So. . .are you married?

My brother just called me because my father got a call/message (I'm not sure which) asking for my husband. He wanted to know what was going on.

Random Rant

I don't think the words "sneaky" or "devious" are synonymous with "innocent."

I'm just saying.

Freak Gasoline-Fight Accidents

**edit** Here is the other side of the tale. BE WARNED. It is extremely hilarious!

We're told to serve our fellow-men and be grateful. This would mean that, if someone serves you, you should repay them with kindness or somehow compensate them, don't you think? Not have to wrestle them against their own car to try and put a debit card into the slot? Or not have to hit "cancel" every time they tried to purchase gas with their own card? Or SOMETHING?

Someone is going to get some cash put where they don't want it and they're going to like it. Dang it.


**EDIT** I have found two bruises and a scratch on my right hand.

**EDIT AGAIN** I have found two bruises on my left elbow.

**EDIT, pt. 3** I have found a bruise on my right elbow. :)

Jam Session

I just spent the last two and a half hours playing music with my dad. And by "playing music" I mean being hopelessly less musical than my dad by holding a guitar and trying to pick out chords (I still remember Am, Em, F, C, D, G and that other one. . .) and singing while my dad alternated between the mandolin ("Losing My Religion" by REM and "Walk On" by John Hiatt were pretty tight) and stealing the guitar I was using. Also, I currently sound like a frog (huzzah illness), which will make the recording my mom took (which I didn't notice until who knows how far into it) sound pretty funny. In the future. :D

¡Chanchito!

Has anyone else noticed that I've blogged a *ton* while I've been away from Utah? Because I've actually been holding back. I think I'm getting addicted. . .

Anyway, I just wanted to show why we call my nephew "Chanchito." Well, one of the reasons, anyway. :)

**edit** I had to add another one! :D

A funny thing happened on the way to the bathroom. . .

"Your mom."

"No, your mom."

"No, your mom."

"No, your mom."

As said by two of my brothers (who definitely have the same mother. . .)

Comfort food

Things my father has taught me how to make, from scratch, so far this holiday:

1) pot stickers
2) rainbow icebox dessert
3) General Tsao's chicken
4) ají de gallina
**edit**
5) papas huancaínas
6) chicha morena

And there is always tonight and tomorrow. :D

Sound advice from my abuelita:

"Don't forget your mami. Don't forget your father. When the end of the world comes, they are the two people who are most important."

I think what made it even more poignant was the fact that my Spanish-speaking, Peruvian-native abuelita said that entire quote in English.

Que triste!

The one thing sadder than not being able to have two guitars set up for Rock Band is your dad telling you you've "already played it too much." Frankly, six hours yesterday and two hours this morning was *not* enough. *sigh*

I wish you a very. . .

Merry Christmas everyone!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 12

Hearing my niece call me "chicha" and being able to hold my nephew and niece in each arm and give my brothers more hugs than they want and discuss music with my father and go shopping with my mother and stuff my face with good, homemade food that I can bear and laugh with my sister and a million other things--that is why I love Christmas!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 11

My mother comes from a Catholic family (for those of you who don't know, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and was raised to create huge, elaborate nativities. That means that each year we have a nativity set up in the corner of the living room with a giant hill and the shepherds, wise men and angels traveling to see the Christchild. She also collects nativities which means you can't go anywhere in our house without being reminded of who and what we are celebrating this holiday season. I'm grateful for all the symbolism and want to share a beautiful painting with you. Merry Christmas!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 10

My favorite "random" or "twisted" traditions involve two VHS cassette tapes. Both are watched each year and both bring more joy to my family than most other things this season. The first is a recording of "A Claymation Christmas" which involves a lot of clay creatures running around, singing Christmas carols (my favorite skits being a soulful rendition of "We Three Kings" and a rather hilarious performance of "Carol of the Bells"). The second is a home movie from Christmas of 1993. My brother (who was one and a half at the time) had eaten a couple of pounds of sausage the night before at the ward Christmas party. The next morning was spent lugging him around, trying to console him. An. . .interesting thing happened, and Dad happened to catch it on tape. This part of the film is watched over and over and over, in regular speed, by pause-by-pause frames, in reverse, etc. It makes my dad laugh each time. :)

12 Days of Christmas - Day 9

The tradition in our family is for the boys to cook. Fortunately (for whoever I end up marrying) I cheated and helped my dad bake and cook a lot. Some of my favorite memories take place in the kitchen--usually with flour, cocoa powder, and a million, billion cookies.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 8

When I was five or six years old my dad's parents sent us the most amazing audio cassette of my life. They took turns introducing songs and other snippets to us. My two favorite parts of that recording was my grandma telling the story of how she had to memorize "T'was the Night Before Christmas" in elementary school (and then reciting it for us) and my grandpa saying that, even though my grandma didn't like the song, he was going to include "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" on our tape (which is still a huge family favorite). I miss them.

