Freedom

Staying up late and sleeping in make you feel crappy. You are more tired in general AND psychologically, it just makes you feel like a lazy person that accomplishes less in her life. These are facts.

But staying up late and sleeping in are seriously the definition of Freedom.

There is something so amazing about being able to control, completely, when you can sleep and when you can't. It's amazing to stay up later and later just because you want to. Nobody tells you when to go to bed. Nobody hides your computer or the TV remote so that you can't watch TV.

And sleeping in!!! Oh the heaven that is sleeping in!! You wake up, and there is absolutely no reason to get out of bed. You can read or eat or fall back asleep or really anything else you want to do... but you're just all cozy and warm and comfortable and there is nothing better.

Maybe it has something to do with conquering one of those things that is a basic human need---you know, adding your own control to it or something. Or maybe it just has to do with all the years of being coerced into going to bed when it's still light outside because it's summer, and then being woken up way too early because your dad is singing songs with all the words wrong.

But either way... I'm just excited that I'm awake right now and that it doesn't matter. And I'm even more excited that in the morning, I will wake up, and then fall back to sleep. And then maybe I'll just lay there for a while. Who knows?

:)

4 possibilties

Today there was an unusual occurrence. I drove to work today, went into the Conference Center parking garage, pulled into the usual parking spot, and then BLACKNESS. The lights went out in the whole parking garage. with no windows. it was very dark. Four thoughts immediately popped into my head:

1. Is this the part where they kill me?
2. It must be Dumbledore with his Put-Outer.
3. BATMAN!!! (you know the part when the lights go out in dark knight rises?)

And last:

4. maybe the power just went out.

And then I got out of my car. The emergency lights came on, I was able to get to the elevator, and I went to work.

Thoughts of a Monday

1. I lost my first week of fantasy football.
2. You know why I like my new big bed? Because I can leave all sorts of books and clothes and craps on it and I still have PLENTY of room.
3. Because I have no friends in Salt Lake and I'm suddenly afraid of all single adults except for the ones I already know, I feel like I am decreasing in coolness by the day.
4. Cher Lloyd is bomb. And so is the new Matchbox Twenty ballad, "Overjoyed." I have always loved me some Rob Thomas. And Phillip Phillips is very yummy this time of year (post-American Idol, I mean). And last but not least, Ryan Tedder and my OneRepublic. You did it again. "Feel Again" is a mood-brightener if I ever heard one. And I CAN'T WAIT for the new album.
5. I'm going to be Smurfette for Halloween. nobody who reads this is allowed to steal that idea. I'm serious.
6. It's rainy today.
7. I need some new hobbies.... so any ideas? And don't say cooking. That still doesn't appeal, even though I now have plenty of time for it. Why am I such a lame-o?? I'm supposed to work on my housewife skills.... but cooking just takes SO DANG LONG. I want my food NOW.
8. I'm reading Harry Potter 5 again. Because it is my favorite.
9. I wore purple corduroy pants to FHE tonight. And Dawna said I looked like a rockstar. I felt like Willy Wonka. We'll try again next week, I suppose.
10. I talked to my brother on the phone for an hour last night. He has got to be the best brother in the world.
11. I'M GOING TO ST. GEORGE THIS WEEKEND!!!!!! I just love that place so much. so so so so so so so much.

yep. I think that's it!

So you know what happens?

Summer ends.

And your whole life gets flip-turned up-side-down. Like, wth, Fresh Prince, stop trying to give me your life.

Also, you know what it means when I don't blog, like, ever? It means there's a boy. And I don't ever want to record happenings with said boy on this here blog (you know, because you never know what's going to happen), and then that usually leaves like NOTHING else to talk about. But now there is no boy, so back to blogging. But I will give you this gem from the past 3 months of glee:

Here's the teaser that will never turn into a full-length film. :)

No, I purposefully used a picture where you can't see his face. So there.

But now that the cat's out of the bag, I can give you a summer recap, including some things that I have already mentioned, you know, to give the full picture.

1. YAY trip to Loomis, Sacramento, and San Fran, California. A heavenly vacation with my favorite people, Mike and Drake.

2. In case you didn't remember,  I saw Titanic in 3D for my birthday and it changed my life. Movie ended and Stephanie said, "this movie should win 'best picture' every year since it came out. Because there has not been a better movie."

3. One Direction stole my heart, you know, at the concert.

4. Family vacation to the motherland...aka Lompoc, California. (see another post for pictures)

5. A 4th of July spent with boy, complete with late night parade spot guarding, hot air balloon festival, best parade in America, a lovely nap, ward BBQ, and, of course, watching the fireworks from Squaw Peak (you can see the whole valley from up there! There were magical little poofs of fireworks all over the place!)

