Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Missing

I've been feeling like I've been missing something lately, and the Sound & Music lecture we had in Intro. to Film a few weeks back helped me figure it out.  As my heart swelled with the music, which just happened to be by my favorite composer (Hans Zimmer), I suddenly realized that I really miss being involved with making music.  So, I put my name in to be in the band next semester.  For some reason, you don't have to try out for Winter semester.  It's a first come first serve type of deal.  Hopefully, I'll get in.

I need to feel the music around me again.  I need to look at the page and feel that sense of peace as I know that I'm part of it.

I need to play again.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Ugh.

I need a break from life.  One-way ticket to Hawaii, por favor.  Gracias.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Learn to Cook Something New

Hot Crash Potatoes!

Ever since my friend Jamie Coupaud posted the recipe on Facebook, I've been dying to try it.  So, when my friend Rhonda invited me over for dinner tonight with her family, I decided it was the perfect opportunity!

Here's the recipe if you're interested.  She includes tips and pictures and you just can't go wrong. :)

Next time, I'm going to boil them longer.  They were NOT easy to mash.


Before I put them in the oven...  Don't you just love potatoes?



The finished product!!


They turned out pretty good, but next time I'm definitely going to let them boil longer and I need to use more seasoning.  But, Rhonda's family said they loved them (I really hope they weren't being polite to spare my feelings) and I liked them myself.  The recipe says to use what ever spice or herb you want to, so I used garlic.  Mmmm. :)

Learning to cook something new was on my live list!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Oh, Jeremy

"You know you're doing the wrong thing, but you do it anyway."

So, this line in The Vampire Diaries got me thinking the other day.  Yes, it's kind of sad that it's TVD that gave me this thought, but you know, at least I got it.

It got me thinking about how many people know they're doing the wrong thing, but continue to do them anyway.  It's an incredibly sad thing to ponder.  How many people think, "Should I really do this?" and then just give themselves the answer they want?  They say, "Yes, it'll be okay," because that's what they want to convince themselves of.  They don't actually want the answer, because deep down, they know what it is.

It really is a sad thing to think about.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Matters of the Heart

How quickly a heart can decide on the right choice, but how slow it can be in gathering the courage to ignore the wrong one.

Monday, November 15, 2010

SIT IN THE MIDDLE!

Every other day, when I get to my New Testament class, there are people sitting on the outside of the rows.  I'm usually one of the first ones, but it still bugs me.  If you go to a classroom with stadium seating, with very little room in between rows, you know that you want to avoid climbing over people as much as possible.  You also don't want people to climb over you.  So why on earth would you sit on the outside of a row if you're one of the first people to class?


Seriously, when you walk into class late and this is what you see, you almost don't want to even sit in a seat.  Today when I walked in late, I almost just turned around and walked out.  I don't want to climb over people!  I've got on a coat, I've got a bag, my feet are wet because it's rainy outside, and I'm not two inches wide.  Come one!  I tried squeezing into a row, and I couldn't even get past the first girl because she wouldn't put up her desk.  Being entirely frustrated, I extracted my leg as best I could, and simply plopped down on the steps and took out my notes, even though there were about nine seats open that I just couldn't get to.  Other late people had to sit on the steps also because people simply wouldn't move in.

You know, it bugs me even when I'm not being affected by it.  It's just so inconsiderate.  If you get to class early, sit inside the row, not on the outside.  If you have a specific reason for sitting on the outside, just put your bag in your seat and stand next to the row so people can get past you!

*sigh*  Use common sense, okay, BYU?

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Validation

So, I don't normally watch things that are this long on youtube, but I'm so glad I did!  It's so cute!  I'm completely in love with it.  And it's T.J. Thyne!  I love that guy.  For those of you that don't know, he's Dr. Hodgins on "Bones."  Watch this video!  It's well worth your time.


Also, today is November 2nd.  There are two things that are significant about November 2nd--

1. Mary Winchester was killed on November 2, 1983.  (Supernatural.)  Am I a total dork?  Why, yes.  I am.  But that's okay. :)
2. Jon's officially been on his mission for 11 months!!  Thirty-one more days, and it will have been a year!  Woohoo!!!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Priceless!

