Gonna wash my bones in the Atlantic Shore

Ok. I am a stubborn person. I can admit this.

That being said, I have finally - FINALLY - given Band of Horses a fair trial. And... um... I might not actually hate them after all. Well, ok, I guess I never said I hated them, but I wasn't exactly their cheerleader. And I'm not saying they're my favorite band ever, but The General Specific is pretty darn catchy.

On another topic, I'm on my way to being nearly finished with my pumpkin colored knit bag. I've got all but one small piece finished, and once that's done it's just a matter of sewing it up and adding a buckle. I think it's going to be great!

I started French today. It's... going to be interesting. It's the same teacher I had in the fall and the class is mostly full of people who just finished 101 during the winter quarter. So I feel a little disconnected in comparison to the rest of the class. But whatever, I'm going to just stick it out and push my way through to an A. I just want my A.

So that's life for today.

Can I just add that I'm really really happy lately? I mean I have moments where I feel a little down, but overall, life is actually really great. Thank goodness!

You've got to believe in treasure to find it

Jordan and I watched King of California tonight. I loved it. It's bittersweet and charming in a completely quirky kind of way.

I've been a little depressed today. Saturdays do this to me. I don't actually like weekends, to be completely honest with you. I prefer routine over wandering aimlessly. I only knitted a few inches today and then felt the fever of being indoors, so I went shopping and bought nothing. I always feel better when I do this than when I actually buy something.

Well, no, that isn't always true. I like buying things, but they have to be things I've been wanting for a long time and I have to feel that I have enough money for it. Lately I feel like I don't really have enough money for anything (not what The Secret has taught me, I know. Think less, get less. Think more, get more. I know, I know). In any case, because I've been feeling that way lately, when I go shopping and walk out with nothing, I actually feel a lot better than if I'd wasted my money on something I only kind of wanted.

After the mall was a quick visit to my grandma. I love her so much. I think I get my sense of people from her. When we're in a group and my grandma is reacting to things, she seems a little distant and perhaps baffled. Maybe even a little senile. But when she recounts things later, she's very spot on. It reminds me of how I get quiet in groups and rarely contribute but prefer to passively watch what's happening instead of participating actively. It's not that I'm not paying attention, it's the opposite. And it's made my sense of people a bit more keen. I hope this means I will one day be as great a woman as my lovely grandmother is.

Today is Brocky's birthday. He is two.

I think no one reads this anymore. But what do I know? And really it's for me anyway. I guess I just can't help but wonder.

I started a new knit project today. I really needed something to do and crochet squares, while nice, are not exactly challenging. Well, neither is my new project, but at least it will be something I can use when I'm finished with it. And it's going super fast. It's an orange garter stitched messenger bag. I really love the yarn I'm using too. It's very soft.

We went to a Mexican restaurant tonight for Brock's birthday. He loooves his chips and dip. Guacamole is his favorite. I ordered two cheese enchiladas and I forgot to say no beans, only rice. I don't normally like refried beans anyway, I think they're kind of gross, but now I think they're doubly gross because they've got lard in them. Very few places use anything else. So I ate the one enchilada that wasn't touching the beans haha. I brought the other one home. I'm going to try to suck it up and just eat it, but seriously, I've become a bit of a freak about this. I really really hate eating anything that has animal in it. I never ever thought I would be this way. Maybe after a few weeks I'll calm down, I don't know. But right now it's a little bit of a pain hah.

I think I'll get back to knitting now. Or sleeping. One of the two.

Healthier rambling

aaagh, work is boring, and I'm going a little bit crazy!

So, I will ramble here.

Firstly, I have decided to learn how to sew. I know how to knit and how to crochet, but it has become more obvious lately that knitting/crocheting things that don't look like something your crotchety old great grandmother would make for a wee-tyke is very hard to come by. Unless you're super talented/have the time to work teeeny tiny knit stitches to make something more akin to fabric. But then you've generally got to sew it anyway.

I've done a little research and I think I'm going to get a Brother sewing machine from WalMart. They're only $70 and supposed to be pretty easy to learn on. I don't want to invest in something really nice until I know I enjoy sewing. I'm pretty excited about this venture though. I've been wanting to learn for years.

