Dear Sir with the crappiest snowplow on the planet,
I hate you. I know you were just doing your job, but seriously? WHY? Why do you have to go back and forth, back and forth right outside my window for what seemed like an eternity at such an unearthly hour? After a good 30 minutes, I didn't care what you were doing, I wanted you outta there.
I'm sure you hated being up that early, and maybe all the unnecessary ruckus was just your way of saying how much you hated every living soul on the planet just then. But is that really our fault? Really? I lost the desire to have any kind of sympathy for you after your millionth tire screech.
And then, to add insult to injury, YOU DIDN'T EVEN DO A GOOD JOB! Argh.
I hope you have a Merry Christmas, sir. No really, I do. It's just that next time you're outside my window before my alarm has even thought about going off, I'm getting the Omni Warriors out (that's a serious threat, sir...) with all their fans (aka: angry girls) and we will PUMMEL you until you promise never to come back. It'll be like a really good game of Angry Birds, only you'll lose every time and we will win.
Remember the time when I was walking in to work this morning in the snow DUMPAGE and slipped and fell just long enough to totally soak my pants in the slushy snow? Hahah! Oh shoot. The five guys shoveling the sidewalks hurried as fast as they could over to help me, but by then I was back up (so fast, by the way) and laughing so hard...so that gave them permission to laugh.
EPIC FAIL. Hahhah!
Seriously. My pants were soaked. But I was just outside the door to go in to work...am I really going to go all the way back home??
Nope.
So here I sit. Pants soaked. Okay, they're getting drier...but still. Haha! Good thing not many people are here today? :) Oh, boy. If I wouldn't have been laughing so hard and so focused on drying off a bit, I might have taken a picture. It was that funny. But I'm sure your imagination will do the moment more than justice. Ahem. :)
Now, on to a few moments of my life with a little more class than the last... :)
Friday was skiing at the Canyons for most of the day: best reason to skip work, ever. Okay, skiing for me, boarding for Jason. Someday I'll learn to snowboard. And by someday, I mean really soon. But for the record: getting rental skis was the second best idea that day. Thank you, BYU outdoor rentals. Happy Holidays to ya!
That's 3 months of greatness right there, fyi. Crazy, right? I know. But have I mentioned how great he is lately? Well, there you go. Now I have. :)
Then Saturday, thanks to the kind, generous, and extremely talented Aubrey Morrill of the Tabernacle Choir (and one of the current three best roommates ever) Jason and I (and Jenn and Brad) got to go the the David Archuleta/Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. And because everyone here loves little DA and people kept not getting in even if they had tickets, we left Provo around 4 o'clock that day, just to make sure we'd get in.
Don't worry. We're champs, and we made it.
Then we sat there for an hour, which was great because it gave Jason another chance to beat me at Scrabble.
*grumble*
Hahah!
P.S. I love Christmas music. So much.
I would like to say I don't usually look homeless in pictures, but really...haha...if Jas didn't look so good all the time, and if Jenn would stop showing me up...good grief. But whatever. :)
Look at how cute he is! Now if only you could just hear him via this picture.
Dear darling little David Archuleta: You have the voice of an angel. I'm not kidding when I say I fell asleep to you singing Christmas songs that night, and I might also still be listening to you right now. *insert happy sigh of ultimate content RIGHT here*
Going home in two more days! Woohoo! And Daniel's flight comes in tonight! Yippee! I seriously can't wait for Christmas at home this year. I've missed my Danny boy! Oh, who am I kidding? I'm excited to see everyone! It has just been since September since I've seen the Dan-o and I can't wait. :)
P.S. I'm dying to see the third Narnia. I think this calls for a 1 and 2 marathon with the fam. Eh? I knew you'd agree. :)
Oh, uh...I just keep looking at this jacket, and the more I look, the more I am overcome by an increasing neeeeeeeeeed for it. Burton.com is bad for me. It's a good thing I don't have the money for this stuff, or I'd spend it. So fast. But really...give me some credit. This baby isn't even $200. The others I strongly considered were more like $400. Gag. Well, and by "strongly considered" I mean...before I saw the price tag. How is it okay to charge THAT MUCH for a coat? IT'S PIRACY, I TELL YOU! And yet...if Dee had $400 sitting around, waiting for her to spend it...she'd probably do just that.
