Street Sweep

Happy to Report

2012-02-12T23:49:00.000-08:00

#1 - I'm happy to report that I am currently working on making all those snowflake patterns and requests. I hope to have them up by the end of the week!

#2 - I'm happy to report that we are 42 days into the new year and I have flossed on every single one of them. I love when New Years resolutions actually work.

#3 - I'm happy to report that I am using my student teaching position to introduce and convert young minds every where to the joy that is bagpipe music.

I was giving a music lesson to 78 students on different genres and how different types of music make us feel different and move differently. They swayed perfectly to Claire de Lune, they got a little twitchy when the techno came on, they bounced like clockwork to Elvis, and boy did they come alive during the Ugly Duck rap song (it was very clean, I promise, and it was by far their favorite - they begged and begged to listen to it over and over again).

But then I turned on the bagpipe music and they all froze. Half of them covered their ears, some of them were screaming, and the rest of them quietly begged me to turn it off/change it to another song.

I guess I now know what I can threaten them with when they don't do what I say.

More Snowflakes! (Part 3)

2012-02-07T22:51:00.000-08:00

I love leaves. Ergo, I love this snowflake.

This snowflake reminds me of the ones Snowflake Bentley took pictures of (the first snowflakes to ever be captured on film).

Presents. Kind of boring, but still kind of cool because they're in a snowflake.

Happy Pioneer Day! And yes, it does spell Utah in between the oxen.

This turkey took me quite a few tries to get right. Everything I did at first seemed to look like an alien.

Matt wore this snowflake on his graduation cap so that his family could spot him in the crowd.

And finally, the BYU Travel Office logo.

If you would like a pattern for any of the snowflakes you've seen - just let me know! Or if you have your own pattern, please share!

Also, at this time I will be taking any requests.

But hurry, snowflake season is almost over.

More Snowflakes! (Part 2)

2012-02-06T23:05:00.000-08:00

I should make it clear, that not all of these patterns are mine. My BYU Travel Office coworker, Matt, made many of these. We were all having fun cutting regular snowflakes until Matt realized all the letters in his name were reflective and he could make his name into a snowflake.

We just went crazy from there.

The star watching over the baby Jesus:

Presents waiting under the Christmas tree:

For Miriam, who loves butterflies more than anyone I know:

In honor of my favorite holiday, the leprechaun with his pot of gold:

Disneyland Castle (I know, the door of the castle looks a little like a muppet face but just go with it):

Matt made this one for my birthday:

I like to call this one "Maria, Don't Look":

I hope you're not tired of these because I'll show the last of the snowflakes tomorrow!

More Snowflakes! (Part 1)

2012-02-05T22:51:00.000-08:00

Word on the street is that the people wanted some more. So here's some more.

In honor of this little guy seeing his shadow this week:

Do you know how often 1st graders have to talk about/make/read about/watch movies on snowmen during January? It's enough to make me want to go punch Frosty in the nose.

S'mores, anyone?

This guy always seemed to have a shady mustache to me...

For years, Mary wanted me to make her a daffodil snowflake. My last summer at the T.O. I made one for her. I think she cried.

I like to call this one "Sassy Bunny"

For Gracie, who was born in the USA:

(This patriotic snowflake is one of the first snowflakes I made once I realized you could cut anything that was reflective. I know the S isn't perfectly reflective, but I was still pretty proud of it.)

I've got more coming, hold on to your mittens!

Secrets of the Travel Office Snowflakes Revealed

2012-01-29T23:37:00.000-08:00

When I worked at the BYU Travel Office, we solved all your travel needs. We also cut snowflakes.

And by cutting snowflakes, we came across something divine.

Michelangelo saw the angel in the marble and carved to set him free.

We saw snowflakes in our paper and cut to set them free.

Sometimes the snowflake was Rudolph.

Sometimes the snowflake was a cowboy. Complete with cacti, lasso, and wagon wheel.

Sometimes it was a pirate ship with skull and crossbones and a compass rose.

Sometimes the snowflake was as simple as a poinsettia.

Sometimes it was as intricate as Martin Luther King, Jr. having a dream next to the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

But it always started like this:

The secret was in the fold, really. And today, I'd like to share the secret with you.

Step 1: Fold corner #1 up so that it touches #2.

Step 2: Cut on the dotted line.

Step 3: You now have a triangle. Have the longest side of the triangle closest to you.

Step 4: Fold your triangle in half.

Step 4: This is the step where the faint of heart stumble. Stick with me. You want to fold the triangle into thirds. Estimate the size of the third by partly folding one side in front, while folding the opposite side in back. It should look like a mini-accordion. You might need to refold it a few times until the thirds fold evenly, so do not crease the folds until you know for sure the front and back folds are as close as you can get to being the same size.

Step 5: Then cut off the bunny ears.

Step 6: Wait to see a snowflake, then cut to set it free.

It might be a holly wreath...

Or a downhill skier....

Or the Eiffel Tower...

Or a menorah with some dreidels and the Star of David...

If you can't hear a snowflake trying to break free, you can always follow these patterns:

1. MLK, Jr. 2. Rudolph 3. Pirate Ship 4. Poinsettia 5. Downhill Skier 6. Holly Wreath

But no matter how you cut it, whether it's by pattern or design, I promise that you will always come across something divine.

And if you don't, just call the BYU Travel Office. They can solve all your snowflake (and travel) needs.

Answers

2012-01-23T22:48:00.000-08:00

1 - g. Edna St. Vincent Millay

This poem is a part of me (I've blogged about it before here).

Sometimes when I run, I carry copies of poems/scriptures/declarations of independence and memorize them as I run.

This poem makes me run longer than any other.

2 - d. Billy Collins

Oh, Billy. You take my breath away, every time.

I highly recommend every single one of his poems.

3 - f. Shel Silverstien

This poem always reminds me of my sister-in-law, Liz.

We memorized it together once, remember that, Liz?

4 - c. ee cummings

Sometimes I wonder if his friends called him e, for short.

5 - b. Robert Frost

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." Amen, Bobby.

6 - e. JRR Tolkien

Apparently, if you read a lot of bumper stickers, you know this poem.

7 - a. Pablo Nurado

Te quiero, Pablito. Te quiero.

Poetry Pop Quiz

2012-01-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

Here are little snippets from some of my all time favorite poems. To help you guess the poets who penned them, I've made it into a multiple choice quiz. Your options are at the bottom. Good luck!

a. Pablo Nurado

b. Robert Frost

c. ee cummings

d. Billy Collins

e. JRR Tolkien

f. Shel Silverstien

g. Edna St. Vincent Millay

*Bonus Points for anyone who can name the title of the poems!

You know you're in Utah when...

2012-01-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

...you're sitting in a 1st grade class talking about MLK and equality and a student raises his hand and says, "The first black man in the world to get the priesthood is in my ward." And the teacher says "That's great!" without batting an eye.

Cherry Blossoms in 3-D

2012-01-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I'm still talking about cherry blossoms?

Just to spice it up, here are some videos of the blossoms.

In my opinion, if you've seen one picture of a cherry blossom, you've seen them all.

But a video of a cherry blossom? Now that's something to talk about.

In this first video, the sunlight was bouncing off the water in the tidal basin, which was in turn reflecting on the blossoms. The blossoms actually looked like they were "popping right before my eyes."

This next video is of the blossoms falling, because sadly the time came when they did.

Riveting, I know. Almost as riveting as an entire year full of cherry blossom blog posts. Almost.

The Edge of the World

2012-01-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

“They came to sit & dangle their feet off the edge of the world & after awhile they forgot everything but the good & true things they would do someday. ” Brian Andreas

If ever there were a season of the year that I could claim as my own, it would be New Years.

New Years is the granddaddy of all seasons to make dreams. With an entire year ahead of you, full of nothing but empty days waiting for you to fill with amazing things...it almost makes me want to cry.

It kind of feels like when you're standing on the edge of the world, and you feel like it somehow belongs to you.

In this way New Years, and all its good and true things, belongs to me.

I guess it can belong to you too. But to me too, too.

What I'll miss about DC

2011-12-15T23:13:00.000-08:00

1) The Amish market: stuffed pretzels, blueberry fritters, cooper cheese, honey sticks, pumpkin rolls, apple cider...Amish market, I will never find another lover better than you.

(I think Ben should be hired as an Amish market security guard.)

2) The monuments at night: I love my country all the time, but I for some reason it's easiest to remember why I love it when it's night and I'm on the Mall.

