Three things

One: Mouth breathers/loud nose breather = obnoxious (yes, I do feel bad writing this, but it's the honest truth)

Two: I wish my mom would come and clean my room and do all my laundry and cook me dinner and fight all my battles for me .... even though I'm in college...

Three: Your appearance really does matter - http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/ways-your-appearance-affects-your-paycheck-535945.html?tickers=^dji%2C^gspc%2Cspy%2Cdia
veeeeeery interesting...

Monday's Musings

Sometimes the tips of my fingers go numb... and it's weird. Like when I'm on my computer a lot in a day, or when they are really really cold.

Also, I'm ready for spring... *gasp*

I don't know if I've ever said that before, especially this early in the year. Usually, I love snow and winter and everything that goes with it. But this year, I miss my shorts and flip flops and the sun.

I've always said that I would never be able to live anywhere where I couldn't ski, but I'm starting to think that was a phase. I think as long as there is something active to do, I'd be OK. I guess I'll have to move to truly learn if that is true. Or maybe it's just that I can't live without a mountain or a beach; I have to have one or the other and then I'll be happy.

In regards to last post:

Cry Baby Cookies

4 c. flour

4 t. baking soda

2 t. cloves

2 t. ginger

2 t. cinnamon

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

1.5 c. shortening (NOT BUTTER)

0.5 c. molasses

Mix wet and dry separately then combine slowly. Roll into balls and roll in sugar. Bake for 8-9 minutes at 350 degrees.

Also:

Isn't it cute?? I love it.

Lazy Sunday

Heard: Wonderful speakers, teachers (including home and visiting) talk about prophets

Felt: my testimony grow

Tasted: Enchiladas, rice, beans, cookies (choco chip and cry baby)

Touched: Fabric for a hair bow

Saw: Despicable Me ("the physical appearance of the please makes no difference" hahahaha)

Slept: In my own bed for the first time in a few days... wonderful

Missed: my sisters; all of them

Loved: my family, the gospel, the church, cry baby cookies

Photo Friday

I love my sister so much! I love visiting her and her visiting me. We have fun.

An interesting blog requires an interesting life

What makes one life to be perceived as more interesting than another?

1. Reader preference

2. Activities

3. Documentation

4. Narration

So really, only a small part of an interesting life is what you actually do; it's more about how you present it (oh, and if the reader even cares).

Now that I've figured this out, what do I do about it? And do I even really care? Of course, I want to be interesting, but that takes time.

Another problem: I never seem to remember my camera when I want it. Shoot.

Punctuation

It's there for a reason. Use it! Especially when reading out loud. And in case you need a little clarification:

pe·ri·od

n.

10. A punctuation mark ( . ) indicating a full stop, placed at the end of declarative sentences and other statements thought to be complete, and after many abbreviations.

com·ma

n.

1. Grammar A punctuation mark ( , ) used to indicate a separation of ideas or of elements within the structure of a sentence

Kryptonite

The downfall of my chocolate binge came today in the form of a chocolate-raspberry-cheesecake cupcake from the Cocoa Bean Cafe.

It was amazing.... Holy, delicious! And wholly delicious (not to be confused with wholesomely delicious, for it was nothing of the sort).

My cousin offered me a piece of dark chocolate when I got home.... and I actually said no!! I'm still stunned.

In Accordance With the Last Post

I cannot seem to curb my enthusiasm for chocolate these days! Particularly when it comes to dark. It probably stems from my enjoyment of something/someone else that is brown...

Speaking of brown: What's brown and rhymes with Snoop?

Dr. Dre! Duh!

Anyway, back to the chocolate thing. Luckily, I'm not burdened (yet) by having to watch what I eat, so it's not about watching my weight.

Then what's the problem???

Money.

Oh yes, it always comes back to that. Unfortunately, I have acquired a taste for expensive chocolate (stupid good taste, why couldn't you be satisfied with Hershey's?). What's a poor (literally, hahaha) girl to do? Luckily, we're in the midst of the post-V-day sale, so my wallet's not feeling it too badly... yet.

