Back to Regular Scheduled Programming?

Since leaving for New York {and even a bit before that}, I've been focusing solely on that particular adventure. At the time, it made sense, since that's what I was doing with my life. But now, looking back, I wish that I'd written more personal anecdotes in addition to the travel-related posts. After all, that's what a blog is for, right? So for those who are interested, here's some random nonsense that I feel like writing just because. 

I've been going through phases of wanting to set ALL THE GOALS and then deciding that maybe taking things one at a time is going to be much more productive. Or maybe just not setting any goals at all. 

It feels really good being at home and not having any major events coming up in the near future. I've had some good adventures, and now I'm ready to not have any. Well, maybe just some mild adventures. 

At 25, I still feel like I'm still trying to figure myself out. Some days I wear old band shirts and jeans, and other days I wear maxi skirts and cardigans. Sometimes I do yoga, and sometimes I see how many muffins I can eat in one sitting. At one point, I thought it was a quarter life crisis. But the more I think about it, the more I think that maybe that's just what life is - trying different things to see if you like them or not. 

I've been reading voraciously since getting back. We've been home almost a month, and I'm on my 5th book. It feels so good. 

BYU's graduation is this week, and then most of the students will leave for the summer. It's my favourite time of year when the city empties out. 

Lately I've been feeling very cautious. Not scared or afraid, just, like I'm doing things too deliberately. As if I'm taking myself too seriously. I need to not do that. Adventure and mistakes make things interesting. 

I pinned a funny cat gif on Pinterest, and people have been re-pinning it and following me like crazy. I feel like a very minor celebrity. And now I feel dumb for typing that out.

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Coming Home

Once we arrived at the airport, we realized that it wasn't really open yet. We'd arrived by 3am, but the check-in desk doesn't open until 3:30. So we had to stand around and wait for awhile. We got checked in, after a little confusion from the woman behind the best {I don't blame her. Starting work at 3:30am would make me confused, too}. 

Then, it turns out that TSA agents don't start work until 4am. We wandered around the airport, but it's pretty small, so there wasn't much to do or see. I did find this statue: 

Fun, right? Turns out it's done by my mom's favourite artist, Romero Britto. 

Look who it is! Don't mind me, I've only been up all night, packing and stressing. Also, this photo makes me think that maybe I could pull off a pixie cut. Thoughts?


Finally the security area opened, and we went through. I once again had a bit of trouble, since the names on my ticket and  passport don't match. This time, though, I was prepared. I had a friend send me our marriage certificate, so I was able to get through without needing a thorough pat down. 

We met up with everyone else in our little group, and settled in to wait until our plane could begin boarding. It wasn't a long wait. We settled into our seats before realizing that the flight was less than half full. We all moved farther back, so we could sit together. After waiting more than 20 minutes to take off, we were informed that our plane wasn't fit to fly. We were moved onto another plane, and set back by about an hour. I am of the opinion that our flight wasn't cancelled due to maintenance, but to the convenience of combining to nearly-empty flights. 

The upside to this unexpected delay meant that we wouldn't make it to our connecting flight. Yes, I know I said upside. We were put on a later connection, with enough time in between to stop and have lunch. Our connecting flight went much smoother than our first flight. No maintenance issues, no delays, no nothin'. 

We landed in SLC around 2pm. One of Luke's coworkers was kind enough to offer us a ride back to Provo. As we walked out of the airport, we were all amazed at the drastic change in weather. We'd left the damp, freezing NYC air and returned to Utah's warm desert climate. It was wonderful. 

Our apartment was just as we'd left it, thanks to two great friends. Never have I been so glad to return to Provo.

Someone Woke Up in Project Mode

I got so much done today! I've been wanting to get started with spring cleaning, and I finally got things going. Here's what I got done...

1. Pulled all the blankets, sheets, and mattress pad off the bed. 
2. Washed the sheets and pillows
3. Cleaned the bathroom
4. Washed blankets
5. Reorganized some kitchen cupboards
6. Cleaned out the fridge
7. Cleaned out the sink
8. Washed the mattress pad

I still need to go to the grocery store, hang some pictures, make the bed, and design some fliers for church. But it's been a pretty good day.

