Friday, September 25, 2009

Oh Oh It's Magic, ya know?

Magic. Pure, innocent, blissful, naive, exciting magic. There is no other way to explain the way a 2 minute movie trailer, or a walk down Main Street of a theme park instantly erases my 19-year old stresses and emotions and replaces them with the simple excitement you would expect from a 7 year old. I love this magic. I love being able to be a kid. I love being able to forget about my problems for a time and just giggle. I love Disney!
Needless to say every time a movie trailer comes on for The Princess and The Frog, I get silent and smile in anticipation. This movie looks absolutely beautiful! It reminds me of the magic of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and the Little Mermaid-magical love and beauty in only a way Disney can capture. It is magical, and it does that magical thing where my excitement once again resembles that of a 7 year old, in a way that only Disney can.

What? You haven't seen a preview yet? Check one out here.

And it's not just Disney movies that I love, it is all things Disney. I am going through Disneyland withdrawals currently and I am counting down the Thanksgivings (and crossing my fingers that it works out!!) until we get to go back to Disneyworld.

Just in case you were wondering-Thanksgiving in Disneyworld is absolutely magical. It's all decked out for Christmas, and if you think I love Disney you should see how excited I get about Christmas!! It is the ideal combination! And one of my very, very favorite family traditions-for which I'm very thankful!


Me and my favorite people in my favorite place!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Fill in the blank...


My head feels like it was hit by one of these...
And my nose is running like this....
And I'm freezing like I'm here....
And all I want to do is this...
And my ear feels like this is inside of it pounding away..


ANSWERS: train, waterfall, Antartica, sleep, drums...
Any suggestions on feeling better?

Saturday, September 19, 2009

LISTS

5 Things That Made Me Smile the Past Week:
-President Monson's devotional last Tuesday
-That my Chem test became a take-home test
-My parents and sister coming to the BYU game with me-oh and the chocolate fountain at said football game
-Shopping at the Gateway with the girls
-Stroble Mac and Cheese

5 Things That Made Me Want to Cry the Past Week:
-Walking up the stairs of death for class
-That Utah lost
-That BYU lost
-When I looked at my bank account
-Being sick :(

5 Things That Made Me Laugh the Past Week:
-The Office
-B's mannequin! Love it!
-Abbie's comparison of the BYU loss to a Hillcrest game
-Rachell confusing Gossip Girl and Glee
-Rachel and Matt... ha ha ha

5 Things I Accomplished the Past Week:
-Laundry
-My Chemistry test
-Washing my Car
-Cleaning the Vanity
-Making Stroganoff

5 Delicious Things I Ate the Past Week:
-Swiss Cheese Chicken made by Natalie
-Red Velvet Cake made by Natalie
-5 Cheese and Tomato Pizza from California Pizza Kitchen
-Beef Strogonoff made by me! (Yea I'm becoming domestic!)
-Homemade Mac and Cheese! YUMMY

5 Things I Miss From Home the Past Week:
-My family
-TiVo
-30 Rock-seriously when will it be a new episode?!?!
-Our own laundry machine
-Not cooking for myself

5 Things About BYU that Drive Me Crazy:
-Newborn infants at football games! These babies are gonna be deaf someday
-People not stopping at stop lights.. stupid Utah drivers ;)
-No Diet Coke at the football games... still think this is kinda sad
-Football fans who must be blind... And I quote- "What is that ref doing? He put the football down three yards away from where he fell!"- Seriously crazy!
-ALL THE STAIRS!!

5 Things About BYU that I Love Right Now:
-My apartment!
-My girls!!
-J-Dawgs (They moved into a legit building-kinda takes away from the ambiance)
-The changing fall colors and the cold nip in the air
-My Classes

Ha ha I dunno what it is with me and lists but if you read you're a pal!

Monday, September 14, 2009

I Got It From My Mama!