This is going to be a problem.

Things That I Love RIGHT NOW!

-Chocolate (dark)

-Lindsay: the cutest pseudo niece ever!

-That I always misspell niece on the first try... and sometimes the second

-Having all my lab reports for the next two weeks done

-Sunshine and mid-winter thaws

-Red coats and skinny jeans

-Kissy lips

-"I love you" 's

-Having a best friend where conversation is always easy

-Palatino Linotype

-Family

Thoughts on V Day

Why do men hate Valentine's Day?

It is because of all the pressure on them to do something special.

Why is there so much pressure and why does it all fall on the guy?

Because of the commercialization of the holiday, and.... well that's a tough one

Maybe because women are better at showing their love in general, so on the day to celebrate love, it's really time for the guy to step it up and make up for all the other times in the year when he may have fallen short. That's not to say that us women don't fall short; we definitely do, all the time.

I think it's pretty unfair, the way us women expect so much on Valentine's day. It's not about what your man can do for you; it should be about how you love each other and show it. But not competitively. As Jay Pritchett says "You can't win Valentine's day!"

But back to the commercialization thing: there's so much out there today that says you have to spend money to show love. My friend, Steve, asked me last week "Why do girls love jewelry and diamonds?" I jokingly responded "Oh, don't you know? You're love is measured by how much money you spend."

Anyway, the point of all this is: Valentine's day is unfair to men. Women, it's time to step up and do something loving for your man.

Sigh

No such luck in getting out of number three... and of course it's the worst.

I can handle it, I can.

My Great Day

Or not so great, as it were...

It started out ok, but then the dentist called. You know you're day can't be great if the dentist calls. Turns out they had a cancellation and wanted fit me in for a cleaning.

Dentist: "We have an opening for you at 10:30!"
Me: "10:30? Well... it's 9:30 now, and I'm in Provo, but I will be there as fast as I can!"

First of all, what was I thinking?? I should have just left it at "No, I won't make it in time. Thanks, anyway!" ...Stupid...

I run home from school as fast as I can, hop in my car and (of course) start speeding down the highway. And wouldn't you know it, the day that I'm late is the day when fate decides to turn against me; I got pulled over for the first time in my life!! Luckily, fate was feeling merciful and decided that I only needed a 9-over speeding ticket instead of the 15-over it should have been.

So I finally get to the dentist, 20 minutes late, of course, knowing that fate is already in a bad mood. Now, my cavity history is not the greatest; it doesn't seem to matter what I do, I will always have cavities. I remember this one time when the dentist told me I didn't have any... yeah, that was a good day...

Anyway, so it's not enough for me to just have cavities today. No, I need a potential root canal. Wait, make that two. Yeah.

They say bad things come in threes. Do you think I can count the root canals as two and be done with it? Here's hoping!

Right Now Fav's and Craves

I've seen a couple of people do fav's and craves on their blog so I thought I'd produce my own:

1. Vintage valentines are so adorable.... and politically incorrect. It's the perfect combination and I love it

2. The ingredients to a perfect love story. I want to write my own, but it's a life long process.

3. Red shoes: Sexy.

4. Fossil Posy earrings that are so cute and just the right amount of vintage.

5. The bachelor: I crave Monday nights. There are not enough episodes to satisfy me, hahaha.

6. What dancer doesn't want a pair of red pointe shoes?

7. Sister photo shoots: I've wanted one for a while. I love all my sisters!

8. Chocolate covered strawberries = best treat ever!

9. A rose of my own from my own bachelor :D

Sometime, it’s super frustrating to forget the vast number of things that manage to slip my mind. I just leaned over and saw the stack of letters that I was supposed to turn in today for a fundraiser. There are semi-important things like that, and there are not so important things like brushing my hair. And then there are the big things like assignments or deodorant. Oh, and my lab partner’s name…

The New Year has been especially bad. I think it’s the lack of schedule that plagued me during the first few weeks, and now I’m still just trying to get into habits. Eventually everything will settle down and I’ll be able to remember almost everything… no one’s perfect.