I don't know why I speak in third-person sometimes.
Also, as I was driving to Wal-mart tonight (I know, I know. I hate it too. A necessary evil.) Anyway, I digress. I was driving on the back roads, and all of a sudden, a house I pass all the time appeared on my left, all lit up in Christmas lights, and I immediately had a "Miracle on 34th" moment where I'm pretty sure that was my dream house, but I never knew it until I saw it with Christmas lights and a wreath in every window, and I swear to you the people inside were eating pie and drinking eggnog in all their holiday perfection. * sigh *
And clearly that's not the house I saw. It was completely dark, and the house was so much bigger. And with more lights. But the wreaths are pretty accurate. I want it. The house.
I don't know what happened to me today. Haha. Oops.
Truly heinous. That's just...superfluous. And not okay.
...But I sort of can't stop looking at it.
Moving on...
Also, I want new skis. No, really. I don't think you understand how much I want them. Last Friday, I went skiing after about a 2-year hiatus. It was great and all, but let's talk for just a second about how DeeAura was trying to be frugal with all the equipment buying after purchasing a season pass. I found some skis at the DI. No, you read that right. And yeah, they're old, but they didn't appear to be all the worse for the wear, so...$5 skis, yes please. Then I found some ski boots on KSL for pretty cheap, so...voila, right?
Frugal Dee reigns!!
WRONG. Wrong wrong wrong.
After a half day on those babies, I wanted to accidentally snap them in half. A big two thumbs down to my money-saving ventures this time around! Angry DeeAura. But it was great to be on the mountain! I'm going again tomorrow, but rest assured I rented some new skis for a day instead of running the risk of swearing like a pirate all day long. (Not that I do that. Ever. But if I spent another day on those crappy $5 skis? It's a risk I wasn't willing to repeat.) $20 later, I will spend the day with happy thoughts in my head. :)
Yeah, okay, I'm done now because if I kept going with all the things I want, this post would be longer than this run-on sentence is and that would just be embarrassing to have two ridiculously long posts one right after the other and if you don't know what I'm talking about, you can try to read the post below, but I'm betting you'll lose focus about halfway through unless you really connect with the subject and you don't mind the fact that I love black and white films and occasionally relate them to my life.
Oh, hey there. :) Pardon the three week absence. Don't worry, I'm finally going through the 14 million "drafts" I have of blog posts I started but never finished. But be warned: this one should be labeled "DeeAura's brain"...if I ever actually consistently labeled these things. :) Onward.
Do you ever look at your life and think...well, that you've come so incredibly far. That you've been so many different versions of yourself. You've conquered so much, you've experienced so much...and you're grateful for it all, but...
there's still just that...unanswered question...
...about just exactly where you're still going. Or who you've become because of everything - or maybe in spite of it all? Are you really headed in the right direction? You think you might be, but...the possibility that you missed something or that you might miss something is a little scary?
"Part of the tragedy that you must avoid is to discover too late that you missed an opportunity to prepare for a future only God could see for you." -Henry B. Eyring
Sometimes I see people living their lives the way I thought I would be already, or doing things I thought I would do when I was little, and I find myself thinking, "That...that's who I meant to become...what happened between then and now?" I know it's silly. Because, really, where I am, and who I became instead is not bad. In fact, I might be wonderful. But it's...just not who I thought I'd be? Expectations are a tricky thing.
So there I was, sitting with Jason one night...this was easily about...six weeks ago? He was doing homework or something equally productive, and I was reading, but not being productive by any means. I think it's good for this to happen every now and again. Healthy, even. It still makes me take a few mental deep breaths, though. I'm pretty sure it was a Sunday because the songs playing while he was studying were all within that genre.
The first was a song from my first year as an EFY counselor in 2004. So then, of course I'm thinking about the kids from that year, the people I met, the things I learned, and how much I changed because of the beginnings of those experiences. That was a good thing, a good time, and I can definitely see how Heavenly Father has guided me all through my life, and even especially little pieces because of those experiences brought back to my memory from just one song. I felt a little nostalgic, but just really grateful for the most part. There were so many people, and so much to learn. I wanted it to last longer than it did, but then again, the irony is that it actually has lasted longer than I ever planned on. Haha.
