inside quotes and jokes (which I will blog at a later time)
- the Disney wall
- sleeping with Breanne
- eating with Breanne
- driving with Breanne
- lounging around with Lauren
- eating with Lauren
- swimming with Lauren
- dance parties with Lizzard
- sneaking around with Lizzard
- running up and down the path with Lizzard
- driving with Steven
- late night discussions with Steven
- late night driving while having discussions with Steven
- riding in shopping carts
- lunch at the CANC
- and a million more little memories, that added up into one of the most incredible years of my life.

Maybe it's a good thing school starts soon....

My thoughts have been so scattered lately. I'm pretty sure I'm turning into a crazy creative genius. It's like in Spiderman, when Peter Parker (SO CUTE in a nerdy kind of way, btw) transforms after getting bitten by the radio-active-genetically-mutated-hybrid spider. One day I'll wake up and I'll have strange clothes, live in a small cabin in the woods and talk to my flowers or something. Or maybe I'm just going crazy now.... As long as I don't develop a desire to stick my head in an oven, or fill my pockets with rocks and go for a walk in the river, I think I'll be okay.

21 Baby!!

I wrote something in my journal 3 years ago today when I turned 18 about how I was growing up and leaving immaturity and adolescence behind. Well, in a matter of hours, I will be 21. I will be officially an adult in just about every way. I will officially be a grown-up. I remember when I was little, and how people this age seemed so OLD and there was no way that I'd get like that! Well, here I am, living proof that time stops for no man, er, woman.


Up until this point my life has been fantastic. I wouldn't trade my life for anyone else's. Sure it's been difficult, and there have been moments that I didn't enjoy at all (junior high.....). But I can honestly say that I love my life, and that I have no regrets. I know that I've done things the hard way, and if I'd paid better attention to what God wanted me to do in the first place, I would have had a lot less pain and heartache. But everything I've done, I've learned from, and I am so grateful for that blessing in my life.


Well, I only have a few more hours of justified immaturity left. I'm going to make the most of them!

Just Because

Reasons why life is awesome right now:


1. It's still summer!! The weather is gorgeous, and not quite as hot as it has been the past few months.


2. I found a place to live! I know longer have to stress about being homeless.


3. I got my first email from someone on the TMA faculty. Granted, it was to tell me that there's like 50 things I need to get (which equals dollars that I don't have), but it was exciting all the same.


4. Friends are going to start moving back to Provo!!! Freshman year friends, Breanne, and friends from just a few months ago are all coming back, and I'm excited to see them all and catch up with them.


5. Classes start in a few weeks! I canNOT wait to start classes geared towards my major.


Life is good, my friends. Life is good.

Homeless no Longer!

I have an apartment!!! Now, it's not as new as where I'm at now, and the curtains aren't any good. But I've got a place, so I won't be homeless in three weeks. It's only a few blocks from campus, it's cheaper than where I live now, and it's still a private room. The only downside is that it doesn't have it's own washer and dryer. I've come to really love that. But I'll figure something out. I'm just so excited to have a place! Did I mention that the bedroom is larger there than it is here? Cause it is.


In other news, life is complicated, and sometimes I wish I had a crystal ball and I could see the future. That is all.

Fam Bam!


Ethan, Me, Logan, at the almost top of a mountain.



Cousins! For the first time, there are more non-siblings than siblings, regarding my immediate family. (Did that make sense?)


Rachel and me. <3 her!

<3 him, too.

Dock jumping. My new favourite thing!



Probably my favourite picture of me and my siblings EVER.

Temporary Hiatus

Well, my dear blogging community, tomorrow I am off to the Seattle area for a family reunion. I'm so excited to go and see my family!!!! I probably won't have internet access, but I'll fill you in after I get back. Try not to miss me too much while I'm gone. Oh, and feel sorry for me, when I wake up at 4 tomorrow in order to catch my 8am flight out of Salt Lake. That's just an ungodly time of day, if you ask me.

