Tidbits

I've slowly been going through some old stuff and trying to throw away as much as I could and I came across my old planner from 2010.  I LOVE having a planner. I write anything and everything in it.

Here are some tidbits from what happened in 2010:

"david jeffrey bean. i hope you know how much you mean to me" jan 19
ORDER WEDDING DRESS feb 8
Bowling (repeated lots of times throughout) jan 28
best night ever. jan 29
Engagements 4 pm @nuskin building - march 12 (Laura, we did ours on Friday too!)
graduation. commencement/convocation. april 22/23
Christian and Jamie ♥ march 6
I ♥♥♥♥ NY. june 11
be done with independent study classes for graduation requirements july 21
BE AWESOME july 23    (seriously. this was written in my planner)
change name: byu/banks/license/car title july 28
jackson hole! august 20
Something I had written on a paper insert in one of the pages:
"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet 
simple things of which are the real ones after all."
 Laura Ingalls Wilder

via

Finally Friday.

1. My sister asked what my "unreasonable" wants for Christmas were.... A baby, a kitchen aid, a car without squeaky brakes (even though ours are new, they still squeak. ugh), and a vacation!  What are yours?
This is where I want to go right now:

no original source... anyone know?

2. There is a BIG test happening today. Please pray that the questions that are randomly chosen are not on the HARD HARD side. Hopefully they are middle ground - at least there is a shot that way. I'm nervous right now. I'm not even the one taking the test.

3. I've been crocheting up a storm at work in my down time making Christmas presents. And now everyone at work is starting their own crochet projects. It's like an epidemic here!
Also, how about this CROCHET wedding gown?!?

via

I also really like this rug.

via

4. We (I) finally put up our Christmas tree at work. Which is good because I don't think we are going to do one at home since we won't be here for Christmas. Basically it was a pre-lighted, pre-decorated tree that I just had to drag in from the storage unit outside and somehow put back together while it was all still tangled together. But I definitely felt in the Christmas spirit while hanging up all the ornaments that fell off. I also have tried to convince my office that it really is okay to sit with the lights off and the tree on. But no one believes me.
And I really like this no tree Christmas tree.

via

5. Lately I've been putting french fries on my burger! It is so so good. You should try it. That was random I know.

It's finally friday!
Linking up here with E Tells Tales

Got money? Me too.

So, these are my new favorite blogs. Mostly because money is important and apparently most of the U.S. doesn't know how to handle theirs, it makes me want to be better about how I handle mine (soon to be ours).

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/

AND

http://frugalwifewealthylife.blogspot.com/.

Both just well-written blogs about being smart with your money. If only I could do that from the get-go.

"The Sandra Bullock Trade"

So it's definitely been a down week. And we won't go into that because that is a wee bit of a sore subject. (Jessi, thank you so much for understanding. Emailing you helped mucho. You are the best.) All I can say is that I am having a semi-hard time being happy right now. Not overall, but there are some aspects that I am having a really hard time with.

But then I read this op-ed, entitled "The Sandra Bullock Trade". And realized it was definitely something I needed to read today.

some of my favorite lines? (in no particular order)

1. "Modern societies have developed vast institutions oriented around the things that are easy to count, not around the things that matter most. They have an affinity for material concerns and a primordial fear of moral and social ones."

2. "Marital happiness is far more important than anything else in determining personal well-being. If you have a successful marriage, it doesn’t matter how many professional setbacks you endure, you will be reasonably happy. If you have an unsuccessful marriage, it doesn’t matter how many career triumphs you record, you will remain significantly unfulfilled."

3. "The daily activity most injurious to happiness is commuting." (I LOVE that he used the word injurious.)

Anyways, it was just my thought for the morning. Back to busting out some papers.

And I'm getting quite excited for GC this weekend.

xoxox

"I believe laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing; kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles." -Audrey Hepburn

It's all adding up.

So the end of semester is coming up. SOON.

Here's my to-do list from now until Monday:

school:

stats exam (maybe one of the hardest ones)

stats homework

chem exam (the hardest one yet!)

nutrition paper

nutrition readings/quizzes

history paper

doesn't sound like a lot.

But I'm starting to stress out.

