Taking a break from crazy is cooler than I remembered...

I have the cutest little nephews. Yeah, I'm sort of biased, but your nephews don't give me a hug when they see me, so do you see where this is coming from? Okay, then. :)

It makes me so sad sometimes that I don't live closer to this little family, but thanks to blogs and facebook and the occasional picture text from my sister, I still get to hear the funny things. This morning, Jen's facebook status said this:

Brandon is running around saying "I am Buzz Lightyear-I come in peace." "I come in peace Mom." " AND BEYOND!!!" Oh why did we get him that toy?!

Hahah...oh, man, I love that little guy! Last weekend, I slept on their couch because our cousin Brady was getting married early the next morning in the Logan Temple. (No, I did not want to get up at 5:00 a.m. to drive up to Logan. I like my bed in the mornings for as long as possible. Last week was crazy for some reason...everything seemed to happen all at once, work felt insane, personal life was making my brain explode, and...well, let's just say I was really looking forward to the weekend and the break from reality it would bring.) So there I was, sleeping soundly on the couch when suddenly, at about 3:30 a.m. I hear a little voice and feel a little hand on my face...

"Mom? Mom. Mommy, I need a drink."

Even though I had been sound asleep miliseconds before, I instantly woke up, and oh...yep, there goes DeeAura's heart strings. I didn't have the heart to tell him I wasn't his mommy, and I could tell he was pretty sleepy, so that's why he'd called me mommy. So I got up, walked him over to the sink, filled up his little mini camelbak (it's seriously cute how he carries that thing around with him) and handed it back to him. Then I went back to the couch...thinking in my still half-asleep brain that he'd go back to his bed. But no, he just followed me back to the couch, climbed on, and snuggled right up.

For the record, little Brandon and I are pals. Make no mistake...but our communication usually consists of playing "monster" or "dinosaur"...just lots and lots of chasing, growling, screaming, and ATTACK! :) It's only when he's really really tired that he'll generally sit willingly on my lap and cuddle up. He slept there for about another 30 minutes or so, and then I took him back to his bed because he kept tossing and turning. Poor kid was absolutely sleep walking. :)

Even though it was the middle of the night...I didn't care. In fact, it almost made me cry just a few quick tears of gratitude. I think Heavenly Father knew I needed a hug from that little boy after such a week of insanity. I'm so grateful for my sister and her cute little family. More often than not, they're my reminder that life is still good.

And there's just a picture I stole from Sarah of last weekend. Our friends Erik, Derrick, and Cary did the Spudman Triathalon up in Burley, Idaho. Uh...yeah...only the three boys actually did the race...the rest of us were just there to cheer them on. :) Talk about a fan club. Do they even know?! haha. But really - I think I love these races! It just feels so good to do, and to watch others do, things that really push you outside your comfort zone.

Speaking of...The Dirty Dash is coming up. September 25, 2010. The day of the end of my mortal life. * GULP *
Feel free to come throw water balloons at me. I hear that's the thing to do if you're smart enough to not sign up in the first place. :)

And last but not least, guess where I'm going in a matter of hours??

CALIFORNIA. :)
I love it when the end of EFY comes and I get to go places.
Peace. Out!

The Settling of Scores

Dear Jason,

In response to a summer filled with kind words and thoughtful gestures, we have your beloved friend.
Don't worry...we're taking EXCELLENT care of him. :)

keeping him warm...

feeding him treats....

cooling him down...

...inviting him to dinner!

Keeping him grounded.

You don't have to fit in everywhere.

Teaching him courage.

Helping him appreciate the view...

Yes you CAN overcome claustrophobia!

...always ALWAYS have a belay when climbing...

Don't run with sharp objects...

Taking out the trash...

5, 6, 7...c'mon! 8 reps!!

Keep it together, man!

But sometimes he just got on our nerves...

No, you can't have another drink.

Gender confusion.

Creeper.

Just be glad he didn't "fall" in.

Regards,

DeeAura and Jenny
partners in co-worker crime

The follow-through...

Oh, hey. See that quote just above this post? "Always do what you are afraid to do." Yeah, I really believe it. But...just...sometimes my follow-through is crap.

Case in point: Fourth of July weekend we went to the rope swing in Mona. Sounds harmless enough, right? Apparently I have height issues. ...didn't know about THAT one. This is what all the normal kids did at the rope swing...

Aaaand this is what I did. For a good five minutes. For real. With a giant crowd "cheering" me on...at least for the first minute or two...then I think they wanted to throw me off the branch. I sort of wish they would have. My brain said "jump!" and my feet said "NO FREAKING WAY." Ahem. Oops...


Don't worry...I'm not a complete wuss...I jumped. EVENTUALLY. Right after I did it, I felt much more confident to do it again, bringing added validity to Mr. Emerson's words, but let's be honest...I stayed on the ground for the rest of the time. I think I'm much happier there. :) See??


