Sunday, September 23, 2012

One life: farmer.

So when I go hiking, which I haven't done in forever (since camp!) but really want to soon, and I'm with people who I haven't hiked with before, I really like to ask the question, "If you could have multiple lives, what would you do?" I haven't figured out a way to phrase the question so that it's self explanatory, but what I mean by it is that your first life is the one you're living right now, and hopefully you're doing what you want to do most with this life. But if you could have another life after this one, what would you do with it? It's usually in terms of careers. For example, in this life I'm aiming at something maybe in the State Department; I like to say diplomat to keep things simple and because I'd love to live in foreign countries learning other languages and promoting American values (this is a vague term we can talk about later if you want). But my interests go beyond political science and economics, believe it or not. In my second life I'd probably be a park ranger. Or maybe a Supreme Court judge (Judge Griffith that came and spoke last Tuesday reminded me of that dream). I would love to be an astronaut or a full time editor. In any case, I like asking that question because I think it gets beyond the classic "What's your major" question and really delves into people's passions and usually results in some interesting conversations.

One life I never thought I'd want to have is farmer. My mom grew up on a farm and they didn't have much money and now when I visit my grandparents, they live in the middle of nowhere and I can't get cell service and I never had a good attitude about being there, although as I've grown older I've appreciated the solitude of it. But a few weeks ago I went down to Zac's house in Kanosh, Utah, about two hours south on I-15. He had 300 people in his whole high school I think; that was before they combined with Fillmore. Anyways, his dad's a farmer, and before Ellen and Chris and Annie got down there, we went out with his dad in this old truck and emptied the water troughs and loaded them onto a trailer and watered the orchard and fixed his dad's motorbike (oh, and his dad is mayor). I actually didn't do hardly anything except stand there with Jadyn as he held Ayva because she cried every time I held her, but I loved being out there. It was getting dark and I watched the moon rise over the mountains as I stood in among cow pies in knee high grass, bouncing Ayva to hold off the crying as long as possible; it was a big ole harvest moon that rose so fast! After a really hard first week of school, it was a lot of prayers answered to drive away from Provo and come to this place apart from time where you just work with your hands and you see the consequence of your labor in a very real way: the crops grow, the orchard blossoms, the chickens lay, the pigs eat. It just seemed so much simpler. And I'm a big fan of simple.

The rest of the weekend consisted of playing with nieces, shooting guns (I really don't like that), riding horses (I liked that a lot more than poor Ellen...), shucking corn, eating corn, hiking Angel's Landing, and seeing the St George Temple Visitors' Center. I couldn't have dreamed up a better weekend. I was with really chill people who knew me well and cared about me. And I couldn't help but wish that I could just stay on the farm and spend the rest of my life working with my hands and doing what was required by the land. I know I'm idealizing it. Being a farmer isn't how people get rich, usually, and it's certainly not easy. It's a hard life that's nearly impossible to just pass on to your kids, who may or may not want to be farmers. But there's still that appeal of a life of simplicity and solitude that I experienced for just an hour and that I've thought about since when I've been stressed about school (oh wait, that's all the time these days). I think I've decided to add farmer to my list of lives.
Me and Old Cigar (?), Zac and Bunny, Annie and Gun Smoke.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Campy Camp.

Camp means a lot of different things to different people. My only experiences with camps were EFY and Girls' Camp, so both gospel-centered and with the goal of strengthening my testimony. Obviously they were also fun, but I had never been to a camp where the sole purpose was to have fun! I'm glad I could have a real camp experience at the age of 21.

So I heard about Camp Kesem two years ago from my friend Cameron (hereafter referred to as Sulley) because he was wearing a CK shirt and I asked about it. I don't remember anything about that conversation, only that I knew it existed. Then Ellen (Glinda) had a friend from Illinois do camp, and said she had to do it, so Glinda applied in February. I was planning on the mish, so I didn't sign up. Come August, however, I found myself not on a mission, in Provo, homeless, and ready for fun/distracting things. I applied to be a counselor and found myself driving to Camp Kostopolous in Emigration Canyon by Salt Lake for a week of being a leader for 14-16 year olds. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. 