Next week gets even more full with papers and tests. Oh man.

I cannot wait for the next 30 days to go by.

Dear Graduation,

I'm coming. Please don't go by without me. I'm hurrying as fast as I can. I already deleted facebook off my phone and have written everything out in my planner. I'm just waiting for my motivation and focus to catch up with me. But please please wait for me. I won't abandon you if you don't abandon me. Please. We are so close. We can do this.

I'm coming, please wait,

pertinaciously yours, etc etc

Seven Years.

To think that starting when I was 15, BYU couldn't get out of the first round of the tournament. AND NOW WE BROKE THAT DRY SPELL. double overtime.

99-92. bring it on, 2nd round.

Totally worth my chem professor putting it up on the big screen and giving up on teaching us anything. AND worth the blister I got from running (read: sprinting) around campus to watch the end. oh so worth it.

thank you jimmer and michael loyd jr.

p.s. i'm winning in all my bracket groups right now. haha i wonder how long it will last. not long.

Dress me: part 3.

The package looked like a throw pillow - Pleasantly big, squishy and a little heavier than I expected.

And he wouldn't let me carry it home. I got to hold it for approximately 3.6 seconds before I gave it back.

I tried it on as soon as I walked in the door.

So so nervous as I opened it.

And it didn't help that I looked at the information paper tucked behind the label on the walk home. And it read "Satin".

Wait.

What?

Satin?

I didn't ask for satin.

Satin?!

Oh man that made me nervous.

And then a certain someone asked me "what if it was really pink instead of white? what would you do?" Oh yeah. That's not gonna make me any more nervous.

OH WAIT. yes it did.

So, I made him rip a corner open so I could make sure then and there that it most definitely was NOT pink.

It wasn't. Hallelujah.

But I still couldn't tell if it was taffeta (what I ordered) or satin(?!). The inside plastic was too hard to see through to tell.

Good thing I opened it as soon as I walked in the door and threw my backpack down. They put it in the package inside out. As soon as I realized that, I was smothered in ruffles trying to turn it the right way. But once I saw it, I knew.

I LOVE IT.

Holy smokes.

It isn't exactly like the website one. But when I say "not exactly like", I mean there are only slight slight slight (get the idea?) slight slight differences. And if you hadn't even seen the "original" before, you would never have known.

Seriously. Best decision ever.

I cut the price down by........ guess how much!

95% (after purchasing extra fabric which added to the total price.)

1/20th of the in-store designer price. ONE-TWENTIETH!

Oh man. I love it.

Dress me. Part 2

It's here!!!

I got this awesome text while sitting in class:

"The eagle has landed! I repeat, the eagle has landed!"

Oh glorious words. No longer could I pay any attention to childhood obesity and what we, as friends, parents and concerned citizens can do to help this "CRISIS".

It's here. My dress. At my front door!!

But I can't go home until after work.

But it's at my FRONT DOOR!!!!
- Posted from iPhone

*** note: now it is walking around campus. Oh man, I wish I could leave work right now.

Dress me. Part 1

Look everyone!
It's on it's way to SALT LAKE!!!!


It is on a marvelous journey from china. From SHANGHAI, to ANCHORAGE!, then to LOUISVILLE (really? Kentucky? I don't really get this stop. But it's okay. It's on it's way!) it's now on a plane to SALT LAKE CITY!
- Posted from iPhone

Lessons learned.

What I learned on March 12:
1- The citric acid cycle in all it's detailed glory. Holy smokes it makes your brain hurt. .
2- My hair is unpredictable and unruly. Normally I like it. Not
today. Today was a day when I wishes I had straight hair.
3- I desperately need new contacts. Too bad my prescription ran out and I don't really have the time/money for an appointment right now.
4- Springtime is sometimes a facade that winter wears so it can trap you in your shorts, sandals an skirts unawares. Then will remind you that a winter in UT extends to
May sometimes.
5- I could never be a model: a) I don't like cameras and b) I don't like audiences, catcalls, or whistles


- Posted from iPhone

shout hooray!

I get one of these this weekend:

Not the cake/presents/balloons specifically. But I get the birthday that goes with them.