Next, I just want you all to know that I am really enjoying being a vegetarian. I am, for once, eating veggies and enjoying them. And I'm discovering my love for other things I'd never really considered before. So it's going well.

I think I want to start doing Pilates. I remembered this week that I did it once at a YW activity from a real Pilates instructor, and I loved it. I think I could barely walk the next day because I was so sore. But I'm ok with that. There's a new studio opening in Auburn, but I don't think it'll be open for group classes until August, so I might have to go up to Kent instead. Or maybe I'll look into Yoga if there are no Pilates classes around here. I loved Yoga back in high school.

Upside down and round and round

It has been an extremely bizarre day. It's the end of March (a.k.a. spring) yet we've suddenly got an inch to two inches of snow sitting on our back porch. And a friend came out of the closet unexpectedly this afternoon.

Life seems a bit topsy-turvy lately. Not bad. Just not quite usual. Though I guess, when is it ever?

And right now I'm watching an Oprah about packrats. It's insane.

A week... or so's... worth of accomplishments

I finished The Book of Mormon. Finally. 2 weeks and 2 days from start to finish. It's been really neat. I certainly have felt the difference in my life. An added peace. It has of course brought me to a better understanding of my own shortcomings, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing :)

I'm going to read The Infinite Atonement next I think. Though I'll probably take my time with that, just reading a little each day. And of course I'll continue my scripture study, just not in such a ravenous way hah.

In other news I managed to finish 7 more squares for Warm Up America in the past week. I have also caught up at work and have a routine down finally. And the whole being a vegetarian thing is going pretty well, minus the whole family ganging up on me and trying to make me miss meat (which I don't) thing. I'm actually really enjoying the fact that I'm forced to think up other things to eat. It's making me more creative. So, 4 days down, another 26 or even a lifetime to go. I guess we'll see what happens!

Fish are friends, not food

I have been so incredibly lazy this weekend. I think I've been asleep more than I've been awake. But considering I worked 5+ hours of overtime last week learning a ton of new things, I'm pretty ok with how I spent it. That and I finally finished Alma. And I read half of a health book that... well... has kind of turned me into a vegetarian...

I'm so grossed out by slaughterhouses that it's all I can do to eat things with milk and eggs in them, let alone any meat. I don't know if it will stick, but I signed up for the 30 day Peta Vegetarian challenge. I'm going to give it a try and see how I feel. I am by no means an animal activist, and I'm wary to actually call myself a vegetarian because I can't stand those people who are "vegetarian" for a few weeks at a time in between Big Macs and chicken sandwiches, but I am willing to try this out and see if I really do feel healthier afterwards.

Also thanks to this health book, I now want to cut out all bleached flour and hydrogenated oils. I'm not quite there yet because that stuff is in almost everything, so I'm going to have to do some hunting around and trying new things. I'll just ease into it. If I can get that down, I may eventually cut out eggs and milk altogether as well. I'm going to have to learn to do a lot of my own cooking.

This is a new experience and I'm actually pretty excited. Eating is suddenly kind of an adventure!

Oh, the Place You'll Go!

New Life Plan:

1) Save up money for school while ditching... I mean taking French and online BYU classes
2) Go to BYU
3) Have insanely good time at BYU
4) Have insanely good time at BYU whilst dating cute foreign boy/boy who speaks different language thanks to mission
5) Talk Avery into applying for Summer internship in Australia
6) Mooch off of Avery for a month during her Summer internship in Australia
7) Work for publisher and/or book store part time
8) Graduate from BYU
9) Marry cute foreign boy
10) Start kitschy little book store while cute foreign husband finishes Masters/Doctorate
11) Have darling little children
12) Live happily ever after, preferably in cute foreign husband's villa in Tuscany/native country

National news

Apparently today was insane news day:

Woman dies after eagle ray jumps on boat and kills her

This ups my fear of fish/open water by about 15%.