Instead of doing a play-by-play of every detail of camp, perhaps a journal entry from the night after I got back would do a better job of portraying how I felt about it. But just as an overview, Camp Kesem is a free camp for kids who have a parent with cancer. As counselors, it's our job to help them have as much fun as possible.  There are themed dress up days, rotations of awesome activities, serious times and times you laugh so hard you cry. I camped out for two nights with the teens, and frankly, it was the best week of the summer where I made some of my best friends. Feel free to donate to it here; I can think of few better uses of money.

Journal Excerpt from August 18
Whew, thinking a lot of thoughts after camp. I’m thinking what I like about all the teens, all the kids in general, the other counselors, the idea of the camp, my co-counselors, what I learned about myself and the balance I’m perpetually trying to achieve. I’m definitely still introverted. Camp exhausted me both physically and socially, holy cow. I haven’t been that loud and outgoing since I was a youth leader for girls camp all those years ago. I tried really hard. But there were also times when I didn’t try and I didn’t play the game and I just sat and watched. And I got kind of down on myself for those times because I was like come on, I gotta take full advantage of this while I’m here. But then I was also thinking, is it really necessary to be so outgoing all the time? Like why do I think in my head that I need to be like that? It’s ok to be quiet sometimes. I loved how I felt ok to be open and crazy when I wanted to, though, because usually I don’t feel comfortable being like that with people I don’t know or just met. I felt perfectly comfortable with my kids. Not to the point where I wanted to just tell them everything. I was still pretty closed in that respect, like about my thoughts. But when it came to how I felt about them, I couldn’t lavish enough compliments. I was scared driving up to Camp K and thinking I was about to be a counselor at a camp I’d never been to with other counselors I’d never met to teens I’d never seen. I could not have asked for a better group of kids. It was amazing. They all loved helping. Literally all of them. I’m still in disbelief about it. How many 14-16 year olds do you know that would volunteer to take out the trash, start the fire, set up the tents, chop the food, get you a drink? And what are the chances I would have 11 of those 14-16 year olds in my group? Yeah, there were some weird kids. Laura had aspergers and Tigerstripe was homeschooled. But everyone loved them. They were completely included. There was no unintentional segregation or exclusion. There was intentional service and inclusion. It was so heartening. And then during the empowerment ceremony when I felt just for a second what it was really like to know that one of my parents was diagnosed with a chronic, incurable illness. Or that a parent had already died of it. It was overwhelming to me that all those kids had that feeling. It made me mad they had to have that. I wanted them to have the best childhood ever and they couldn’t because their mom was relapsing or their dad died. Little Frost didn’t have a dad. Tigerstripe’s mom would die anytime and she wasn’t worried about that, but she was worried about her dad being able to connect with the kids. I hurt for them so bad. I still hurt for them. Sure, they can be regular kids and their parents have probably been diagnosed for awhile, but at the end of the day, they might not always have a parent. They always have that reality hanging over them. And from what I could see, it did not turn any of them into bitter, angry kids. Wall-E made a comment during a cabin chat about the war in Alma that softened the hearts of some and hardened the hearts of others. Having a parent with cancer softened these kids in unbelievable ways. The most impressive kid to me was Stud. He knew his worth. He knew he was a good kid who was good at sports and had a good heart. But instead of being a punk about it, he used himself completely to help others. I can’t think of anything he did to help himself. We would always fight to go last in the food line, and he always won. To distract him while we wrote his birthday card, we asked if someone could help in the kitchen, knowing that he would be the first to volunteer to help. He always asked “What can I do to help?” Always and without fail. He never complained. He never talked about himself. He never got embarrassed. He did what needed to be done perfectly because that’s what he wanted to do. If my children are anything like him, I will be the happiest mother on the planet. And he just moved and his mom just got remarried and he’s the oldest and I think his dad died of cancer, I don’t know. All I know is that he taught me so much about what service actually is. And so many of the other kids followed right in his footsteps. Still amazing to me.



Friday, September 7, 2012

Feelin' the love.

Wow. Just wow. It is amazing how much love people have the ability to show. Sometimes I wonder if the things I do for other people can really communicate how much I care for them. I can tell you right now that while I don't know how well I can communicate my love, other people are doing a phenomenal job. My love language is quality time and I don't think I've been alone for the last two weeks. So many people love me! I think I understood that in some subconscious way, but just so so many people have brought me treats or texted or called or taken me out, and I feel like I don't deserve it! Like yeah, I'm going through a hard time, but that happens to everybody! But it just feels good to have my self-esteem bolstered by a lot of people when I thought it was gone for good.