3) Being closer to Iceland

4) Amsterdam Falafel: My mouth has not stopped salivating since I first ate you.

5) Rockcreek Park with its winding paths, fireflies, and secret beaches: You eased the pain just a little of being away from Oregon. But just a little. You tried your best and that's all I could ask.

6) The deer and bunnies that surround us daily: Thanks for making me feel like a Disney princess every time I stepped outside.

7) Baked and Wired: After searching far and wide, you were the victor of the best cupcake in DC.

8) The DC Temple Visitor's Center: truly rivals Salt Lake.

Image from Pixdaus

9) Access to a free racquetball court: Why did I not play in you more? Why?

[No image: the regret is too painful]

10) to 100,000,000 billion) Living with this fantastic foursome: Will we ever be together again? Pretty sure nothing could stop us.

Packing

2011-12-15T07:22:00.000-08:00

I don't necessarily enjoy packing. But I enjoy the memories that come along with it.

For example, I found the ward directory magnets my friends and I stole at the end of our freshmen year. We used to play card games with them, it was good times.

I also found the book my QTs made for me before I left Oregon. I miss them so so much.

I also found years and years of hilarious family love.

One year, Maria and Morgan made a count down chain for one of my visits home, and on each chain they had written something they loved about me. It was literally a chain of love.

One year for Christmas, Morgan wrote me a childrens' book called "The Foreign Dictator." It's about my one true love, Bjorn from Iceland. All of the words in the book that start with 'b' are spelled 'bj': bjeautiful, bjy, bjoring, etc. It makes me cry every time I read it.

One year for my birthday, my family made me a multiple choice test called "All About Ashley." They had each answered the same list of questions and then they had me match the answer to the person who said it. Here is just a sample of a question with their responses:

What song reminds you of Ashley?

Dad - "I am Woman, Hear me Roar"

Mom - "Yo ho, yo ho, A Pirate's Life for Me"

Kim & Ben - "The Kitchies"

Lizzy - "Magic" by Selena Gomez

Big Morgan - "The Old Gray Mare (She Ain't What She Used to Be)"

Alison - "Her Name was Echo, She was a Wood Nymph"

Kelly - Anything from High School Musical

Robert - "Kindness Begins with Me"

Belle - "Old McDonald"

Sarah - "Only One" by James Taylor

Maria - "That's Amore"

Morgan - "Home on the Range"

I think that's very telling what my family thinks of me.

I also found boxes full of BYU Travel Office poems and newsletters, diagrams of familial relations from prison interviews, a Magna Carta of Love, the dictionary I once tried to read in entirety(it's last marked word is "arcadian"), drawings from nieces and nephews, a newspaper article entitled "Rampage at Four Corners," a purple accordion, a bag of cassette tapes...it was like a never-ending treasure trove.

I guess packing is not so bad when you find so many things that remind you who you are and the people you love. There's a kind of wonder to it all.

Dream Come True

2011-12-13T20:54:00.000-08:00

Today, my dream came true. Literally.

Years ago, I had a beautiful dream that ham grew on trees, like apples.

I've craved a ham-apple at least twice a day since I had that dream.

And tonight, I got one.

Thank you Kelly, Adrienne, and Alex for a beautiful birthday celebration full of dreams come true!

HP: Because Alison demands it. (And because she deserves it.)

2011-12-12T21:26:00.000-08:00

"Of course it's happening inside your head, Harry,

but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

I know Harry Potter is not real. But I know Harry Potter World is real.

And when you're walking up to the park through the gate, and steam is coming out of the Hogwarts Express, and you hear the train conductor ring his bell and call, "All aboard! Last train to Hogwarts!"...that's when you start believing that anything could be real.

It wasn't until my sister, Maria, went to HPW that I actually wanted to go. She took pictures of all the cool details they had there and not just of the roofs. Everyone I had ever known that went to HPW would just come back with pictures of rooftops. It didn't make sense, is that all they had there?

Then I saw the rooftops, and I understood.

They were...magical.

But then again, so was everything there.

The butterbeer...mm.mm.mm.mmmagical.

Just as good as the stuff we make at home (cream soda with butterscotch ice cream syrup). In order to figure out what the stuff on top was made of, we drank two each (purely for scientific purposes, of course).

The details in this park are...magical. Hermione's dress sits in the shop window...the sorting hat entertains you while you wait in line for the castle ride...all safety signs are from different departments in the Ministry...all pictures move...all bludgers and quaffles actually bludger and quaffle.

I wore a Gryffindor scarf all day and got quite the attention for it.

Train conductor: "I see we have a Gryffindor with us today...an old school one judging by the look of that scarf."

Every other park worker: "Thank you for supporting Gryffindor today!"

Castle ride worker: "Hufflepuff is better."

Ironically, Kelly and I decided while we were there that I would be sorted into Hufflepuff if ever given the chance.

I felt like a traitor all day.

I know I'm showing you a lot of roof pictures, but look at what happens when you try to take a picture of something other than a roof.

So you might as well just turn around and take a picture of the actual roof.

Here are some pictures we took of Kelly, making fun/trying to copy the coolness of other tourists that we saw doing the same things. (We had a lot of time on our hands at the end of the day, it was a small park.)

The performances were...magical.

And yes, we did stand in line to take a picture with them. And yes, Kelly was embarrassed.

And yes, it was magical.

Kelly, however, gave the most magical performance of the day.

One of my favorite things was the wand demonstration at Ollivander's. I can't really describe it, you just have to go see it in person, it was...magical.

They also sold wands in a cart on the street.

The wand master filled us in on the wand scoop. The Harry Potter wand is the biggest seller. Followed by Dumbledore's Elder Wand. And coming up third...Voldemort. What kind of person buys Voldemort's wand?

Personally, I'd get Hermione's, purely based on looks - it's so pretty.

Interesting fact (also told to us by the wand master): In the first two movies, everyones' wands look the like the wand that is now known as Draco Malfoy's wand. It wasn't until the third movie that everyone got a wand that looked unique and are now the exact replicas sold at the park.

I wanted to get the Triwizard Tournament Cup so that I could use it while watching Harry Potter, sipping butterbeer out of one hand while having my wand at the ready in the other hand.

Kelly convinced me not to get it because it wouldn't hold liquid since it was, afterall, a toy that was battery-powered with blue light and not the actuall Triwizard Tournament Cup.

But just imagine how awesome that would have been.

We ate at the Three Broomsticks...got treats at Honeydukes...and everything tasted magical.

And when I say magical in this particular instance, I mean to say authentic somewhat weird British food.

Guess what? In the castle, Hermione says a spell to make it snow...and it really snows! It's magical.

Even though the details were amazing, they weren't always accurate. For example, this little guy was shrieking nonstop in a shop window, but anyone who hears his cry with their natural ears either feints or dies. Everybody knows that, so this baby mandrake is obviously fake.

Around every corner there was one more magical thing that made me never want to leave.

Overall, it was a beautiful day spent in a magical place with beautiful rooftops.

All was well.

Um. Yes, please.

2011-12-10T17:11:00.001-08:00

A Magnificent Intoxication

2011-12-08T23:36:00.000-08:00

I have known today a magnificent intoxication. I have learnt how it feels to be a bird. I have flown.

Yes I have flown. I am still astonished at it, still deeply moved.

— Le Figaro, Balloon Aviation 1908

Saturday, my friend, Kelli, and I flew like a bird and took a ride in a hot air balloon.

It was, indeed, a magnificent intoxication.

It began in a quiet park in the little town of Woodstock, Virginia.

They pulled out the basket, unrolled the balloon, and used giant fans to fill it with air.

And then, they tried to pull it up.

The first attempt looked like it was going to work, until it started falling back towards us...that wind is a fickle mistress.

Btw, it was cha-cha-cha-chilly.

It wasn't long at all before we were snug in our basket and the wind gently pulled us into the sky. Or was it the earth that was pulling away from us? Honestly, it was hard to tell. I've never experienced a more peaceful form of movement. I believe it was at that moment that I became intoxicated, magnificently.

Suddenly the wind ceased. The air seemed motionless around us. We were off, going at the speed of the air-current in which we now lived and moved. Indeed, for us there was no more wind; and this is the first great fact of spherical ballooning. Infinitely gentle is this unfelt motion forward and upward. The illusion is complete: it seems not to be the balloon that moves, but the earth that sinks down and away...

Villages and woods, meadows and chateaux, pass across the moving scene, out of which the whistling of locomotives throws sharp notes. These faint, piercing sounds, together with the yelping and barking of dogs, are the only noises that reach one through the depths of the upper air. The human voice cannot mount up into these boundless solitudes.