Big white coat: $100
Grey boots with fuzzy lining: $50
Getting into my car that has been sitting in the sun all day: Priceless.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

My Lazy Halloween

I didn't dress up for Halloween.  I didn't go to any parties, and I definitely didn't go trick-or-treating (though I would've happily given trick-or-treaters some candy had they come to my door).  All I did was watch Quarantine with my roommate Katie, and buy chocolate with the money Mom and Dad sent me, which was what it was specifically for.  And I don't feel bad about my lack of participation at all.  You know why?

Because I'm totally going to be Hermione Granger for the midnight showing of Harry Potter on the 19th!  Woohoo!

Part one of the end begins soon!!!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Roomies

So, I officially feel like I've experienced having college roommates.  Jumping around as we sing Britney Spears, gushing about Katie's boy-o...

Okay, so that's all.  But It's still official.

I'm HAPPY, okay?!  :)

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Utah-Fried Chicken and Potatoes

Okay, so it doesn't look very appetizing, but it was actually really good!

The chicken definitely turned out much better than the potatoes, but my wedges were just fine with a bit of ketchup.  Next time, I'm going to use a LOT more salt, and I want to figure out how to make them crunchy.

I didn't take pictures of myself frying them because I was a little busy making sure I wasn't frying my fingers.  Haha.  It's harder than it seems.  It was a lot of fun, though, and totally worth it.  Yummm.  Downsides: made the entire apartment smell like smoke, and the grease was super hard to clean off the stove and surrounding surfaces.

Worth it?  Yes.  Most definitely.

A very poorly documented activity from my live list.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Sacramento

The other day, I met a guy named Dallas.  Intrigued, I asked him if he was from Texas.  He gave me a funny look (though not rudely) and said no, he was from California.  We then launched into a conversation about names and how often he gets asked that question...

The same day, I met a guy named Austin.  Instinctively, I asked him if he was from Texas.  He looked at me like I was an idiot (rudely this time) and said, "No!" like it was an insult.  But, you know, I actually had a good reason for asking him.  He was wearing a Texas A&M shirt.  When I pointed that out, he said his cousin went there... as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

People with names like that should expect to be asked that at least every once in a while.  And if they are, they really shouldn't act like I'm an idiot for asking.

Oh, but it totally makes since that they were named after Texas cities. They were both from California.  They were too white to be Angeles or Diego.  Obviously, their mothers just didn't want to name the Sacramento.


Obviously.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Gianna Jessen: Abortion Survivor

This video is very worth the sixteen minutes you'll spend watching it.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Make a T-shirt

BYU held something called "Fall Fest," where they had concerts, tie-dying, and games.  I've never tie-dyed a shirt before, so I decided to give it a try.  I was really excited about it, but by the time my part of the 1,000-strong line got to the dying stations, there wasn't any dye left for us.  So, my shirt's pretty white.  I don't like a whole lot, but I'm hoping it'll grow on me, haha.


An item from my live list.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Connections, connections...

Perhaps this makes me more giddy than it should.  However...

I've been watching a show called "Angel" this summer.  It's about a brooding vampire with a soul that helps the helpless in L.A.  Yes, I know, it fits my M.O. perfectly, doesn't it?  Well, I didn't start watching it because it's about a vampire.  I started watching it because it's David Boreanaz portraying the vampire!

David does a really great job in "Angel."  The writing for this show is also pretty entertaining.  It's very snarky and sarcastic.  The storylines aren't always the best, and the monsters and demons and things are really fake-looking, but the character Angel makes up for everything!  There are also other entertaining characters, but who can beat a soulful, brooding, sarcastic vampire?

Anyway, I've been a fan of "Bones" for about a year now.  Jessica got me into it last year, and I watched the existing four seasons in two months, and then kept up with fifth season all last year.  I love that show!  One of the two main characters is David Boreanaz.  He plays Special Agent Seeley Booth.  So, of course I already knew that connection--it was pretty much why I picked up "Angel" in the first place.  But, in a couple of season five episodes in "Angel," T.J. Thyne shows up!  T.J. Thyne plays another main (or maybe minor?) character on "Bones."  His sudden appearance just made me giggle.  "Angel" really is bringing out a ton of connections to every show I watch.  I mean, I don't even have to stretch anything!