People who went the extra mile: Annie, Tyler, Marky, Daniel, and Kallie for always listening; Ellen and Caitlin for being my best friends and knowing just what to say; Zac for helping me have the best weekend, besides camp, of the whole summer; Jenica for her spiritualness; Alana, Sarah, and Ashley for being the best roommates ever and keeping the apartment clean always; Trevor for taking me out; Matt for the peanut butter M&Ms; Corinne and Mario for feeding me and meeting up with me on campus; my extended and immediate family for the calls and emails... the list goes on and on. Y'all rock. Literally.

Check out Ephesians 3:14-21 and 3 Nephi 9:13. Lots of good stuff in there. Anyways, posts to come in the near future: Camp Kesem and Kanosh. Yeeeehaw.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

You know you're in Maine when...

So I was in Maine for just few weeks, living at the parent's house, and there was quite a few instances where something would happen and I'd think to myself, "Only in Maine..." Hopefully you'll be able to get a feel for why I love Maine by reading this. 

I know I'm in Maine when

none of the houses have air conditioning.

the birds are your alarm clock... at 4 am.

running is enjoyable because of the views.

I only leave my house to go grocery shopping with my mom.

all meals have at least one component picked straight from the garden (peas, blueberries, cucumbers, raspberries, etc).

ice cream is eaten at least twice a day.

lobster is cheaper than chicken ($3.25/lb!)

it's exciting to see a cruise ship from the front window.

the hill on Scott Dyer is the biggest one around.

going to the lake is more exciting than the beach.







Monday, July 23, 2012

Songs I like.


Won't Give In Finn Brothers


Other Side of the World KT Tunstall


Mr. Pitiful Matt Costa


Something like Olivia John Mayer


Right Me Up State Radio


Violet Hill Coldplay

Peace Train Cat Stevens (don't watch the video unless you want a headache)

Monday, July 16, 2012

Norge: Paradise.


The first time I heard Paradise by Coldplay, Sam was playing it on the piano. He’s pretty good. Then I heard it for real when Noah was driving Anne, Robert and I into the hills of Santa Barbara for our backpacking trip between winter semester and spring term in April. It was really catchy! I found myself humming it as I jogged to keep up with Robert’s quick pace. Since I’ve been traveling the fjords of Norway, I’ve heard Paradise in a surprising amount of places: coming out of a car in Dover, England, where the cruise began; blaring from the headphones of a fellow weight-lifter in the gym on the ship; and in more than one restaurant I’ve passed while in Norway. And really, the song is rather fitting to describe my experience in this Scandinavian country.

Now, if I was a travel agent who only told what I knew from personal experience from traveling to Norway once, this is what I would tell you.

Oslo- Get the Oslo pass. It’s about $40 USD (260 NOK), half off if you’re a senior citizen, and it gets you 24 hours on all the public transportation  while doubling as a pass into a lot of the museums, including the FolkMuseum, the Kon-tiki, the Viking Museum, and the Fram. They’re all across from the cruise terminal on a peninsula, so start by taking a ferry and walking the ten minutes to the Folk Museum, an outdoor museum that’s taken entire villages from throughout the history of Norway and set them up all in one place; you can walk through villages from 1200 to 1800 AD. In many of the houses were men and women dressed to the period, sometimes knitting or baking Lefse, delicious bread, and all ready to answer any questions you might have. The Viking Museum was just up over the hill, housing four Viking ships that were preserved, some better than others, in burial mounds from the Viking period, around 1000 AD. A short bus ride brings you to the Kon-tiki, a boat that carried anthropologist Heyerdahl from Peru to a Polynesian island, and the accompanying museum that housed his other ships. The Fram, another ship, is right next door; it was famous for its voyages into the ice-clogged waterways of the Artic. Be careful of buying souvenirs here; Oslo is definitely one of the most expensive cities in the world, with a Big Mac carrying a price tag of $18 USD.
Folk Museum
Kristiansand- Little island that is obviously a vacation destination for Norwegians. Over five miles of trails take adventurous hikers to lighthouses and old outposts from WWII. Watch your step and enjoy the view. This town is most reminiscent of Maine.