Woman's skin grows over toilet seat and boyfriend charged with abuse

How in the world do you sit on a toilet long enough to have your skin grow around it, and how does your live in boyfriend just not notice? In an article I read earlier about it, he said she just kept going in for longer and longer periods of time, and eventually she just didn't come out. So he just sort of got used to it... hahaha

Sigh. People. Maybe this belongs in the Darwin Awards

Blaaaaaah

Sorry it's been a few days. I've been... stressed, depressed, dressed, and messed, but not caressed.

My car. Sucks. Well, it did. $775 ago. Now it had better be freaking awesome because I'm not dropping another grand on it!

Work has been a little insane the past few days. Well it was today too, but now that we've rearranged and reorganized the office it feels a lot better. I feel a lot better. I have a lot more work now, but I'm slowly but surely learning it all and getting faster at it. That being said, I've already worked 4 hours of overtime this week. Awesome.

I don't know why, but Alma is going SO SLOW. I am having the worst time getting through it. Which is weird because it's usually one of my favorite books.

I dunno, life is a little bit blah right now. I'm feeling a teensy bit annoyed with myself I guess. But whatever. School (French) starts soon. That'll double my stress. Yay. But at least summer is coming and it's getting warmer.

A quick and meaningful read

I skipped out on church today mainly because I didn't get to sleep until about 3:30 in the morning, but I did do some scripture reading.

Originally my goal was to read the entire Book of Mormon in a week. I started Monday listening to the Book of Mormon on CD at work. When I had particular trouble understanding something, I'd pull up the online version at lds.org to make sure I was getting everything. Then at home it was just my regular scriptures. In one full week I've managed to get to Alma 12. I'm hoping to get to Alma 15 or 20 by tonight and through the rest of Alma tomorrow. What I'm getting at is that it's going to take me more like a week and a half to two weeks, but even so, it's been pretty profound so far.

Generally I skip from book to book in my daily studies rather than reading in order. But reading in order in such a short amount of time has given me a much better understanding of how all the peoples changed, worked together or separated. My time line is much more cohesive. I think so far Jacob has been my favorite.

It's a good feeling being excited to read the scriptures. They're really wonderful and can give such a sense of comfort and a reminder of our own duties. They're humbling yet uplifting all at the same time. I love this church, this gospel and these scriptures.

Girls night out

I'm a little late tonight because I've been out with Avery. We saw Penelope today. Ok, seriously, probably one of my favorite movies of the year. I mean it's not perfect, but it's really, really cute. And I'm basically in love with James McAvoy. He is delicious!

In other news, I got to talk to Julian tonight, Aves' and my friend from Australia. I haven't talked to him in ages (he's more Aves' friend than mine) but we called him about midnight and had a good chat. He had some funny and rather spot on things to say about my relationship status. It's nice to hear an Aus accent now and then :)

Also on the topic of foreign things, we went to World Market after the movie. I love that store more and more every time I go. We got some Tim Tams (of course) and Mint Slices (mmm) plus some Ritter Sport and Japanese gummy candies. Oh and Aero, which is a weird chocolate candy that has bubbles in the middle that sort of tingle on your tongue if you let it sit for a little while. Not my favorite, but alright none the less.

So that was my day. Things are pretty good. I'm sad Avery is leaving to go back to school tomorrow, but that's life. I'm just glad I have a best friend who is as amazing as she is.

Eerie: It's not just a lake near Canada

Shonna, the office manager, is gone. Tod fired her this morning. It was kind of sad, but mostly it was just a huge relief. The office had that sort of weird, empty, creepy calm-after-the-storm feeling, but it was also, oddly, very positive. Kind of in the vein of the cat's away so the mice are out to play. We let go of some of the things we'd been struggling with in the office and got excited to rearrange tasks and schedules. I think this will be a good change.

Disappointment of the day: Top Foods didn't have pancake in a can. Unless it was somewhere other than the pancake section. I didn't check the organics section so there's a chance. But it's a slim one.

I did however try a vegetarian corn dog. And I liked it way better than a regular corn dog. Morning Star makes the best vegetarian food. Seriously. Their Chik'n Nuggets are sooo good.

Lately, I really wish I was just in Utah already. Which is weird. Because I really love my family and I like my job and for the most part I'm enjoying my life the way it is right now. That and I mean it's UTAH. Ick haha. But I honestly wish it was next January already. And other than superficially, I don't really feel unsettled about it, just excited. I can't wait!