Christmas Dragon

Once upon a time there was a girl who wanted a dragon for Christmas. Luckily, her good friends and neighbors were skilled in the dying art of snow sculpting. One day, as she came home from work, she saw them carrying tubs of snow to the corner in front of her house. A bit of hope fluttered inside her but she didn't let it express itself as she returned to her apartment. Hours went by and, in the shadows of the brick building, a creature slowly emerged from snow.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 7

I love presents! Giving presents is the best thing ever, especially when you find people that really need something. Hooray for gift giving! :)

12 Days of Christmas - Day 6

I love Christmas cards! They bring so much joy! Also, they're really fun to make. Here are some that I found on the web and fell in love with:

Random Blurbs

Today's Song of the Day: "Diary of Jane" by Breaking Benjamin. It's in my head and not leaving anytime soon.

Today's Worry: I have to drive home because it was snowing so hard this morning I didn't want to walk to work.

Today's Wish: That four o'clock will come quickly and the sun will have been out for a couple of hours at that point.

Today's Awesome Moment: Spelling onomatopoeia correctly on the first try.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 5

Lol, I obviously fail at posting something daily. :D But, hey, I like Christmas. In fact, today I just wanted to iterate something I mentioned in FHE last night: my family has some pretty frawesome traditions. I mean, at midnight on Christmas Eve we go around drinking Peruvian hot chocolate and eating panetón and wishing each other a Merry Christmas and then open one present from each other (one gift total, must be from an immediate family member). I think it's one of my favorites (even though I don't like panetón!)

12 Days of Christmas - Day 4

So, this one time, my parents totally rocked at being Santa. I mean, I know I stopped believing at some point (eight? Nine?) and I kept quiet and played along for the younger siblings but I didn't actually catch them until I was nineteen years old. Nineteen! I mean, who is that good your entire life? I'd already been gone to college for a while at this point but I had never seen my dad eating cookies or my mom taking presents from their closet to under the tree. Seriously. It caught me off-guard to walk upstairs that fateful Christmas and see my parents quickly and quietly placing gifts in our stockings.


I hope I'm that awesome when I have kids. :D

Why tickling is of the devil:

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? I can't even bend my leg right now . . . (and it looks this wonderful even *after* icing it until 3 am)

12 Days of Christmas - Day 3

Music is a powerful thing. It's actually one of my favorite things in the world. Especially when it has a purpose.

This evening, I was able to attend and participate in the BYU 14th Stake Choirside. It is a tradition where all the ward choirs prepare a piece and sings it for the rest of the stake. This year, my ward sang "Silent Night" which has, unfortunately, gathered quite the not-so-good reputation in my book. However, something about this version just made it feel all the more special. I really thought about the words, we were accompanied by a violin and cello (which has to be one of my favorite instruments in the world) which added so much more depth to the piece and I could tell that other members of the choir really understood the message that Christ was born for us, He lived for us and He died for us so that we could be together again.

Good music can change everything for the better and I hope that you, dear readers, let it.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 2

I am grateful for friends at Christmas. I love my friends. I do apologize that I seldom seem to have time to be as kind to people around me as they are to me, but I'm so grateful that my friends forgive me and are willing to accept my pittance in return for their grandeur. Thank you!

Salsa!

Last night I went Salsa dancing and I'm fairly sure I won't be satisfied unless I go at least three times next semester.

It. Was. Amazing.

First of all, I was able to go with some of my dearest friends. They were all really good sports about it, too; they learned the steps and were creative while we were on the dance floor. The music was frawesome. I even called my mother at one point to share the awe and majesty of it all and I think I kind of floored her ("you're WHERE?!" was the response, I believe). Plus, I love dancing. There is something about being in a dark room with loud beats and everyone is unified in the movement. Don't ask, I don't know. But dancing is amazing.

Perks: I get to put this on my application.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 1

Although I will probably still post really random notes (like I love to do), I've decided that, for the 12 days before Christmas, I would share memories, traditions, or things that I especially love about the Christmas season on this here blog.

On the First Day of Christmas:

I think my absolutely favorite thing about Christmas is that it is the one time of year that I *know* I will get to be with my immediate family. We move a ton, I've been out-of-state for most of this decade, but, come Christmastime, I know I get to hang out with some of the coolest people ever. And, just to prove it, here are some pictures from Christmases past:

All five kids, for the last time, for two years. I mean, it's all about precious moments, right?

Mi mamá y mi papá.

Aren't we adorable?!

(This is my secret love of Christmas: being around crazy people that are just. Like. Me.)

More of us being adorable!