Stavanger- A ferry and bus ride bring you to the base camp for Pulpit Rock (preikestolen), which may be the best view in Norway. A 2 hour hike at a leisurely pace through meadows, past glacial lakes, and up boulders brings you to the flat sheer precipice 600m above the fjord below. You can’t imagine looking down that until you do it. The only downfall is the amount of other hikers. I’d advise against purchasing a boat ride to it; because of its height, it doesn’t look like much from the water. You gotta hike it to truly experience Preikestolen.
From the top.
From the bottom.
Ulvik- Get there early enough and you can be one of the lucky ones to rent one of the five bikes from the tourist office! It’s a little town at the end of a huge fjord. Beautiful roads to run or bike along. It’s biggest attraction is its proximity to the HardangerNational Park, which was a ferry and bus ride away; plan transportation time in if you’re going to make it over there. Hardanger boasts many hikes, particularly the Trolls Tongue which is pictured on all the advertisements.
Ulvik. All of it.
Eidefjord- Go to the tourist information building and get the very helpful girls there to suggest a hike for your ability and time constraints. The Viking burial grounds, the oldest in Norway, are apparently very elusive, even with map in hand, but there are also old churches to be found on another hike. All the buildings are picturesque and seem to be perfectly maintained. New building happening at the edge of town shows growth.

Alesund- After almost completely burning down on Saturday, January 23, 1904, the rebuilding of Alesund was done all in 1905 and 1906 by mostly German-trained builders, so the city has an odd yet charming uniformity. Definitely one of the bigger cities. The observation building on top of the hill that juts to the right of the city offers a view that is definitely worth the 418 steps up. Aalesund Museum offers a history of the area with many items from the area during the 1800s and explanations of why fishing and boats are so important to the city. The Sunnmore Museum is similar to the Folk Museum in Oslo in that it has taken old villages from other parts of Norway and put them together. You can walk in many of the old houses, but there aren’t people to explain things to you. Sunnmore also has the Borgen Church and an indoor museum on the upper floors of the building where you buy tickets.  Beware: none of the museums mentioned above have English subtitles; all exhibit explanations were in Norwegian. They usually have some of the captions translated into English at the beginning of exhibits in separate pamphlets, but it’s frustrating to try and figure out which part of the pamphlet goes with which parts of the exhibit.
Alesund building style.
Amazing view from the observation building.
Geiranger- Voted most iconic travel destination in 2011 by National Geographic, and with good reason. Quick hikes give beautiful views over a narrow, steep fjord with the town at the end. Again, the tourist information booth is the place to go. There are lots of hikes here. There’s a waterfall that you can walk behind, which is a bus ride away and would be my choice for my next trip. Buy postcards here! Only 5 NOK versus 6-10 NOK everywhere else.

Bergen- The Hanseatic Museum you need a private tour to really appreciate; again, no subtitles in English, but the tours are in English. We lucked out and were able to tag along with a couple who had already asked (and paid for, I’m assuming) for a private tour. The Rosenkrantz Tower was neat because it was built in the 16th century, and had some good exhibits, but after the views we had been getting from the tops of places, it was a little disappointing to just see our cruise ship and the other four ships in the harbor. The fishery museum (MuseumVest) is in an old warehouse that held fish from the 16th-18th centuries, so that’s cool as long as you can get past the smell. Also, getting a ticket at either the Hanseatic Museum or the fishery museum also gives you half place at the other museum.
Houses of the Hanseatic League.
Overall impressions: The tourist information buildings are your best bet for accurate information and free wifi. Only Geiranger didn’t have free wifi, but they did have public computers for 1 NOK per minute of internet access. The people who work there speak English well and want to help you have a good time in their country. Everyone seems to speak English, from the bus drivers to the cashiers in grocery stores. Take a boat cruise to see the Seven Sisters and the Suitor waterfalls in the fjords. If not that, just pick a fjord and cruise for a few hours. You won’t regret it, and you won’t see anything else like the lush green, the stark rock, and the floating waterfalls anywhere else. Also, apparently it usually is constantly raining in Norway (we lucked out big time; I only got soaked once); dress accordingly so you can still enjoy your time without worrying about the sun—or lack thereof. Take advantage of the long days. I haven’t seen it get dark since I got here.

At the end of the day, or rather the two weeks I spent here, I would hesitate only slightly to say Norway is my kind of paradise. Usually the word brings images of beaches with horizons dotted with palm trees, maybe a smoothie in hand. But the rustic and untamed beauty of the fjords, the serenity and separate-ness of Norway; well, it’s far more up my alley than a beach in the Caribbean.  I’ve always been some combination of homebody (who likes to travel) and introvert, and the lifestyle of many people in Norway seems to fit that description quite well. Houses and farms appear like magic on some of the less steep hills of the fjords, and I can’t help but want to live there for a while, away from everything and everyone else.