This weekend was fantastic! I love living in Utah so I can get TWO paid holidays in July. hahah. Heck yes. Event #1:

Water Balloon Fight!

I definitely wasn't afraid to do THIS...but it was so much fun I couldn't leave it out! Though...I have to say...when a water balloon hits you square in the face and doesn't burst? Ouch. Owie.
Project small amount of fear toward oncoming balloons....

Here's a little news in case you care:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=11694889

Record: Broken.
SO MUCH FUN!

Pioneer Day Classic 5K!

The only thing I need to say here is...remember how I improved my time by almost 6 minutes? That's how I tell you my accomplishment without actually telling you my time. Hehe. That's right! :)

Will I be running another one soon?
You bet I will.

But then, after all that bravery and fun...what goes up must come down, no? Well, yesterday was sort of crappy. No details necessary, really. But do you know what made everything better last night?

(Besides the candy message and flowers on my doorstep...that I know EXACTLY where they came from...p.s. I love you!) :)

Gene Kelly.

Dear Sir,
I've loved you and this song since I was twelve. I don't plan on stopping anytime soon.
Your sincerely appreciative fan, DeeAura.

"From where I stand, the sun is shining all over the place..." * sigh *

Thank you and good night. Here's to continuing to do what I am afraid to do. Or what I'm not good at. Or...you get the point. Eventually it won't faze me. (That's the theory, anyway...)

I ran 3 miles last night. And by that I mean I ran some of the time...

Sometimes when I get to work, I feel like this is what is staring me in the face...EW. Gross, right?

But every now and again...something like this happens...

"Hi this is Brennon.

If this is my parents please send me money.

If this is the phone company we already sent you money.

If this is my friends you probably owe me money.

If this is the university you didn’t give me enough money.

And if this is a girl don’t worry I have plenty of money!"

I only wish I had actually heard that message, but that one was actually my co-worker's. I figured it was too good not to pass on. :) I'm actually thinking of changing my personal voicemail to something similar.

Contributions welcome.

I might be running a 5K on Saturday morning. You might not think that's impressive at all, but the plain, possibly embarrassing truth, is that I have never run more than one mile at once before. Nope. Never. Ever. My only wish is to live and finish. (Cali and Mindy, kindly refrain from laughing in my face at this moment. Thank you.) :)
Why am I doing this, you ask?

I have a very persuasive roommate who caught me in a weak moment. She told me I'd get a free t-shirt. And food. Also, I've always secretly wanted to run a race but I blatantly stink at running. :) Don't get me wrong, I like it...let's just say I'm not doing it for any kind of "time" I'll be broadcasting out there anywhere...

And what's that you say? "It's only 3.1 miles, DeeAura. Don't be such a pansy."

Get away from me.

Also...

Why yes, I did sign up immediately. Thanks for asking. :)

Sincerely yours,

The soon-to-be famous one.

When the going gets tough...

I turn to youtube.

...Aaaand this is because I have currently reached the end of my patience rope. I can't look at another EFY receipt right now to save my life. It's like I'm five years old with attention problems. SERIOUS attention problems. I needed something to distract me. To make me laugh.

BAM! * instant happiness *

Thank you, Jenny. And Karisa. ...and Mr. BYU study dude.

...though, I have to say, I never studied in my shower...so....hehehehe...


P.S. Sleep shopping shipment came yesterday morning, via UPS. Hahah...

"Fine. Fresh. Fierce. We've got it on lock."

Oops. It's been over a month. I can't even pick what to blog about....but here goes!

You know those fads you see and think "No WAY will I ever wear that. Pay me a million bucks and I will never put that on my body." Then...six months later, much to your past chagrin, you run to the nearest Forever 21 and actually buy said fad. And you're HAPPY about it. Ecstatic, even.

Skinny jeans, capris, bangs....

I feel that way about music sometimes. I'll hear a song on the radio and think "Okay, really? That artist is terrible. What a stupid song!" You vow never to support their lack of talent. ...Aaand then...six months later...you buy maybe not their whole cd, but...everything but the one stupid song? Same thing as the fads if you think about it.

Definition of DeeAura ramble: Katy Perry is my first pair of skinnys. Shoot. I can't get "California Girls" out of my head.

I think it's a sign I need to go on vacation again.

Aaanyway...

In other news...and speaking of shopping...I went sleep shopping the other night. No, you read that right. Not sleep walking. Not eating in my sleep....SHOPPING. That's right.

I woke up to an email in my inbox that was an order confirmation...that came at 2:14 a.m. For $200. Don't ask. I LITERALLY don't know.

Don't worry, I checked. It's coming to me...it was sent to my email...it's on my card...it's just that I don't remember doing it AT ALL.

Two skirts and a shirt had been sitting in my "shopping cart" for a good three weeks, just waiting for me to talk myself OUT of buying them. (I do this often.) So, I mean, I understand how those got in there...but there are 1.5 swimming suits in this order. That's right...two tops and one bottom. None of which match each other. Not even close. Add a random yellow shirt and yellow jacket, and voila! You have my night time shopping spree.