Life tastes good

The extent of my obsession with Nutella has reached ridiculous levels. I cannot get enough of it. I think this is because when I was younger, I had a few too many bad experiences with Ferrero Rocher - which I still think is disgusting - and it resulted in my thinking that I didn't like hazelnut. Thus I as a child and teen I had no desire to even attempt something like Nutella.

I wish I'd known then what I know now.

Because I'm obviously making up for lost time. First it started out with just Holland Rusk. That's all I'd eat it on. Now it's bagels. And toast. And when I'm done spreading, I can't help it. I lick the knife. I just can't let it go to waste!

What I am getting at, is that if you haven't tried it already, do. Now. Run to your local grocer and buy a jar of it this second. It will change your life.

On the topic of foods that have altered my reality in a serious way, we now come to pancake in a can. Well, ok, it's actually called Batter Blaster. I found out about it today, and it blew my mind! Brad, our tech manager, was telling us about it, and at first we in the office thought it was a joke. Then when we realized he was serious, we thought it just sounded nasty; like cheez whiz style pancakes full of chemicals and preservatives.

But not so! It is in fact USDA certified organic! And the pancakes it makes actually look really good! Who would have thought?? You MUST check it out. Just watch the video. You too will be a believer.



I know, you want some now don't you? I'll get some soon and let you know how it is. And I think maybe I'll put a little Nutella on it while I'm at it...

All the clocks around the town had died

Water Curses, the new Animal Collective ep that leaked today, is wonderful. I know this with much thanks to my lovely friend Ben.

The first track brings visions of bright lights at dusk as you spin and spin and spin in delicious dizziness. Like a ride on the scrambler at the fair at night, it's carnivalesque. And it makes me want to run around and dance like a loon. A+ in my book.

The other three tracks feel like the calmer, more thoughtful Animal Collective that was missing from Strawberry Jam, with the last track evoking the flow and serenity that might come to one swimming deep underwater.

I love these guys.

Increased daylight and increased craziness

Sam is doing alright. I stayed the night at my Dad's since they didn't get home until about 2:30. Poor Sammy had to get 8 stitches in his finger. Best case scenario is that all the nerve endings will be fine because he's so young and the tip of his finger wasn't completely severed. Worst case is that they'll have to amputate the tip. But we're all praying and hoping for the best. He's been such a little trooper.

It was adorable to see my other siblings rallying together. At about 10 my dad called from the children's hospital and Jed, Ben, Zach and I talked to Sammy on speaker phone. There were lots of "We love you Sammy! We miss you!" and we got a "I wuv you too" back. Zach left a heart card and a drawing he'd made for Sam on the kitchen table for when they came home. I have some of the cutest brothers and sisters. Seriously.

As for today, it's been... weird. The weather alternated between torrential downpours and breaks of sunlight as I made the 45 minute drive to work from my dad's. There was a pretty bad accident on the freeway I was on. But I'll admit it didn't seem to be nearly as bad as this accident that's all over the news. What kind of mother gets so drunk she passes out in the passenger's seat and makes her 14 year old intoxicated daughter drive home? Terrifying!

At work things are crazy. I think my parents may be letting go our self proclaimed "Office Manager." Finally. I love Shonna to pieces. I really do. She's sweet and motherly and very kind. But she is just way too scattered when it comes to office work. And it's been driving us all crazy! So we'll see what happens. My parents are a lot of talk when it comes to firing, but maybe they'll be a little gutsy this time round.

That being said, I'll probably end up with quite a bit more responsibility. Which I'm ok with. And I've been thinking about volunteering to open. Simply because if I have to be there at 7, I'll do it. And I'll be diligent. And I'll get off work early hah.

Oh, and we did get that little girl. We're calling her Abigail (Abby for short). I have no idea if it's going to be permanent or not. I'm going to let my parents make that call. I'm trying to be unbiased. She's a bit shy right now, but I think she'll warm up. Hopefully there won't be too much sibling rivalry between her and Brock since they're so close in age and, for all intents and purposes, Brock's been an only child for the past two years.