Friday, July 13, 2012

Hernan and Audrey.


Hernan and Audrey, 19 June 2012

From my journal that day:

"The temple continues to amaze me. Audrey and Hernan’s sealing was beautiful. I hope Grandpa can seal me as well. There are some incredible promises made. Just being in the temple with my family made tears come. I love my family."

I'm grateful for Audrey and Hernan for several reasons. They've set a good example to me as a couple, reinforcing the decisions made by my other sisters: the temple is the only place I should be married. Then, as individuals: Audrey is consistently sweet and patient and hardworking, while Hernan is service-oriented and ambitious. They'll do great things together, especially with that little bundle of joy named Niko by their side. 

Official wedding pictures (by Miriam Hermansen) are still coming, but below are some from the day and the reception (16 June) in my backyard in Maine.
Boston temple.

Corinne, Camille, Ashley, Audrey, Mom, Sam, me, Dad!
The new happy family. Isn't Niko adorable :)
I learned how to tie those bows!

Me, Niko, Corinne, Audrey, Hernan, Mom and Gwen,  Dad, Dallin and Camille, Eric, Julia, Sam, Byron and Ashley
I really just wanted the chocolate fountain, but Eric stuffing
his face is a bonus. It was delectable!


Camille's masterpiece. 
Cutting the cake.
Hernan's sister Vivi got to come all the way from Argentina!
Su hijo Benjamin era como un angel.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Catching up.


Spring Term (yes, this was a while ago)
Eight credits of A, 21 miles of Grand Canyon, and three weeks of vegan later, spring term has finally come to a surprisingly uneventful end. Here’s a description of some hi-lites:

School
I was initially worried about taking eight credits during a spring term, but I had nothing to worry about. Theories of International Relations (Pl Sc 370) turned out to be more interesting and less work than anticipated (great combination); Persuasive Writing (Eng 312) from Heidi Yates was one of my easier classes at BYU, which was fortunate because I found out six weeks into the course I didn’t actually need to take it, and it taught me an interesting new way to write (point last); Mission Preparation (Rel C 130) was really useful for helping me understand how to use Preach my Gospel more effectively, except now with the decision stated below, it won’t be as directly applicable as I had been planning. It was a good combination of classes since I didn’t sleep very much and I was out and about a lot.

Rim to Rim Grand Canyon
Over the long weekend in May for Memorial Day, Anne, Ellen, Addison and I made the trek to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon where we met up with Anne’s siblings Robert and Sage, and their friend who had just hiked up from the South Rim that day. We camped out (Ellen’s first time!) in some random windy woods and tried to get some sleep before our 4:15 wake up alarm. On the trail by 5:20, we quickly warmed up as we passed Cottonwood (6 miles in) and Phantom Ranch (14 miles in) before crossing the Black Bridge for the last 7 mile, 6,000 foot elevation increase to get back out of the Canyon. There were some tears and probably some profanity, but we all made it in one piece. I can’t talk about hiking rim to rim without mentioning the sheer magnitude of that canyon. It is beyond comprehension and despite this being my third trip there, I want to go back again next year - and maybe do it like this guy suggests. Never have I felt so happy to feel so insignificant.
Addison, Anne, Ellen, me, and Robert at the end! So fun.
Black bean burgers and
potato-pepper kebabs.

21 Day Vegan Challenge
Ellen and I took up a 21-day Vegan Challenge, which was mentioned previously but never expounded on. I lost 10 lbs and maybe started liking vegetables a little more! Also, talk about successful experiment. I went in hoping to see any difference in my energy levels; I felt great the whole diet. I may have dreamed about cheese a few times and missed out on a few hamburgers at barbecues, but all in all I don’t regret it in the least. And we got to expose all our friends do the delicious options allowed to vegans in the form of a vegan barbecue. Some of our favorite recipes were the Chai Spice Pancakes, Black Bean Chili, Mango Salsa, and Curried Tomato Lentil Soup.