Top 5: Good Ideas

This is one of my most random boards. Here I've collected anything and everything that will either make my life easier or more interesting. I've got lots pinned, so go check it out. 

Disclaimer: I did not come up with these. Everything here is the result of someone else's brilliance. I linked to their respective websites below the photos. If there's a problem, let me know. 

1. Putting all your mementos from a trip into a jar. This keeps clutter to a minimum while protecting your souvenirs and displaying them at the same time. What's the point in bringing home awesome stuff if you never get to see it?

{Source}

2. The William Sonoma simmering.....business. I don't know what to call it. You simmer it on top of your stove, and it smells good. I haven't actually done this, but the internet says good things about it. 

{Source}

3. An awesome way to store/display your scarves. Hang up a towel rod, then tie your scarves to it. I have a bunch of scarves, and would love to do this, if I wasn't worried about adding even more holes to a wall that I down own. 

{Source}

4. Lazy Girl workouts. This girl has a bunch of easy ways to sneak in a little exercise throughout the day. I'm not super great at this, but hey, at least I'm trying. Go check out the other ones {link below the picture}. 

{Source}

5. I've had kind of a hard time decorating our bedroom since we've been married. In our first apartment, that was okay, since it was a studio, and we didn't have a legit bedroom. I'm cutting myself a bit of slack in our current house, because we're super-poor, and can't afford anything nice. That's why this list so so great. Most of them are free, or really cheap, so I feel like I can finally have a nice bedroom. Anyway, here it is. 

{Source}

And there you have it. Some of my favourite good ideas from around the web. If you have any "good ideas", leave them in the comments, I'd love to see!

Change

School has started. But not for me. I still feel the winds of change, though. There's just something in the air. And I can feel it. 

Yesterday I was reading through my church notebook. A few months ago, I'd written about moving. How I was nervous to pack everything and start somewhere new. I'd also listed all the good things about moving - how we'd be closer to school and friends, and have more space, and a washing machine...

Reading back over what I'd written, I was struck with a new appreciation for our place. Sure, it's a bit dark and basement-y. But it's bigger, and in a nice part of town. And close to the library. I really stopped and thought about the great things that I have. 

In turn, this new way of thinking has branched over into the way I think about a lot of things. I feel more energized, more willing to be the person I used to be. More excited about things. More drive. For the first time in a while, I feel motivated. 

So, thanks, past self for your motivating words. When you wrote them, you probably didn't think you'd be reading them again. But you did. And it's stretching you into a better person. 

Good Things to Know About Living in Provo

With the start of the school year almost upon us, and thousands of students moving back to town, I thought I'd do a little write up about the best things to be found in Provo. 

There's not a whole lot of order to this, so take it or leave it. 



FOOD
The best places for dessert are  The Cocoa Bean (for cupcakes, hot chocolate, italian soda) and the Malt Shoppe (for milkshakes). 

If you're going to be out late, there aren't a lot of options. I prefer Denny's. They're open 24 hours, and have pancakes. And unlimited hot chocolate refills. Some people like IHOP, but it's far from campus, and I just don't like it as much. 

If you're going to be on BYU campus and need something to eat, the CougarEat is your best bet. For something healthy, try L&T. The best burgers {in the county, in my opinion} are at Scoreboard. Note that their fries are not as good as the burgers. 

Also on campus, the cafe at the MOA is fantastic, but only open for lunch. And Sugar and Spice is the best place for treats. I love the brownies, but I hear good things about the rice krispy treats, as well. 

Brick Oven is good pizza and great root beer. But you'll want to go on Monday's. Root beer is free {and unlimited}!

Frozen yogurt seems to be pretty popular here in P-town. I haven't been to very many places, but I've noticed that the cheaper the place seems, the better the yogurt is. 

The best Chinese food used to be from the booth at Smith's {the grocery store}. But they've been disappointing lately. So, it's probably a tie between Panda Express and @12, a local place. 



GENERAL INFO
Drivers are kind of crazy. Pedestrians are crazy. But cyclists are the worst. Watch out for them. 

Walmart is cheapest for groceries, but far away from campus.  There's also Fresh Market, but I find it's more expensive. Smiths and Macey's are tied, and I switch between the two based on what's closer. It used to be Macey's. Now it's Smiths. In case anyone cared where I do my shopping. 