Life is hectic. But summer is coming. Which makes it all that much more manageable. I can't wait for warm weather.

The oldest of 9...10...11...

My second youngest brother, Sam, is in the UW Medical Center emergency room with smashed fingers. The last I heard was that he was going into surgery. So please, keep him in your prayers.

I'm at my dad's watching my brothers and sister while my dad and Kina are at the hospital. Oddly enough, by the time I get home either tonight or tomorrow, I'll probably have another little sister at home.

My mom and Tod are foster parents, and before Christmas we got two sweet little girls to watch for a few days. The aunt who has been taking care of them since then has decided she can't be the kind of mother she'd like to be for the youngest girl, so we're taking her back. She's a sweetheart. She's a couple months apart in age from Brock, so it'll be a bit like having twins. And chances are we'll get to adopt her. Nevaeh, the older of the two, will most likely be around a lot as well since we'll want to keep them close as sisters, so it's a bit like gaining two new sisters really. I'm excited. I love kids. And I really love being a big sister.

Anyway, time to make sure homework is done and watch High School Musical 2 hah

A lot of nothingness with a little somethingness

I am not enjoying this whole time change thing. It has completely thrown me off. I should be tired. And I'm really really not.

So, next payday, I am definitely getting this straightener. It's what Aves used to curl my hair last night and it's fantastic. I can't wait!

My head is all over the place tonight! I keep starting sentences then not finishing them. And it's taking me forever to finish this blog hah.

I spent most of today just chilling. Painted my nails, groomed the old eyebrows, shopped out some makeup (I want this makeup sampler from Sephora to boost my makeup color choices), actually tried out some makeup techniques I'd been wanting to mess around with for a while, and managed to get some laundry done.

Basically I slacked off all day. And it was alright.

We are friends, we are friends till the very end

PostSecret makes my Saturday nights and Sundays better.

Avery taught me how to curl my hair with a straightener tonight. Who knew that was even possible?? Or that I'd love it way more than any time I've ever tried to use a curling iron? Craziness!

We did some serious shopping tonight. And by that I mean we tried on a kagillion outfits, loved a lot of them, and bought nothing. All in all, it was a total success. We have no money but that doesn't keep us from enjoying clothes!

Then we spent about 4 hours discussing boys and how dumb they are (sorry boys). We rehashed a lot of the troubles we've had in the past, and discussed the ones we're having now. I got a lot of food for thought.

Anyway, since I'm missing out on an hour of sleep tonight, I think it's time for bed. Remember to set your clocks an hour forward! I hate the lost hour, but boy do I love the extra daylight that'll be rolling in with the coming weeks. Spring is a good time of year.

A funky space reincarnation

1) Teatro ZinZanni was delightful. It was a 5 course dinner with a crazy, very funny circus going on around us while we ate.

2) I can't get enough Marvin Gaye this week.

3) I just want my hair to grow faster. That would be a good thing.

Major, fierce, chic, and everything in between

The Project Runway season finale was AMAZING! Aaaaagh! I'm still not over it. I loved everyone's collections!

Alright, so the winner was of course Christian (yessss) and he absolutely deserved it. As soon as I realized Victoria Beckham was going to be the guest judge, I knew he had it in the bag. He is 100% her style. She is fabulous, and I mean just look at the chicness of his clothes- it's a perfect match!




As for Jillian, I basically wanted to wear every single one of her designs. During her show it was obvious she wasn't going to win - there was no fluidity of story in her collection - but still, she has got some serious talent in the area of wearability with style. And the knits... oh good heavens the knits. Loooooove!




And then there is Rami, who, much as I detested him during the show (I didn't think he or his draping deserved to be in the ranks of better designers), had pieces in his collection that I could not get over. Some of them were stunning! And I seriously want that pink skirt. It is adorable!




Aaah, best season yet. I love the hats, the shoes, the knits, the weaving. It was fantastic.

Oh! And for all you shopaholics out there! You NEED to check out Shopbop.com. Think Urban Outfitters on steroids. They have everything you could ever need to satisfy your designer hunger. And it ranges from being hugely expensive to actually quite affordable for what they're selling. Their jeans are in the ranks of Nordstrom rather than Henri Bendel. Can't argue with that! So shop to it!