The song came to an end, and I thought I was done thinking. Come back to reality, Dee.
But no.
The next song was a recording of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." This is a bittersweet song for me. As a little college freshman, I thought music was my whole future. I wanted everything to do with it, and loved the feeling of that fire inside me when I would sing. There's really nothing like it, I think. I still feel an ache for that whenever I watch people perform on a stage. It's a thrill I love and miss sometimes... But that song. I've sang it so many times in so many different choirs, but the time I remember most? It was the semester right after I'd changed my major from music to...anything else. There were so many reasons for the change - reasons which are too numerous and too personal, probably, to bother listing here. I felt good about my decision. Felt good, that is, until I was sitting in an audience listening to others sing that song. I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face. It was heart-breaking to me. I wasn't crying out loud, but the tears just kept coming. I felt like I'd chosen to let a part of me die. Necessary? I was pretty sure. Painless? Not in the slightest. My music advisor that semester had been so wonderful to listen to my reasons for changing my major. She had even empathized with me, but had then told me she knew how I felt; and then told me, "DeeAura, go do what you need to do. But I have a feeling you'll come back. It's too much a part of you to quit completely. You have to come back to it." I'd left her office in tears as well. What's a 19-year-old girl to do about her future with all those feelings going on?
I always envied those people who could seemingly shoot straight through college (or life, for that matter) without the questions. They just knew what they wanted, and finished it in record time. That was definitely not me. Haha. But I went on to do other things, to learn new things, and meet so MANY people I wouldn't have met otherwise. I wouldn't change that...but there's still that feeling of, well, "Who would I have been IF..."
I know, I know. On the road to finding out who I really am...I had to take some detours. Or maybe those weren't even detours. Maybe they were really where I was supposed to go anyway.
By the time that song finished playing, I really didn't know what was going on inside me any more. I had so many mixed feelings. Then the next song started playing, but I wasn't paying attention any more.
Then I started thinking about now. My life now, the choices I'm making now...and where they're taking me..
And I still haven't figured everything out. I just felt this overwhelming desire to just double check...to make sure I was going the right direction now.
But then...that brings me back to good 'ol George Bailey.
Sometimes, I think help comes in forms I might resist at first, or because things haven't turned out the way I thought they should in order to have been "perfect." Things changed and didn't live up to my original expectations. I certainly would be really ungrateful if I didn't recognize all the incredible blessings I have today because of my life up to this very moment. The simple truth is, I really wouldn't change any of it. So what's my problem?
George's life did not turn out anywhere near the way he planned it would. His plan was NOT a bad one! It just wouldn't be as wonderful for him or for countless other people if it had gone according to his plan. George fought the sadness that came from his unfulfilled expectations for much of his adult life. It wasn't until heaven helped him see the influence for good his life had on others that he truly saw his life for what it was all along: wonderful! There never was a moment of his life that wasn't wonderful. He just forgot to see it that way sometimes.
So taking that lesson into account, even though it's just a story...As I have looked back, and then looked at now, I realize I've been blessed with a lot of strength and knowledge and lasting happiness instead of the fleeting moments I sometimes chase after with all my energy; convinced I know the answer. I've also had those moments where I just didn't know what to do. I would pray and beg and plead..."just help me know!" But so many times I knew I was choosing between many good things, and I just had to make a choice.
I feel like I've been at the "many good things" crossroad for a long time. I've chosen a lot of good things. But lately, it has felt different...like there are things that are actually becomingmost importantwhich is a scary change from the comfort of the "many good things" point I've been at for so long.
In the end, sometimes I feel like all I can do is hold on as tightly as I can to the things I know, and trust Heavenly Father will help me figure out the things I don't know: aka the future. No big deal, right?
Maybe if I really do trust my Heavenly Father, I don't need to lose sleep over any of this. Maybe the trick is to see my life through the eyes of a perfectly patient and loving Father in Heaven who really does see the end from the beginning and who will not, as we are striving to do the right thing, and acting according to the knowledge we have, allow us to go unknowingly toward the "wrong" road. Trust that He can help us become who we truly are; to do the things we really are to do.
Change and progression are essential. I cannot look back on my life and bemoan the fact I'm not where I was five or even ten years ago. Things are supposed to change! We are supposed to make choices, and just do the best we can. And then finally, trusting God. Trust that God really does watch over our lives, and lead us to where we should be for our the good of ourselves, sure, but also for the good of others.