I hate the ADD in me, but at the same time, I love it. I really can’t even imagine being me without it. It makes up so much of my personality. I remember when I used to be on medication for it; it did help me to remember, but life was so boring. Thinking one thought at a time, and yes, completing one thought at a time, is a drag. I think I’d much rather be me with ADD than without.

My Cutest Little Pseudo Niece

My best friend and former roommate, Kate, had a baby last August and she is just the cutest thing ever (the baby, not the roommate; though the roommate's cute, too). I got to babysit her a couple of weeks ago. We had a blast. Ok, I had a blast and Lindsay sucked on her fingers.

Aren't her pigtails freaking adorable??? She has soo much hair, and I can't even imagine how many times a day Kate hears that. Also, she has the funniest facial expressions; I just love it.

Another thing I love: California brand Earthquake potato chips. And the best part? My grandpa bought them for me because he knows I love them :). I love my family, too.

My First Time to The Rock

Yes, that's what seasoned "Hawaiian-ers" call it: The Rock. And I can see why; it's just a rock, albeit a very beautiful one, in the middle of the ocean. It is so gorgeous there, of course, the pictures don't do it justice. Unfortunately, my picture taking was cut extremely short due to my lack of memory and overall short-sightedness (it's a long story). Anyway, this is what I have and I hope to be able to go back (soon) and get some more.

The first full day I was there, we drove about half-way around the perimeter of the island. We were staying in Ewa Beach (pronounced Eva, not like the goddess in Avatar) which is on the south side of the island, and we wanted to go visit Grandma Unga, who lives on the North side (I think). Of course, we had to stop in Haleiwa to get some shave ice from the famous Matsumoto's. Seriously, the BEST stuff I've ever had. I don't know if I'll be able to even eat the stuff here, hahaha.

Side note: that flower is real; they look exactly the same in foam, which is, I'm sure, why they sell them that way. :)

Haleiwa is absolutely gorgeous and pretty much the quintessential Hawaiian town. So, of course, it was packed with tourists, hahaha.

I felt somewhat legitimized because I was with a native, but still couldn't do anything about my blonde hair or white skin. Though I never felt more out of place than when we were at the little hole-in-the-wall Korean BBQ place right after I got off the plane. We were eating with a couple of Thomas's brothers, and his nieces and nephew; the waitress served our food and gave everyone chop-sticks.... except me.... I got a fork. I immediately started laughing, as did everyone else, but they made me eat with the fork, anyway. For the rest of the trip, Thomas made a joke out of pointing out all the white people that we saw.

Much of the trip was spent at the beach, although we never did stay long enough for me to need more than one application of sunscreen. And, I'm proud to report, I only got burned a little bit, on my back, on the last day at the beach. Good for me!

The waves were HUGE!!! So big, that somedays, they wouldn't even let me in the water. Which I was ok with; I had no interest in being swept away from this beautiful island. The person in the picture isn't anyone I know, but I had to get a perspective on the wave. This wasn't even one of the bigger ones.

Thomas spent most of the time in the water. He bought a body board as a Christmas gift to himself, so he had to break it in. Don't worry, he's not flipping me off; he's flashing the shaka. Duh.

On one of the last days there, we took the time to again drive all the way around the island. It took us about 4 hours, but that was because we hit the evening traffic coming out of Honolulu (it's seriously only that big). On the way, though, we saw beautiful beaches, mountains, rock formations, flowers, cities, towns, everything. This picture was taken at the top of a pass moving from the east side of the island down to the south.

I love the whole look of O'ahu, and I love that I got to see it with someone who knows the island, someone who could tell me why an entire town was built on stilts (it's for when there are tsunamis) and who knew where the 7-11's were (for ibuprofen) and who could drive us to the north shore without a GPS (ok, not that hard, there's only 1 real road) and point to all the swells and give them names (which is quite a feat). It was truly an amazing experience and I'm so happy that I got to go. It's totally worth being broke!