I'm pretty sure the DI here puts new things out on for Wednesday. So that's the day for thrifting. 


That's about all I can think of for now.  Any suggestions from you, dear readers? Or questions about anything? 

Sunday Thoughts

If I lived in a big city, I would go to souvenir shops all the time and buy little replicas of famous monuments. Then I would decorate my home with my growing collection. 

If I lived above ground, I would buy long gauzy curtains and always have my windows open. 

But, because I live in neither of those places, I keep repeating....

Our House, Is a Very Very Very Fine House

There's a chocolate cake on the stove, cooling, and waiting to be frosted. 


There is a whole cabinet in the kitchen waiting to be reorganized. 


There's a living room that needs to be straightened. 


Pictures to hang. 


A dresser to clean and set up in the bedroom. 


Laundry to do. 


But the feeling that this is our space now,  it is filled with our things, it it where we live, is a feeling that I didn't think would come around so soon.  It is cozy. I like it here. 

A Moving Post, Day 293745

Okay, I admit, it hasn't been that many days. But I feel like has. I am worn out, tired, and frustrated.  Last Saturday, we went and got the keys to the new apartment, and brought over two loads {even though we weren't technically supposed to move in until Sunday, so said the previous rentors, even though we had discussed moving in earlier, such as Wednesday}.  Luke's parents came down with their truck, to bring us some furniture, as well as move our bigger things. Having them come and help took a load off my mind. 


So on Sunday, with our helpful friends, we moved the rest of our things. I'm pretty sure we had about 6 carloads of stuff. Where did all this stuff come from? I am so confused. We had a small apartment, and not a lot of places to put things. But as we were packing, there just kept being more and more stuff. 


Once things were moved out {mostly}, I left Luke to be in charge of the moving shenanigans, and turned my attention to cleaning. Perhaps it's because I've been dealing with BYU cleaning checks for the last 6 years, but MAN, did I leave that house in good condition. Sink scrubbed out, oven cleaned, shower wiped down. I even did the baseboards!   And by me, I mean me, with a little LOT of help from K. and M. I couldn't have done it without them. 


At this point, things are moved out, and things are mostly clean. So I head over to the "new" apartment. Let me paint a picture for you. 


It's muggy and hot, because the carpets were cleaned the day before, and hadn't dried yet, plus the air conditioner wasn't on. There are boxes everywhere. One corner of the living room has been stripped down to drywall, and there's a large hole, exposing the brick wall that this room was built around. Why? Because there's a leak, and the best way to find a leak is to put a hole in the wall. {UPDATE: we think it's because the sprinkler system is leaking. There's only water in our house when the sprinklers are going} . Besides all that, the people who moved out didn't clean a blessed thing. Nope. Goo on the front of the stove. Stuff still in the garburator. The bathroom sink crusted over with ... I don't even know. 


There are plus sides to living here, I promise. We are close to campus, downtown, friends, and the library. There are about 10 restaurants within walking distance. It's much larger than our previous place, for the same rent. And I'll find more positives. For now, when things are in boxes, and I'm cleaning other people's mess, I'm gonna be a little frustrated. 


The point of this post was to let you know that we're here in the new house, we have unpacked our dishes, and hung things up in the closet. We're here to stay. For a little while longer, at least. 

Clean as Spring

There is something to be said for spring cleaning. Nothing is better than throwing open the windows and letting in fresh air. It feels good to pack sweaters and scarves away. 


A place for everything and everything in it's place. 


I've spent the day getting my home ready for warmer weather. Dishes are done, the bed is made, the floor mopped. I even scrubbed down the shower and cleaned off my bedside table. 


Small apartments have a benefit. It takes much less time to get the cleaning done. At least, the visible cleaning. I still have several closets, a wardrobe, and a few drawers calling my name. 


But today I feel good. I have gotten rid of several things I no longer need, and was holding on to for no reason, other than just to be holding on. 


Today I am letting go. 




And just for fun, here are some lovely flowers, found outside Mr. Shakespeare's home in Stratford-upon-Avon. They feel like spring to me.