-Alberto Santos-Dumont, My Air-Ships, 1904

I think we were moving at the speed of the sun and following the same rolling path of the morning mists.

There was one moment, five minutes into the flight, when I looked down and heard Kelli's words from the previous night. I asked her if she was going to be okay despite her slight fear of heights and she said, "It's okay because I was thinking about it and we're going to be in a basket. It's not like we're going to be strapped to a parachute or anything."

Yah...basket vs. parachute...that does sound comforting?

I mean, we might be held up by fraying ropes and a balloon with holes in it, but at least we're in a parachute-less basket, so we're okay.

My queasy stomach started to tell me that maybe there was something to consider about being afraid of heights after all.

But then I got distracted by the way the sunshine highlighted the ropes...

...and the way the shadows deepened the hills...

...and the way the fire puffed so concisely...

and how the day sky slowly seemed to push out the night sky.

There was a lot to ponder up there.

For example, there was a point I began to ponder why I enjoy taking so many pictures, even when they are of the same thing. And yet I can't seem to delete any of them. To me, they all seem to have a unique beauty.

We saw herds and herds of deer running from one patch of forest to the next. We apparently also saw a lot of cows. So much in fact that when I got home, Kelly (my sister) asked me why all my pictures were of cows.

I don't know why.

Maybe I was intoxicated (magnificently) at the time and thought they were awesome.

Eventually, we started to descend.

The landing was like a gentle hug from earth welcoming us back.

We all spontaneously cheered. I'm not sure why.

Oh, and don't worry, we just landed in a stranger's yard. We couldn't get out until our driver asked permission from the stranger to unload and wrap up.

At first the wrap up process appeared to me like a David and Goliath situation.

But in less than ten minutes, the big balloon was packed in its little pouch and we were on our way home...thoroughly and magnificently intoxicated.

I think I have now joined the ranks of Mr. Pene du Bois and am convinced that the best and happiest way to travel is by balloon.

"I am still astonished at it, still deeply moved."

The best way of travel, however, if you aren't in any hurry at all, if you don't care where you are going, if you don't like to use your legs, if you don't want to be annoyed at all by any choice of directions, is in a balloon. In a balloon, you can decide only when to start, and usually when to stop. The rest is left entirely to nature.

— William Pene du Bois, The Twenty-one Balloons

Yesterday and Tomorrow

2011-12-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I did something amazing.

I'll give you a hint, it looked a lot like this:

Tomorrow, I will do something amazing.

I'll give you a hint, it will look a lot like this:

More Favorite Nashville Moments

2011-12-03T22:13:00.000-08:00

Touring Vanderbilt

Climbing Trees

Taking breaks to comb our wild hair.

Taking our band shots at the Pantheon.

Honking Tonking

Touring the Belle Meade Plantation (Home of Iriquois!)

Parking Lot Dances

Seeing Christmas lights at the Grandy Old Opry

And mostly, spending time with people I love.

Some Favorite Moments of Nashville Thanksgiving

2011-12-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

Toothbrush parties in the kitchen.

Kelly spearheading the making of the pies.

The Ultimate Crust Off to see who could mix the best crust.

Lukas's intense and intimidating batter face.

Discovering that first base is THE best place for baseball candids.

Runaway Babies

Attempting to do photo shoots with babies who were afraid of big black cameras.

Loving, Turkey/Salt Massages

Discovering the secret to good gravy: double hand whisk.

Introducing Word Bubbles to its two newest addicts.

(And of course, having SLC Thanksgiving challenge Nashville Thanksgiving to a Word Bubbles Duel.)

Becoming piano models.

Any moment spent with brown sugar.

Naps

Chaquita Banana Stickers and Paper Pi Hats

Birthdays

Kid History Parties

Synchronized Air Mattress Dances

Children and Pies. What more do you need? How about Super Cuddly Children and Amazingly Delicious Pies. Yep, that's what I need.

2011-12-01T20:59:00.000-08:00

Seven of us DCers took a Thanksgiving road trip to Nashville and we stayed with our cousins, Julee and Nate. They have four children and one on the way! Cameo and Rich and their families were also there for the weekend. Making a grand total of 13 adults and 8.5 children.

It was one long, grand slumber party.

And I'm pretty sure everyone ended up with at least one of the following pictures:

Did we have children magnets in our pockets?

I never appreciated gaining five pounds more in my life. Every bite of this Thanksgiving feast was worth it.

We ate these sweet potatoes and these mashed potatoes. It was potato heaven. Seriously, every potato that has ever lived hopes to end up in these two recipes when they die.

The pistachio salad was a dream, the cranberry sauce was sweet and tart and citrusy, the stuffing was my usually fav (if the meal only consisted of this stuffing, I would have been completely satisfied), and the turkey - oh the turkey! I think it was the first time I realized what turkey was supposed to taste like. I kept asking Nate what his secret was and he said he had no idea what he was doing, he just stuck it in a bag and hoped for the best. We later found out that he gave it a loving salt massage and whispered sweet nothings to it before sticking it in the bag. I guess that's the secret.

Now, let's take a moment to talk about the pies.

Yes, there were 16 pies (plus a secret surprise paper pi) and yes there were only 13 adults and 8.5 children.

But let me tell you, this was the miracle pie year. People who did not like pumpkin were raving about the pumpkin. People who hated pecan were begging for the recipe. People who only liked graham cracker crust were eating flour crust. People who tasted the snozzberry said it tasted like snozzberry! It was just one pie miracle after another.

And, they were beautiful.

This is a Bulgarian Apple pie and it was bulgarialicious. I like to call it, Rose Pie.

The apples sat in a citrus custard and had warm apricot jam drizzled on top.

Mmmmmm.

Did I mention how out of all the things I'm grateful for, Thanksgiving is one of the tops? I'm mean what other celebration combines super cuddly children and amazingly delicious pies?

And provides dramatic pictures of piano playing babies?

A Tackle from the Past

2011-11-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

Erin I'll-tackle-you-Teichert-but-I'm-the-most-beautiful-tackler-in-the-world Barbuto visited us months and months ago.

But it was just a couple weeks ago that she remembered to send me pictures from her visit. Coincidentally, on the same day, Kelly discovered forgotten pictures on her camera of that same blessed visit.

Here are the forgotten treasures:

I remember we made dinner, but I don't remember much beyond that.

And the pictures just add to the mystery of what went on that night.

Does anyone remember why Erin brought a Pound Plus bar of chocolate from Trader Joe's? And did we decide that that was one of the best things she had ever done?

And does anyone remember why I'm trying to stab sweet Erin with my fork?

Or how Erin got to be such a beautiful fruit model?

Or why I mysteriously changed outfits? Or why Erin mysteriously chose to wear a towel for this picture?

Or why we are all now wearing a towel?

Or why I'm singing like the hills are alive with the sound of music?

But then there are always some moments that need no explanation:

Erin, I love you more than tackles and fruit mustaches and a million-billion pounds plus of chocolate!

Please be my friend forever and ever.

Day to Day

2011-11-17T23:18:00.000-08:00

Lots of people are curious with what I do all day.

I don't have a job, I don't have a car, and my school work is done for now...

What DO I do all day?

Well, this morning (unfortunately not every morning), I read my scriptures.
Do you know that Christ was prophesied to become "a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek"?
It made me think of the priesthood and Elder Bednar and how I should know more about this kind of stuff...

Then I answered some emails, looked at temp jobs, called the bank, practiced my bagpipes, did some push ups...then got distracted by facebook and blogger and pinterest....

Then, I decided to be a human being and not an attachment to my computer so I went outside for a walk to try and practice taking pictures with long exposure.

But it was rainy, and I got distracted by raindrops that do not need long exposures to be pretty.

I love how rain turns life into a perpetual Christmas, with twinkle lights glistening at the edge of all things.

As pretty as rain is, it chased me back inside where I tried practicing long exposure on a fan.
Exciting, eh?

I tried practicing long exposure on the water coming out of the kitchen sink (special KitcheN'sync shout out!), but I got distracted by my shamrocks, as I often do.

I can't help myself, they just fascinate me. The above is a picture of them from last month.

I had just about given them up for dead, but then the miracle of life happened and they started to bloom again.

And today I noticed how many more leaves had grown.
Although now they grow as red leaves right from the start, no longer ashamed to show their Canadian roots I guess.