My parents pretty much rock. I'm sad that I don't get to see them all that often but am grateful for phones, cameras, e-mails and other things that help us keep in touch and that help aid my not-so-hot memory.

These are a few of my favorite things. . .

Right now, kid-sized Frosty's are totally for the win. :D

Napping and kidnapping

I must be getting sick. I mean, how else can you explain a nine-hour night of sleep + 2 20 minute naps--all before 4 pm? And still being absolutely exhausted?

Also, apparently there is a secret vendetta against my cell phone. Interesting.

P.S. I added another song. :D

Music makes the world go 'round!

I have a friend named Diane. She's adorable. *waves* And this one time, she posted a list of songs that remind her of people. "What a fantastic idea!" I thought to myself. "I should do that at some point when I'm not at work. It'll be fun to see what songs remind me of which people."

Well, unfortunately, 99% of my Internet time is spent at work so that idea had to get thrown out the window if I was going to do this at all. Also, I'll have to update it (frequently) as I think of more and more songs that I'd like to add that remind me of people. So I'll just start with the basics, and I hope you enjoy yourself.

Are You Gonna Be My Girl? - Jet: Paul Mann, in a salsa dancing outfit, with a mic
Bad Day - Daniel Powter: Trisha C.
Dancing Queen - ABBA: Marcie, Stephanie, and Shanna
Potential Breakup Song - Aly & AJ: Hilary L.
In the End - Linkin Park: Mary C. (it's even scrapbooked!)
Last Stop, This Town - Eels: Kari S.
Madame Guillotine - Scarlet Pimpernel: Neil H.
My Humps - Black Eyed Peas: Kevin C.
Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) - Pet Shop Boys: Emily N.
Red Sweater - Aquabats: Nathan W.
Run to the Hills - IronMaiden: Kristen K.
Seven - Vagiant: Michelle C. (thanks to Rock Band!)
Sirena - Sin Bandera: Clark E. (don't worry, Paramore and Coldplay also remind me of you)
She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby: Brian B. (thanks to Halloween of '99)
Tainted Love - Soft Cell: Janae H.
The Girl All the Bad Guys Want - Bowling for Soup: Kendel C. (thanks to our remake)
Where Do You Go? - La Bouche: my brother Daniel
White & Nerdy - Weird Al Yankovich: Garret P.

Mondays. . .

*groan*

It just started snowing. Shoot.

**edit**
I just whammed my hand into a wooden railing. My knuckles are currently red and purple.

On the way to CostCo, I saw a man in a Santa suit and beard, weaving his motorcycle between the cars on University Parkway. It was awesome!

Applications

You know those totally random conversations that will get you in trouble later in life (you know, two days in the future) because you have *no* idea how much lack of sleep/too much sugar really affects your thought-process?

They're my favorite. :D

Just walk in another man's shoes, is all. . .

To quote a song: "The songs you grow to like never stick at first." Take, for example, the single "Crush" by David Archuleta. Now, I did watch the last season of American Idol (and was entertained by most of the singers) but I wasn't such a fan of the songs that were released by either of the Davids. Quite frankly, I would always change the station if either came on the radio. But today, for some reason, I didn't. And I actually paid attention to the lyrics. And here they are, before I continue:

"I hung up the phone tonight
Something happened for the first time
Deep inside it was a rush
What a rush
'Cause the possibility that you would ever
Feel the same way
About me it's just too much
(Just too much)
Why do I keep running from the truth
All I ever think about is you
You got me hypnotized
So mesmerized
And I just got to know

CHORUS:
Do you ever think when you're all alone
All that we can be where this can go
Am I crazy or falling in love
Is it really just another crush

Do you catch a breath when I look at you
Are you holding back like the way you do
'Cause I'm trying, tryin to walk away
But I know this crush ain't goin' away

Has it ever crossed your mind
When were hangin' spending time girl
Are we just friends is there more
Is there more
See it's a chance we've gotta take
Cause I believe that we can
Make this into something
That will last, last forever
Forever

CHORUS

Why do I keep running from the truth
All I ever think about is you
You got me hypnotized
So mesmerized
And I just got to know

CHORUS"

And I got to thinking, "wow. I actually know what this feels like. How often have I really liked someone and not known how they felt about me so I'd do most of what this song says? You know, like holding back or try to walk away, etc.?" And that is how, in less than three minutes, this song became one of my favorites, even though it's cheesy pop-rock and sung by a 17-year-old American Idol finalist. I don't care. It's how I feel.

I'd rather sleep, thanks.

I have to work Thursday night. I think it's time to break out the bubble wrap that I saved. :(

How many roads must a man walk down?

How is Rock Band supposed to fix a broken heart when it's the cause of my sorrow?

RIP Beepy?