Sports
I love spring term because classes are free (for me) and usually easier, everyone’s happy with the warmth (except when it’s really hot and we don’t use our AC), and ultimate intramurals are happening. My team was great this year, and despite (or because of?) my overconfidence, we didn’t even get close to a championship shirt. I also revived what little softball skills I have to play for an Orem City League team, called Hoffman Tax and Accounting. I remembered why I hadn’t put on my glove earlier than this year: I don’t like playing things I’m bad at. But I couldn’t help getting carried away by the game. It felt good to bunt it down the third base line (lucky hit, not going to lie), tag a runner out at home, and run around the bases (usually after getting walked to first; I can’t hit for beans).

Deferment
While I mention events or things I did in the above summary of spring, there was a lot happening behind the scenes. Deferment basically means I’ve decided to postpone my mission for six months, effectively pushing my MTC departure date back from July 25 to January 25. Had the thought of deferment crossed my mind before I submitted my papers at the end of March, I would not have submitted them in the first place, but such is life. The reason for my decision comes in the form of a guy named Ben Young, an outstanding young man who I’ve had the pleasure of dating since May 4. It was an unexpected and difficult decision to make, but in the process I’ve learned a lot and I’m excited to see what happens come fall semester and beyond. Unfortunately for me, Ben is spending July and August taking classes at Cambridge, but there are always lessons to be learned from long distance :) Or so I tell myself.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

The Writing Center


I wrote this post a little while ago, but just never posted it. I did like being a grammar tutor, so here’s in remembrance of when I had a job:

Being a grammar tutor has been a very interesting experience. This may be common sense—I’m good with some common sense, but not really the social kind—but I feel like all English majors are really liberal. Ok, maybe not all, but at least the loud ones.  Quotes overheard at work today (or the past few days):

“Go to h***!”
“I know C.S. Lewis is the thirteenth Apostle, but he’s really not that great.”
“Jesus is definitely a male, but because of the things he has to relate to as a god, I wouldn’t say he’s a man.”
“D*** it!”
“Would you rather know what your career was going to be or who you were going to marry?” “Career.” “Career.” “Career.” (This continued around the table. Apparently English majors are as confident in their job options as IR majors.)
“I’m late to everything. I wish I lived in Senegal.”
“Some people are leftovers from when they had different hiring standards. Like Randy Bott.”
“Let the white male with authority tell you how it’s done.”

This is my favorite book.
Also fantastic.

In any case, they are really intelligent; being able to write is a fantastic skill that I never realized was in such short supply. I credit my average writing abilities to reading over 500 books by the time I was 7. I hope love-of-reading is genetic so that I can tell all my kids to read my favorite young adult books: the Dragon’s blood series by Jane Yolen, the Merlin series by T. A. Barron, the Redwall series by Brian Jacques, any book by Tamora Pierce, the Ender series by Orson Scott Card (not going to lie, I just read those for the first time this Christmas. Best Christmas ever.) The list goes on and on. Then they can move on to the authors I like as an “adult,” like Dan Brown, John Grisham, Malcolm Gladwell, Bryce Courtney, Barbara Kingsolver, David McCullough, and so many others.

I guess what I’m trying to say is I love reading, I enjoyed being a grammar tutor, and I’m excited to teach my children how to read.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Sherlock (Spoiler Alert).


I’ve never understood why or how people get addicted to TV shows. I mean, really, reality TV is all so staged or pointless that I don’t know why anyone gives it the time of day, and all other TV just seems overly dramatic. This is related to my lack of appreciation for theater. I just don’t like fake things. There’s enough real in the world to go around, and I don’t even understand that most of the time.

That’s what I thought before I saw Sherlock. A combination of beautiful casting and a beautiful plot has made me quite the avid fan. Obsessed, frankly. There are few times when pop culture attracts me in the way Sherlock as a whole has done. There are other movies/actors I’ve liked before: I’m a pretty big fan of the Batman movies, my first time seeing Avatar was life changing, and Robert Downey Jr is an all-time favorite. My most recent obsession (besides Sherlock, which is ongoing) is Josh Hutcherson from the Hunger Games; I read his entire Wikipedia page as soon as I could after seeing the movie. And yes, blonde men have become infinitely more attractive to me since seeing him in the Hunger Games and hearing, “Come here. Please.” Alright, so this little list makes me sound obsessed with a lot of actors. But really, if you ask me what I think of most actors, I’ll either Google (I wonder when Google will become a verb that isn’t capitalized at some point because it will no longer represent the brand) them quickly or I’ll tell you straight up I don’t know who they are.