They still curl up and sleep at night, or sometimes they just curl up for a quiet afternoon nap.

Watching this plant grow and die and grow again has been like watching a nine month long, edge of your seat movie full of surprising twists (remember the Canadian discovery?), heartfelt goodbyes, and ultimate comebacks.

I've named her Hope,eh - which is the Canadian word for hope.

I decided I should do more with my day than take a million pictures of a plant by the window, so I tried to read for book club.

But I got distracted by lunch, which made me think about how we didn't own matching salt and pepper shakers.

Which reminded me of a poem by Billy Collins where he asks the question that we should really all be asking ourselves:

Are the salt and pepper shakers friends after all these years, or have they remained strangers, side by side, together but silent?

After lunch, it was time to be productive again, so I pulled out my computer to work on the ward slideshow.

But I got distracted while looking for slideshow songs and I discovered this version of Swing Low Sweet Chariot by Zooey Deschanel.

So I listened to it while I worked on my sketchbook for the 2012 Sketchbook Project.

Until I got distracted by whether or not I should repaint my toenails. I decided not to.

Then I decided I should probably be productive and blog...but about what?

Maybe about how it's time to get a job...time to go out and make friends with the world after all this time, instead of remaining a silent stranger by its side.

Answers

2011-11-16T15:37:00.000-08:00

1. Harvey (This scene doesn't have the quote I did, but it does have my favorite quote of the movie)

2. Galaxy Quest. I love Alan Rickman.

3. Leap Year. It's a guilty pleasure of mine.

4. Shadowlands

5. Star Wars

6. Chariots of Fire. I used to repeat these lines in my head when I was on the track team.

7. High School Musical. I love to pop, and lock, and jam, and break.

8. Overboard. This is my favorite quote to use when calling out to someone, whether they are across the street or across the room. If they call back with the other name, I know we're friends.

Movie Quote Pop Quiz

2011-11-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

Back by popular demand, here is a movie quote quiz for you.

Cherry Blossoms, A Closer Look

2011-11-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

Korean RomComDram Truths

2011-11-07T20:10:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to lie. This last year has been Rough. Capital R, with an extra umph to the ough.

I've felt kind of beat up, rejected, kicked while I'm down, a little lost, a lot out of place, lonely, frustrated, helpless, hopeless, and that my life is destined to be much more wandering in the wilderness than it will be journeying to the promised land.

Surprisingly it's not so much that I've been depressed or sad, it's more that I've just been...tired. Really, really tired. My upper lip is tired of being stiff. My neck is tired from keeping my chin up. And my attitude is the most tired of all.

Every once in a while I'll look at other people and wonder why it is things seem to work out for them. Why it is that they seem to get what they want while I get...what I need?

A few weeks ago, I watched a Korean romcomdram (romantic comedy drama) called Personal Taste. It is an outrageous, quirky, cheesy show and yet I don't think I am exaggerating when I say I have never watched anything that has had more heartfelt, realistic, touching life lessons.

One of those lessons is between two childhood friends - one (Kim Hee) who is determined to get whatever she wants and does.

And the other (Gae In) who seems to have all the bad luck despite her efforts and loving ways.

In the end, Kim Hee is very cruel to Gae In in order to get what she wants. She has always been jealous of the love that seems to surround Gae In.

In one of the most tender scenes, Kim Hee cries: "I never get anything, even if I want it so much I could die. But why is it you can have it all?"

Gae In says to Kim Hee: "I never tried to have it all. You're really a fool. You're the only one who doesn't know how much it is you really have."

I guess I've been thinking for a long time that I was more like Gae In, with bad luck following me every where despite all my efforts. Now I guess I've been thinking that I'm actually like Kim Hee, just a fool who doesn't realize how much it is I really have.

Dang those Korean romcomdrams and their excellent representations of the complexities of the human heart!

Answers

2011-11-06T21:28:00.000-08:00

I guess that quiz was harder than I thought. Kelly, who I force to listen to my music all the time, could only identify 1 song and then another one with a little hint.

1. "It hasn't felt like home before you" is from The Fear You Won't Fall by Joshua Radin, one of the most beautiful love songs ever written.

2. "Every moment red letter" is from A Whole New World. Red letter moments/days always remind me of my grandma, Nonnie. When she felt like she had a red letter day, she would write in her journal with a red pen.

(In my search for Aladdin images, I discovered this gem: a site dedicated entirely to different versions or aspects of the song itself. Somebody out there really loves this song.)

3. "The world has lost her way again..." is from Oh by Dave Matthews. One of my all time favorite songs. I listened to this song for years without really paying attention to half the lyrics thinking it was like a sweet, wedding-esque love song. One day I looked the lyrics up and was shocked to realize it was about singing to someone who had died. Oops.

4. This was the one song everyone knew right away. What does that say about us?

5. "Everybody's got opinions, girl..." 10/10 (Ten out of ten) by Paolo Nutini. One of the happiest days of my life was when I discovered Paolo.

6. "For the wonder of each hour" is from the hymn, For the Beauty of the Earth. I am currently writing a book entitled "The Wonder of Each Hour." It's going to win the Pulitzer.

7. "Sat by the river..." is from "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane. It rings true to me.

8. "The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs" is from The Littlest Birds by The Be Good Tanyas and according to my iTunes, is the song that I most listen to. I do love it, but I didn't realize I loved it that much.

Song Lyric Pop Quiz

2011-11-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

I've been enchanted by songwriting lately. I've also been enchanted by insomnia lately.

Put those things together and you have this: prints I made of some of my favorite song lyrics!

If you can correctly identify the song for each lyric (without using a search engine/technology of any kind), I'll send you a prize.

Connecticut

2011-11-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite images from our Connecticut trip:

Ammon and Monica's backyard:

The Wool Shop:

Me: Pretend like this is an engagement picture, look dramatic.

(I guess dramatic means you're blind.)

The Swing Bridge!

My heart belongs by woods and a river, this we know. Oregon, I'm coming back to you soon - I promise!

We stalked this gentleman who took his lady out for a picnic, including a red rose, all the fixins', and a little radio that played Sinatra music.

The Gillette Castle

The Sweet Shop

Antiquing

Rosebud

Thanks for showing us the town, Monica and Ammon!

REConnectedicut

2011-10-31T23:30:00.000-07:00

There are some friends that no matter how much time has passed, no matter how much you've all changed...when you see each other again you immediately act like three old ladies, chewing the fat, gossiping about men, and talking about "the good old days."

And then there are friends, those rare few, that when you see them again you can't help but run all over town dressed in a ta-da cape and a viking helmet, while carrying light sabers.

To some, it might seem silly...or embarrassing...or downright ridonkulous...but to us, these three items are like discovering the eternal fountain of joy.

Back when we were all roommates, each item gave us many magical memories and to this day they still hold a certain power over us.

On our drive up to Connecticut, Adrienne and I talked about the ta-da cape and we knew we'd ask first thing if Monica still had it and if she did we knew everything would be all right. (Monica told us later that her and Ammon had discussed the same thing, except her judgement bar was to ask us if we liked Twilight, and if we didn't she knew everything would be all right.)

Lucky for all of us, both requirements were met and everything was all right.

For those of you who do not have a ta-da cape, I would highly recommend investing in one. Monica's aunt made her this cape after hearing a story about a woman who would wear a cape around the house every time she was accomplishing a chore that she was not excited about - then when she was finished she would exclaim, "Ta-da!" Like magic.

This cape is magic. It feels like magic, it looks like magic, and you are magically happy the second you put it on.

I would try to describe the magic to you, but I think these pictures speak for themselves.

(We stormed a castle.)

(Ammon made a fatal mistake of trying to do his Luke Skywalker impersonation in the middle of a battle.)

And here they are, casually walking through a parking lot like it's no big deal that they are the best-looking weird people within a fifty mile radius.

Just look at how that cape flows. It's magic, I tell you.

I was looking at the picture below the morning we were going to pack up and leave Connecticut. I started to tear up, being with Monica and Ammon was like being at home and we just didn't get to spend enough time with them.

So I did something drastic, I stole Monica and took her home with me.

And I took the cape as well. Naturally.

Bad has never looked so good.

2011-10-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween.

And remember to never underestimate the power of body language.

Confessions

2011-10-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

Confession: I am addicted to Mentos.

A few months ago, I was sitting next to my East Coast soulmate, Buffy, during institute and she offered me a mento. I got so excited by such an old school treat that she (as the incredibly thoughtful person she is) started giving me packs of mentos every time she saw me.