Oh, my poor, dear, sweet Beepy. He's definitely seen better days. However, very few match the blackness of today (and I can say this because he's given me many false deaths before).

I think watching him die on Friday, bringing him momentarily to life, and not being able to start him for the rest of the weekend, though, counts as pretty much dead. For now. I'll try once more a little later in the mid-morning. Then I'll hire the caterer.

George Frideric Handel is a freakin' genius

I think my title says it all. :D

I giggle. A lot.

Some things make me smile. Other make me laugh.

And some things leave me gasping for air.

Thanksgiving!

I have leftover mashed potatoes and gravy. I'm happy.

Also, I love ABBA for Thanksgiving. Huzzah for new traditions!

"That was totally WICKED!"

Holy. Crap.

If you see tickets for Coldplay and they're less than $100, GO FOR IT. Seriously. This is not a joke. They're totally worth seeing for whatever amount you can get the tickets for. They're good performers, good musicians, and FANTASTIC people. I can't even begin to say how amazing my experience at that concert was. Granted, the opening band (the one I saw, at least) was about the weirdest, trippiest Alice-in-Wonderland experience I've ever had, but Coldplay more than made up for that guy.

Here we are with one of our tickets:


And here's our good friend Christopher Martin on the big screen. *heart!*


(Thanks to Emily's sister Alie for the previous two photos!)

The line up for the evening:
Blue Danube Waltz (and as soon as that ended, the lights fell and everyone in the crowd screamed their heads off).
Life in Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Speed of Sound
Cemeteries of London
42
FIX YOU

Strawberry Swing
God Put a Smile Upon Your Face
The Hardest Part
Viva La Vida
Lost!
The Scientist
Death Will Never Conquer
Viva Mash-up Interlude
Politik
Lovers in Japan
Death and All His Friends
Encore: Yellow
Life in Technicolor (as going away music)

Clark is never too tired to make this face. Or the Look (which, thankfully, he didn't use on me all night long. Huzzah!)
We're really tired and really lost but we still have a smile on our face!
I will definitely write more later (like, when I'm not at work) but I just can't get over how much fun that concert was and how much I truly love good music!

I can't believe. . .

. . .that I thought the movie *might* redeem itself. You'd figure after 15 years of disappointing book-to-movie adaptations a girl would learn. However, with the material the screenwriters were given, I suppose they did a halfway decent job.

**SPOILERS**

Maybe I should have entered that as my title? Because, frankly, I'm just going to have at it.

For those of you who have read the book, expect to find the movie veer off course within the first five minutes. What? You knew who as a child? Granted, this is nowhere near the infamous "Ella Enchanted" level (oh, you know what I'm talking about). However, I did find myself thinking "wow, that bit came from out of the blue" and "why are you in love after ten minutes of him stalking you?"

We're not even going to talk about the acting. No, I take that back. People make fun of David Duchovny
all the time for his monotone. Well, Kristen Stewart is definitely trying to steal the spotlight. Especially because she is giving good people who have man-voices bad names.

The general movie experience was lovely (I was actually sitting in a cushioned seat starting at quarter to ten) with the exception of *squee!ing* fangirls sending out their signal every time a) Jacob appeared or b) Edward leaned but, hey, it's opening night. I can handle that kind of stuff.

Two plusses in the movie's favor: There was *almost* no physical romance. Until the one scene listed below. But, hey, on DVD, it'll be awesome. The other? Bella isn't a freakin' whiny, idiot. She actually comes up with conclusions and keeps her complaints to herself. Huzzah.

Girls: Now that I've lowered your expectations, expect a cheesy comedy. Don't take your 9-year-old sister.
Boys: Take dark sunglasses and enjoy your $8.50 nap

Favorite scene: the baseball game, with Muse as background music
Cheesiest scene/best LOL moment: "Remember who you are" as murder tries to take place
Most uncomfortable scene: Bella's room, halfway through the film
Best part of the night: seeing the Harry Potter 6 trailer on the big screen!

*This post may be subject to editing, as it is after 3 in the morning and my recollection is not top-notch right now. Oh, and for those of you wondering, nothing happens at the end of the credits. Leave as soon as you see water. Unless you want to see which person played which instrument in the orchestra. Yeah, you heard me. It was pretty frawesome.

I *heart* Star Wars

My completely random post of the day is selfish. It's so I will always have a link to something awesome. That is all. :)

Music is a happy thing!

Music is so very, very happy-making (if I may borrow the phrase-o-logy from Scott Westerfeld). Especially when it's a long day at work and I am bored out of my mind (hence my awesome hyper-link madness).

I especially enjoy when I hear a song for the first time and think to myself "wow, that song is amazing! I wonder who sings it?" and later find out that it's totally someone I know and love already!

