5 years

5 years ago, today, my big brother came home from his mission. This morning (at like 6:20 am), while on the bus to work, I saw the date on my phone, and texted him right away.

He tried to act surprised that I remembered the date--- and honestly, I doubt that he remembered. 

But I counted down the days until November 16, 2006 like a mad woman. I told him, this morning, that this day, 5 years ago, was one of the best days of my life. It really was. I missed by big brother more than I can say. It was one of those painful things that you are obligated to be happy about-- he was doing the right thing, but I just wanted him to come home!

I remember one night while he was one his mission-- about 3 months before he came home-- he called. It was midnight. I answered the phone and FREAKED OUT. He was calling because he had really bad asthma. And he was scared because he couldn't breathe. So he called to talk to my mom. She told him what to do. 

I missed my brother so much that night. 

And  frankly, I missed him a lot all the time. I wrote him more than anyone else did. And that is the truth. Every week. Sometimes twice. Or three times. I just always had so much to say. Unfortunately, (yes, I've already shed tears about this) I used my dixiehigh.org email account to email him so that I could do it at school (during graphics class). And then when I graduated.... my account disappeared. And so did the emails. Oh that just makes me so mad. SO MAD. But I do still have quite a few of them from my hotmail account. I'm just going to paste a small sample below. These emails were a constant confirmation that Andrew was the still crazy, random banana brain that is my brother. But I could see a change for the better, too. You'll see what I mean. :)

May 23, 2005

"im so proud of you for throwin water on innocent bystanders.  i hope you ran away really fast.  did you know my friends and i used to pull up to red lights and throw water balloons in peoples cars?  but that was the apostate andrew.  now i'm saint andrew.  the hurricanes are coming next month. oodillaly how exciting."

And that would be the whole email.  The WHOLE thing. But I loved it. It's SO Andrew.

And then, 

April 17, 2006

"...thats why knowing of something greater and more constant is so important.  thats why missions are awesome.  i would love to write you a quote about that so you could use it in your graduation speech but it would be too religious and not politically correct.  how are you coming with ideas about that anyway.  im so excited for you.  dont let yourself get nervous.  get up their knowing that you as an individual are so much greater than the situation you are in.  and for the rest of your life you will be able to look back and smile on the memory know matter what is said.  give a speech of hope on a topic that your whole class can relate to.  unity, hope, and memories are the keys.  if you can relay a message that brings a feeling of unity into the gymnasium then youve done an excellent thing.  gotta run"

This is why I love my brother. Anyway, for some reason, I just wanted to share. I try to tell people how great Andrew is, but nobody really gets it, because they are not his sister. Every girl needs a big brother to take care of her, and I'm just so glad that God gave me Andrew.  And I'm just so glad, that exactly 5 years ago, he came home to his family, safe and sound, having served the Lord so well. 

So I have this roommate

Her name is Lorina Lee Binning. And she is cool. And she just bought a fantastic camera that I have taken advantage of several times since she spent her savings on it.

A couple of weeks ago we did a photo shoot in Provo Canyon. Lorina already posted her favorites of these on her blog, but these are MY favorites.

I have adorable roommates, you guys. I just love them. But don't worry Rachelle, Lene, Dani, Andrea, Kaitlin, Ashley, Genevieve, Sarie, Ann, and Lynne, I still love you guys too. A lot.

hehe Meghan. We are sharing a funny joke without you.

Halloween is more fun all the time.

When you are a young adult/college student, Halloween is the best day of the school year (except for maybe reading days and the DAY AFTER finals are over. And except the first day of school. Because I love that day. And probably big athletic events. And other days. But anyway.)

Since I graduated from high school I have had a BLAST at Halloween. Freshman year me, Moe, and Jen made my favorite costumes of all time. We even went trick or treating. That may or may not have been a good idea for 18 year olds. Junior year my roommates and I were Greek goddesses, and is a blast and a half. Last year we threw a bomb party, that I think it might be my favorite party of all time.

AND THEN THIS YEAR. We threw another party. And it rocked. It was even bigger and better than last year (except I think I actually had more fun last year... but whatever).