(This is Buffy's paparazzi shot)

She gives me mentos when she comes over to study....during church...during Lucky Unders...before dances...

And I never say no, and I just seem to enjoy them more and more.

The other day I saw her, and my mouth started salivating for mentos.

Buff, you have turned me into Pavlov's dog.

But I still love you. And mentos. And I must say, my life has never been more fresh nor more full of life.

Break Down of Two Jiggles

2011-10-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

Is it liquid? Flame? Fabric? No, it's mesmerizing jello.

via copperandlace

Is it a gymnast? A human worm? A contortionist? No, it's me climbing out of a statue.

via Kelli Urry

PS Don't you think Kelli's voice belongs in the Kitchen family?

Pumpkin Masterpiece

2011-10-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

I carved a pumpkin masterpiece last weekend:

If you are thinking this, you are wrong:

If you are thinking this, you are right:

Look again:

See it?

My other pumpkin was a little easier to identify. I teamed up with the beautiful April to make this masterpiece:

We called him Goldie.

Sadly, neither pumpkin won the contest. But this one (carved by the talented Jayci) deserved it:

Here are some other cool creations:

Happy Halloween!

Bloggity Blogs

2011-10-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

I talked to a friend last night who said that in order to make her life happier, she was going to stop reading blogs so much...

Then I read Cameo's post (Hi, Cameo!) about loving/hating blogs...

And I remembered how one of my favorite bloggers had just written about jumping ship on blogs...

I'm not going to lie, there have been phases in my life where I have grumpily thought we can't all marry cowboys...we can't all be fashion trendsetters...we can't all make fun of the way people spell alot...we can't all have cute husbands to write daily love letters to...we can't all be so clever with the use of a classic American song...and so from time to time I might get a little jealous when I read all these blogs.

But do you know what I love about blogs? I feel like they all have something to say about the human experience, and I am fascinated by the human experience. I love to see how other people live their lives (or the lives they let you see into by what they choose to share), I love to see how we're alike and how we're different.

And don't even get me started on family blogs - those are my absolute favorites. I love seeing pictures, hearing sad times and happy times, learning what they do for fun, seeing their talents, hearing their insights, and seeing overall how much love is shared. When I see these things I feel better about myself, because their blood is my blood and when they are talented and lovely it must mean that I am talented and lovely too.

Blogs, for the most part, make me want to share all the good and pretty and hopeful things I come into contact with because I see so many good and pretty and hopeful things that inspire me, I want to join in and give back. It's kind of like the name of this blog...I'm no Shakespeare or Michelangelo or Beethoven or Pioneer Woman or NieNie or Caty or Naomi. I'm just a common street sweeper, who's trying to do the best she can with a somewhat mundane life and average talents.

So I hope no one ever feels depressed by reading my blog - there's nothing really to be jealous of. Sometimes I post pretty pictures, but sometimes I post not so pretty pictures like this:

I mean, look at that gut. This picture should make you nothing but happy, that's why I posted it the other day.

Sometimes I'm kind of funny, but sometimes I'm really weird.

Sometimes I go on cool trips, but sometimes I don't leave the apartment for a month straight and just stare at the wall and go crazy.

Sometimes, I am really nerdy. Okay most of the time I'm nerdy. Okay fine, I am a nerd.

Sometimes I read a lot of books. Sometimes I'm a slob.

All of the time I love my family.

Sometimes my dreams are crushed.

Sometimes my dreams are really weird.

Sometimes I'm tacky.

Sometimes I'm long-winded.

Sometimes I post about fashion (but not because I'm trying to set a trend, but because I'm trying to share the human experience of the ridiculous joy of velvet).

Basically, what I'm trying to say is I totally understand the negative effects blogs can have. But I just want to make sure I'm not adding to that negative effect. And if that means I have to post more pictures of my gut in order to keep it real, I will.

Aqua Velvet

2011-10-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

I have been told that I have a, ahem, unique sense of fashion.

One of Kelly's favorite memories is the day she ran into me on campus when I was wearing a bright purple plaid button up shirt and a bright red Canadian hoodie. I still don't see what's so wrong with that.

Often when I go shopping with friends, I pull stuff off the rack and they choke out the words "That's...nice." But then when I try it on for them, they say, "Wow, that actually looks really good."

I don't know why my body prefers weird things, but I've grown accustomed to it.

However, the other day I surprised even myself when I pulled this item off the rack: Aqua Velvet

It wasn't just hints of velvet...it wasn't just even a velvet skirt...

It was an entire dress

At first I was like, "Do I secretly want to be a medieval princess?"

And then I was like, "Maybe."

I did decide to tone it down a little with a cardigan so that it wasn't like "Whoa, that girl is wearing a velvet dress!" but was more like "Whoa, wait a second, I think that girl is wearing a velvet dress."

Please don't judge me. I couldn't help myself - look at the way it falls and shimmers and shines...

And check this out: a velvet dress on a velvet armchair. Can I get a what what!

And check this out: a velvet shoulder next to a bookshelf! Can I get a...what?

In the end, I guess I just really like shiny things.

That, or I'm planning on working at the medieval festival this summer.

Do you want to see the dress in it's full velvet glory? I don't know, I'm not sure you can handle the velvet...

Boom! That's a lot of velvet!

And kind of dramatic looking...

Speaking of dramatic shots...Do you know when you put the flash of a camera angled behind your head in hopes of not flushing yourself out with the full flash you get this cool, dramatic effect?

I do like how that velvet shimmers in dramatic lighting...

I guess one thing we've learned today: don't leave Ashley home alone with a velvet dress and a camera.

Oh, and also don't leave her alone with chocolate covered potato chips.

Have you ever had one of these? They are incredible. And the enemy of velvet dress owners. I think they have a warning on the back that says: if you ever hope to look good in an all velvet dress, stay away from these.

Oh well.

Forgotten Cities Tour 2011, Part II

2011-10-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

Fourth Stop: Detroit

You can hear it humming. See it coming. Feel it everywhere you go. It's tomorrow morning, the future dawning with a bright and shining glow.

It's the land where golden chariots, are molded out of dreams. Detroit. It's Detroit.

Detroit was what started the whole Forgotten Cities Tour. And Kelly with a "y" and Kelli with an "i" are the only two people I know with enough passion and patience to wait a whole year to make the trip happen. Kelly needed to go to Michigan, Kelli was the only one willing to take a weekend trip to Detroit and actually be excited about it, and so together they planned. And dreamed.

Our main Detroit dreams: see the smoke stacks from Happiest Millionaire, support the Detroit economy, and meet Eminem.

We started out by driving to Belle Island for the best view in town.

The island was appropriately named because it was almost as lovely as another Belle I know...

Just like our baby Belle, Belle Island was exquisite, breathtaking, and magical.

We enjoyed the view...stuck our feet into Lake Erie...

Frolicked in the fountain...played with statues...

This guy was not as happy as Mr. Pittsburg...

he was quite stern really...

And we saw our beloved, dreamy smokestacks...

And Kelly supported the Detroit economy...
It was eerily quiet in the city. I want to say quiet like a ghost town, but I'm going to be positive and say quiet like a sleeping giant - don't worry Detroit, when things get worse they get better! You'll be back to your old glorious, industrious, golden chariot self in no time!

We never met Eminem, but we did have a peaceful, dream come true morning, and that was enough.

Side note: we played a game in Detroit and surrounding areas to see how many non-American cars were driving around. I think we only counted 4 or 5 - way to go, USA! Way to support our guys!

Fifth Stop: Kalamazoo

It's here in Kalamazoo we found our mascot.

We didn't find much of anything else, but Homer Stryker was enough.

At the age of 4, Homer was in a farm accident and loss the use of his ring finger and his pinky finger on what would become his pitching hand. He overcame that obstacle to lead the University of Michigan to the Big Ten Championship (when things get worse, they get better). Despite everyone wanting to recruit "Strike" like it was nobody's bidniz, he turned down all offers to pursue the dream of becoming a physician and medical innovator. I would like to follow Dr. Stryker's inspiring example and become more like him...except still maintain the use of all my fingers.

Sixth Stop: South Bend

Game Day!

The Fighting Irish were playing Air Force that day, which made parking a little difficult, but at least the campus was kind of quiet to walk around cause everyone was at the stadium. Plus, we got to see a stealth plane and the Goodyear blimp. Score!

The library:

Every BYU frisbee-loving student would drool at the sight of Notre Dame's campus and it's wide open lawns.

