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!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Christian Kane

Lately I've picked up a show called "Angel."  It's about a vampire with a soul (David Boreanaz) who atones for his previous lifestyle by saving people in L.A.  Honestly, I just picked it up because it stars David, who also plays Agent Booth in "Bones," which I've been watching for about a year now.  But, then I kept watching it because it's actually really funny.  Its kind of cheesy, but I think it's hilarious.  And the character development is pretty decent, too.

Anyway, there's this lawyer that's sort of Angel's antagonist.  His name is Lindsey McDonnell.  I didn't think much of him in the beginning, but then he started to grow on me when they started actually developing his character, and showing more sides of him.  Then, he showed up in one episode with his truck, which was a '56 chevy!  Okay, so my respect points went up a LOT just from that...  Then, he started yelling at Angel, and I noticed a slight southern accent to his voice.  It's easy to hide in everyday speech, but once you start getting emotional, it just comes out.  Maybe not to the point of drawling, but you can hear it.  I love watching "Supernatural" and picking out small moments when Jensen and Jared slip just a tad and I can hear their roots poking through!

Lindsey McDonnell
A couple of episodes later, he played his guitar and sang in a karaoke bar.  Not only was it country, it was beautiful!  Simply beautiful.  His voice was perfect, his playing was amazing...  Wow.  I was blown away.  That inspired me to research him, so I did...  And you know what?  He was young Hub on Secondhand Lions!!

Young Hub McCann
And, you know, I always sort of had a thing for him.  I can't believe I didn't recognize him!  As many times as I've seen that movie...  Tyler Christopher showed up for like two minutes and I recognized him right off the bat.  Maybe it's because I've been watching "General Hospital" for years, but still...

I did more research, and found out he's from Dallas!  Alright, so that explains the accent. :)  Right now ("Angel" was from '99 to '05), Christian is involved in a show called "Leverage."  That also made my jaw drop because I can't tell you how many times I've flipped the channels onto that show, and I never recognized him.  But, to be fair, his hair is way long, and he's got facial hair.

So, he's still cute this way, but...  He's definitely cuter with the short hair.  And, after watching a couple of clips of "Leverage," I think that might be a show I could watch.  So...  I just might check it out!

I also found out that he's been signed with some famous record people, so he's going to be coming out with a CD later this year!  Which is pretty awesome.  He's already released six songs, and five of them are really great!  (One of them says the F word in the chorus.  Boo.)  I love his voice.  I really, really do.  I'm sooo excited about this CD!  Wow.

Here's a little preview of his music.  Listen and fall in love. :)  The more I listen to him, the more I think he reminds me of Keith Urban.  Haha.  Except he's better.


I bring you this picture in an effort to show to you his amazing blue eyes.  Personally, I think he looks so much better with short hair and a clean face.  But, you know... that's just my opinion.

I'm definitely going to be buying his music!  I've been lacking in good country lately...

Oh, and did I mention that he and Jensen Ackles are best friends and that there's a video on YouTube of them singing "Luchenbach, Texas" together?  I would just die of happiness if they actually recorded that song.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Provo Sunset

When I first moved to Provo, Utah to go to BYU, I found every reason I could possibly find to hate Utah.

It's a twenty-four hour drive away from home.  My family isn't here.  I can't see the sunset.  It's cold for several hours in the morning before the sun rises above the mountains.

It snows a lot, and then it stays forever and ever.  It gets so cold I feel like the hairs in my nose become icicles.  The mountains everywhere make it clausterphobic, and I can't see the sky like I can at home.

It's dry, and my asthma acts up.  The altitude gets to me every time I walk up stairs and find myself huffing and puffing when I finally get there.  It smells funny when it rains.

I'm so far away from my best friends.  I can't hop in my car and be there in five, seven, or fifteen minutes (depending on the best friend).  I can't hug her when she's depressed, and I can't knock on her door when I need to eat a bag of m&ms and laugh to get my mind off of whatever's bothering me.

I can't drive down the road and park my car next to the swings where we had so many conversations.  I can't just walk out into my driveway where we had our first kiss.

Eventually, I started to get over it.  I still have his jacket, my memories, and a letter that comes once a week, every week.

I have skype, texting, Facebook, phone calls, and every medium in the world to get ahold of my friends.  Maybe it isn't always the longest conversation, but we keep in touch, and I still love them.

The weather's actually pretty nice sometimes.  It cools down a lot when it rains, and the nights are really pleasant.  And, you know, snow's not so bad.  You get used to it, and no matter how long it stays, Spring always comes.  It also gives me an excuse to wear my favorite article of clothing: jackets.


It's way far away from home, but I'm not stuck here.  I get to see my family at least twice a year, if not more.  And I will not live in Provo for the rest of my life.  Also, I do have family here.  It's not my siblings and nephews and nieces and parents, but I do have a wonderful aunt and lots and lots of fantastic cousins.

I just have to learn to appreciate things when I have them.  Not much lasts forever.  So, I'm going to make the most of it.

I love that I can get a lot of photography here that I didn't get at home.  I love the giant campus library, with its nooks and crannies and resourcefulness.  I love the beautiful spots on campus where I can just sit and adore.  I love the coolness of the rain.  I love riding my bike downhill and feeling my hair flit lazily behind me and the cool wind in my face.

Hello, Provo.  I feel like I'm seeing you for the first time.