I'll be the big 22.

Sometimes I feel old. But not very often. Sometimes I feel young.

But mostly, I feel the right age.

I think I'm supposed to be 22 now.

21 was a big year for me.

I had a lot of things happen - bought a car, had two surgeries, went to lots of school, went on a girls trip to hawaii!, got my best friend to agree to be my boyfriend, got an iphone, took boyfriend home for christmas, got a ring, got a sister-in-law and a new nephew.

So it's hard to think that 22 could possible be better than 21.

But I've got the feeling it will be.

And it makes me curious, hopeful and very very excited.

For them.

Dear Random Bloggers,

You don't know me. And I can pretty much guarantee that we will never meet. But I just wanted to thank you for having a blog. And not making it private. And for letting me become a part of your world for a few short minutes. I just happened across your blogs in my everyday wanderings of the worldwide web. I was only looking for something to read about that would take my mind off of the clock that ticks so slowly and reminds me that there are plenty of minutes left before I can go home. BUT for a few short minutes, I stumble across your world. A world that seems out of a fairy tale. A world that I long to be a part of for even a short space of time.

I envy your lives sometimes. You all have incredible stories to tell and captivate me with the minute details that make it feel so intimate. The courage and faith and patience and love and firm hope I read in your words is marvelous to read about.

I envy your trials - even the pain that comes from them. The lessons you learned from them and lived to blog about are awe-inspiring. You say that they were so difficult, yet you made it through them with such grace and poise and elegance. I know that maybe I'm not seeing the whole picture, but the glimpses that I do catch take away my breath and make me wish I was stronger like you.

I want to have the same kind of happiness that you have. The babies being born, the myriad of memories, the holiday celebrations, the school performances, the vacations, the moments where you have tender mercies and hopeful revelations. Oh please, take me into your world for two seconds. School and work seem oh so dull and not worth blogging about. There are millions of people around me saying the same thing. "School is hard, work is tough, not enough hours in the day." All I want is to have an adventure. And you give me that while I can't have it on my own - by letting me look through your eyes.

May you continue to have wonderful birthdays and beautiful memories so that I can continue to grow from seeing how you go through your world. You make me want to live better, be better. And I owe you tremendous thanks for that. I am excited to have adventures of my own someday. And if we do meet, can we trade stories?!

Graciously,

The girl you don't know and probably never will.

wishful thinking?

Wow. I really want a sewing machine. My crafty side has been suppressed for way too long. I am just dying to get my hands on some material and make something pretty.

And yet, I know I wouldn't put it to the good use it truly would deserve. (kind of like my guitar. still in the closet. poor thing.)

I guess I will just have to wait for forever to get one. Probably a good thing anyways, because there are papers and tests that come before any fun projects.

Which means, in my case, that all the grand ideas in my head will just have to stay there for a few more years.

I would love to make something like this:

(taken from here)

Break is over.

Christmas was a whirlwind. Lots of trips. Living out of a suitcase for 2 weeks. Flying in airplanes. Lots of driving. Idaho, Utah, New York. Train rides. And pictures. Lots of pictures. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, you get many pictures. And I will save my words for later.

Salt Lake Temple

American Museum of Natural History.

Little Italy

Manhattan BridgeRockefeller Center

On the Train

At the park across the street from my house

Times Square

The Intrepid

Brooklyn Bridge
Quickly! Best drinks ever.

And now school starts. 16 credits, 6 classes. Oh joy oh joy.

love me or hate me - that is the question.

i've decided that i have a love/hate relationship with growing up.

wanna hear my reasons?

1) no more imagination. growing up means this is definitely blocked. have you ever heard of a grown-up having an imaginary friend? yeah, me neither.

2) more responsibility. not as fun as it sounds. because responsibility and stress have a direct relationship. one goes up, so does the other.

3) people talk to you seriously. yeah, it's all fine and good most of the time. but who wants to be taken seriously ALL the time? not me.

4) no more fun bathtime. showers/bath are 99% all seriousness now. no more crayon soap, no more rubber duckies, no more pretending to be the little mermaid and soaking up the floor (i definitely loved that one. it was always the part of the movie where she splashes up on the rock and all the waves crash behind her. definitely made for a wet bathroom floor.)

