Goals!

I like to think I'm a fairly rational, reasonable person.  But really, I'm not.
I fit into the "hopeless romantic who loves to dream, can be very dramatic
and gets emotional for unknown reasons" category.

So when I say 2012 is going to be my year for BIG things, it means I probably won't get around to most of them. But I can't help but be unreasonable and uber ambitious around New Years so here are some of my goals (both practical and ridiculous) for next year.  (And yes, I am lumping similar ones together....)

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• Make bedtime an earlier thing. And don't be such a grump when I wake up. Be more patient. With patients, with coworkers, with David, with MYSELF.

• Get rid of leftovers in the fridge BEFORE they mold. (Gross? yes. TMI? Maybe. But hey, this is my list. Get your own.) Don't wait until the last minute to do laundry. Tidy up a clean house instead of having to clean a dirty house.

• Run a marathon (Ambitious, I know. I've even picked one out - never mind that it is at a crazy time for us.)

• Don't let my commute ruin my day. (did you know there are VERY few things that directly correlate to your happiness? Driving is one of them. And I'm guilty of letting it get to me a lot.)

• Do better at my church callings:
• Visiting teaching. I struggle with it sometimes.
• Actually learn to play the organ better (and try REALLY hard not to laugh every time I mess up).
• Be a better nursery leader. Make it a place where playing is intertwined with learning. Come up with activities that fuel their creativity and development. But also realize that every week doesn't have to be (and probably won't be) perfect. Just love them.

via pinterest --- no original source. any one know?

• Acknowledge God's hand in my life more. Be grateful more. Complain less. Realize and remember that the Atonement is for me and covers everything in my life. Learn more about it continually.

• Make something every month. Create goodness.

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• Read a good book every month.

• Talk to my family more. Phone, email, skype. There is so much technology that I need to take advantage of and use for better reasons than sitting on twitter/facebook all day.

I think that's enough unreasonable optimism for now. Anything else you'd recommend?

linking up here!

Going Home (part 2): Walking My Vacation Away

By far the cheapest thing to do when going to NYC is to walk every where. Yes, you get tired. Yes, you look like a tourist if you are wearing sneakers to do it. Yes, it is worth it.
You come home physically exhausted but filled to the brim with the satisfaction of being a part of the energetic, bustling city. And that right there is what makes you get up the next day and go do it again.

Over the years as visitors have stayed with us, we've crossed off a lot of the "touristy" things to do. Like the Empire State Building, MoMA, Guggenheim, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Natural History Museum (which I really love). But some things that are worth repeating - like the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park.
So here's my list of potential things to do when we go back (in less than 3 weeks!):

the high line - a park that is built on unused train lines that goes over the meatpacking district.

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manor park - We went here fairly often in high school. It's not in NYC at all, it's up in Larchmont. If you click the link, there are some other gorgeous pictures of the park.

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botanical gardens/bronx zoo - they used to do holiday lights at the zoo, but I think it's been cancelled for a couple years. I found people saying it is happening, and people saying it isn't, so I don't know who to believe. But zoos are always fun.

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rockwood hall/rockefeller estate - I went here on a field trip in high school once. Taking a tour of the mansion costs money, but you can walk around rockwood hall (it is the summer home built by John D. Rockefeller's brother William. John built the huge mansion) for free and it is right on the Hudson river. Directions here

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Nutcracker Ballet - I've been twice and loved it. Tickets are a little bit pricey, so we probably won't go this year. Even though you know the story so well, it is enchanting to see it come alive.

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 chelsea market -- it's an indoor mall/food court. they also film some of the food network is on top level. Apparently the food is really good and there are decent shops too. I've never been, so I'd like to try.

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whispering arches in grand central station  - you stand in opposite corners of the archway and you can whisper sweet nothings to each other as if you were standing side-by-side!

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staten island ferry - it's a free ride across NY Harbor with great views of both the city and the Statue of Liberty. Best part: FREE. It will probably be pretty cold this year though.

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9/11 memorial -  The last couple times I came down to ground zero the construction fences blocked everything. Everyone is kind of standing around trying to get a glimpse inside. It will be nice to see the new memorial. If you want to go, it does require an advance pass but you can reserve one here.

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NY LDS temple - I worked at the open house for this temple as a teenager. I remember hearing a lot of the behind-the-scenes stories. It is so pretty inside. I'm always amazed at how you can walk from the noisy city into the temple and the noise is gone.

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chinatown - definitely a fun place to go. My favorite part of Chinatown are the guys that come up to you that want to sell you the knock-off handbags --- Not the ones on display. The ones that you have to follow him for blocks before he will show you a picture catalog of the bags and when you finally choose the bag you want, he makes a suspicious phone call. Then a car shows up and hands you a black bag that you can only look inside for a second, just to make sure it is the bag you want, before they rush you to close the bag. Yeah. Those handbags. I kind of want a wallet this year.

central park - I would go with a bagel and hot chocolate in hand, of course. -- I've even considered maybe doing a carriage ride through. Mostly because I'm a girl and I think it would be romantic.  But look how pretty the park is! Although it probably isn't that color when we go.

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broadway show - always fun. I wish I could have seen Les Mis before it closed. Wicked was also great.

brooklyn bridge/park - David mostly wanted to come here the first time because of Newsies and the scene where they are spitting off the bridge. But it really is such a fun thing to do. And there is the Brooklyn Bridge Park at the end conveniently located close to Grimaldi's. What a great coincidence!

rockefeller center - definitely a Christmas-time must-see. Plus all the lights on the storefronts around it are way fun too. Our Stake goes Christmas caroling in NYC - we start on the steps of the NY Public Library and sing and hand out doughnuts to people walking by. Then we would all walk down to Rockefeller Center and carol there for awhile. So fun. One of my favorite NY Christmas memories.

What else?! Anyone done anything else that they loved?
Linking up here:

Going Home (part 1): Eating My Vacation Away

I love going home to New York. I love being with my family, I love the east coast and the trees and seasons, I love seeing all the things I associate with being home - like the park across the street that my family is at every day (and probably has been since we moved there years and years ago.)

You'd never guess that behind this hill of rocks was a park....

with a creek (and the baseball field in the background)

and really fun swings.

Anyways, a lot of my memories of NY also involve eating/food. In between Christmas shopping and work, I started trying to make a list of where I want to go. Some places I've been to, others I've just heard about and want to try.  We definitely can't do them all. But here's some of what we are choosing from:
(I had a couple pictures on here for some of the restaurants listed, but for some reason it wouldn't let me load with them on, sorry.)

hampton chutney - last time I was in NY, we took the subway out to the Indian neighborhoods in Queens and had some good authentic food. (Naan!) I've heard/read some really good reviews about this place.

jake's wayback burgers - I'm pretty sure my dad goes here at least once every week. The people behind the counter recognize him now. And I'm a burger girl. So yes, while I am on my way to get a delicious piece of junior's cheesecake, I will be stopping by.

cosi - kind of like a panera bread/zupas soup salad bread place. There is one close to my house and I can't even begin to count how many times I've eaten there. It's not a one-of-a-kind experience, but for me, it's a memory.

the bagel place at quaker ridge (which I just learned is officially called H&R Bialy. Who knew?!)  I used to get a bagel here before school very often (especially junior/senior year before AP tests when we'd go to school really early for extra review sessions. I'm pretty sure that was my key to success.). With a strawberry-banana-orange juice. I keep hoping to find a bagel place out here that comes close, but there's nothing quite the same. I like the bagels off the street vendors too, but this place is at the top of my bagel list. Neri's is up there too.

the mexican corner restaurant - I actually can't remember what I've eaten here. But I do remember loving it.

shake shack - again, burger girl here. I don't think I could say no to a burger/malt from there. Definitely going to keep this one on the list.

national underground - it's a music venue but it apparently has good burgers.
 also, it's owned by gavin degraw and his brother. fun little fact.

candle light - there is a facebook page dedicated to the wings. Yes, they are that good. Sometimes I have dreams about them. We've made some homemade wings that are pretty close to these. But it's not quite the same.

doughnut plant - I've always heard how the doughnuts here are pure bliss. And who doesn't like doughnuts? (actually, for about 2 years I just didn't want doughnuts after having them every week in seminary. But I wouldn't fight them putting in a Dunkin Donuts here in Utah. Please?)

grimaldi's - classic delicious NY pizza. That I LOOOVE. We drove to Vegas just to eat this (although, the boys thought we were going for basketball games, so the pizza was just my reason) once because it was the closest store to Utah. Oh, how I miss thin crust pizza I can fold and eat.

chinatown/pho - you know all the meat hanging in the windows of Chinatown? It's really good, according to David. I personally LOVE their sesame rolls with the different fillings.  And the pho places down the street. We had some really good food last time and I'm excited to get more.

quickly - their website makes me laugh. But we love their smoothies with the tapioca balls. Last time we ran around the city based on where the quickly's were so we could get more than one. Here was the last ones we had before we went home.

Anyone else have any good places I forgot? Because I am very open to more good food.
Next part - my list of what to do!

Linking up here:

weekend listing.

I have only had about 6 or less hours of sleep each night for the past week (c'mon, people I need at least 6 and a half to function), so random is exactly what I feel, and what might translate into this post.

1- First things first, guess what we just did.

Played HANGMAN over gchat.

A few things about this:

- who even plays hangman any more?

- I made an awesome man out of computer symbols. And I tried to put it on here but google chrome doesn't like it. Maybe some other time.

2. I was reading MLIA today. The more I read, the harder I laugh.

One of my favorites?

Today, my alarm didn't go off, causing me to be 40 minutes late for school. On my tardy slip, I wrote "attacked by dinosaurs on the way to the bus stop" as my excuse. Not only was it accepted, the teacher removed the tardy completely and gave me a sticker

Needless to say, I have been very entertained.

3. We are going up to Kaysville in approximately 1 hour! Oh I am so excited for this weekend. I still need to pack, and maybe I'll even be able to throw a shower into that mix, but hey, it is okay!

4. I only have to turn in 2 more assignments before this semester is over! It's easy peasy stuff too!

5. I read this quote today, and it made me happy. "Bruce R. McConkie [said]: 'Faith in its full and pure form requires an unshakable assurance and … absolute confidence that [God] will hear our pleas and grant our petitions' in His own due time. Believing that, we too can “stand fast in the faith” today and tomorrow." Taken from this talk.

It's good stuff.

And that's all! I am leaving to go pack now! Yay for it being springtime, April, General Conference, the weekend, the end of school and almost summer!

I guess the biggest thing I learned from today is that
any day can be a good day if you look at it the right way.

I was going to write another list of all the things I would love to have happen.

But I decided to spare you the wasted time.

Lag time and lists.

"You're forgetting about lag time. -- Everything you do has a lag time. It takes a while for your efforts to pay off. Like when you go on a diet-- you don't lose weight right away, it takes a few weeks for your body to drop some pounds. Once people understand that you love them, they'll forgive your mistakes. For some things the lag time is weeks, for others it's years or even decades. But things do get better. Things will get better." - a very very wise woman named Carolyn

My lag time must be 21 years and counting. Because sometimes I still can't seem to make my efforts pay off.

My problem is I have all these crazy ideas that turn into "goals" I plan on accomplishing (usually starting my list at New Years' and then it fizzles off into nothing by the end of March/beginning of April).

And my list is quite extensive of things I want to do but have never done. Because I have the teensy tiny problem of never actually finishing anything I start. Ever. So I thought maybe now would be a good time to start?

Want a small sampling from my list?

1. run a marathon
2. get a passport
3. keep a journal
4. get a scuba diving license
5. learn to cook

I am taking hope in the fact that "...things do get better. Things will get better." So... here's to making things better instead of just waiting for it.

The things I learned from Idaho.

After an exciting weekend filled with friends, family and food, here's some tidbits of wisdom I realized.
1. It's harder for a cop to catch you speeding when he's facing the other direction...and going along with that, I'm really lucky sometimes.
2. Idaho doesn't really believe in ethnic foods. No satisfying of a Thai food craving. However they do have plenty of pizza joints which were ridiculously delicious and buffet style. quality.
3. Little children tend to ignore the amount of sleep you get. They will wake you as soon as possible regardless of your 4am arrival time.
4. The Warm River is not really warm.
5. Sometimes people can be treated as novelties. And sometimes that's not a fun thing.
6. It takes 5 adults to deflate a raft. (see picture.)
7. Football games can be played anywhere.
8. Don't leave your iPhone on the side of the road if you don't want it run over. That was one close call.
9. 20+ people at one barbecue is ridiculously fun.
10. Idaho likes star wars.
11. My phone selectively chooses not to text people. Usually when I really want to text someone.
12. Sometimes it's hard not having anyone within 5 years of you to hang out with. (brother's with girlfriends don't count when they won't hang out with you).
13. Old ladies are super super nice people when they let you stay at their house and you don't even really know them. We stayed with my older brother's girlfriend's brother-in-law's grandmother's house. (did you get lost? because i did)
14. Porch swings are AWESOME.
15. Girls will always like things that are sparkly and bright. Glitter toes, jewelry and fireworks are included in that. And Idaho Falls has surprisingly good fireworks.
16.Mini portable electric guitars make for awesome road trips at 2 in the morning.
17. Fresh rolls will always always always be delicious. Anywhere, anytime.
18. Car rides home with a 7 year old and an 8 year old are way too much fun.
19. I was happy to come back to Provo.
20. Making a music video with all your freshmen friends and watching it 3 years later makes you feel just as awesome as when you made it. And then listening to that song in the car on the way up because that's one of the only cds you own and your radio doesn't work only makes you feels even more awesome.
(I'll add more pictures as soon as I can steal the rest of them off of the camera. They're all on that one. Not on my email. Sorry..... I really should just get my own camera.)