Speaking of music, I'm so excited for the concert this Saturday! I will get to see one of my favorite bands (which I've been able to do before on more than one occasion) and I'll get to see them with two of my favorite people.

I. Can't. Wait!

I'm no peach

Has anyone else ever been poked into submission? I came *this close* to finally giving in to someone else's demands since I had just been poked for at least five minutes straight in the same spot on my arm.

I can't believe peer pressure almost won. Good thing I don't bruise easily. ;)

We need a title!

I have the sudden urge to blog. A lot. I have no idea what brought this on. I don't write in journals or diaries or even in "regular life" very often. However, there *is* something nice about being able to say "yeah, that clever clump of words down there? My brain came up with that."

Mmm. . .and that's where my creativity ends. :D

Tagging is as tagging does

I got tagged. Huzzah?

5 things I was doing 10 years ago
1. I was in high school.
2. I did marching band!
3. I had my first Church dance (which was right after my first scripture chase tournament!)
4. Seventh period science
5. Participating in Honors Band, huzzah!

5 things on my to-do list
1. Get out of here!
2. Finish my parent's family calendar
3. Send my sister her (very late) birthday present and money for X-Files
4. Write my missionary brother
5. Clean my room

5 snacks I enjoy
1. Bacon
2. Anything with chocolate
3. Day's Market Spinach dip with crackers
4. Seven-layer dip
5. Homemade chocolate chip cookies

5 things I would do if I was a millionaire
1. Pay off my (stupid) loans
2. Buy a new car (one that actually ran in the winter)
3. Give a lot of it to the Church (temple funds, PEF, etc.)
4. Put some in savings
5. Buy a not-piece-of-crap phone. :D

5 places I've lived
1. Provo, UT
2. Alamosa, CO
3. Jefferson City, MO
4. Lajas, Puerto Rico
5. Urbana, IL

5 jobs I've had
1. Nuvont
2. Bakery Manager at Creamery on Ninth
3. Substitute teacher
4. cashier at KFC
5. paper carrier

4 things I'm passionate about ("What am I *not* passionate about?!")
1. Mi familia!
2. The Gospel!
3. American history!
4. Harry Potter!

4 things I say often
1. "Holy Hannah!"
2. "Holy junk!"
3. "Lol" (only on the Internet, I swear)
4. "Pues. . ."

4 things I want to do before I die
1. Go to Peru with my mom.
2. Um, cheesy, but get married and have kids. :D
3. Have time to bake and cook a ton!
4. Learn better Spanish and be able to have a decent conversation with my mother's side of the family.

4 things I want/need
1. A hair cut (amen, Catie!)
2. A hug (several, actually)
3. To get off the phone with this customer
4. Coldplay to be freakin' amazing this Saturday!

4 places I want to see/visit
1. Peru (I'd take my mom)
2. Ireland, Scotland and Great Britain (I'd take Emily)
3. New York City (I don't know who I'd take, but it'll be awesome anyway!)
4. Philadelphia/Boston (yes, everyone says it's crap but I want to see the historical landmarks!)

How about 4 TV shows I've enjoyed in the past 3 years
1. Pushing Daisies
2. Mythbusters
3. Good Eats
4. So You Think You Can Dance

4 things you don't know about me
1. I have no idea what to do with my life
2. I really hate moving. Like, with a fiery passion.
3. I hate people that talk during movies but love talking during them myself. (Yeah, weird.)
4. I love learning about people's dilemmas but don't think I do a very good job at helping them "fix" them.

I tag:
Jennifer
Diane
Katrina

The crazy lady says "what?!"

I've decided that Monday mornings aren't of the devil.

I know, I know, shocking. But this morning seemed to go all right (I was able to figure out where the Cannery in Lindon was, after all) and then got to do some hanging out and eat good food. And take a nap. And anytime I can take a nap is a good time.

But mostly because I got to use the ginormous (and powerful) water-spray-hose thing. *melt*

Serving (again!)

Today was a busy, busy day because not only was there a ward service project and a ward Thanksgiving dinner. The service project was really fun because we got to write notes and letters to missionaries and servicemen from our ward. I was surprised at how many of the names I recognized and how little I had thought of them in the last years (or so). Hopefully I'll do better at remembering those who are out sacrificing and serving for our country and our Lord.

Holy Hannah!

This post started out as a normal, level-headed blurb.

Then I got a notification on my Facebook that a new Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Trailer was released.

Pandemonium ensued when I couldn't find my headphones for *twenty minutes.* Blessed relief followed it up one and a half minutes later. I'm still all sorts of jazzed about it!




http://wbads-10.vo.llnwd.net/e1/wbmovies/halfbloodprince/trailer/Champion_D_med.mov

Get me out!

