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? 

A Year Ago Today, Part II

It's been a whole year. 

A Year Ago, Part I

So, this happened a year ago....

Yep, it's already been a year since our first reception. It was perfect and lovely. 

Thank you, family, for working so hard to make it so nice. 

Thank you, Rachel for doing my hair and being my maid of honour. 

Thank you, dear friends, for coming. Thank you Whit, for your words of wisdom. Thank you Cathy and Jake, for all your help setting up.  Thank you Susan, for being so delightful. 

Thank you, Wayne and Kathy, for driving all the way to Canada, and being the best in-laws ever. 

 And thank you me, for taking this one nice picture, where I'm not making a face, or trying to be too model-ish.

Thursday, a.m.

So it's now 9:15. I've been up since.........7:30? And today is a gloomy day, so it hasn't gotten brighter yet. And it probably won't as the day goes on. 

Also, I'm feeling like updating the look of this page. So that will be fun. 

Oh. And I really want to go shopping today. It's my birthday month, so I can, right? 

Quick Updates

I haven't been posting a lot lately. Mostly because it's summer, and things move slower.  Plus, I'm pretty boring, so there's nothing to update on. But I think I can scrounge up a few things. 

We have a washer/dryer in this new place. So I use it sometimes. However, the dryer isn't the best, so it usually takes a cycle or two for clothes to become properly dry. I often forget to turn it on again. And then my clothes sit around wet, and they start to smell bad. So then I have to wash them all over again.  

I've been working on my reading list a little bit.  There's actually a really great post about it that I need to finish up and edit a bit. In the mean time, I've been trying to read The Sound and the Fury. It's a Faulkner, and I'm finding it very hard to read. There's no introduction of characters, or situations. It just kind of launches in. And everything is dialoge, so you kind of have to piece it together yourself. This does make for a faster read, though. I'll write about it once I'm done. 

That's about it, I suppose.  

A Simple Monday

I don't write very much about my day-to-day life. Mostly because it kind of bores me, and so I can only imagine that it would bore everyone else even more. But today had some pretty good things. 


My friend J. is up from Australia, and K. and I got to go shopping with her. Sometimes, I feel like I have no style, especially when I walk around the mall. But every once in a while, I come across a window display that looks truly heinous, and I know I'll never look that awful. 


Then, this afternoon, we went swimming. It's been so hot here, that a dip in the pool feels amazing. We bought pool toys, which makes everything twice as fun. 


This evening I made (MADE! With my own two hands!) roasted red pepper pasta. Seriously, my favourite thing in the world. But it takes forever, and it makes my hands look like I dipped them in iodine. 


The package that I sent away for finally arrived. I bought myself and early birthday present, from The Body Shop, of course.  


Now as I sit here, I smell like flowers, and I can smell dinner simmering. I'm tired from being busy all day. 

I think I'll finish the night with a round of Gilmore Girls and a Dr. Pepper. Italian soda style. 

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. 

Four Years Ago

I was in London four years ago. By this time in July, we'd been all through Ireland, and had settled ourselves in the city.  


By this point, I'd already managed to get kind of lost trying to find the Old Vic theatre, and found an awesome bookshop instead. Ashley and I had also managed to work out just how to ride the Underground. 


I'd been shopping at an English market. And had pastries from the Queen's grocery store. 


I'd been late to class {probably twice} 


I'd been to Oxford, where I heard a lecture about the creation and upkeep of the Oxford English Dictionary. 


I'd only been in the city for 4 days at this point, so I hadn't seen very many places or done very many things. 

But already, it had captured my heart.  I long to go back. 

Happy Monday!

There's some more work to be done before this place really starts to feel like home. I'm trying to muster up some energy. I wish I had Loralei to sing me songs. 

And then I found this. And it is awesome. One of my favourite scenes. Really.