There was the other obvious connection (obvious to me because I knew about it going into the show) was James Marsters.  He plays the character Spike, but before I watched "Angel," I knew him as BrainIAC on "Smallville"'s fifth, sixth, and eighth seasons.  He's really a great actor.  Believe it or not, there are two more "Smallville" connections: Sam Witwer and Steven S. DeKnight.  Sam only appeared in one episode, and it took me a few minutes to recognize him, but as soon as I put it together, I laughed.  He was one of the main characters of season eight, Davis Bloom (Doomsday).  Steven S. DeKnight, a producer and writer for "Angel," is a producer and writer for "Smallville" currently.

The first (besides David Boreanaz) connection I spotted was Tyler Christopher.  He plays a character on "General Hospital."  I'm not kidding--"Angel" is connecting everything, even my soap!

I giggled like a maniac when Jeffrey Dean Morgan popped up.  He played John Winchester on "Supernatural" for a few episodes.  He was a really key character, even though he didn't have a lot of screen time.  One of the main writers for both shows is Ben Edlund.

Kal Penn was in two episodes!  This guy played Dr. Kutner on a couple of seasons of "House, M. D."  His character in "Angel" was a really weird psychic kind of guy that wore a fez to hide the fact that his brain bulged out of his head.

Daniel Dae Kim was in quite a few episodes.  He was Jin (I think that was his name) on "Lost."  "Lost" wasn't really one of my shows, but I still made the connection.  I did watch part of the first season...  :)

The only show of mine that I haven't made a connection to (yet) is "The Vampire Diaries."  But, it's only been out for one season!  And who knows?  I've still got about 15 episodes left of "Angel."  I could find a connection there, or somebody could pop up in "TVD."  Or, maybe the connection of the brooding, animal blood-drinking vampires (Angel and Stefan) is going to have to be good enough.  Haha.

Okay.  Now for the weirdest connection ever.  My favorite actor is Jensen Ackles, whom I discovered on "Smallville," and followed to "Supernatural" (which is also Jessica's fault).  He's a fantastic actor, and a really great guy!  And he's from Texas, which is a major plus in my book.  Well, long story short, I found a video on youtube of him singing "Luchenbach, Texas" with some guy on stage.  It was a really bad picture, but I could hear, and I could see well enough to tell that it was Jensen.  I always thought that singer was great.  Well, there's a guy named Christian Kane on "Angel" that plays a character named Lindsey McDonald.  I never paid his character much attention until (basically) he started acting like a Texas boy.  Then he sang on the show, and I decided to do a little research.  He's also a singer (and is currently the guy with long hair on "Leverage," but I haven't gotten to that show yet), and among his youtube videos of him singing, there was one of him singing "Luchenbach, Texas" with none other than Jensen Ackles.  Now is that a cool connection or what?

The acting world...  I guess it's like Mormons.  Everybody's connected, especially when you get them all into the same area.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Procrastination

I had to make a video about procrastination for my Effective Study and Learning class at BYU.  I decided to make it stop motion! :)  I've quite proud of the result, even though it's nowhere near perfect.

Also, an item from my live list. :)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Hello, happiness. It's nice to see you. :)

My first class yesterday was outside, and it was all about teamwork games, like putting everyone in a line on a log and having them rearrange themselves to order from tallest to shortest without falling off.

I sat next to a very, very attractive guy in New Testament and he asked for my number.

I got some really great ideas and thoughts for my major paper for my Historian's Craft class.  It's going to be a lot of work, but I'm really liking my topic, and I can start writing it right now because I feel like I know what I"m doing.

I was invited to play volleyball with some friends, and made some new ones.  It's been a long time since I've really played, and I made some mistakes, but all in all, I wasn't too bad!  It was still fun, even though one girl was really rude about me missing a couple of key hits.  Well, I don't feel too bad about that, especially since every hit she attempted either ended up in a tree or the creek.