Sacred Heart Chapel:

Seventh Stop: Kokomo

We got there fast, and then we took it slow.

Not really. We got there fast, and took it fast. So fast that we didn't even get out of the car to take a picture. I know we were trying to be fair to all the cities that no one wants to visit...but Kokomo...well, let's just say that next trip it's going to be a KokoNo.

Eighth Stop: Indianapolis

Do you ever feel like certain places have very specific sky colors? I think DC has a monopoly on pink clouds against a baby blue sky. Oregon has a consistent orange sunset that I've never seen anywhere else. California's sky is a dusty blue with a marigold sun.

Well, sometimes I imagine the colors of the sky for certain places and I like to discover how close my imagination is to the actual thing. I always imagined Ohio to be a deep bright blue sky with a bright white yellow sun and I was spot on. As for Indiana, I might as well have just taken a picture of my imagination: dark navy blue that slowly fades into a pink, red horizon, all with a hint of purple. It was perfect.

Since April, there is only one way to describe us: Nascar fans for life!

We drove to the Indy 500 track, and when we got there, the light to the gate was green, so we drove in and actually drove on the track! Well, only for about 10 seconds until a guard turned us away - but still, we were practically a race car for 10 seconds..

Ninth Stop: Columbus

In Columbus, we completed our college tours with a quick drive through Ohio State University.

They get the award for college sign that looks most like a high school billboard.

We also got to see the Columbus Ohio temple, which was just an itty-bitty cute thing.

Columbus was by far my favorite stop, because we got to see Kate the Great.

We got to meet her William (who is wonderful and wonderfully deserving of Katie), and catch up, and giggle, and go to church, and reminisce, and share one of the most entertaining testimony meetings we've been to in a long while, and talk about hopes and dreams and plans for the future.

Truthfully, Katie and her family are some of my favorite people on this planet and it doesn't matter what I do with them, I'm always happy. They feel like home and love and golden childhood memories and I almost teared up when it was time to leave Columbus.

Come visit us in DC soon, Kate!

And that concludes our Forgotten Cities Tour 2011.

We saw some great seldom remembered cities and made some unforgettable dreams.

And yes, I did wear stripes every day on this trip, so what!
Is there symbolic significance to it? Maybe...maybe not...you decide.

Forgotten Cities Tour 2011, Part I

2011-10-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

9 Cities. Three days. Three girls.

One unbelievable journey.

Our mission: Visit the cities no one ever wants to visit.

Our motto: When things get worse, they only get better.

Our mascot: Homer Stryker.

First Stop: Pittsburg

This city is no longer just another pitstop, it has it's own breathtaking beauty. We had planned to go to a certain park, but it was closed, so instead we found ourselves across the river. That's when we first discovered that when things get worse, they only get better.

Across the river, there was this view.

And across the river was the happiest statue you will ever see in your life. I never wanted to leave him.

(It doesn't look like it, but this guy's lap was definitely a challenge to climb into. Somewhere in this wide world is a video of me trying to climb out of his lap. Consider yourself lucky if you've seen it.)

Across the river was also the Steeler Stadium, the site where the first professional NFL game was played.

Double across the river was a set of stairs that reminded me of China. Talk about exotic Pittsburg.

I'll give a prize to the first person who can correctly identify which one of the following pictures is China and which one is Pittsburg.

Second Stop: Cleveland

The land of Case-Westings, cheap housing, and a gorgeous cemetery.

(Kelly had written points of interest on star sticky notes (Thanks, Mom! Best package surprise ever!) and every time we visited a city we would stick it onto the dashboard. We called it "Following the Stars" which was a very romantic way to journey through a road trip, I highly recommend it.)

The cemetery just so happens to be where John D. Rockefeller and President James A. Garfield are buried.

Third Stop: Ann Arbor

University of Michigan territory (Dad, don't hate us).

My charming friend, Kendall, gave us an excellent tour of campus. The tour began with the school stadium, which Kendall told us was incredibly large but did not look large because the majority of it was underground. And I said, "Oh, like the Quidditch World Cup stadium."

Little did I know, that would not be my first Harry Potter reference of the night because it turns out, the University of Michigan is actually Hogwarts. I mean, check out their law library...do you see the four house symbols on the window?

And inside is the great hall, floating candles and all. I kept looking around for the sorting hat.

There was no sorting hat, but I found this sorting jacket. It told me I didn't belong in the East Coast.

And, um, why did they not have an Adventure Society at BYU? I feel cheated somehow.

Kendall told me he had made up a joke since the last time he saw me two years ago:

What did the cottage cheese say after visiting the museum?

"I feel cultured."

And that's why I love Kendall.

Stay tuned for Part II!

*Disclaimer: All the pictures you will see on these posts were taken by both me and Kelli, my fellow picture-taking friend, I love trips with her - I get double the good pics!

Sweet Dreams and Forgotten Cities

2011-10-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Last night I dreamt I took Magarooni for a walk in a stroller. We ran into some University of Michigan college freshman who started making fun of her. They grabbed her little hat and passed it around, trying it on, and making baby noises.

I walked over to them and grabbed the hat and said, "How dare you! This is one of the cutest babies you will ever see, and there is no need to make fun of her!" Then they walked away, thoroughly ashamed.

I looked back at Mags, she had been giggling the whole time. And then she told me I was her favorite aunt. And that she wanted to come live with me.

Speaking of the University of Michigan, I saw it this weekend. We did a tour of the "Forgotten Cities" or in other words, cities that are well known but that you would never go to on purpose as your actual destination. After this weekend, I can assure you they will never be forgotten again.

I can promise you that there will be a travel post in the near future. And I can promise there will be pictures. Here is a sample of what is to come:

Get excited.

For My Little Baby, Morgan

2011-10-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

(My favorite)

Our Nation's Most Sacred Shrine

2011-10-04T23:41:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for the amount of pictures...will you forgive me if I tell you I didn't even put a third of my pictures in this post? I thought about breaking it into parts, but I didn't want another Cherry Blossoms on my hands...

Quotes from Quixote

2011-09-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

"He thought it fit and proper, both in order to increase his renown and to serve the state, to turn knight errant and travel through the world with horse and armor in search of adventures, following in every way the practice of the knights errant he had read of, redressing all manner of wrongs, and exposing himself to chances and dangers, by the overcoming of which he might win eternal honor and renown."
Don Quixote, Part I, Ch. I, p. 33

Artist: Koral

Confessions

2011-09-22T00:37:00.000-07:00

Confession: There have been times in my life when I have been addicted to computer games.

Time #1: The Spring of 2000, Disney's Tarzan

My Version: I would collapse on the living room floor every day after track practice, rolling on the floor in agony as if a million tiny hot pokers were inside my legs, each one branding my bones again and again with a burning vengeance.

I would crawl on my stomach to the kitchen, empty two ice cube trays into a tall, empty garbage bin and fill it with cold water. Then, dragging myself by the elbows, I would sit in a chair and plunge my legs into the icy depths of the garbage bin.

After five minutes of the soak, the cold reached all the way to my teeth. After ten minutes, it reached all the way to my soul.

I would scream out, "For the love of all that is good in this world, please someone help me take my mind off my legs so that I can last the recommended 45 minute ice bath to ease shin splints!"

Sarah, on hearing my plea, would quickly pull my chair over to the computer and load the Disney's Tarzan computer game. And for the remaining half hour I would intensely focus on moving little Tarzan up a jungle cliff, collecting coconuts and avoiding evil hunters and apes.

I believe the Tarzan game is the only reason I can walk to this day.

Wasn't Sarah kind to give up the computer every day for me?

Sarah's Version: I would come home from school every day, yell at her until she was forced to get off the computer, and play the Tarzan game for hours. Mwahaha.

Time #2: The Spring/Summer of 2006, Magic Vines

It was my last season at BYU, I was failing Spanish, I was single, and I was going to have a degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development which I was just barely realizing was the perfect degree to get if you wanted a straight shot to an uncertain future. I was depressed.

I was working at the BYU Travel Office, which unfortunately provided many hours to reflect on my depressive state. In order to delay facing reality by thinking of a productive plan for the future, I discovered Magic Vines and began playing it in between waiting for the phone to ring and taping reimbursement receipts.

For every level you passed on Magic Vines, you got a stamp in your passport and were sent to another jungle in the world by following an Indiana Jones-esque map. Hawai'i's jungle was child's play, Patagonia's was an adventure, my heart experienced a particular darkness in the Congo, and the Serengetti nearly killed me (twice).