So if life isn't turning out the way you expected it would...sure, you can try some adjustments, and maybe that's what you needed to do! But also...maybe. Just maybe...it's because you couldn't see the whole picture. Sometimes life is just that much more wonderful than we expect it to be.
Longest post ever. But the two last things I have to say are the two quotes I keep around for every time my life feels like it is changing and I start to feel apprehensive. They help me take a few mental (or literal) deep breaths and readjust my focus on trusting my Heavenly Father. (If we've ever talked about this in person, you've already heard me refer to these. Haha. Sorry...)
“When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.”
-Ezra Taft Benson
"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. A t first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on. You knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominable and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to?! The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of-throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage, but He is building a palace."
-C.S. Lewis
So there you have it: sometimes life really is just that much more wonderful than we expect it to be. We just all have to keep going...and wait...and see. :)
Midnight movies when you have to get up the next morning? Not such a great idea. Learn already!
Love,
Me
Dear vending machine,
You should probably carry bbq chips. Cheddar is okay, but...just not entirely worth $0.70. Although...I guess it's good you don't carry them, because I would buy them. And eat them. Often.
* sigh *
DeeAura
Dear Jillian Michaels,
good. grief. Level 2. Are you sure you can't think of more ways for me to exercise while in plank? ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!?! Oh, that's right. I guess you are "TV's toughest trainer..." Barf. ...and ouchie...
DeeAura's entire body this morning.
Dear ski boots I still need,
Could you surface at a cost that doesn't make me gag? Thank you. :)
DeeAura's meager funds.
Dear mailbox,
:) You bring much joy :)
Sincerely,
Me.
Dear Friday at 5:00,
I can't wait to see you! Also, you make me miss chats with Alyssa.
Once upon a time, DeeAura's best boyfriend ever offered her free tickets to the upcoming USU vs. BYU men's basketball game.
*Insert moment of pure joy in DeeAura's life*
And even though DeeAura has to go to the game late due to other Wednesday commitments, it was quickly discovered DeeAura could still make it to said game in plenty of time to at least see the...*cough* outcome. :)
Boyfriend senses loophole in DeeAura's joy.
BF: "But there's one stipulation, Dee."
Dee: "Oh? What's that?"
BF: "You have to wear a BYU t-shirt."
*retracting moment of pure joy from DeeAura's life - and contemplating reconsideration of "best boyfriend ever" label*
Dee: "W...wh...wwhh...what? You can't be serious."
BF: "Yep. That's the deal. BYU t-shirt, or no tickets."
Dee's face says: Why you gotta crap all over my joy like that, boyfriend?? ...because words wouldn't come out.
*Insert moment of pure joy in boyfriend's life as he discovers DeeAura stuck between a rock and a hard place.*
Is this really what boyfriends DO??
DeeAura contemplates all the ways she could get around wearing said t-shirt on the OUTSIDE...maybe as an undershirt for the Aggies? :) Inside out? Maybe I use it as a sort of pom pom? To wipe the sweat?
Boyfriend sees wheels turning in DeeAura's head and makes further stipulations concerning the t-shirt; dashing all hopes of getting out of anything. Must wear t-shirt. Must be seen.
DeeAura looks up with every intention of spewing out fiery words ofindignation on current mistreatment of the only thing she holds dear...when it comes to sports, of course. Aggie Basketball.
DeeAura takes one look at boyfriend's very attractive, somewhat annoyingly triumphant face....
...thinks for a minute or two...
Then agrees. Grudgingly. (I wanna go to the game!!)
Permission to submit this as irrefutable proof of how much DeeAura likes boyfriend.
For the record: I don't want to hear how awful BYU is from any Aggie, and I don't wanna hear how awful the Aggies are from any BYU Cougar out there. GOT IT? :) I have to play nice these days.
Remember that time when I was running errands during lunch?
Remember how I kept changing the radio station because there was NOTHING on?
Remember how, when I finally found something halfway worth listening to, I was so glad, I just started singing along to it? And not just singing along...ROCKING OUT to some random country song I don't even care about? (I did mention there wasn't anything on the radio, didn't I?)