My friend Catie said that "today is dragging by, like a pixie in lead platform shoes" and I couldn't agree with her more. This week will be quite insane, but the days seem to tease me. I always look wait impatiently for 5 o'clock to roll around so I can go home and do random happy things (like Treat Night, a concert, movies with friends, etc.)

And, as a side note, Rock Band once a week just isn't enough.

Election Day

I voted! That is today's greatest joy!

Nothing and, yet, everything!

I don't understand how so much can be going on in my life and yet I have nothing to write in this blog about.

Although I *will* write that on Friday our stake had a Halloween Dance/party and it was ridiculously fun to get dressed up and help others get there, too. :D

For example:
I don't know if you can tell, but he's supposed to be Brendan Flowers from the Killers. And he has a fohawk, which took, like, twenty minutes to do. It was frawesome. I'll post more pictures later. Maybe.

Weekends suck

Sometimes life kicks you in the seat of your pants and all you can really do is say "I need some Rock Band!"

Serve, serve, serve! (But not the tennis kind)

Service is just about the most amazing thing ever. It's rewarding for everyone!

And, just in case certain people read this, that's all I'll say about that. :D

My sister is more awesome than your sister (for now)

Today was harder than most. I have some friends struggling and some lady rear-ended me, among several other things this week. I'd been fighting back tears for several hours and, after some comments made to me, they finally spilled over as I walked to my car for solace. Luckily, I have an amazing little sister who was willing to text comforting words to me while I debating on whether or not to just sleep in my car.

She's the best, and I can never express to her how much I appreciate and love her. (And, thankfully, I decided to come to bed.)

This was the Sunday of awesomeness!

This weekend was ridiculous. I was asked to give a talk in my ward and it was to be based on "The Gospel of Jesus Christ," a talk given by Elder L. Tom Perry in the April 2008 General Conference. It discusses the recipe for eternal life and I was to focus on the second step, repentance.

I loved preparing it.

Sure, it was crazy trying to find material and make it flow halfway decently, and I'm an easily stressed out person, but I loved reading a ridiculous amount of Church stuff--scriptures, General Conference talks, Ensign articles, etc. Especially on Saturday, when it's pretty much all I did. As well as the General Relief Society Broadcast. Oh. My. Gosh. I think I'll post my notes on here, someday. I am truly blessed to be a latter-day woman.

Anyway, then Sunday hit and it turned out that my talk had to do with the Sunday School lesson (Helaman 13 - 16) *and* the Relief Society lesson (Teachings for our Times--she picked "The Gospel of Jesus Christ"). I heard the quotes and scriptures so many times this weekend that I really want to put everything into action, just like our Stake theme is asking us to--I will obey, I can obey. :D

Not only do I overcomplicate life but life overcomplicates me.

Once upon a time (aka high school) I made the comment that my life was a soap opera and figured I could make a ton of money if I sold the rights to my life to some television company.

This past weekend, the sequel was released.

I'm doomed to spend the rest of my life in a 14-year-old world.

Like a sheep in the night

You know those days where you're thinking to yourself, when did my life get so crazy?

Yeah. Today is that day.

Ward directory. . .of doom!

So. . .this one time I complained that I didn't have enough to do with my church calling.

Then they put me in charge of the Ward Directory.

And then, this one time, at 7 in the morning. . .

Yesterday morning, my phone (alarm) fell between the two beds. When the alarm went off, I got out of bed, since I couldn't actually reach my phone (my bed is about three feet off the ground) and tried to reach for it through some cinder blocks. Unfortunately, it was dark, I was tired and without glasses, and I proceeded to ram my face into the metal bed frame.

The picture doesn't really do justice to the tenderness my face feels, considering I wear glasses. Also, there is a fine red line where my cheek met with the edge of the frame. And my eyes, which already had a blue-ish hue to them, now have one blue-ishly hued circle while the other is slowly turning a pond-green.

Huzzah.

Ward Directory pictures!

We needed to take roommate pictures for our ward directory. Here are some of my favorites!





Becca and her tambourine!
















I was making a face because they told me to do something and I felt silly.

Also, there is a random shot of all of us getting ready for the shoot!







Michelle, looking totally adorable!










More group shots of everyone! (My personal favorite is the one where I'm *not* doing the peace sign, lol.)

Would you like some stress with that?

I've been the ward librarian since early July of 2005 (which means I've celebrated having this calling for over three years now!) This year, however, they decided to expand the duties of the librarian and gave me my own roommate as an assistant. Hooray! The extra duties? PLANNING THE WARD DIRECTORY. Holy Hannah! I can't begin to describe how difficult it is to coordinate taking pictures for 200 people and trying to make it look good. I gave the ward today as a deadline and I am still missing more than 50% of the people for this thing.

Have I ever mentioned that I'm an easily stressed out kind of person?