WHAT THE RANDOM?

...luckily when I called in a panic, they took off the shipping costs and gave me 20% off. Uh...awesome...thanks...but what I really wanted was to cancel the whole thing altogether! Stupid. Ridiculous! Creepy?

Totally. Hilarious. Also, proof positive I'm going crazy. * sigh *

Just to finish off in style (going back to the fads issue)...I may or may not have gone to THIS concert:

That's right. Proceed to calm your Jr. High heart. I know I did.

Stay tuned. More later.

5785' in the air.

I keep putting another post off until I have more than 2.5 seconds left to breathe, but things keep happening, and life never seems to slow down. I know, I know...it's never really going to, right?

...which is why this post is the way it is.

Initially I was going to blog about this incredibly fun past Memorial Day weekend. A bunch of us went down to St. George and had an absolute blast. Sunshine, hiking, water, red rocks...cabins, camelbak packs, memory foam mattresses, good food, and even better people. I wish life could always be like that. Some would argue if life was always like that it would seem mundane. Eh, maybe. I'd like a chance to prove that wrong, though. :)

(about halfway there)

The weekend was a blast. But the best part, really, was the hike. We went to Zion's and hiked Angel's Landing. I've never done the entire hike before, and it was beautiful! Okay, it was long, and hello, switchbacks. It was also really hot (note to self: next time, don't hike in JEANS. Duh.)

There were points along the way when I seriously considered the fact that I was either a) a wuss, or b) the people with me possessed hiking superpowers. I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. :)

One of my friends tried to make us all feel better by saying she like to hike for leisure, not necessarily for the race/physical activity. Haha. Nice. It made me feel better for about 20 seconds and then I still felt this inexplicable, and somewhat annoying drive to keep going. You know...can't have people waiting on me, right? Everyone keeps moving along the trail for the ultimate goal of reaching the finish...right? Stopping is only acceptable for short periods of time.


But then this past week, I read an article in the Ensign that made me think about this hike again, and in a different light. The article? "Don't Be in a Hurry."

It's from a devotional address given at BYU-Idaho in November 2007. I think I should have known about it way back then. I've been in a hurry my whole life, I think. In a hurry to grow up, in a hurry to get a job, in a hurry to know...anything, in a hurry to finish college, in a hurry to...

Seriously. Chillax, Dee.

That's about when I remembered another picture I took on this hike...I think it's the only one I took that wasn't of people. (Minus some of the giant rocks, but that's beside the point.)

We live in a world of fast food, rapid transit, instant messaging, and constant claims about how to get rich quicker, get fit faster, and succeed now. Despite the proliferation of supposed time-saving tools, we often feel pressed and stressed by the demands on our time.


“Our hurry to meet the relentless demands of the clock tears away at our inner peace.” - James E. Faust


"Undistracted...we trust the Lord to help us allocate our time and talent to their very best uses each day. As a result, we do more good and we make real progress." - Spencer W. Kimball


President Hinckley recalled that his father “never ceased growing” because he made time for “thinking, meditating, [and] pondering.”

This was the one moment I stopped before I got to the top for a reason other than to take advantage of the meager shade provided by a switchback.

This was particularly beautiful to me because of where it was; on the edge of the cliff. I had to stop to really appreciate it. The Indian Paintbrush was not my goal on the hike. But looking back, it is a perfect example of what I can see when I slow down, even just for a moment.

“There seems to be little evidence,” Elder Richard L. Evans (1906–71) of the Quorum of the Twelve once said, “that the Creator of the universe was ever in a hurry. Everywhere, on this bounteous and beautiful earth … there is evidence of patient purpose and planning and working and waiting.”

There's nothing wrong with finishing something quickly.

But I also think there's maybe nothing wrong with finishing something...less quickly. The point is to finish the race...right? Not necessarily be the first one there? (haha - I'm already thinking of friends who will disagree with me on this. Winning is everything, right?)

Finish, and finish well. I'm all for that - but I think Mr. John C. Thomas, who gave the aforementioned BYU-Idaho devotional brought something really important to my attention.

Maybe it's because Heavenly Father seems to have this was of constantly reminding me that I need to slow down - sometimes literally - and remember Him along the way. I think it's when we take the time to remember Him, and remember Him first, that we really will win. We might make it to the top after throngs of people are already there. But isn't the Lord just as pleased with those who arrive last as he is with those who arrive first? I think so.

"Be still and know that I am God." - (Psalm 46:10/D&C 101:16)

It was exhilarating and totally rewarding to reach the top. Standing there, surveying all we'd climbed, and how small everything was below us...I was overcome by the beauty and incredible handiwork of a God who really took the time to create; and to do it well. The mountains, the rivers, the life surrounding me at the top: all of it took a lot of time. It's only fitting that it took a lot of my time to get to where I could really see how fantastic it all really was.