Remember how it's not even a song I like, but...well...I was in my car and...I knew the words, and...that just happens. Admit it. You do it too. Judge away. :)
Ahem. Then, remember how...a minute or so later...I pulled my phone out of my pocket...
...and how it said "CONNECTED...(insert person's name here)..."
And how it said it had been going for about a minute or so? And why?? WHY WHY WHY did it have to call THAT person?!
Remember how I died inside a little bit? ...Especially as I recalled exactly how energetically I'd been singing that stupid song?
Note to self: phone must ALWAYS be on lock. Always. Always always always always always.
Guh. [DeeAura cringes while envisioning the laughter of voicemail recipient.]
There are no pictures descriptive enough for this moment.
And then I drank 473 mL of that. That's one pint, in case you were wondering. And...actually...I didn't drink the WHOLE thing. Just a good 2/3 of it. Then I wanted water instead. Whatever.
I'm five. And slightly unhealthy, in spite of the fact that I do work out almost every day, and try to eat healthy most of the time. Except for when I eat corn dogs. And secretly watch Alvin and the Chipmunks cartoons after being forced to watch a scary movie. Oh, wait...that's no longer a secret, and also - it has nothing to do with being unhealthy, but everything to do with being five. :)
And speaking of being five...lately, whenever I get really excited about something, I have to yell about it. I don't know why. It's like an out of body experience. I hear myself being more loudly excited than usual, but it's like I don't recognize I should just chill out a little bit until it's too late. Haha. Usually I can be excited at a socially acceptable decibel level. But...I think sometime in the last few weeks I've lost my noise filter, and before I can stop myself, there it is. Me. Yelling. Happily, but yelling nonetheless. Yelling. Someone make me stop...hahah.
You can be embarrassed for me if you think it'll help. I've already grieved the loss of whatever cool factor I may have posessed previous to aforementioned behavior. Is it possible to come back from that? Ever? Hmm. I wonder...
I promise better blog posts are coming. I swear they are. Sometime when my brain isn't going a million miles per hour, or when I get more sleep, or when I have pictures with me to put up...or...hahah. I should probably just take initiative and stop being such a tired little baby. :)
But I'm five, remember? It's probably my nap time.
Uh...on a completely different note...I'm accidentally listening to Taylor Swift's new cd for the umpteenth time today. It's a problem I have. I switch back and forth between her and Sara Bareilles' new cd. Love.
Just to kicks, today I wanted to bask in one of my favorite youtube videos. You're welcome. Sit back, relax, and enjoy 16 minutes of pure validation. :)
I'd like to thank Jess for introducing me to it way in the way back, and LJ for reminding me of it yet again, and finally, I'd like to thank my mother for birthing me and allowing me to experience life, which inevitably led to my discovery of aforementioned video.
Yeah, that's all.
No, wait. National Bosses Day is coming up...and while this day holdsgreat meaning in my life...on the other side of things...just you wait, Mr. Boss Man. Just. You. Wait.
Lately (as in the past week at least) I've just been listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir while I've been at work. It wasn't on purpose, necessarily. It just sort of happened. And you know what? I've been so much less stressed than I usually am. I love their sound, I love the songs they sing, and I love the spirit the words and music combined brings to my day.
Of course, then I go to the gym or I'm at home and I'm generally listening to the every-day tunes, and that's good. Balance, right? ;)
I just have been amazed to notice the difference in my stress level (or lack thereof) and how much more I feel the spirit, or feel like questions I have are being answered through the words of the hymns or the occasional primary song.
General Conference this past weekend was incredible, as conference always is, of course. But the part I sometimes love the most are the hymns sung in conjunction with the words spoken. There's something about music that really completes my learning process. And somehow, the songs just really flow with the whole message. There are definitely favorites over the years, but even if the song itself doesn't necessarily stand out to me, the spirit the music itself brings out to me is unmistakable.
Today, I'm just really grateful Heavenly Father gave us music. :)
I'm also so very grateful for this boy:
He has done more for my happiness lately than I think he even knows. I love you, Jason!
(Can I say that here? Too late now. I already did it.)