I went country dancing with my roommate and some of her friends!  It was so much fun.  We ended up hanging out with some guys at the end who were very funny.  One of them saw me watching his friend cha-cha, and informed me that that was what he was dancing.  I said, "I know."
"You know the cha-cah?" he asked.
"Yes!  Of course I do!"
"I don't believe you can do the cha-cha.  I think you're lying," he said, and folded his arms.
"Are you sure?  You really don't think I can cha-cha?"
"Nope.  Not even a little.  I'll bet a pizza on that."
"You're sure?"
"Completely!"
So, I held out my hands as if to dance with him, and he said, "You're serious?"
"Yes!"
He took my hands, and when I held my head up high, he muttered, "Uh-oh."
And we danced the cha-cha!  He reverted in country swing since that's what we'd been doing a few minutes before, and I pulled him back into the cha-cha.  He said, "Dang!  You even corrected me!  I owe you a pizza for sure!"
"You promise?"
"Yes, I promise."
So, he gave me his number so I can text him whenever I want it and he'll bring it to me.  Haha!  We're all going back next week, and the guys even want to take us to a Latin dance.  Ohhh, I so love to dance.  He asked me where I learned to Latin dance, but honestly, I don't remember.  I think it was probably at a church dance when I was fourteen or so.

I had blueberry waffles for breakfast this morning. :)  That was wonderful, but because I spent my time eating them, I didn't get to dry my hair.  So I had to go to school with it wet.  But, it was just the right temperature outside, and windy, so by the time I walked into the class, it was mostly dry.  And, by the time I got out of that awfully boring try-not-to-keel-over class, it was perfectly styled and pleasantly curved instead of rimrod-straight.

I had the most wonderful time ranting about our self-important professor that doesn't act the least bit interested in her subject with my great friend Martha.  I'm so glad she's in that class with me.  If she wasn't, I don't know that I'd be able to stay awake.  I also got to walk half-way to work with her and Shawntell.

I got a $1 choclate frosty from Wendy's on my way to work.

It's pleasantly cold outside.  It's not freezing, there's not a biting gale, and it isn't snowing.  It's just incredibly cloudy, slightly sprinkly with really cold drops, and just windy enough to make my hair look really cool as I walk down hill in my leather jacket.

Tonight, I'm going to Rachelle and Meagan Porter's house in Springville to watch the Season 2 premiere of The Vampire Diaries, which I'm completely obsessed with.  It'll be fantastic to watch it with friends that love the show as much as I do, as well as watch it on an actual tv (and a rather large one, at that) instead of my laptop.

Ohhhh, life.  You're treating me so very well right now.  :)

Oh, and don't worry, mom.  All of my homework for tomorrow is already finished.  I've been looking forward to this night for four months!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

The World's Largest Water Balloon Fight

I was there when this video was made.  ;D  It was SO much fun, and this video was very well-made.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Make an Omelet

An item from my live list.  I've been writing a story called "Voices" lately.  In one of the chapters, my main character gets up early to make omelets.  As soon as I wrote that, I started craving them.  That's kind of an odd thing for me.  I don't really like eggs.  So, when my mom and I were talking about my vacation to Texas, I said, "Can we make omelets?!"

I didn't really know what I was doing, and neither did she.  We just kind of went off of what we'd heard from other people.  We didn't look it up or anything.  So, my omelet took about a minute to cook, and I was freaking out the whole time, saying, "Mom!  I don't know what it's doing!  What do I do?  Help me!"

It turned out looking pretty funky, but it actually wasn't all that bad. :)  Not exactly what an omelet is supposed to look like, but hey, whoever said I was a cook?

While I just put some cheddar and bacon in mine, my mom had the works.  Onions, green bell peppers, cheddar, bacon.

Hers took a lot longer to cook, and it didn't turn out exactly how we planned, either.

But, you know...  It was fun.  And it was fun to spend that time with my mom.  Normally for meals, we get our own separate dishes and sit in the living room with the TV on.

I'm so glad I got to go home for a week.  My mom and I certainly had some adventures!

Here's To Missing You

Drivin' into town, it really started comin' down, bringin' me back around to all that I miss.  It feels like it's raining you.
If I had my way, it would do this every day.  I would never see the sun.  Because the closest I get to holding you again is every time that sky opens up.
I remember tryin' not to stare the night that I first met you.  You had me mesmerized.
Three weeks later in the front porch light takin' forty-five minutes to kiss goodnight, I hadn't told you yet...  I thought I loved you then.
What I can't see is how I'm ever gonna love you more.  But I've said that before.
Oh, the longer the waiting, the sweeter the kiss.  It's better, my darlin, I promise you this.  The next time I hold you, I'm not letting go.
I will remember you all winter long.
"Raining You" "The Longer The Waiting" "Then"
These are your songs.
And, yes, putting your pictures to the lyrics that apply to us is probably pretty corny.
Then again, you and I were always suckers for corny stuff.
I'm thinking about serving a mission.  I really want to go.  But, I'd be lying if I said I'm not taking into consideration that I'd be away from you for another eighteen months.
I guess we'll just see how things turn out, right?

One year, three months, and five days.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

A Day With The Lesués

Melanie and I had a few chances to just sit and talk... about everything.

Carly asked my opinion on something, and acted on what I told her.

Hunter was talking to me, and told me a story of some sort (which I didn't understand, but it was still cute).

I got to revel in the overall happiness of my sister's family and just watch them get ecstatic over things in the BYU Bookstore, like a football that played the anthem when thrown, and a sand picture.

Oh, and it was Friday the 13th.

Today was a really good day. :)

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Northern Lights

There aren't a whole lot of things that I just have to do before I die.  Mostly I have a few petty things I'd like to do, like visit another country, fit into a size ten pair of jeans, go to the ballet, etc.  That excludes the really important things, like get married and have a family.  But, if there was one thing I could do, one thing I could see before I died...

I'd want to see the Northern Lights.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Put together a really intense puzzle.

At the Caldwell Family Reunion, Jessica and I spent four hours putting together a CLUE puzzle.  There was a little booklet that came with the puzzle that gave you descriptions of all the characters, and then the story.  We were supposed to read the story, then try and figure out whodunnit.  Then, we were supposed to put together the puzzle and see if it gave any more clues as to who it was.

After reading two pages, Jessica and I gave up and just put the puzzle together.

It was really intense because we didn't have a picture to go from.  Also, because it was CLUE.  When isn't clue intense?

There were a lot of people who worked on that puzzle at one time or another, but Jess and I were the only ones who were there from beginning to end.

I felt very accomplished.

Caldwell Family Reunion

Last weekend was the Caldwell family reunion!  I'm not a Caldwell, but my aunt is.  It was her family reunion, with her husband, six kids, five kids-in-law, and twenty-three grand-children!  Nita went all-out with the theme.  She worked so hard for it.  We had a super secret spies theme, so everybody had to dress in disguise as they arrived.

My first disguise. ;)

Kenny and Shaeler (I'm not sure if that's how you spell his name or not) were both hitting the same vibe...  It was hilarious!
When Julie (left) brought her adorable Jacob dressed as a little girl, everybody had to do a double take.  He was just so adorable, you'd never expect it!  Then, Julie lent Karen a set of Jacob's clothes for Audrey to wear.
There were a lot of super disguises, but Lori's, Jacob's, and Caleb's were my favorites.  Caleb was very expertly dressed as a gangster.  I took a picture of him with my Minolta, so when I get that film developed, we'll see just how amazing he was!

The next day, we went ice blocking!  I didn't do it because I've done it before, and I just can't stay on that little thing of ice.
Ice blocking!

It was a lot of fun to watch.  We also played limbo, and soccer, made hats, had scavenger hunts, and all sorts of stuff!

The cutest thing to see was definitely Caleb playing with Emily.  He's only 9, but he paid so much attention to that little girl.  He was always playing peek-a-boo with her and chasing her, and making sure she was okay.
There was the piñata, too.  We went through all 23 grandkids, me, and six of the adults before it was destroyed!  Also that night was swimming.  I sure had a blast that night.  I played football with Max, Joseph, and Kenny.  It was so much fun.  After we played that for a long time, Max and I threw the football for about half an hour.  Never have I been so proud of my football-throwing skills.  :)

Sunday, Audrey was blessed, and I took a family photo of the Caldwells.
Karen and Audrey
Aaaand a few more pictures to send you off with...



Lori's costume was definitely my favorite!