6. A haze of tiredness that resulted from late late late nights and early early early mornings. I think my whole summer passed by me in a dim, fuzzy flash---I was having a blast---but I don't remember too much of it, because I was just so tired all the time. But the late nights just somehow kept being worth it. Funny how that works out. :) 

7. Some 7 Peaks. Some hikes. Some hammock time. Some puzzle do-ing. A lottta Bachelorette and nail painting with the one and only Laura Thomas. 

8. Apartment hunting. Oh yes, the ALL-TIME WORST part of my summer. I hate moving and I hate looking for a place to move to, especially when I don't want to move all that much. But I felt like it was time to part ways with my beloved Provo. And now I live in a cute little house with 3 cute girls. They are great. But I really miss all my friends. I really miss my Provo. But Salt Lake will be a good place for me. I signed up for 2 institute classes today... I don't know if I'll keep both of them... but I signed up. I want to make friends. And I want to use all the new-found time that I have (because my commute is OVER) for productive things--- you know, like watching Friends and going to institute and working out and such.

9. Lene came to visit. She was here for 3 weeks, and it was just so great. She was so very kind to help me move, and honestly, I don't know that I would have been able to do it without her. It was amazing. She helped me pack and clean and transport everything, and I was so glad to have her here. And also, me and Lene just got to hang out. And giggle. And talk about boys. And visit boys. Such as Geoff and Kevin. haha we made Geoff and Kevin have the longest group hug with us. It was so so hilarious I was gonna die. And we had a mini picnic awesome with the lovely Amy McDonald (who is one of my favorite darlings, btw), and a trip to Pizza Pie Cafe with Kevin and my favorite Mike. And we shopped a little and got stressful manicures.

10. My Meghan and my Joey got married. To each other. And I was a bridesmaid, and the wedding was lovely and so fun and so wonderful, and I wish I could just live that whole day over again, because it was so fun. 

all the pretty ladies. but mostly meghan, of course.

all the cute boys. edward and ben are my fave.

11. Sara Sara got married too. To handsome Jacob McKell. And they were darling. And I was so happy to be a part of her day. :)

12. Me and Lene went to St. George this last weekend. To visit. And I loved being home. I don't think I can ever express what happiness there is in my little town. I got to hang out with my Moe and Jen and their little babies, who are so so so darling, btw. And me, Lene, my mother, Moriah (who is 17 now, HOLY), and Elise, went to Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days and it was like the funniest movie of my whole life. RECOMMEND STAMP. 

So now you're pretty well caught up. I live in Salt Lake. And all my friends are either married, live with me, live in Provo, or live in Norway or Jerusalem (woohoo Lorina!). And things are great--- just different. I'm just excited for FOOOOOOTBALLLLLL SEASSSSSOONNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!

That Michael Phelps

Conversation with the lovely Laura Thomas this morning:

Laura: Michael Phelps won another gold last night.
Audrey: I love Michael Phelps.
Laura: He's just so darn adorable.
Audrey: I just want him to win everything, forever.
Laura: ..... (thinking about MP)
Audrey: But Ryan Lochte is, like, sooooo attractive.
Laura: Yes.

I haven't changed very much in the last 4 years, apparently. Check out this post from the days after the Beijing Games.

absence.

It's been, yeah, a month since I've blogged. That's terrible.

But I have been a busy girl. I promise. I barely sleep.

But I have to post now... mostly just because I love the Olympics.

That's all.

Lene Kristine Botolfsen.

I purposefully ignored this girl's birthday. Because I was on vacation and didn't really have a way to wish her an appropriate happy birthday, and if you know Lene Botolfsen, you know that she needs an appropriate happy birthday.

Lene's birthday is one of the most important days of the year. Lene is not ashamed to celebrate! (See Lene's Birthday 2010). And so, because I could not celebrate with her this year, I thought I would list 26 reasons why Lene Kristine Botolfsen is one of my favorite people in this whole wide world.

at her going away party.

1. She is extremely--but not mistakenly--confident in herself and what she wants. She's not afraid to be herself, and she's not afraid to show who she is. This quality ultimately brought a change in my through my association with her. Why should I be nervous to call a boy? Ask him to hang out? Lene isn't. She's cool and collected and very sure of herself.

2. She is very loyal and really cares about people. If you are Lene's friend, she will keep in touch with you, and you will be her friend forever. She devotes a lot of time and money to the people in her life, and that's exactly how it should be. Lene works hard to maintain the relationships that she cares about, and that is admirable. It's exhausting to have as many friends as Lene does, but she takes it in stride.