Conference written archives are available on Thursday, and I cannot wait! Though...I do love listening to them at work, as well. Oh, technology...I love you, too. :)
Just about a month ago, I did something scary (for me) and made a decision to become less busy. It made me nervous, but I also felt strongly about it. I did it so I would have time for things I didn't yet understand, but it was a feeling I had, and going with that feeling has already been a huge blessing, and in more ways than I can describe. Listening to this talk gave me further instruction, but also gave me further confirmation that my previous decision had been the right one. I have come to find the truth of what would have seemed backwards to me only a month ago that, as President Uchtdorf points out in the talk above, "It is rather easy to be busy..." Truth. It is harder for me to slow down, to take things one at a time. BUT it has been so much the better, and for my good! I don't know if I've always been at a place where that would have been as possible as it is now (school, etc.) but...I know Heavenly Father doesn't give us commandments we can't obey. So there must always be a way.
How incredible is that?
I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves me enough to answer every prayer, and especially that He answers them in His time, not my own. He is so wise. :)
"Diligently doing the things that matter the most will lead us to the Savior of the world."
-Pres. Uchtdorf
The gospel is so true! I love knowing that. I love it so very much.
To "be still, and know that I am God" is something I can do every single day, and by slowing down enough to really hear Him, to really talk with Him...that is when I learn more about myself and what He would have me do than at any other time.
(I just re-read this post...and realized it's possible you may think this post was rather scattered, but I promise it's all related. At least it is in my head...)
On the particular day shown above (May 2010), I started to change my mind about one subject. Said subject was not a fleece blanket, or anything like unto it. Remember the part where DeeAura is sometimes judgmental and shouldn't be? Okay, then.
This is DeeAura admitting she was really really wrong. :)
I've been working on this lately...and some days I do much, much better than others. But just yesterday I realized a little more how very important it really is in my life; in all our lives. So many greater blessings await us if we can just be patient. The joy in that little girl's face as she receives her reward to patiently waiting...that and so much more can be mine - can be ours - if we can just wait for it.
Welcome to my first 10K. Welcome to the first time I have ever actually swam through mud. That's right. I have never been so gross in my entire life! BUT it was CRAZY FUN! Okay, yes, I was sore afterward. In fact, I thought I never wanted to move again for the next few hours.
...I mean days.
At least.
I could most definitely get a better time in a road race, but honestly, this was awesome. (Okay, minus the REALLY SMELLY, disgusting swamp where you could sink down to your knees if you weren't careful...or if you were...and I felt like we were running uphill most of the time...phew!)
The showers were like ICE afterward, but all I could think about was how to get all the mud OFF of me as soon as possible. A brainfreeze or two later, I was sort of rinsed off...good enough to go home, at least.
There's apparently another one in the spring, and that one is rumored to only be a 5K, which I think is a phenomenal idea. Do it, people. DO IT!
Also: I might be dating the coolest, most attractive man on the planet, who might have come up for the race and actually wasn't embarrassed to be seen with muddy, disgusting DeeAura. Can we say big time points? Okay, then. That's all the blog world needs to know about that. :)
DeeAura would like to officially apologize for the current lameness of her blog. Real-life updates will come soon, but until then please enjoy the following true story.
Sincerely,
DeeAura's crazy life.
So. I have this friend that just started a blog consisting entirely of chats he's had with...well...mostly girls, so far. It's sort of a brilliant idea if you think about it. Especially if said friend is chatting with extremely funny, embarrassment/accident prone people like ME. (no bias here.) Following is said post from today. I'm openly admitting "Girl" is me. And yes, that really happened.
Surprisingly enough, it's not the most embarrassing thing that's happened to me today...but that's another story for another day in the future. Distant or close, I don't know. We'll see.
Anyway....proceed.
Girl: But that's the friend who tells me I have to touch boys.
me: wait, what?
me: touch boys?
please explain.
Girl: She was just apparently observing me talk to a guy she knew I...*cough*...liked...
me: boy toucher!!!
Girl: HAHAH STOP!
now...where was I
me: you were talking with a boy you liked
Girl: right
me: but you weren't touching him
but you should have
Girl: and, quite frankly, I DID TOO touch him. I just didn't throw myself all over him
but this is apparently not good enough
me: you touched him?
Girl: HIS ARM
Girl: uh...and I'm pretty sure he hugged me
me: oh
Girl: or whatever
That's touching, right?