In any case, I really do love Sherlock. Moriarty seriously freaks me out; he reminds me of the Joker to hearken back to my previous favorites (if you can see a theme in things I like, feel free to point it out). Watson is adorable in an aging, loyal sort of way. But Sherlock himself, Benedict Cumberbatch, he really is just fantastic. I think I just really like smart people. Nonetheless, my love for the show did not manifest itself consciously until I cried on the way home from Maine as I watched Sherlock die and Watson hurt so much. I was so involved in the story that I couldn’t remove myself from the situation enough to not cry in the public space of an airplane. I don’t like letting my guard down like that; crying where people can see me makes me feel vulnerable. So now I know: I’m a true Sherlock fan.

I have this shirt in green. 
But I still feel like most TV shows are dumb and should never have an audience beyond the families of the actors who perform in them.

P.S.- Ellen, yes I did watch all three episodes on my travels to and from Maine. I couldn’t help myself! But notice I didn’t publish this post until you had also watched them J

Friday, April 27, 2012

Mesa, Arizona.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Going Vegan.

For the next 21 days, Ellen and I are going vegan. Call me crazy, but I'd like to think of it as a way to show self-discipline and be healthy. I'm still trying to figure out why I'm exercising so much and eating well just before the mission when I'm going to gain it all back (and more) anyways, but I try not to think about that :)

When I was home for Corinne's wedding, my mom showed me this site that had recipes for 21 days of going vegan. I was disgusted, honestly. I don't like vegetables. And I love meat. And ice cream and cheese. But I like doing hard things, and this would definitely be hard, and I've always wanted to see if eating right for an extended period of time would actually make my body perform better and my mind think more clearly. So here we are. I've been blessed with a stuffy nose so I can't really taste anything that Ellen has prepared so far (balsamic zucchini sandwich and curried lentil soup), but I'm sure I'll get really good at ignoring my gag reflex when I get well again. It's going to be a longggg 21 days. I'll post some pictures and recipes I like as we go along.

Soon-to-be blog posts: the mission (I want this one to be really good so I'm writing it in steps. It's important to me). spring term (lots of changes means I need to blog about them. Or something like that). Norway (I'm going on a cruise there this June/July, so I figure if I blog about it, that's like a mini-research project.)

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Asking me out just got that much easier.

Ellen and I have been talking about all these sweet things to do in Provo, but we think they would be so fun as dates! I mean, they would be fun with just us as well, but dating is fun. Usually. I've been on some pretty good dates lately (Stars and Stripez[why the z?], Final Cut Film Festival, planetarium), so I'm not complaining, but there are a lot of really fun and interesting things that I (and probably a lot of girls) want to get asked out to do.

 
1) Museums
  • Paleontology Museum: I love learning about dinosaurs. BYU's Paleontology Museum is nice because it's free, but it needs remodeling badly. I heard University of Utah's museum is the bomb, so I would be so down for that. It's in Salt Lake and it costs money though :(
  • Bean Museum: I also love learning about animals. I could spend (and have spent)  hours in the Bean Museum.
2) Restaurants in Provo
  • Guru's: I first went here when my good friend Jordan Rose was performing with a group; the cafe has live music every Wednesday night. Ellen and I just got sweet potato fries and enjoyed the music. So fun.
  • Spicy Corea: I love their website. My friend Herbie (now serving in Bulgaria) took me here freshman year and while I'm one of the pickiest eaters I know and therefore feel tentative of trying ethnic foods, I loved this place. Mmmm.
  • Any place with hamburgers: Call me American (or unrefined), but I love hamburgers. Any kind, anywhere. I want to try all the hamburger joints in the world.
  • Surprise me: I don't like surprises very often, but I'd rather be surprised with a restaurant being chosen for me than have my date be like, "So where do you want to go to eat!" implying he hasn't really thought this through.
3) Friday's Kids: Ellen introduced me to this; you sign up for a Friday and watch a kid with some kind of disability while his or her parents' get a date night. I've done it once and it's a really good experience. Helps you realize how good you got it, you know? Plus the kids are super sweet.

4) Anything outdoors: This includes things like hiking (I haven't hiked Bridal Veil Falls or Mt. Nebo yet), sports (favorites are ultimate and tennis), hot springs or rope swings, Just Dance, etc. I'm game for most things.