3. Lene is just so cool. This is what I tell people. That she is literally the coolest person I know.

4. Lene shops and spends money more than anyone else I know.... which makes it a blast to shop with her. One time we were in Banana Republic and she found, and this is a true story, a velvet, purple blazer on sale for a decent price-- but not a fantastic one. And she bought it. Because, what if she needs it when she teaches elementary school? She just might. Or, imagine Lene as a farmer's market. The average customer wanders around and looks at things, talks to the people at the booth, buys maybe a little bit of fruit, and then goes home. Or, if you are me, you buy nothing. ever. But Lene buys....lots of things. Not an unreasonable amount. Not like she's a crazy person. But I was always just in AWE of the way she could talk herself into buying things. :) It was adorable.

5. Lene. likes. kissing. I'm fairly certain that anyone who has ever MET Lene can attest to this fact, because she happens to bring it up quite frequently. Not inappropriately, but contextually and hilariously. In our apartment we had not one, but two mistletoes hanging from the ceiling-- year round. Around Valentine's Day we had a Kissing Booth... that stayed up until August. We had, in one area of our living room, what we like to call the "kissing corner." There was a small poster with kiss marks all over it. We each kissed the poster to signify each boy that we, as 4 roommates, had kissed. When Lene comes into town this August, I think we've collectively got like 4 to add... maybe more.

6. Lene takes an absurd amount of time to do things...like homework. It's not because she's slow. or dumb. The contrary is true, actually. It's because she likes to watch TV or a movie while she does her homework. Why not get some enjoyment out of it, right? When Lene reads this she will protest. She will say that watching something did not make her take longer... but I swear it did.

yes. lene is the one on the left. and yes. she looks terrifying.

7. Lene is very independent and very tough. She does what she wants, when she wants. Not to inconvenience people or anything, but like, if she wants to walk to the grocery store at midnight to get some milk by herself, she will, despite the repeated and emphatic objections of her roommates who care about her and her safety. She also, one time, rode her little red beach cruiser to the Provo Towne Center movie theater for a 7:00pm showing. And then she wanted to watch another movie. so she did. and then another one. a midnight showing. SO. She rode her bike home, by herself, across the SKETCHY bridge on University Avenue that goes over the railroad tracks, at like 2 AM! Crazy woman. But that is Lene. And that is why we love her.

me and lene, pretending to be dating Kevin and Geoff.

8. Did I mention that Lene LOVES Robert Pattinson, the Twilight movies (even though she knows that they are dumb), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Dawson's Creek. She loves them. Last summer she watched Buffy and Angel in order, alternating shows every episode, because apparently they connect and happen concurrently, which actually is kind of cool. But who else besides Lene even knows that?

9. Lene has amazing style. She is the queen of accessories, and when we shop together, she is somehow able to buy pieces that I could never see fitting into anyone's wardrobe, but somehow, they do. And they are awesome. Like the velvety purple blazer. I would never, not in a million years, consider spending money on something so impractical. But when she wore it.... I found myself a little jealous. Like, why can't I see things the way she does when I'm trying to build a wardrobe? I see solids and basics... and that my friends, is why my clothes are so boring, but Lene's are so awesome.

10. Lene has a collection of Chuck Taylors. Like a gazillion pairs. When I say gazillion, I mean probably like 15. I really have no idea how many. But that's pretty rad.

11. The first day I met Lene, I was trying to move into my new apartment at Banbridge. I found the apartment, but I had no idea where the management place was. That means I couldn't actually get checked in or get my key or anything. So I knocked on apt 12. The one right across the hall. And Lene answered. She seemed very nice, and very helpful. I noticed that she had a little bit of a strange lilt in her accent. But I didn't think anything of it. Why would I? I didn't find out for like another two weeks that she wasn't from our country. (Which leads me to #12) But she gave me the info that I needed, and little did I know that she would change my life. :)

oh yes. excitement over the little things. you wouldn't guess, but we were at IHOP in this picture. At the traditional finals week dinner.

12. Lene is Norwegian. She is, by far, my favorite Norwegian. Last year when I was student teaching, there were some visiting students from Norway for like a day. And the girls reminded me of Lene-- probably just because of the way their English sounded. :) But anyway, she is very proud of her Norwegian heritage. I have, because of Lene, celebrated the Norwegian national holiday, May 17, 2 times, and with much vigor and vim. Lene makes Norwegian food, decorates, invites everyone that we know to come over, and then on occasion, makes everyone learn and sing the Norwegian National song. It is so great. And so Norwegian. And omg, Lene and her Norwegian skin gets sunburned worse, and more often, than anyone I've ever seen.

13. Lene speaks English better than most Americans. This is partially because she's just so darn intelligent, but also partially because she was always meant to be an American, I am sure of it. On the 4th of July, she just goes around, with her patriotic shirt, waving her little American flag, and saying, "I LOVE AMERICA!"