New Layout

Well, I've done some remodeling. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet. I definitely like the colours and the design.... but I'm still not sure. But those who know me, know that it takes me awhile to adjust to something new. Once I've adjusted, then I'll never go back. Now it's all just a waiting game.


Man, I'm bizarre.

Lizzy's Farewell

I just got back from Liz's farewell. It was interesting, I've never been to a farewell for a sister missionary before. But I know that she's going to be awesome! She seems so prepared, and has such a deep love for the gospel. She's going to be great in Washington.


Her farewell was quite an adventure, though. I have some excellent stories. First, let me point out that I traveled north with some great guys: Tanner, Darren "D-Money", and Chris. LOVED IT. Those guys are great, and it was really interesting to watch them interact. Oh boys.


Second, we totally stole some family's bench during sacrament meeting. They came in, and stared at us. We didn't move. They relocated to the bench in front of us. For all I know, we upset the equilibrium of the entire ward. Oops. The family, though was super cute. During the meeting, the youngest girl, probably about 2, started crying. Both parents were out with other children, so that left the oldest boy in charge, he was about 15. He picked her up and held her and cuddled her until she stopped. It was FREAKING adorable!! Boys like that melt my heart instantly. Too bad he's so young.


Third, it was so funny, Liz ended up talking for the whole meeting. I mean, from the close of sacrament, to the time when we'd start singing the closing song. Normally not a huge deal, right? Well, her younger brother Lance was supposed to speak after her..... Sacrament meeting went a little long today. But both of them did a great job.


Finally, lunch at Liz's place was so fun. More hang out time with the boys, plus I ran into Tyne! She and I got lots of time to catch up, and hang out (and eat Canadian chocolate). We were hoping to have lots of time with Liz, but we couldn't, since she had so much family there. Oh well. We did get some time though, and I even got a hug out of her!!!! I held on a little too long, just enough to make her squirm, because I know that's what Breanne would have done.

Canada Day

In honour of my country's day of birth (July 1, 1867), I hereby make a list of all the wonderful things about it. (Shush, it's late. I don't care)


1. My family lives there.
2. Universal health care.
3. Aero, Coffee Crisp, Smarties, and Caramilk.
4. Friendly, nice, happy people.
5. The Littlest Hobo.
6. Simple Plan and Sum 41.
7. Kilometers and kilometers of non-populated space.
8. Timmy Ho's.
9. Representation by population government.
10. Saving the environment, saving the seals, saving the polar bears, saving the Americans... oh wait, what was that last one?

Life Updates

1. I still don't have a place to live come fall. I'm phasing in and out of panic.


2. I'm back from my trip home! Yeah, I stayed longer than I thought I would. But there were some family situations that needed my attention. Plus, leaving SoAb is like getting off the crack.


3. I desperately need to clean my room.


4. I'm training for a half marathon!!! I think I might die, but so far it's going pretty good. I've only missed half of my training days :)


5. I'm playing the guitar again, kind of. No, I will not play "Time of your Life".

Manual Labour

Yes world, I live on a farm. And today I had to go and move pipe. Let me tell you, I'm SO glad that I don't have to do that every day. Today is harvest day, so irrigation pipes must be moved in order to get the swather through the field. Although lifting long, heavy, dirty pipes is not what I wanted to be doing this morning, I'm about to enjoy the sweet smell of fresh-cut alfalfa. It does not get much better than that, my friends.


Coincidentially, this first harvest is why my stay has been lengthened. My dad needs another pair of hands around the farm for a few more days.

