HOWWwwwwww?

How do I forget about blogging so much these days? It used to be like my favorite thing in the universe.

And so begins another blog post in which I don't really have anything to say:

1. ONE DIRECTION. The new album is bomb and I haven't stopped listening to it for 3 weeks. You read that right. Peep this video for a small taste. And if you find yourself suffering from a small crush on one of these darling boys, don't worry, they are all over age. haha.


2. I went ice skating with my roommates last week, and I have NEVER loved ice skating so much. I want to go back like once a week. Because it was such a blast. The skates didn't hurt my ankles, and I didn't even fall down ONE TIME! It was nothing short of a miracle. Look out Gallivan Center--- I'm coming back.

3. My heart is still a little bit stuck in Provo... but I'm slowly transitioning to Salt Lake. I go to Provo a heck of a lot less. That saves me lotsa money on gas. And I'm making more friends in Salt Lake....but still....most of my favorite people are in the land of BYU. And I'm really starting to see Salt Lake City as a place where I could be for a long time. I really do love the city. There is SO MUCH to do around here. So many cool things to be involved in. I'm really starting to see the sort of opportunities that living in a big city can offer. And I've actually made a list of things that I want to have as hobbies someday. Since moving to Salt Lake I've been evaluating my life and my whole person and starting to see exactly who and what I want to be. I have so much to learn and so much to discover! So many people to meet and so many places to see. And so much to grow from in this one place. Utah is such an amazing place. It really is. What else do I actually need? Since my first semester in DC I've had all these ambitions about working at all sorts of cool places and living in famous cities and being this awesome person that people talk about, like, "I know this girl who is so awesome and beautiful and smart and she lives in Boston and works at the Kennedy Presidential Library," because how cool would that be???? But you know what is cooler? Being close to family and the people who love you. And working at a place and doing work that is so important. I had a sort of epiphany about my job last Sunday-- I was kind of struck by how important it is to keep a record of the church. If you think about it, the Book of Mormon was compiled by Mormon, right? And he got all this information from all the historical and spiritual records that had been kept by his people. And who knows how many thousands of volumes and chunks of gold plates he went through to get all the information he needed for this one book. The Nephites kept a record so that one day we would have their history and see the hand of God in their lives. And that is what I do at my job. I make sure that the records are kept and preserved. I keep things organized. And isn't that so amazing. I am forever grateful for a job that I love AND have a testimony of.

4. I had a conversation with a boy at work today which was prompted by him asking the following question: "What is it like at BYU?" This boy went to the U. I don't think he realized what he was getting himself into by bringing up like my #3 favorite topic in the world (numbers 1 and 2 being HP and MJ, respectively). I am a person who likes to talk. And I like to talk about the things that I like, especially when whoever I am talking to doesn't know much about what I'm about to say and/or they are acting very interested. I told him all about what a dreamland BYU is and how the wards work and what it's like to walk around campus and see everyone you know. And all about the HBLL and what kinds of people study on which floors. And I told him about finals week and how I could eat like 3 meals a day on campus and I would just leave my stuff sitting out in the library to go grab food really fast (b/c why would you want to pack everything up when there are people at the table who are perfectly willing to "watch" your stuff??) I told him about how heavenly the summers are and how everyone is involved in Church stuff and how everyone is best friends in the summer. I was about to launch into the story of Epic Summer 2010, but I ran out of time (and that story would have included Slickgangin and the Wink at the Stranger Initiative! the boy missed out). But I guess that the summary of all of this is that I am so grateful that I was able to have the college experience that I did. I met SO MANY amazing people who have changed my life--and will continue to impact me for the rest of my existence. That's what good friends do for you. They change your life--make you see things in new ways and teach you things. I am a much better person for having gone to BYU and for having been involved in BYU wards and with BYU students.

5. And what else is going on in my life? Thanksgiving was rad. 2 days off work with holiday pay!

6. I wish I could go to Disneyland....like tomorrow.

7. I miss all my friends that live far away.

8. My siblings are hilarious.

9. I just read Lois Lowry's "Gathering Blue." I liked it. But it wasn't life-changing like "The Giver" is. Oh well. But it made me want to read "Messenger" despite having been warned against that one. Thoughts?

10. Why can't I keep my room clean? It's a disaster so much of the time. I just don't like to put my clothes away.

11. Also I hate doing the dishes. I would like a dishwasher for Christmas, thank you very much.

12. And a washer and dryer would be very nice.

13. What else? We have a next door neighbor who we thought was really nice but recently he started getting super snooty about other people parking in front of his house. We have 4 cars that are all leaving at different times of night and morning, so, naturally, one of our cars is usually parked in one of the spots in front of his house. Just like the corner of his house, really. Our car is mostly just in front of his side yard. For realz though. So anyway, the last couple of days he started parking his own car in that side-house-extra-spot instead of his own driveway (which is now empty, btw), just so we can't park there. For real, dude??? You don't own the street.

Anyway, that is all.

This is Halloween.

I didn't throw any parties this year. I barely even had a costume. But I made like a million Halloween treats.

And something very traumatic happened to me.

Everyone, vote for the SCARIEST smell in the whole world. What is the last thing you ever want to smell?

The smell that haunts my nightmares; nay, my waking hours, is the smell of BURNT HAIR.

And on Halloween, I smelled it. I was curling my hair for the Institute party, WHAT THE. The stupid curling iron burnt my hair. I saw the patch of burnt brown and shrivelly hair first... and then the smell wafted up to my nose. I started screaming. And then I screamed all the way up the stairs to the other bathroom so show my roommates what had happened. I showed them the burn, and then the unthinkable happened. The burnt hair came off in a clump IN MY HAND. I stood there, in the bathroom, staring (mouth agape) at my handful of luscious, golden locks, and two tears escaped my eyes right before I collapsed onto the sink and counter. A few words were unconsciously whispered... "my crowning glory..." My roommate guided me to a chair in the kitchen and brought me a glass of water.

And so begins the struggle to keep the short and stubby (probs about 2 inches long) chunk of hair tucked into my pony tail. It's going to take MONTHS to grow this one out.

But other than that, Halloween was splendid. I literally went to 2 dances at the institute-- One on Monday the 29th for FHE, and then one on Halloween. And I can just say this: those institute people/the people in slc, throw GOOD parties. There were bounce houses and fog machines and mechanical bulls and good music (namely, Spice Girls, NSYNC, and BSB--- and bieber too) and millions of people galore. I dressed as a hi-liter for Monday's party--

Exhibit A:

And then as a person wearing a batman cape for Wednesday's (I had no creativity. Too many of my Halloween costume ideas just didn't work out... and a small part of me just looks for every and all opportunities to wear that cape. because it's just so dang awesome).

Exhibit B:


And I danced like a crazy person and flirted with boys and sweated a lot (okay that dance on Wed was like the hottest thing I've ever experienced. I'm pretty good at dealing with heat, but I couldn't make it through more than like 3 songs. It was miserable).

And now that Halloween is over, I just want to come up with excuses to dress up some more. Because it rocks. And all you people out there who don't dress up because you think it's lame or you are just boring people, you are REALLY MISSING OUT. Dressing up is nothing but an opportunity for a super fun time where you get to be yourself in somebody else's clothes.

The end.

but also. I have cool roommates.

Pop Perfection.

Chris Wallace.



I bought the whole album.

I really am one of those people who actually just really loves pop. I really, really do.

Plus, the man is a little Freddie Mercury-ish. Voice-wise, I mean. No complaints there.

How does Taylor Swift know the story of my life?? It's getting weird.

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!