Instead of posting a million pictures... you should just check out the album on facebook. It's open to the public... because there are so many millions of people in the album that I don't know. I had to make it available for everyone. So anyway... here's the link.

But how about a tasty preview?

Juliet, Gypsy Woman, Sandy, Marilyn

This, again, was one of those parties that stressed me out to the max. I should have started preparing DAYS before I actually did, and I really did kind of have a panic attack the night before. At that point I was ready to get the party all set up and then just come home and go to bed, purposely missing the whole party. Thankfully, I didn't resort to that dramatic refusal of fun. But really. I was anxious about everything. I always am. But then it's always worth it. And so much fun. And really, the only reason everything even worked out was because of the amazing friends that I have. Joey, Meg, Lorina, Edward, Ben, Drake, Mike, Rachel, Sara, Dawna, etc. helped so much. So amazing. I love them. :)

Peace and blessings. Peace and blessings.

A Media Update. Because that's what I'm good for.

1. I realized, today, that you all are probably just DYING to know what I have to say about "Under the Mistletoe." haha. Well, the diagnosis is good. I think that the album is just perfectly everything that I wanted it to be. It's Bieber at his finest. Some of my favorites are "Only Thing I Ever Get This Christmas" (I'm just going to say that the Bieber is growing up...), "Christmas Eve" (sweet sweet R&B), and "Christmas Love." They are some of the many original songs on the album. The standout cover on the album is "Santa Claus is Coming To Town," and it's stand-out quality is due largely to its reminiscence of the Jackson 5 ("shake it shake it baby...") ALSO, I think that every track EXCEPT ONE says the word, "mistletoe" at least once, which is hot, and frankly, it's what Justin Bieber is all about. My comments on the recent paternity accusations? I'm ignoring the whole thing... until after he takes the test next week. THEN, if he's guilty, there will be some more ignoring. If he's innocent (which I'm betting my copy of "Under the Mistletoe" he is), then I will not shut up about that horrible woman who accused sweet Bieber of such an atrocious thing. And I'll write some nasty letters or something. Or else just tweet a bunch of condolences to JB until I get a retweet. The end.

2. I've been watching The Cosby Show like crazy for about the last two weeks-- since I realized that seasons 1 through 8 are available instantly on Netflix. Holy. That is amazing, right? So in this one episode, Theo goes to the store and picks up a very expensive designer shirt for his upcoming date. Cliff freaks out a little and exclaims, "No 14-year-old boy should have a 95 dollar shirt unless he is on stage with his 4 brothers!" I love that Heathcliff Huxtable.

3. I currently love The Script. They are an Irish band. And they are hot. and did I say Irish? And I melt away into a puddle of nothing every time I hear their current single, aptly named, "Nothing."

4. HOLY CRAP. I'm excited about this movie. And I hesitate posting the trailer here because I'm kind of a weirdy, and this book (and many other books) are such private, emotional, and personal experiences for me that I have a hard time sharing it with the world. Like, I kind of want to see the movie by myself so that whoever I am with can't taint the experience. I think I'll like the movie, though. I have a very poor track record with "books into movies," but this one appears to be everything I hoped it would be. And if not, I'll silently cry myself to sleep and never speak the words "Hunger Games" again in my lifetime. I'll just secretly maintain my devotion to those wonderful books, and write editorials in my head about why it's so good and what it could all mean. I think I should clarify, though, that on Audrey's Scale of Book Loveability, Harry Potter is like 1,000,000 lbs of importance and Hunger Games is like 1,000. They are very uneven--which is why I am even going to attempt seeing this movie (well, and because of this bomb trailer). So... after all the disclaimer and description.... enjoy.


5. I realized today that there is very nearly only one certainty in life. No matter how much EVERYONE hates them, Nickelback WILL ALWAYS manage to have a new song on the radio. Or an old song. Or any song. But you cannot escape them ever. And no matter how much I loathe that man's voice, I still find myself singing along at times (I'm telling you- inescapable), and somehow, it's comforting.

I think that's all.

Oh wait. RIHANNA-- you may have finally fell off the deep of the "too creepy for Audrey" scale with the video for "We Found Love." Buttttttt.......I'm still excited for your new album. Which comes out next week.

Beyonce and Bieber

My two new favorites:

Pottermore Update

Uh, it's awesome, and ya'll should be counting down the days until you can join (except that would be really hard, because there isn't a specific date... the beta time was just extended. So. sorry.)

Anyway, I got a wand and everything. It's Unicorn Hair, Rowan wood, 11 inches long. I'm not going to lie-- I was a little sad about the unicorn hair. I mean, who doesn't want a Phoenix feather? I know I did. But then I thought about unicorns, and realized that they are really cool too. And no everyone can have everything that Harry has. Or else then it wouldn't be special. So I'm happy.

The vague "everything" referred to in the latter paragraph includes, most dramatically, the house I was sorted into. If you get on facebook at all, you would have seen that I was placed in the lovely house of Helga Hufflepuff. And I speak honestly when I say "lovely." I truly am proud to be a Hufflepuff. I know that it is generally the house that is cast aside and throw out as boring, lame, stupid, and "the house for all the leftovers" who aren't that smart, brave, or ambitious. BUT, Hufflepuffs are the pure in heart. They are the good ones. The ones that are kind and helpful to everyone (ex. Cedric Diggory). And as Cedric points out in the Very Potter Musical on YouTube (which is hardly canon, might I add), "Hufflepuffs are good finders!" So I'm proud to be a good one. And Hufflepuff colors are yellow and black. And yellow is my favorite, duh. PLUS, I know where the Hufflepuff Common Room is (exactly!), and YOU DON'T!

That is all.

Post #264

1. What twitter is good for: Lord_Voldemort7 and Justin Bieber tweets. Why? Who doesn't want endless comparisons between Harry Potter, Mean Girls, and the actual world like they are the same thing? Sporadic comments about "Sparkly Cedric" are also appreciated. And JB? One heart. It's all about the retweets from adoring, obsessive fans who express their undying love daily. And the constant updates on JB's news, and, oh, he doesn't forget to thank his fans and tell them he loves them at least 8 times a day.

2. I think Justin Timberlake is trying to EGOT. He has like 4 Emmys and 6 Grammys. And now he's working on an Oscar (I would conjecture). As much I as I WOULD LOVE to buy another album with his name on it, I want my boy JT to have a shiny silver EGOT necklace just like Tracy Jordan's.

3. If there is one thing I miss about the years 2006-2010 (besides my byu career), it's Hannah Montana.  No longer are there new catchy musical messages to teach girls confidence, hard work, sticktoitiveness, and self-appreciation. If I ever get mad at Moriah for something, she responds, "Nobody's perfect, you live and you learn it." I miss Hannah, and I miss the old Miley.

4. Joe Jonas creeps me out these days. If you haven't seen the "Just In Love" video, don't watch it. I hate it. The Jonas Brothers were partially so great because they wore chastity rings. They would talk about their promise to be chaste and to wait until marriage. Joe, I think, breaks promises. It's disgusting.

5. Brandon Flowers. I am not a professed Killers fan, but I do love Mr. Brightside (it made the list of top 100 songs of the 2000's!), When You Were Young, Human, and Spaceman. I have followed the band throughout the years. And, well, this video is just cool.

6. Oh football season, please never end.

7. Moriah is a tennis star. For real, though. She should win all sorts of awards for looking adorable in a tennis skirt.

8. I went to St. George a couple weeks ago and it was heavenly. So heavenly.

9. Jimmer's Allstar game. I have to admit; I was overly excited to go see Jimmer, I was almost equally excited to see Kemba Walker. I don't know why, but I just think that he is cool. And for real, he had swagger. He was a crowd pleaser. You could see the charisma dripping off of him. Anyway. I went to the game with my favorite Mike Poulson. The boy loves Jimmer more than anyone I know, and is hilarious.

9. Um, Cornbellys? Why have I never been to this place before this year? You GUYS!! It is a blast. It's like beautiful fall and festival fun and cute boys and scary things all wrapped into one. And I think that hay rides are unreasonably fun.

Who is that creeper in the back? Oh wait. We know him.

creepin in the corn.

this is my scared face... yeah. fail.

Photo-ops are in my top 10 favorite things.

Soooooooooooooo. that's a catch up.

And next week is halloween. Which means that I'm having a party. GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!