14. Lene is not shy.

15. Lene celebrates everyday more, and better, than most people. She is always up for planning more things, doing things elaborately, and making excuses to see her friends-- to spend time with people that she likes. In the last 3 years (since I've known her) she planned a significant number of events for everyone to enjoy. And sometimes, she very gracefully let me help her. We planned a lot of things together, and I don't think I've ever had more fun-- or seriously---been more stressed. The short list includes: 2 For Like Ever parties, 2 Picnic Awesomes (I have, so far, dropped the ball on that this year, ps... maybe we'll do it when you come to visit), 1 bomb halloween party, smoothie nights, 2 17 Mai parties, several events on the roof of banbridge, the Old Maid's Day extravaganza, lotsa blacklight dance parties, countless summer weekends of fun, 2 fully-orchestrated birthday bashes, an excellent going-away party, dinner nights for friends, and omh one time we had a bike gang that had this really hierarchical leadership struture that Lene was the master of-- and we would go Slickgangin like once a week and it rocked...etc., etc., etc.

black light madness. Yes, Lene's arm says, "I <3 MEN."

I was in DC student teaching, but I had to make a presence at the For Like Ever. And Amy did to, of course. So Lene made signs. :)

Halloween 2011. At our epic party. And these are my girls. honestly, it's a miracle we were able to gather everyone for one picture. a miracle.

Our collection of summer '11 friends. you know, the summer crew.

Slickgangin

16. Everyone wants to be Lene's friend.

17. Lene is very, very smart. And very dedicated to her school work (most of the time). She went into elementary education because she genuinely cares about children and wants to make sure that they learn all the important stuff-- and that they are comfortable at school and have a safe place to go.

18. Lene is very nurturing, and she is going to be an awesome mother. She'll be the cool mom, but also the mom that her kids trust and depend on. I'm so excited to meet her children, btw. because they. will. be. rad.

19. Lene is very organized. She keeps binders full of all her things, and they are all labeled.

20. As a transient college student, Lene still made it a point to collect house decorations-- things that she will want in the future, too. I do not have that mindset, at all, so it was always surprising to me. But awesome. Our apartment was adorable, because of Lene and her decoration collecting habits.

21. Lene likes really manly, manly men.

Our relief society sleepover. We were obviously up to no good.

22. Lene treats our church, and the gospel, as her highest priority. She loves to serve. And she has a testimony, that while serving as her 1st counselor when she was Relief Society President, I learned a lot from. She taught me how to serve with love and kindness, but with firmess-- and she always allowed the Spirit to guide our actions as a presidency. We had loonnnnnnng Sunday meetings. But they were awesome. I looked forward to them every week. I loved the girls in our presidency, but I also loved learning from Lene. We followed the Bishop's counsel to a T. Lene had deep respect for Bishop Brough. She was also always very concerned about our girls. More than the rest of us. She made extra visits, and did what else she could, in her limited time, to serve them. She was an amazing example.

you know, just a small collection of boys.

another small collection. both of these groups of boys came over for dinner as a farewell to Lene, fyi.

23. One time, Lene texted all her favorite boys something akin to the following: "come over so we can cuddle." (that is not a direct quote. I don't know what it actually said... I just know it said something about cuddling). Within like half an hour, there were 12 boys at our house. 12.

24. Lene has excellent picture taking skills. She takes pictures that actually capture moments, and she's not awkward about it. For some reason, I have a hard time making people pose for pictures. I just do. But Lene doesn't. She makes people pose, and they want to. And she makes people take self-portraits, which are always hilarious. And then she posts the pictures. She has over a hundred albums on facebook. They document her college life, and that's amazing. You only have to look at her pictures to realize what a cool person she is. She experiences new things and she's not afraid. And she documents it, and it's just so great. I think that like 70% of all my pics on facebook are from Lene. :)

the 4th of July. Night before. camping out for the parade. Because in the words of Lene,  "what is more American than a parade?"

iceblocking. together. it didn't work. and no, we didn't mean to match that day.

we thought this pic was going to turn out cooler than it did. dang it.

25. Lene gets excited for people. She very appropriately reacts to news that you have. She cares about what you are doing and how you are, and she gets excited. And sometimes, you just need someone to act on the outside exactly what you are feeling on the inside, but just can't let it out.

In San Diego. At the beach. 

26. Lene has a goal to eat a meal in the smallest and largest cities in every state. Who else thinks of something like that besides Lene?

And last: Since Lene left Provo, there have been many occasions when our friends-- or other people-- have made comments about her absence. They tend to say things like, "you can't replace Lene. there is only one Lene." and it's true.

Our last picture together, before she left forever. 

I love you Lene! Happy happy birthday. And thanks for being my bestie. :)

And also. I'm so excited to see you on August 6th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!