But it wasn't until I got to Tasmania that I realized I might not make it around the world after all. Days passed, and I was still lost in its jungles. There's a reason devils come from there.

Eventually I expressed my frustration to my boss and bff, Mary. It only made sense I would come so far only to fail in Magic Vines...after all, I was failing Spanish, I was failing socially, I was failing life.

The next day, I came into work and Mary told me that she had talked to the purchasing department and they were going to help answer phones until I conquered the jungles of the world. I was to ignore all work and devote myself entirely to Tasmania. So I did. Phones were ignored, walk-in patrons were tackled and diverted to other areas, travel agents stopped by occasionally to check on my progress and cheer me on. And eventually, the magic vines were defeated.

The purchasing department made me an official Magic Vines Champion certificate. I still have it, and every once in awhile when I feel like I'm failing, I like to look at it and remind myself that if nothing else I am a Magic Vines success story.

Time #3: December of 2008, Text Twist

In December of 2008, my heart was broken. I had just ended a relationship with the man of my dreams...my Justin Timberlake, if you will. And I had turned to Text Twist for solace.

Christmas was particularly hard. Once all the festivities of the day were done, dinner cleaned up, children in bed, I found myself once again at the computer. I think Morgan and Sarah came over to play it with me. And then Mom and Kim and Maria. And Alison and Kelly and Big Morgan and Ben.

All ten of us huddled around that computer, shouting out words and suggestions to twist. We kept finding the six letter word, we kept passing the levels.

Around midnight, people started getting tired but everyone kept going. Around one, some people started questioning if it was time for bed. I'd say, "No, please just until we can't find the six letter word."

I can't remember how late we stayed up...2? 2:30? 3? All I remember is begging everyone to keep going, keep playing until we lost. And they did stay - whether it was for me or for peer pressure or because they too were addicted to the game - it doesn't matter because something about them staying to play the game healed a little bit of my heart that night and Time #3 of computer game addictions will forever be my favorite time.

So there seems to be a trend with my computer game addictions - I use them to avoid pain and they are usually accompanied by extreme acts of compassion from people I love.

Last night, I found this game: Word Bubbles. I tried it out (high score: 2850, can I get a what! what!) and I can feel a future addiction coming on.

Unfortunately, I do not have any pain right now that I am trying to avoid, so I thought I'd at least share it in case it helps someone else.

For now, I'm just going to tuck it into my back pocket if, when, and until Time #4 arrives.

Me + This Sign = MFEO

2011-09-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

2011 Summer Book Review

2011-09-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

So I've read A LOT of books this summer. Here are some contributing factors as to why: escape from doing homework, insomnia, long plane rides, escape from doing homework, Metro commuting, and a library addiction. Oh, and an escape from doing homework.

Here's a "quick" review:

**** 1/2 Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell - I capital "L" oved this book. It was, however, slightly unnerving. The bad guys in this book were normal people who were selfish, lazy, nosy, and vain. In other words, they were me, I was the bad guy...like I said, capital "U" nnerving.

***Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt - This book was weird, both in an odd and a unique sense, which made the overall effect good. Which is the way I often describe myself.

** 1/2 Fire by Kristin Cashore - This was a pre-quel/companion book to a book I read last year called Graceling. If you recall, I did not enjoy Graceling. Why did I read this book then? I don't know, I think I was trying to escape homework or something. It was a little bit better than it's companion book though, so I don't regret it.

**Hidden Adventures - The Big Island by I. Don't Remember - It was a tour guide book that I read to become better acquainted with Hawai'i before our trip. Like most informational books, the introduction was the best part. Well, I guess you could say that the best part was actually not reading it at all, but just being there. Remember Hawai'i, wasn't that great?

**A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future by Michael J. Fox - Oh, little Marty, you are so charming. It was a fun little book that told you some of the crazy things he had to do and learn in order to make it big and find his density.

**What Jazz Is by Johnny King - I like jazz, so I wanted to learn more about it. This book was a lot like the music, scattered but enjoyable and happy. What can I say? I like my books and jazz like I like my men, scattered but enjoyable and happy.

* 1/2 Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson - Adrienne and I read this to each other back in the day when we were still experiencing our LOOOOONG commutes. The narrator was a little too "in your face" for my tastes, and I'd probably only recommend the book if you had Adrienne to read it aloud to you as you drove bumper by bumper through rush hour traffic - she does great voices. It did have a really hilarious part at the end where it totally makes fun of Harry Potter, which single-handedly added a whole 1/2 star to its final rating.

****The China Study by T. Collin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell, II - I dare anyone to not think twice about becoming vegan after reading this book.

***Heartbeat by Sharon Creech - Do you know what I like about this book? It's not some YA novel about a parent dying or leaving, it's not about race, rape, suicide, violence, being homeless - it's just a nice, short, happy book about family, running, and sketching apples. I think the YA genre needs more simple books like that.

**** 1/2 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - This book was about everything Heartbeat was not about: race, suicide, violence, being homeless...and on top of that it was also about death, lots and lots of death. And yet it was strangely, achingly beautiful. I've never read a book written like this one, it's like the words were an additional character of the book - they became alive on the page and danced and floated around me. They rang so soundly in my mind, their vibrations echoed long after I'd finish reading it.

*****King Bidgood in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood - I found this book at the thrift store for 25 cents. Best money I've ever spent. It's by the same author and illustrator as my most favorite nostalgic children's book, Heggedy Peg. The book is about a king who won't get out of the bathtub and all the people who try to get him out but are tricked into getting in with him. 'Nuf said.

*****Fancy Nancy (and the Posh Puppy, Bonjour Butterfly, Explorer Extraordinaire) by Jane O'Connor - Genius. It's not fair.

**The Best American Essays (2008) edited by Adam Gopnik and Robert Atwan - I'll be honest, some of these essays I skimmed through. But some of them were riveting, like an essay on geriatric medicine and how it has turned humans into a science fiction story, or an essay about the history of Hitler's mustache and the author's personal experience when he grew one, or an essay about a terminally ill child and how doctors treated him experimentally in the 50's, or an essay on plagiarism written almost entirely from other works. I guess overall, it was just nice to read a book simply to know I wasn't alone in being in love with the essay and the unique beauty that can be expressed through such a format. Essays are the best, booyah!

**Poppleton by Cynthia Rylant - I read this book for several school assignments (see, not all my reading was an escape). Some chapters are witty and weird. Other chapters are confusing and weird. Overall, it was weird.

**Good Night, Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas - Also, another book I used in school assignments. This book made me say, "Ha. Ha." I hope you understand that it did not make me laugh, "Haha," it made me say, "Ha. Ha." Which I guess is okay to do sometimes.

***1/2 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - Well, that was a creative story.
**** Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JoJo Rowling - Ah, she got me again! Wasn't expecting that twist at the end. How is she so creative?
***** Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azcaban by Ms. Rowling - Um, wait a second. What's going on here? Is there more to this story than anyone ever thought? I guess she's more than just creative.
**** Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Money - He's back! Da-da-da-doom.
**** Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by Row, Row, Rowling in the Money - I don't remember crying three times during this book the first time I read it. What is wrong with me?
***** Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by You've Got to be J.K.ing Me Rowling - In my humble, Harry Potter opinion this is by far the best book in the entire series.
**** Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K.Genius. Rowling - Why did it ever have to come to an end?

I tried to read a book right after Harry Potter. In fact, I tried to read a book that I had waited 6 months for on the library hold list. It was called Swamplandia! (the official title includes the explanation point) and it was about a family that runs an amusement park based on live alligator shows. But Harry Potter ruined me, not even a book about wrestling alligators was interesting enough. In the end, I had to return the book unfinished. I guess I'm going to need some time to forget about HP so that other books will become enjoyable to me.

Following Every Footnote

2011-09-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

On July 1, 2006, I started a scripture project. I was going to read through the Book of Mormon using all of the footnotes.

So if a footnote listed another scripture, I'd read that scripture.

If a footnote listed a word in the topical guide, I'd go to that word in the TG and read every scripture listed for that word.

I'd write down notes and notes of impressions, insights, and new understandings.

Well, after 5 years, 2 months, and 12 days...I turned the page.

That's right, I finished reading one page.

Granted, out of all that time, I probably worked on it 5 times per year...but still, I think it shows an amazing amount of diligence to even remember the project after letting months pass in between working on it.

So if I continue at this same pace...I'll be over 2500 years old when I finish. (Ben, as a fun math project, you could calculate the exact date I'd finish! Isn't that fun?! (I'm trying to make this your favorite blog by giving you math assignments, is it working?))