This one's for you, gentlemen.....

Father's Day was a week ago, and so technically this is late. BUT, I did start thinking about this back in May. I just lost my notes and recently remembered where I put them. So, despite it being a good 6 days after Father's Day, I wanted to put it up.

First of all, I've given a lot to who has shaped me into the person that I am today. And I wanted to say out loud how much I LOVE my daddy. And my brothers. They are the greatest guys I've ever known. And, to be completely honest, I am semi-intimidated to bring anyone home to meet them because they are so amazing and no one can live up to the great guys that they are. I'm glad we'll be together for eternity. And I don't know if I can put into words how much you mean to me. And Dad, I love you so, so much. The older I get, the more I realize how much I'm like you. And I love it.

And for all you other guys, I did want to say thank you. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
*(I think I need to give a couple disclaimers first: 1- Mr. A is not the same Mr. A previously blogged about. 2- These are in no particular order. 3 - This list spans years. 4 - Because I wanted to have a complete A-Z thing, I did write about three of you twice. Because I could....)

Mr. A - Thanks for still being my friend despite all my awkwardness. Band was not the same.
Mr. B - Thanks for teaching me that being early has it's perks. I loved waiting for you to come. And the rushing was worth it.
Mr. C - You were the only one who didn't care that I wore overalls my first day of school in NY. Fashion faux pas, yes; friendship ruiner; no. Plus the fact that you had the cutest smile EVER didn't hurt. Thanks for giving me the confidence I left behind in Texas.
Mr. D - First kiss. We'll always have that. Thanks for the memories. And the laughter.
Mr. E - For those rides home when I couldn't stay any longer. And you didn't care about leaving the party early. Thanks.
Mr. F - Thanks for teaching me that my first impressions are usually wrong. In a really really good way.
Mr. G - That one email was worth everything else.
Mr. H - Thank you for that one perfect season, the late nights, the shenanigans, the ridiculousness of it all. I wouldn't trade any of it, ever. That year was incredible.
Mr. I - I don't know if I can say anything here that won't let the whole world know who you are. But you are something else. In a really really really good way.
Mr. J -Thanks for your time. And thanks for being there when I needed you.
Mr. K - Thanks for the music. It definitely has lasted for a long while.
Mr. L - Thanks for being untouchable.
Mr. M - Thanks for being my older brother's best friend. I really did have the biggest crush on you. That's why I wouldn't talk to you or look you in the eye. And now thanks for being my friend.
Mr. N - So unexpected. But so welcome. Thank you for the impromptu, unpredictability.
Mr. O - Thanks for making work worth all the effort. Maybe if we didn't compete so much, we'd have less to argue about. But then again, we wouldn't have had as much fun.
Mr. P - Thanks for teaching me that sitting there saying nothing gets me nowhere. If only I'd learned that before you walked out of my life.
Mr. Q - I wish I could sit you down across from me and spill my heart out to you. Because I know you'd actually listen to me and actually care about what I was saying.
Mr. R - To me, you were the perfect one. But thanks for treating me like I was.
Mr. S - Thanks for the dance. And the candy cane.
Mr. T - I actually mean it when I say thank you for (how do I put this so it comes out right?)..... letting me learn that sometimes two people weren't meant for each other. And realizing that's okay.
Mr. U - Thanks for being so good at sports. And letting me beat you despite that fact.
Mr. V - The 2 a.m. conversation standing outside in the middle of winter in Utah. Definitely opened my eyes.
Mr. W - For the fact that there is no pressure. That we can be ourselves.
Mr. X - You enlightened me to looking at the good things. Thank you for helping me realize that life wasn't as bad as my 16-year old self pictured it to be.
Mr. Y - Thank you for jumping. Past all the beginning awkwardness, past my facade. Thanks for seeing the real me.
Mr. Z - Thank you for teaching me that life is sometimes more about what happens when you don't plan than what happens when you do.