Don't be disappointed in me, please

So, I broke down. I know, I know. I read Twilight. And now I know (kind of) why I put off reading them. I'll give it to Stephanie Meyer to write a story. It holds your interest. However, she has an....interesting way of developing characters. For instance, although I'm now about to embark on the last one (note that I don't even know what it's called), I still feel like I don't understand the character of Edward. I mean, what's his deal? All mopey and emo, even though he's found the love of his "life". And don't get me started on Bella. At least she always does her homework. But other than that.... Seriously. She sneaks around with a boy, sneaks a boy into her room where he spends the night, lies to her family, lies to her friends, lies to her boyfriend(s), and is a heartbreaker all over the place, and yet the boys flock to her. Bella is NOT a good role model. And yet, we have teen girls devouring these books. GOSH.


/rant

Special Olympics

This past weekend I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Special Olympics in Utah. What an amazing experience! Lauren and I volunteered together, and we kind of assigned ourselves to work in the track and field area. Hey, when no one is giving direction, we take initiative! She and I ended up helping out with the long jump. I was put in charge of recording the length of their jumps. At first I was a little apprehensive about it. I haven't done a lot of work with special needs people before, and I wasn't sure what to expect. I ended up having the time of my life! All the participant were so happy to be there. They would cheer each other on, and sometimes needed to cheer each other up. Their smiles were infectious. I feel like I learned so much from them in the short time that I was able to interact with them. I'm already excited to volunteer again next year.

Boring No Longer

I've complained in the past about my boring life. I can't complain about that anymore. Allow me to fill you in.


Thursday
6 pm: Reynold's dinner group (courtesy of Michael Zhang, my favourite Aussie).
7 pm: Institute with the stake. Yay friends! Yay spiritual nourishment for the week!
9 pm: Random late night slurpee run. Thanks Kyle!


Friday
5 pm: Grocery shopping with Lauren. Took advantage of the amazing sale on ice cream. And oranges.
6 pm: David comes over!! Attempt made to have Nate-dawg and Brennan join us. No luck.
6:30 pm: get pizza from Papa John's. Most amazing pizza ever!! (not counting homemade).
8:30 pm: Dance on campus. Met up with old friends, made some new ones. The old ones are still friends. The new ones disappeared....
12 am: crash into bed.


Saturday
9:30 am: Wake up, rather zombie-like. Start getting ready for the day.
10:30ish am: Alex De Montigny comes over to visit.
11:30ish am: Go shopping. Bring along De Montigny. Get asked if I want to share a fitting room with him. Awkward eye glances. "Did you want two rooms?" "Yes please". Buy cute shorts (yay!). Trip to the Disney store. Trip to the ring store :)
2:30 pm: Back home, hang out with De M. Michael Zhang graces us with his presence. Spend rest of afternoon deep in awesome conversation.
6 pm: Lauren and I get dinner from Cafe Rio and visit Red Box-Twilight, Last Chance Harvey, and Bride Wars. Girls night much?
11 pm: crawl into bed exhausted, though did nothing all day.


Sunday
9:25 am: church
2 pm: Home teachers come over. Awesome spiritual experience. LOVE having preisthood holders in my home!
4 pm: continue with movies from night before (Last Chance Harvey. SO GOOD). Interupted at...
5 pm: by De Montigny. More excellent conversation. He stays for the end of the movie.
7:30ish pm: Put in Bride Wars. Too much chick flick for De Montigny. He heads out.
9:30 pm: all done with movies! Head out in the pouring rain to return them and avoid late fees.
10 pm: again crawl into bed, sooooo tired.


Monday
9:30 am: up, and somewhat functional. Brainstorm with Lauren for plans for the day. Breakfast at Tanner's, to celebrate Lauren's birthday. Have most awesome french toast EVER. Eat way too much.
11 am: Anthony and De Montigny come over, we play the 'dice game', make plans to have a BBQ and pool party. Text-vitations are sent out. Many respond, but few are coming.
2 pm: grocery shop for much needed BBQ supplies
2:30 pm: BBQ!!!!!
4 pm: Pool party!!!!!!
7 pm: FHE. Beach volleyball. No skills, but fun nonetheless.
10:30 pm: home, pray for a restful day, crash in bed.


Tuesday (aka, LAUREN'S DAY OF BIRTH)
9 am: work.
1 pm: more work. Blegh.
4 pm: no more work! Get ready for Lauren's birthday dinner.
6:30 pm: (after many, many wardrobe changes) Dinner at Macarroni Grill. Ecclectic group, but so much fun!
8:30 pm: Tanner invites us to fly kites. We say yes. Realize after we've agreed that we're both in dresses. Oops.
9 pm: Lauren attacks Tanner with his own kite.
9:20 pm: I attack a lamppost with Tanner's kite. Internally thank random stranger for climbing the pole and rectifying the situation.
9:40 pm: head home. Realize that we'll never be invited to fly kites with Tanner again. Sigh.
10:30 pm: finally home and in bed. Realize that I have one day of rest, before the social activities begin again.

Update: Life

Hey. I don't have time to write a full post. I'll do that tomorrow. Much has happened the last few days. Don't worry. I'll catch you up in to time. Just wanted to say that I'm still alive, and that life is awesome!!!

Going GREEN

So, I've been thinking lately about going GREEN. I want to do my part for the environment, plus it makes me feel cool, and hip, and somewhat elitist (I'm not gonna lie). I figured that the first place to start should be my wardrobe. After all, people can see that I support Earth, and maybe it'll get them thinking "hey, she looks pretty cool. Maybe I should go GREEN too". So I started shopping. I found some awesome sites, filled up my little online shopping bag/cart and hit "checkout".


HOLD UP.


Going GREEN costs mucho dinero. Like, MUCHO. I decided against that little idea. I then decided that perhaps at least my cleaning products could be GREEN, so I looked into that. Ha. NOPE. Much more than I care to pay, even if it is saving the environment.


Then it hit me. I don't have to do it all at once. Baby steps. So that's what I'm gonna do. I've got reusable shopping bags, and laundry detergent made with baking soda rather than solvent. It's enough to make me feel elite. For now, anyway.

Recap of the week

This has been a pretty decent week. Not one that I'd put at the top of my list, but an interesting one nonetheless. Here's what I've learned:


1. I'm happiest when I'm with books. I went to the Provo library for the first time, and loved it! It took me forever to figure out that crazy building, but I had a great time.


2. I am SO not left-handed. I went out with Steven and Mike to shoot some hoops. 3 hours later.... and I have a decent shot. And a sore left shoulder.


3. Nothing makes me happier than little kids with a lemonade stand. So cute!


4. Don't judge. People will always surprise you. I'm currently working on this.


5. I need to learn to say "no". There are so many awesome things to do, and sometimes I try to do them all, and have no time for myself. I need to budget my time.


Alright. Enough life lessons for one day. Peace out.

One Thousand Words...


The more I'm away from home, the more I realize that I'm turning into my mother. Everything about who I am I can, in one way or another, attribute to her. I remember, when I was younger, I didn't want to be like my mom. Now that I'm older, that's all I want to be. I love you mom! Happy Mother's Day!

TAKEN

So, last night I went to see Taken, the film about two girls who are abducted during their vacation in Paris. It's been ages since I've been to see an actually good film, not just entertaining, flashy, or funny, but honestly good (last time was.....Dark Knight, last summer. Yeah, it's been awhile). And now, staying true to who I am, I'm going to blog about it.


First, Liam Neeson was an incredible actor throughout the whole film. He played the perfect overprotective father/retired Government agent. He carries the film, with the city of Paris playing an excellent leading lady.


Second, I just can't get over the cinematography! Absolutely phenomenal! The hand-held cameras during the most intense action sequences and car chases were excellent, and gave the audience a definite sense of what it would be like to be there, actually living it.


Third, I loved the fact that although it deals with the sex trade and prostitution, that's not the point of the film. Instead, the focus is on the relationship between the father and his daughter, and what he does to get her back. Yes, it's an unsavoury topic. But the director pieced the film together in such a way that the focus isn't on the girls as objects, but rather on the girls as people. I think it was this focus on the other side of the sex trade, the side that is hardly ever exposed, the side that makes it seem like it's just business, is why I liked so much about it.