Ok, onto other things, hah! I've decided that after I graduate, I want one of these:

Yeah, a Toyota Prius. By the time I'm out of college, they should be in the 50 or 60 mpg range. And they're surprisingly inexpensive for a hybrid. They come in a lovely charcoal color, which is what I want any car of mine to be (other than my periwinkle Jeep of course!). So that is my goal. Because chances are two years from now my Jeep will be on the uh... not so great side... Let's put it this way: I'll probably get a trade in value of maybe $200.

So anyway, I'm feeling better today, which is really weird. I think I had just a touch of the flu maybe? Perhaps a milder version of the stomach flu? I have no idea. I had a fever again last night but took some Tylenol and felt much better after. I woke up this morning as good as ever.

Which is good because tonight my dad and stepmom are taking my brother and I out to Teatro ZinZanni in Seattle for a birthday dinner. Tix are not cheap, so I'm glad I'll be well enough to go. I think it will be fun.

Well anyway, I'd better get back to work. Fashion lover out!

Tender to the touch

What illness gives you a 101 degree fever, dizziness, nausea (without any throwing up) and a slight headache? Because whatever that illness is, I have it. My skin and joints were sooo achy today it hurt to even have my clothes rubbing on my back and arms, and I was freezing when I would normally be ok or even warm. So I came home from work early, took my temp, and there it was: 100.9 degrees. Ick.

In brighter news, the Project Runway season finale is tonight. I'm hoping I won't be passed out by the time it comes on because I'd really like to see what everyone's bringing to the table. (Go Christian!)

Heppy Berthdey

Well, by far the best Happy Birthday I've gotten so far is from one Ben Paris as follows:



hahaha

As far as presents go, I got a new set of scriptures from my parents! I'm actually really pleased with this gift. My mom noticed a few weeks ago that my old scriptures, which I got at my baptism on my 8th birthday (literally 13 years ago today), were falling apart. So for my 21st birthday, I got new ones. I'm actually really excited to go through these ones and mark my favorites and all that jazz. Can I say jazz when I'm talking about scriptures? Hmm

Anyway, it's been a good day. I love my friends. I love my family. My life is coming together fiiiinally and I'm pretty darn happy. Yay birthdays!

On the up and up

I finally uploaded my trip pictures to my computer. I feel pretty ok today. Megan took me out to lunch and we gossiped the afternoon away. I've already gotten a few "Happy Birthday"s. And when I left work, it was noticeably light outside. I love March.

Things feel increasingly brighter. I can't tell if it's just the increased daylight or if it's the relief I've been feeling the past few days. It's hard to explain, but I'm happy about it. So that's something.

Things are on the up and up.

Oh, and side note, these are awesome! I want someone to send me one!

Sparks

The count down to 21 is definitely underway. I feel old.

Some good things happened today. Some very good things indeed. There is a possibility that I might get called to teach the Young Single Adult Sunday School Class sometime soon. We don't have one set up yet but with all the boys waiting to leave on their missions and the people we'll have home for summer in a few months, my bishop wants to set one up. He mentioned having me and another person teach it.

Can I just say I'd be really excited to do that? Because I would. That would be awesome. I honestly love church. Particularly my ward. I don't care how much of a dork that makes me.

We belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us

Well, La Vie en Rose was depressing. But I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's tonight and that cheered me up.

It was really nice out today. I sat out on our back patio on the swing chair with a light blanket and just read for a while. The lake is so pretty this time of year. It's not quite up high enough for boats to be out on it, so it's just calm and lovely.

March is infinitely better than January or February. I'm glad this is my birthday month. It always carries with it the first signs of spring and I just love it.

It's been a week now. I suppose if I can survive a week, then I can survive a month or a year or anything else can't I? Sure I can.

I want a cat named Cat now. Or maybe just any cat really. Preferably a mini cat. I've been thinking about that a lot today. How much I want a cat lately.

At Brandon's, when his cat saw me crying, she came up and started licking my face. It was wonderfully sweet.

Maybe soon.

For now I'm off to bed. Happy March.