5) no more fun jobs. real jobs (minus a select few) are never as fun as washing the walls or cleaning my room. (cleaning my room always led to dress up - with whatever was on the floor. which means nothing got put away and it never really got clean. funny how that happens sometimes.)

6) i love choosing my own bedtime. which lately has been getting later and later. and taking naps of my own choice makes them even sweeter.

7) the idea of decorating my own house is just thrilling. i have all these ideas of what i want to do crammed away into a folder that is just waiting to be opened!

8) school is definitely a lot harder. but is almost the same amount of fun.... not the same KIND of fun, but maybe the same amount.

9) shopping is way more fun. costco samples, clearance sales, christmas shopping. definitely more fun when you don't have to stay with Mom the whole time.

10) boys no longer have cooties. in fact, i spend most of my time with one and i'm still as enamored as day one.

consider it.

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life." - Ezra Taft Benson.

Which reminds me of this:

Thanksgiving marks the time when we begin to focus on presents and gifts and decorations and carolers and snowmen and twinkle lights and hot chocolate and treats and stories.

However, it also kicks off the start of the season of giving.

Maybe there are a few gifts that we can give that might leave a more lasting impression than any temporal, store-bought, bow-topped gift under the tree.

think about it.

RSVP please.

I'm taking a break from anatomy and I thought I would share this gem with you. Written in the margin of my anatomy notebook was this: "Everybody is invited to think."

And you are. So please do.

Think about stuff. Think about your family. Think about the words you say. Think about the things you do. Think about your attitude. Think about your blessings in life. Think about the opportunities of life. Think about love. Think about beauty. Think about nature. Think about all the wonderful things in life. Think about the answers we have to life's great questions. (If you're still thinking about them, go here.)

But please. Start thinking. And appreciating.

This one hits home.

Does this resonate with anyone else?

Because it sure struck a chord with me.

'Tis the season, I suppose.

It is almost Thanksgiving. And I'm starting to think I need to start taking a healthy dose of gratitude every day. Sometimes being a grump is so strangely satisfying that it is hard to get out of the slump.

I should be grateful I have at least one exam every week because it gives me more points to help my grade (theoretically speaking).

I should be grateful for the long hours at work despite the slowness because it means a bigger paycheck with less stress.

I should be grateful for my education because it is almost over and I am starting to get the feeling I might actually miss it.

I should be grateful for my busy days because it means I am actually doing something with my time (and hopefully those things are worthwhile)

I should be grateful for the time I get to spend with friends because very soon we will all be doing different things with our lives and going in different directions.

I should be grateful for planes that can fly me home for Christmas because it means I do not have to take a 176 hour train ride or 5 day bus ride.

I should be grateful for this blog because it gives me SOME PLACE TO RAMBLE on about things and not waste someone else's time by making them listen to me.

I am grateful for family and soon-to-be-family.

I am grateful for winter. Because it makes springtime even better.

I am grateful for photographers who can capture the incredible beauty of the world we live in. And make us realize how precious the little moments are.

I am grateful for twinkly lights, pumpkin rolls and hot chocolate. Because being happy inside makes you happy on the outside and then the happiness spreads like warmth.

I am grateful for professors who tell you everything they are asking about on their exams. Because it is nice to know that they aren't trying to kill you and that they want you to do well.

I am grateful for fashion. And the pops of color that have been carried over from summer. And ruffles. For some reason, I really like the femininity they create.

I am grateful for the Honor Code. For the ways it helps us be better.

I am grateful for weekdays. They make the weekends so much better.

I am grateful for bloggers who are willing to share their creativity and imagination with the world.

I am grateful for emails from across the world. Because somehow reading someone's words brings them that much closer. Even when they are really FAR AWAY.

I am grateful for my best friend.

And, I am grateful for hope. Because sometimes things get overwhelming. And that is okay. Because I can handle it. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. Maybe if I keep repeating it, one day I will believe it.

I guess that's enough gratitude for the day. I apologize if you made it to the end of this post. I think I needed to write this more than anyone else needs to read it.

Maybe next time I will just make a thankfulness tree like this one: