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
/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.
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.
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.
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?
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?
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