I guess for now, I'll just carry on and say 1 page down, 530 to go.

10 Years

2011-09-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went to a special exhibit at the Smithsonian for 9/11. They had artifacts from the sites and a video of interviews from various people, reminding all who attended of the horrors from that day.

The most touching part of the exhibit was a wall of notecards from visitors who were asked to write a short statement on how they had changed since 9/11. There were cards from veterans, mothers of soldiers, relatives of those who died at the Pentagon and in NY, survivors, and people like me who simply watched in terror from afar.

Many cards were pictures drawn by children - innocent sketches of two towers with clouds of black smoke and the words "I will remember" written in squished child-like letters by hands obviously too young to have witnessed the event. And yet they still remember.

Many cards simply said, "God bless the victims and the families." While others said, "God bless us all."

I wanted to add my own statement to the wall, but I sat and stared at my blank notecard for quite sometime, not knowing what to write. Words usually come so easily to me when I have a pencil in my hand, but I was stumped by the initial question and overwhelmed with emotion from what others had written. How had I changed since 9/11?

The words of two of my all time favorite speeches kept echoing in my mind. I wished I could just copy and paste Mr. Faulkner's nobel prize speech and Elder Holland's talk on terror and triumph onto my notecard. All those words about ultimate victory and how no amount of evil and terror will ever defeat man's compassion and faith.

So that's what I tried to summarize on my little card. How despite the horror that happened on that day, I am proud to have become part of the generation that met unbelievable evil with overpowering good. A generation that still diligently battles the daily effects from 9/11 because it has more faith than fear, more compassion than hate. It is an honor to have lived through that hour and to be able to add my small contributions at rebuilding hope.

And I guess that is how I have changed because of 9/11, when faced with fear - I stand a little taller, walk a little stronger, and try to love just a little bit more.

Scenic Cherry Blossoms

2011-09-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

My Waking Eyes

2011-08-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

You know that part on Lord of the Rings when Sam and Frodo are laying, exhausted, near the top of Mount Doom? And they've given everything they have and are to make it to that point, they've come so far and yet seem to have nothing left to take them the final steps to the top?

And that's when Sam says to Frodo, remember the Shire? Remember the orchards and the birds and the barley, remember the taste of strawberries?

And Frodo says, "No, Sam. I can't recall the taste of food. Nor the sound of water. Or the touch of grass. I'm naked in the dark. There's nothing...no veil between me and the wheel of fire. I can see him with my waking eyes!"

Well, I finally understand what Frodo means. As I lay here, exhausted, near the top of Mount Homework Doom, I've come so far and yet seem to have nothing left to take me through the final assignments that are due by Wednesday. I can't recall the peace of sleep. Nor what outside this apartment feels like. I'm naked in the dark. There's nothing...no veil between me and the wheel of deadlines. I can see homework with my waking eyes!

Erg. Thursday is going to be the happiest day of my life.

Pizza Tacos

2011-08-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a lot of weird things lately. It could because I'm starting to crack under the homework pressure, it could be because I've stayed up until 4 or 5 in the morning every day for the last week, or it could be because I'm just weird.

The other day I decided to put corn tortillas in the toaster. The toaster?! Yah, the toaster. Isn't that weird?

Then I put some leftover velveeta cheese and pepperoni on them, which was weird.

Then I put them in the microwave for 20 seconds to get the cheese all melty and gooey, which was not weird, but rather brilliant.

Then I had two things in front of me that resembled pizza tacos. Weird.

Then I rolled one into a pizza taquito, just to be weird.

Do you know what's weird? I took approximately 7 photos of the pizza taco from this exact angle. Why? I don't know, I was kind of feeling weird at the time.

Sometimes it's nice to not have anything to eat for days except weird combinations of leftovers in your fridge, because you get surprisingly delicious treats like this.

Would you say that being weird could also at times be surprisingly delicious? It would be a weird thing to say, though...so I wouldn't if I were you.

Nerd Alert

2011-08-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Maybe this past week I have been doing 8 - 10 hour days of homework (trying to do six months of work in one month) and then staying up until 4 in the morning rereading the Harry Potter series.

Maybe once, or twice, I have wished I had Hermione Granger to copy notes from.

Maybe I have had a secret crush on Snape since the very first time I ever read the first Harry Potter book.

Maybe while plowing through the third book, every time they mentioned dementors I imagined my unfinished homework and I immediately felt cold, lifeless, depressed - as if I'd never be happy again.

Maybe after everyone has gone to bed at night and I've just brushed my teeth, I point my toothbrush wand to the bathroom mirror and whisper "Expecto Patronum!" (It's a giraffe, btw)

Maybe yesterday while eating a piece of bread, a crown came off my tooth and exposed a horribly rotten tooth underneath and my first thought was about going to see Madame Pomfrey.

Maybe I just finished the fifth book and cried when Dumbledore told Harry he loved him.

Maybe you could call me a nerd. But do you really want to after all the hexes and jinxes I've been reading up on?

A Love Letter

2011-08-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Kitchen Family Tacos,

It took me 45 minutes to find velveeta cheese at the store.

It took me (and Kelly) two hours to make you when I should have been doing homework.

It's going to take me two weeks to work off the extra five pounds you gave me.

You were worth it. Every bit.

Love always,

Ashley

Beautiful Words

2011-08-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

Kelly once wanted to name a child Silhouette. Call her Silly for short. She just thought the word silhouette was so pretty, she wanted a reason to say it every day.

I'm in the middle of collecting beautiful words.

My collection so far:

silhouette (for Kelly) strum shore
river   colloquial hue
dazzle   hum   muzzle
lullaby evoke illuminate
shush honeycomb ineffable
parallelogram murmurous autumn
tremble wherewithal   candle
shepherd edelweiss the

I think Kelly was onto the right idea, any of these words would work as a child's name.

Will you help add to my collection? What are your beautiful words?

Page 56, 5th Sentence

2011-08-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

I'm always up for a silly game, especially one that has an air of destiny about it.

I tried this game out the other day: grab the nearest book to you, turn to page 56, read the 5th sentence down.

"a steady hand, a heart open to nature and a head devoted to the advancement of man."

Cool. But then I looked at the instructions again - what was the point of the game? It told me to go there and then...what? The fifth sentence is...a description of my soulmate? advice on how to live in the jungle? what my day will be like tomorrow? what?

This game needs to take a lesson from my favorite game that I've been playing with roommates and family for years: the dictionary game. It's like the magic eight ball game but with more possibilities for answers.

Hold a dictionary in your hands and ask it a question then open up to a random page and point down without looking and whatever word your finger lands on is the answer. It's amazing how accurate it is. Here, I'll play it with you right now.

Q: What word best describes my attitude towards homework today?
A: escapist - n., one given to escapism

Q: If you could describe Cowboys and Aliens in one word, what would it be?
A: herdsman - n., a herder

Q: When I start my band, what should I call it? (two part answer)
A: Elite - n., a socially superior group
A: Pupfish - n., a small freshwater fish
(...I love this song! Who's it by?...Elite Pupfish)

A: My nieces and nephews like to call me this.
Q: What is... butty - n., a fellow workman

Q: How do you feel about this blog post right now?
A: flatter - v., to praise excessively

Oh really, I had no idea, thank you. See? This game is so accurate it's scary.

Cherry Blossoms with Water

2011-08-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

The Love that Let Us Share Our Name

2011-08-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

Four years ago, I was about to go on a perilous backpacking trip to Havasupai Falls. I felt eerily anxious about it, so the night before I left, I told Kelly everything she needed to do if I died on the trip. Since then, we have often had that same conversation before one of us leaves on a trip.

The years have changed, but the conversation mainly stays the same.

***Tell Mom and Dad I loved them and my only goal was to be just like them. And give them all my money.

***Tell my siblings they were my heroes and in all the world I never once found anyone more beautiful or as good as them. And tell them once again I'm sorry for the hairy macaroni dinner.

***Tell my nieces and nephews I would have stolen them for my own, but tell them in a way that doesn't sound so creepy.

***Tell that cute boy I've had a crush on for months that I thought he was the living end.

***You can have that cute shirt you always borrow.

***When you read my journals, remember that I always had a dramatic flare when it came to ink and paper.

***Don't let anyone have any fun while I'm gone.

The other day, I heard this song. And it twisted my heart and wrung out a few tears and reminded me of all those conversations and of all the hopes and efforts of love I try to share even and especially before I die.

What would you say before you died?