Finally, I found the basic plot of the film to be fantastic. Of course, the fact that something is going to go horribly wrong from the very beginning of the film is glaringly obvious. It doesn't get better when Neeson tells his daughter that he "doesn't feel good about it" (foreshadowing, anyone?). As the film goes on, I could tell that of course, he's going to find his daughter alive. The interesting part is going to be how he finds his daughter. The plot was interesting and intriguing, and kept me on the edge of my seat. I won't say anymore, in case you haven't seen it. Suffice it to say, I'd be willing to go again, if anyone needs someone to go with them. Anyone?

Friday's Musings

So, it's nearly the end of my first official week of summer in Provo. As I look back over this vast stretch of time, I realize that I've learned much over the past few days.


1. Living on my own is lovely, and I can't wait to graduate from BYU, and have my own studio apartment.


2. People on campus are much more friendly and outgoing than they were two weeks ago in the middle of finals. New friends, here I come!


3. I have discovered that I was born to be a hero, I'll meet my spouse at the grocery store, I'll marry a Scott, I'm a hippie, I'm going to fall in love with the tough guy, and my inner rock goddess is Harriet Wheeler (thanks, Facebook!).


4. Sunscreen. ALWAYS.


5. Life likes to through curve balls. It's a good think I'm basically pro at baseball.


6. I have some amazing friends, and I love them with all my heart.

I Still Blog, Calm Down

Gasp. It's been a whole 4 days since I posted last. Now, I'm still new to this whole blogging thing, but I think that going longer than 2 days without a post is the equivalent to being inactive. But I'm not sure....


So, to update you all (and by all I mean the handful of you who actually read this), I'll give a quick recap of the past few days.


It snowed on Sunday. Lauren came back from Cali!!! Looking much more tan than I did. But she brought me presents, so my coveting gave way to shiny things.


Monday was full of errand running. I look forward to the day when I own my own house, and no longer have to deliver rent cheques. I suppose that day will be a long ways away, as there seems to be this elusive thing called a "mortgage". Then I trip to the grocery store, and a switching of utilities into my name. I feel so grown up, I now get bank statements AND utility bills. What joy.


Tuesday was the day I decided that I actually need to be a productive member of society. So I started doing some Hardcore Research, and looking for a "real" job. I say "real", because the most I can do is a campus job. I found a decent one. All I need to do is convince them that my lack of the Chinese language will be okay. The position is for a receptionist in the Chinese department of something. Also, this is the day I ran into two really good friends: Zach and Nate-dawg!


Today has been pretty slow. More Hardcore Research. Oh, and David nearly pounced on me (David=another really good friend). Now I just need to find a way to pass the time until I can't keep my eyelids up any longer. Perhaps I'll go on a walk. It's late enough that I won't sunburn myself (again).

Life and Love

I woke up this morning, and realized that I've fallen deeply in love with my life. Yesterday I found out that I've been accepted into BYU's Media Arts major!!! I'm way excited! This is what I want to be doing with my life, and I cannot wait to get started. Plus, the weather has finally started to co-operate, and it's been gorgeous the last few days.


On top of that, I've had my apartment to myself (mostly) for the last two days. Of course, I'm sad to see my friends leave. But it's been kind of fun to live on my own. This is the closest I'll get to having a studio apartment until I graduate. Darn the BYU Housing Code.

First Official Post

Alright world. This is sooo cliche, to have an introductory post. But I'm struggling to see how this is going to work. So please forgive me for this. *testing, testing, 1 2 3....*

Okay. So, the purpose of this is unclear. I already have Facebook, a youtube account, and two email accounts. Like I need to be online any more than I already am. But it's the cool thing to do, and I don't want to be left behind. Hopefully someday this will get more interesting. Well, I doubt that. I'm not the world's most interesting person. But I'll do what I can.