I've made announcements in the ward bulletin, during ward prayer, in Elder's Quorum and Relief Society and posted fliers on individual's doors. And still, I'm missing so many photos. I really hope that everyone takes this deadline to heart but I'm really worried that this thing won't be out anywhere near on time.

Crying cleanses the soul, right?

Thunderstorms a-comin'!

I love thunderstorms. Especially when they've lasted all weekend. I wish my camera were good at taking stormy pictures but, since it's not, I'll just steal other people's.

Updated blog, what?

I finally figured out how to add blogs that I read over on my right. Hooray for being (not) tech-savvy! Also, for being able to make this thing slightly more full-looking. And, hey, I just realized this is a blog post ONE DAY after my previous post!

Also, you see the link that says "Neil"? You should go to his blog because he has some amazingly gorgeous pictures on there. And remember to take a tissue with you because you might drool a little.

Variety of talents

So, this one time, I thought I updated my blog with a sweet video of what my friends and I did for a ward variety show. However, it seems that it did not save. So I'll just have to say it was really fun, I still feel like a complete nerd and you should go to youtube.com and watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9gqvP0UkpY

The end.

PS This is a video I helped film about a friend of mine. Hooray! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQEw8-KNKHs

Variety shows are awesome

I can't believe we actually did it. I'm so proud of everyone! Also, I feel like an idiot. But in a good way. Enjoy!

This one time, I remembered how much athletic events scare the heck outta me.

Last night, our ward attending an Owlz game. At one point, the umpire made what could have been a bad call (which made it so the home team lost a run). I wasn't right in front of the home plate, but I did see the runner struggling to actually touch the base. Also, the catcher was sort of on top of it (is that against the rules?) which might have infuriated fans further. As soon as the ump said "out!" the entire field blew up. Some random guy on my left had a vein popping from his neck he was chewing the ump out so bad. Even my friends in the ward were yelling their heads off, calling for blood.

Literary villains don't scare me anywhere near as much.

Idiocy is its own reward.

For example, I have always been known as an over-exuberant kind of person. Normally this is a good thing: I have plenty of energy to run around with students/nieces/nephews, or be pick up the pace at a dance party. However, last night, I found a dark side to my peppiness. Discovering that I was clever enough to link an actor to two different medias, I did a celebratory dance which involved jumping up and down. On the edge of a sidewalk (that part was unintentional). Of course, coming down I totally rolled my ankle (or something) and lay on the sidewalk with two of my roommates looking on. The three of us laughed (because we all know I'm ridiculous) and I was finally able to hobble upstairs to my apartment.

Lesson learned: roll ankle when I'm already up the three flights of stairs so it doesn't take freakin' forever to get home.

I really should be working right now (I have 4 people on hold) but I had to share the fact that I'm wearing my awesome orange plaid shorts today but they *keep falling off.* That's what I get for forgetting to let them shrink a little in the dryer. Oh, and that picture is of me and Clinton being weird "twins"--his idea

Oops. Apparently I haven't updated in a while. There's still not much to say although I *am* in the middle of reading "Breaking Dawn" which is pretty fabulous. Which means I'm going to get back to it.

When everything falls apart, it all gets better

Yesterday was one of those trivial roller-coaster days. I mean, I had most of the day off (good) and Rock Band Track Pack no. 1 was finally released (good) and I spent a lot of time with Kristen (always really good) and smear some windows (always really fun). However, I also got a call saying "my car is broken, we're going to need to figure out another way up to SLC for the Batman movie (not good). Then I got to play Rock Band (fabulously good) and watch SYTYCD (also nice) but never got back in touch with my ride (bad) who also happened to have my ticket for the show (especially bad because it meant that it didn't matter if I found another ride, I didn't have a way into the theater). During all this, the guy I'm supposed to go out with on Saturday (no good or bad assessment yet) accused me of lying because I had told him I couldn't play a game because I was leaving to see a movie (bad--especially for him because you don't go around *saying* that to people you barely know).

I went to bed not knowing what happens in the new Batman movie.

This morning the guy made up for himself by offering to take me to Dark Knight on Saturday instead of what our original plans were because I finally got it through his thick skull that calling me a liar wasn't the way to win my heart. Dork. (Oh, yeah, that would be a good thing). Then my friend told me she had bought me tickets to see Mamma Mia! tonight and insisted I not reimburse her. Which was very sweet of her.

Moral of the story: 1) don't call girls you're taking out liars and 2) even if you think life sucks, it doesn't. Nice stuff will happen, if you're patient.

Customer Service

I think my least favorite phrase right now is "I know it's not your fault, but. . ."