Once you begin to acknowledge random acts of kindness - both the ones you have received and the ones you have given - you can no longer believe that what you do does not matter. - Dawna Markova

Thank you gentlemen, for your small acts. Because they were so very, very big to me.

So I know this is cliché...

But I was curious to see what I had/hadn't done on this list. (my personal bucket list has some different things on it.)

(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) skipped school
(x) Watched someone die
( ) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
(x) Been to Florida
(x) Been to Hawaii (I'm counting this one because I'll be there in 2 months!)
(x) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a helicopter
(x) Been lost
(x) Gone to Washington D.C.
( ) Met a president of the U.S.
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
(x) Recently colored with crayons
(x) Sang Karaoke
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) Made prank phone calls
( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( ) Danced in the rain-naked
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
(x) Gone to the movies
( ) Been deep sea fishing
(x) Driven across the United States
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
(x) Been sky diving (also counting this one…. 2 weeks and 2 days away)
( ) Gone snowmobiling
( ) Lived in more than one country
(x) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(x) Seen a falling star and made a wish
(x) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(x) Seen the Statue of Liberty
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
( ) Been on a cruise
(x) Traveled by train
( ) Traveled by motorcycle
( ) Been horseback riding
( ) Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR
(x) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World
(x) Truly believe in the power of prayer
( ) Been in a rain forest
( ) Seen whales in the ocean
( ) Been to Niagara Falls
( ) Been spinnaker flying
(x) Been water-skiing/wakeboarding
(x) Been snow-skiing/snowboarding
( ) Been to Westminster Abbey
( ) Been to the Louvre
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean
(x) Been to a Major League Baseball game
( ) Been to a National Football League game

Life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured. g.b.h.

So I’ve had a lot of ups and downs lately. And more downs than ups. I was trying to fall asleep the other night when I started listing out all of the awful things that have happened to me in the past 20 or so days. And then I realized that I was being ridiculously negative about everything. And then I went to sleep. End of story. Except that’s not the end.

So now I made a list of everything I have to smile about (in no particular order):

1. These crazy people. They’re incredible and I LOVE them. AND, they will be here in approximately one week.

2. I have an awesome job. Crazy EFY kids make my day. And keys. And RAs. And copies.

3. I live (slash hang out with people who basically live at my apartment) with some awesome people. (and will, in the fall -- please don't feel left out tearbear) Random pillow fights over nothing. Girl talk – all the time. About everything.

4. Grover - He is fabulous and wonderful. And quite dependable. He gets me to where I need to be so easily which makes my feet so so happy.

5. I wrote this really awesome limerick the other Sunday. – spur of the moment, completely off the top of my head and it was awesome. I’ll have to go find it and post it on here.

6. School is cool. And over with for the summer.

7. utah is BEAUTIFUL in springtime/ summer. I love mountains. And cabins in the mountains. And hiking. And playing tennis. And walking into Christian’s backyard and feeling like I’m in the jungle.

8. I have the best friends in the whole wide world. Do I really need to elaborate on this one? I think not.

9. According to "Ricky", I will always be an Angel Princess. ;)

10. I have a crush on this one amazing guy. He doesn’t know. At all. On purpose. He’s not going to know… At least not for awhile. There’s a lot more to this story, but due to lack of time constraints, you don’t get to hear it. Sorry.

11. I have a lot on my plate for this summer: rodeo, concerts, operas, hot tubs, tube the provo river, skydiving, demolition derby, road trip(s!), doctor's appointment, freedom festival, 4th of JULY, SLC day trips, pillow fights (i blame kinsey), parades!, hot air balloons, shopping, plane rides, seeing people!, work, motorcycle rides, joy rides, books, pictures, go karts, putt-putt, winning the jackpot, a new cell phone, the aquarium, scary movies + more. needless to say, i'm excited.

12. I’m getting on a plane in less 2 months and going to this FABULOUS place called HAWAII. Maybe you've heard of it? 10 days of bliss, the beach, sleeping on the beach, being tan for once this summer, the beach, humidity!, hiking volcanoes, the beach.... I'm super excited for it.

13. I can go running! 2.5+ months of not being able to move my foot or put it in a shoe is slowly, yet surely coming to an end. Hallelujah. Thank you Dr. Tom Rogers. Plus, there’s this one pair of shoes I’ve been slowly breaking in just for this reason. They look like this, except mine are orange! :)

14. These crazy boys are home or coming home soon. I'm excited for the fun to start again.

P.S. Don't worry Kinz. Yours is in the works. :)