I don't have a lot of time between work and class. Just enough to come home, change my clothes and grab some quick food to eat on my walk up the treacherous steps to campus. Usually I'm in my apartment all of about 10 minutes, today it was more like 15. In that time it had gone from kinda cloudy to an all out hurricane. I put on a jacket, grabbed my umbrella(not something I usually do but it was a necessity today) and off to class I went. I passed people walking home from class completely drenched-seriously they looked like they just stepped out of the shower fully clothed(obviously-we're at byu)! I myself was not immune to the wetness of it. Provo is a puddle paradise! (say that 5 times fast-I dare you!) Add on top of that my bouncy walk and water was soon attacking me from the ground as well as the sky. As I looked around though I couldn't help but smile-I LOVE the rain.

And today was a great day! I knew it would be when I saw the storm rolling in though.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Meeting in the Middle

I remember being so relieved when I saw her, so glad. It was one of those experiences where just being around someone gives you a renewed sense to live, to be better. We ate dinner, and talked. As the pasta was devoured good conversation was produced. We spoke about life, about death, about him being gone-and about how difficult that was for each of us, about school, about becoming a nurse, about the family, about the changes and about surviving. She had just finished taking care of him when all of a sudden she was thrust into taking care of me. With her experience and wisdom she assured me that it's ok, that we will get through this too, and we cried.
As I drove back to Provo that night I took back more than I came with. Besides my Dr. Frankenstein book I also brought with me a new perspective. A renewed desire to accomplish, to survive, and to be better. Just being with her does that.

Tonight we met in American Fork again-not 100 yards from where we had been earlier. Dinner and a movie this time, with great conversation and lots of laughter. As I was driving home I thought about what I was taking home with me now, 6 months later. No book this time, don't worry I have plenty, but that same renewed feeling-like I'm stronger now, better able to face the world. Along with that was the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment, of survival. As I hugged her goodbye I couldn't help but think- we endured, and we endured it well.

Thanks for "meeting in the middle". Thanks for a real meal. Thanks for taking me to the movie-I loved it. Thanks for not arguing that American Fork isn't really the middle. Thanks for Dr. Frankenstein. Thanks for the big hug. Thanks for being the best mom. Thanks for being the best friend. Thanks for taking care of me when I needed it. Thanks for helping me smile. Thanks for making me better.

I can't wait to do it again sometime soon! I love you

Monday, September 7, 2009

My Anthropologie Love Affair



When I think of refinement I think of Sue. It's that simple. She is easily the most refined, graceful woman I've ever met. She claims she is old enough to be my mother's mother, but their friendship, and her beautiful sense of style makes that thought seem impossible. Sue is not only beautifully refined, but superbly stylish.
On Saturday I was strolling through the gateway, when I decided to really venture into a store that I'd only briefly looked in. I made the mistake of walking all the way to the back, to the sale section. All of a sudden the out of reach was in reach-I could be as stylish as Sue! I was trying on beautiful blouses, dresses, and vests and justifying the price of a $90 top and trying to figure out how long I'd have to eat only top ramen in order to afford that. Then I got thinking that if I was only eating top ramen, I would eventually get lazy and just eat less anyways so I would in fact lose weight making the beautiful black and white blouse look even better. Of course if I got the blouse for $90 I could completely justify the $80 dress. And they just looked so cute with my new hair cut framing my face perfectly(note to all girls: don't go shopping with beautiful hair-everything looks too good to be true) and the chandelier lighting making Brooke and I positively glow in everything we tried on. It was nearly impossible to cut the pile of clothes we tried on to just "maybes" and then, after much calculating, and a voice of reason shouting somewhere in the back of my mind that I just paid my entire summer savings toward tuition, and that I was already indebted to my parents eternally for all their financial help that how could I justify spending two weeks of grocery money on one blouse? But oh it was just so... beautiful.

Eventually I left the heavenly store bagless and heartbroken. Empty handed-no beautiful blouse.
Brooke and I decided we would each pick out something that we absolutely LOVED, work and save for it, and then splurge and get it, maybe even at full price. For now that idea excites me, and this makes me think I'm learning patience-because right now in my life I'm far from being able to have the stylish, refined, wardrobe of Sue. I've got to use all my money on something of greater importance for where I'm at right now in my life. Someday though I will be the woman of refinement, patience and style that I so desire to be. And when that day comes you better believe that I won't ever leave Anthropologie empty handed.
*Picture from here