Well, we get in the car to go somewhere later that day (my friend and I...not the guy)
Girl: and she turns to me
Girl: she's like ". Don't you really like him?"
me: and you were like:
Girl: me: uh...yes. Can we talk about something else?
me: hahaha
Girl: so then she goes
", I don't think I've ever seen you touch a guy."
GUH. What, did my MOTHER pay her to yell at me?
me: hahahahahahaha
Girl: good grief.
Girl: I tried to defend myself
but to no avail
me: start touching boys
Girl: HAHAH
I swear I do!
I...just...
I just don't...
Girl: so then she goes, ". YOU HAVE TO TOUCH HIM!"
YOU HAVE TO TOUCH BOYS!
me: hahahahahaha
Girl: she's yelling this at me
in the car
me: so, if a girl touches my arm, that's a good sign?
Girl: Yes, supposedly, this is the blaring neon sign saying "PICK ME, PICK ME"
I need a picture like this with so many more people....
So this is a long overdue post...I have too many of them sitting there, waiting to be published. I swear I always finish things...eventually. :)
I love it when my favorite people get married. Alaina and Todd are so fantastic together. I have this growing list of married friends I want to be so much like when I finally get that part figured out. :) I just love you guys!
And that leads me to what I kept thinking about yesterday. I really am blessed...there are so many friends to whom I owe serious gratitude.
Thanks for the late night talks (even the ones boys will never understand...Aubs... :]) or the ones in the middle of the day on a lunch break (Cali, I don't even need grilled cheese...unless it's on that homemade bread...in which case, I'll trade you whatever you want.Also, someday I'll have the terrible twos to deal with and you can give me actual words of wisdom instead of my desperate attempts!) or the surprise visits in my office that can get so quiet these days (you know who you are) or the seriously far too kind notes taped to my front door (you extra know who you are) that come on just the days I think I've bargained for too much, or think I might not be living up to everything I hope to become. Or just coming over and sitting on my couch with me even though we both end up in semi-tears. (haha, Carla, I seriously love you...) In every case described, as well as those I didn't describe, I have come away feeling uplifted and I know that very conversation was in some way an answer to a prayer, voiced or not. I only hope I'm not the only one being lifted.
Sister Julie B. Beck spoke in our Regional Conference yesterday, and I only wish I had every word everyone said there, but something she said really stuck with me yesterday.
You are doing so much better than you think you are. But we can still all be doing better than we currently are doing.
I don't want to put quotes...because that's just what I managed to write down fast enough to keep up with everything coming afterward. It was like a fountain of words I needed to hear yesterday.
I only wish I had all my notes with me so I could remember specifically the beautiful things Elder Holland said, or President Packer...who was hilarious, by the way.
The point of all of that is that I realized more than ever yesterday that I have so many blessings, yes, but so many of the good things in my life have come from good friends who truly do make it easier to live the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the best thing in my life.
Someday, I'll figure out the boy part of that equation. Haha. But until one fits somewhere in those categories, I'm good. :)
Anyway...just as a parting treat...go listen to this preview:
So I get these emails from BYU every now and again with reports on new studies being published, etc. The most recent one caught my attention, due to its School of Family Life focus, so instead of deleting it, I read the overview. It actually is interesting, and talks about the importance of sibling influence, etc.
After reading said article, my eyes drifted to the bottom of the page where my new best friend Joel had left his comment. Only...I didn't even register that it was a comment until...well...
hahha...just read it.
Brothers Give Siblings Benefits Too
9/2/2010 9:51 AM by Joel
In a sister study (no pun intended) about the effect of brothers in families, it was found that having a brother--even a younger brother--makes girls less annoying to their boyfriends.
"Turns out girls with brothers are less whiney, and don't giggle as much as girls with only sisters," another professor observed.
The boyfriends of girls with only sisters reported much higher levels of annoyance with their girlfriends than did the boyfriends of girls with a brother.
One boyfriend commented, "My ex-girlfriend, who had no sisters, freaked out when I gave her noogies, but my current girlfriend has five older brothers and she loves it!"
Besides being more tolerant of noogies, girls with brothers also are less disgusted by flatuence and burping. Consequently, boyfriends dating girls with brothers report fewer stomachaches.
Levels of "cattiness" and time spent in the bathroom were also significantly lower in girls who had brothers.