This phrase completely negates itself. In fact, you should have stopped at "fault." No, it isn't my fault. No, I can't fix it. No, I can't make the people whose fault it actually is fix it. There is nothing to be done so please stop yelling at me.

At least when I was at Wal*Mart on Monday night to pick up the new Rock Band (which doesn't exist in UT county as of right now) with my friends and the employee was telling us he didn't know where it was we didn't blame him. On the downside, he kind of blamed us.

Everyone in this world should have to work a customer service job for at least 3 months. And "renew" their "I've experienced the crappiest of crappy experience" license every 5 years. Then maybe peace and goodwill could exist between us all.

Stalkers

So, I know guys are supposed to go out on a lot of dates (at least one a week) and, ideally, they should be going on dates with a lot of different girls. I understand that this is slightly more difficult when your main choices live in exactly 12 apartments, with 6 girls in each one. BUT, wouldn't you agree that, while someone is pursuing he should choose people that aren't in the same apartment? Or, at the very least, not use one roommate to get through the other while flirting with the first roommate? Does this even make any sense? Because I don't understand the thought process behind it at all. And I feel used. Not used in a bad way, I suppose, since it's mildly flattering that he's going after me, but it completely puts me off that he's trying to get to my roommate too AND he's using me (while flirting) to find out her schedule and other little things so he can get in touch with her.

I don't know about you but I vote that if you're going to have dates with different girls each week you should probably choose girls from different apartments to go back to back, even if you're interested in two from the same apartment.

Also, you should use one girl you're dating to hit on the other girl you're trying to date.

Or am I crazy?

More pictures of my adorable nephew

I like his hat. It's the one the hospital gave to him!

Nicoel was holding him trying to get him to relax and he started to stick his tongue out. What a cutie!

Growing up

My mother decided to interview me this evening, asking where I was going with my life and if things (namely a social life) were interfering with what was important. I gave a slightly blank stare (okay, it was probably extremely pointed, one of those looks that says "everyone is listening, please don't go where I think you're going with this") but to no avail. She proceeded to ask if I was doing things to prepare to become a wife and mother. And, to make it slightly more awkward in front of my poor father, included "are you dating?" as a part of this conversation. I understand that Mom is concerned, etc. but that doesn't make life easier when she asks about if I'm learning to cook meals (I've stayed alive the last several years, have I not?) and gone out on dates (well, it depends on if you're counting "going out on dates with guys that you're not remotely interested in" as dating). I let her know that yes, I can take care of myself and, on several occasions, I have cared for others and I also go on dates.

I don't even know why I'm posting this on the Internet, although it gives me some comfort that only friends are really allowed to access this (or would even think of doing so). I mean, what else can you say to your parents about being 24 and unmarried? "I'm sorry I've failed and that my next youngest sister has had to have all your grandchildren for you so far"? Or, "I've wondered the same thing, since I only got on about 2 dates a year and, more often than not, I have to ask a guy out for at least one of those dates"?

I think I'm starting to sound bitter, even when I don't feel that way.

My brand new nephew

This will most likely be the shortest entry ever. I'm hanging out at my sister's apartment and my niece and nephew. That's right, little Christopher James Bonney was born July 3rd at 3:11 pm. *sigh* I missed his birth by about 6 hours, which is better than missing it completely from the other end of the journey.
Since pictures are worth a thousand words, I'll leave a few to make this feel longer.

My sister is crazy

So I called my sister to check the weather in CO today and found out that she had been having contractions all morning. For some crazy reason she was still at home trying to "bear the pain" and hadn't even told her husband. I spent about an hour panicking that she was going to sit out most of the labor pains while at home (the crazy) but about an hour later my dad called to let me know that they'd talked her into going to the hospital and they would be picking me up from the airport. I love my parents but I would much rather ride for an hour with my sister in the car. *sigh*

At least it looks like I'll get to see my nephew on this trip after all.

Names and drinks

My friend tried to make up a song about me today. It went as follows:

"Natalia
That doesn't really rhyme very well"

And then she quit. It was fabulous but it did bring back lots of memories about the fact that my name is quite a bit more difficult the "deal with" than other names like Mary or Jane. No rhyming or easy spelling and folks say it incorrectly all the time.

Anyway, this will be short, since I'm going to play some drinking games (non-alcoholic, of course)!

First blog!

This past Sunday, my friends and I decided we needed to take pictures of ourselves. Not that we don't have enough floating around. Anyway, here is just a sampling of us running around BYU campus. My roommate took the pictures, if you happen to like them.

Also, I'm pretty sure this blog will be more photographic than anything else, mainly because I like photography (I should take a class) and I love people in pictures. I especially like the memories that are made fresh every time a picture is brought out. I guess that's why I scrapbook so much. Anyway, if you have any tips about said pseudo-profession, let me know. I like getting better at things. It makes life happier!