5) Miscellaneous
  • BYU events: This includes plays, concerts, you name it. The freer the better.
  • Games: Coming from a family where the only entertainment during my entire childhood was board and card games, I've become pretty adept at most of them. Favorites are nerts, bananagrams, Ticket to Ride, Up the River, Boggle, and Five Crowns. I'll try not to get too competitive.

 
I tried to give a good mix of free and not-free things. Don't think money is necessary to have a good time,  because it's not (it'sn't?). Also, don't try to combine a bunch of these into one long marathon date unless I really like you. That could get messy. I trust your judgment. Happy dating!

 
PS: I thought for .2 seconds of including a list of guys who I want to ask me out, but decided against it. Maybe next time.

Friday, April 6, 2012

First World Problems.

Over Christmas break, I went to Caitlin's lake house in Fairlee, VT and she introduced me to a youtube video called "First World Problems." It's stuck with me, partly because it's hilarious and partly because it's completely true. I've found that I can classify the majority of my problems as first world only. I don't say that as like, "Oh, I can't believe my problems are all first world, I wish I had some third world problems." It's more like a reality check: maybe I should stop being annoyed that my blind is making that tapping sound as the wind blows it through my open window; at least I don't have to scavenge for food in a dumpster in order to feed my family.

As it is, though, it can be pretty funny to say "first world problem" when either you or someone around you is freaking out about something. Some recent examples:

Kraft mac'n'cheese tastes horrible the next day.

Pencil doesn't have an eraser.

Butter doesn't go to the bottom layers of my movie popcorn.

Tupperware lid isn't airtight (or rather, liquid-tight).

One square of toilet paper left on the roll.

Hand sanitizer smell burns.

Lexis-Nexis doesn't search Wall Street Journal.

Sherlock only has two seasons.

And those were only the ones I thought of in five minutes! Now that I'm in a sufficiently pessimistic mood after searching for all the things I'm frustrated with to turn them into FWPs, let's end this on a happy note. Instead of calling problems FWPs, President Monson gives some alternate advice:

"When we encounter challenges and problems in our lives, it is often difficult for us to focus on our blessings. However, if we reach deep enough and look hard enough, we will be able to feel and recognize just how much we have been given." The Divine Gift of Gratitude

Add your own FWPs, but think about how to recognize your blessings. Peace.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Submitted.

I had my final interview with my stake president, so my papers are officially in. It was so liberating to know that my worthiness was validated by two representatives of the Lord; I was almost crying as I drove because I was just so joy-filled. I wish I had finished them earlier so that I would have had my call by the time I went home for Corinne’s wedding this past weekend; alas, it was not to be. I’ve never understood the hype about having all of everyone and their grandma around when the mission call is opened. How can anyone possibly wait to see where he or she will spend the next many months so that other people can also hear where the call is? It’s you who’s going; you can just tell them later.

Well, wait, I pride myself—yes, humility comes hard to me—on being open minded, which is honestly just the nice way to say indecisive. But really, I am open minded and have very few opinions on anything. I see this as both a good thing and a bad thing. But let me apply it to this situation.
Pros of opening mission call with friends/family: I don’t have to call everyone afterwards to tell them individually because they’re all there to open it with me! I feel loved because everyone wants to know where I’m going and made an effort to be there at the opening of my call. Friends/family feel loved by me because I’m including them in my life. It’s a good excuse for a party.
Cons of opening mission call with friends/family: I have to wait for them to gather. I have to be the center of attention. If I get called somewhere deemed unexciting by people, I have to accept their fake pity. I’d have to host a party.

You can add your own pros and cons; as for me, I actually did feel a little bad while writing the pros that my family won’t hear at the exact same second that I do where I’m going. But not bad enough to wait for them. It’s not really feasible for me anyways; the time change and the various schedules of my family would mean I would have to wait weeks for all of us to be in one place. Besides, I want to be just like Corinne, and I read her call out loud to her over the phone while she was in Ecuador.

At the end of the day, I’m just really excited to serve. People ask where I would want to go if I could pick, and due to my international interests, I would love to learn Mandarin (not a place, I’m aware), but I just want to GO. Anywhere. Perhaps initial disappointment with a Utah call, but only because I live here most of the year. People also ask (mostly close friends) how I decided to go, and God’s pattern in my life has been to let me pick. Helaman 14:30. But now that it’s so close, I only feel happy about it, so I think that’s a good indication that the mission field is where God wants me to be.