"The scripture might say neither is the brother without the sister, neither the sister without the brother in the Lord," says the professor in charge of the study.
In yet a third study, siblings whose parents work either in accounting or insurance have boring personalities.
Aaah...now I get it! Duly noted. Thank you, Joel. :)
* name has been changed to protect the guilty from everyone else but me.
Remember the time last week our managers had us move a week earlier than expected? Remember how it has been insane? Remember how we had Alaina's wedding last weekend, and how we're still in boxes and unorganized? Remember how I HATE being in boxes?
Huh. Well, I do.
Then, remember how my dearest darlingest roommate Darla* forgot to change our utilities until the night before they were getting turned off by the previous tenants? And remember how she was five minutes too late to stop us from having access to that oh, so precious commodity?
OKAY THEN. That's enough background.
In order to fully enjoy this new adventure, I slept with all the windows open. I used my cell phone as a light until it was about to die. Then I turned it off so it would still have enough juice to wake up the following morning. Remember how it's really hot? Okay, so I found the biggest T-shirt I had and zonked. ...so there I was...sleeping soundly, peacefully, almost blissfully...(finally) when
BLEEEEEEEEEEP BLEEEEEEEEEP BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEP
I think I flew out of bed.
Holy CRAP. What WAS that?! But the sound didn't stop. Oh, no. It kept going, louder than ever.
Finally it hit my tired brain that the sound was a fire alarm, and as far as I knew, I was the only one home when I had gone to bed. But then again, I had no idea what time it was, due to the absence of electricity in my home. (note to self: get a clock requiring batteries for emergencies. keep batteries close. along with flashlight. yes. great plan.) Great work, Darla-fo-farla*. ;) And who knows what could've triggered that alarm?I started running for my bedroom door when I remembered I was only wearing a giant T-shirt. On the off-chance I have to run out of my blazing apartment, I think I'd rather have something else clothing me.
You know. So I don't have to run outside in my unmentionables.
I knew I had basketball shorts right by my bed...but they were nowhere to be found. In a split second, I grabbed some pants out of my drawer, only to discover they were capris...barely longer than the giant T-shirt. Whatever.
In my haste, I freely admit I cared less about fashion and more about decency and not dying a possibly fiery death, so...I pulled 'em on, opened my bedroom door, and glanced down the hall to see a warm, fiery glow coming from my roommate, Darla's room.
Now, let it be written that I had an actual panic attack. Was Darla there?? Despite Darla's forgetfulness, I dearly love Darla! (it's really fun to call her Darla right now...) I prefer Darla's safety. But before I could even take one step more, Darla came calmly strolling out of her bedroom with a lit candle.
Apparently I asked Darla if there was a fire.
Apparently that's funny.
Apparently I should knock Darla's head off.
No fire. Darla just couldn't see in the dark, so Darla lit a candle. Right under the smoke detector. Now, on one hand, why didn't I think of lighting a candle? But on the other hand...I guess I can stop peeing my capris and go back to getting my heart-rate back to normal as I try to fall back asleep in my bed in my giant T-shirt.
I hate you, Darla.
* sigh * Oh, come on Darla. You know I love you. But seriously.
Dear Sir with the crappiest snowplow on the planet,
9/2/2010 9:51 AM by Joel
In a sister study (no pun intended) about the effect of brothers in families, it was found that having a brother--even a younger brother--makes girls less annoying to their boyfriends.
"Turns out girls with brothers are less whiney, and don't giggle as much as girls with only sisters," another professor observed.
The boyfriends of girls with only sisters reported much higher levels of annoyance with their girlfriends than did the boyfriends of girls with a brother.
One boyfriend commented, "My ex-girlfriend, who had no sisters, freaked out when I gave her noogies, but my current girlfriend has five older brothers and she loves it!"
Besides being more tolerant of noogies, girls with brothers also are less disgusted by flatuence and burping. Consequently, boyfriends dating girls with brothers report fewer stomachaches.
Levels of "cattiness" and time spent in the bathroom were also significantly lower in girls who had brothers.
"The scripture might say neither is the brother without the sister, neither the sister without the brother in the Lord," says the professor in charge of the study.
In yet a third study, siblings whose parents work either in accounting or insurance have boring personalities.