alsknfdghg . . . I don't have a better title.

I have way to many thoughts rushing through my mind and in an effort to sort them out, I am blogging.

My major: has been changed in my mind so many times, but I've never actually acted upon anything. I need to get on that. I need to go talk to a counselor and figure out what pre-requisites I need to take. Right now I am planning on an elementary ed. major with a minor in french. :[]

My future plans (i.e. this coming summer and study abroad): First of all, study abroad. I want to do it winter '10. I feel like that fits in my schedule the best . . . we'll see. Also I am seriously debating doing Disney college program this summer. It would look really good on a resume and it would be such a great experience! I already have an interview set up and I want to go to the character audition tomorrow. The problem is that it's such short notice and I am not good at spur of the moment things when it comes to future plans. I am a planner. I don't do well with spontaneity (depending on the circumstances). Also my pre-interview thing is during our ward murder masquerade party. There was no other time to do it. Fortunately it is a phone interview so I am Hoping Chris (a.k.a. Alaric Roth) wont get too mad at me. :[] I don't know what else to do!

My week: has been busy and it's basically only begun. It's midterm week for me and it's been a little stressful. We flew through this last french test so I don't feel like I got an adequate feel for it all. I can't believe we already have another oral exam!! Thank goodness that my bio presentation will be over soon! whew! :[] blech tests.

Also I get little spurts of nostalgia here are there. Sometimes I miss performing and singing in front of people. I won't be able to go back home for the school fall play this year. I probably could, but I just wouldn't be worth the money for travel. Oh well, good luck Stephen and Connor my loves! I know you will astound the audiences as always!

















And finally Happy Birthday little sister!! I can't believe you are 16 already! Live it up girl! I love you!

in the crisper drawer . . . yum?

apparently we love to let our fruits and veggies rot beyond recognition . . . remember this?

Love you Nelly!

My cute sister Nelly came into town and I got to see her for dinner! I wish we and more time together, but it was good to see her. Can't wait until thanksgiving!

Haha! I thought this one was funny!


miss you sister!

deux est un nombre magique

oui, c'est ça.

je ne peux pas attendre le jour
quand je peux dire: "bonjour, encore."
nous jouons tout les jours!

juste nous deux . . .
un jour, nous allons ensemble.

où es-tu?

trente-trois

I am ready for a break. Everyday is the same and I think I really need a change of pace. Life is good and school is good, but I must be missing something.

It hurts to be unsure.

I wish those people outside with the drums would stop banging incessantly.

le défilé de mode

Today we had a fashion show in french. AMAZING! I was seriously looking forward to it all day, no lie. I contemplated what I would wear all night and all the next morning I was putting together all sorts of outfits in my mind. We had partners and we had to describe what they were wearing, so I would make up french sentences about what I should say. I even practiced the catwalk, yep that's how hardcore I am. I am a loser.

Anyway, it was great. I even got to do my catwalk. woo woo! Everyone was having so much fun with it. Also it was pretty sweet because my class voted me the most chic, which means I got a snickers bar. Too bad I wasn't voted most creative (the first prize) because then I would have received a sweet french club shirt. Oh and this picture is pretty much how I looked . . . or at least how I wish I had looked. Ah, it was great nonetheless.

Then with five minutes left in class Monsieur Dennis started talking in English!! Crazy, but only because he had to. He explained to us about careers in french and how we should continue taking french classes, etc. It was pretty sweet and I got some good information. Also I found out that Monsieur Dennis--who is also a student--is double majoring in French and Math while also teaching a french class! Really random and kind of crazy. He's a really good teacher and I'm glad I was lucky enough to get him. He really focuses on speaking, which is exactly what I need improving on. (I think he does that because he served a mission in France and he knows first-hand that speaking is the best way to learn.) Also he somehow always knows when I don't know the answer or when I need to get better at something (meaning practically everything) because he ALWAYS calls on me at those times.

Anyway it's good for me.

I love fall!

It's official.

Despite getting over a cold, Today while walking home I could smell the wonders of fall! Oh lovely!

Crisp leaves (which are my favorite to crunch!). Vibrant colors: orange, yellow, brown, red. Wearing layers and light sweaters (it's not too cold yet!) Just the rustic, earthy smell and feel of it all is so fantastic!

love!

procrastination

I just spent WAY too much time blog stalking. Oh gee. Sorry homework, you just aren't as important.

I am now coveting the life of someone else . . .

Totally unrelated, but I like this sweet little gate I found in my neighborhood back at home!

le bonheur

Happiness. I want that. The type of happiness that you felt when you were a kid on a carefree summer day and you hear the ice cream man's cheerful little tune coming down the street and you can't wait to get your hands on some chocolaty goodness or flavorful popsicle! The type of happiness you get when you've had a "blah" kind of day and a friend makes you feel better just by saying "I love you." Looking at pictures of good recipes and food like my cheesecake recipe book ;) (even though I don't have the time or the means to cook/bake them it is still worth it). Or the feelings you get while reading a good book like Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry (so amazing!) or from Happiness is a Warm Puppy by Charles Schultz. Peanuts is seriously one of my favorites. It epitomizes happiness to me. Every time I read his book or one of the comic strips, or even watch one of the movies I feel all warm and fuzzy inside (yes I just said that, but I can't think of anything else to describe it). Peanuts is so perfect because it's so simple, and yet those are the things that bring happiness to me: family, friends, a warm puppy (a.k.a. charlie!) There are so many forms of happiness, but imagine it lasting for ETERNITY! That's almost indescribable! I get little glimpses of eternal happiness every once in a while, but it lasts only for a few minutes or seconds even. Lately it's been happening more frequently, which is good because it keeps me on track, it motivates me to try harder and improve the areas that need improving in my life. It makes me long for, in eager anticipation, for the times in my future when I can partake of this happiness longer than a few seconds and for, well . . . eternity! So right now that's my goal. Pretty lofty goal, huh?

The darker the chocolate, the sweeter the juice (ha!)

This week went by very fast. Crazy! Anyway, yesterday was a great day. I studied, went to school--which isn't that great--studied some more and then hung out with Kaylie, Katie, Vai and the crew . . . the LDS motion picture crew! Haha! But seriously. (They make movies like The Joseph Smith Movie and they gave Katie and me some candy from the sweet stash!) Here is some proof, but not of the candy:


Katie made a touchdown!

We actually got to STAND on the field!!

After they were done filming Vai, we all went to dinner, which was so great because we were starving!! After dinner the most obvious thing to do is order dessert, right? But dumb Fridays had a random recall on brownies?! Who ever heard of a recall on brownies? Anyway, we somehow chose P.F. Changs for dessert. And yes, we ordered ALL the options!! These next few pictures are to make you jealous.
Cheesecake:

The sampler. S'mores, shorcake, carrot cake, chocolate cake, and tiramisu, to name a few:

Some banana roll thing with amazing pineapple coconut ice cream.

The great wall of Chocolate cake!!

My personal fav. Flourless chocolate dome, it came warm and rich! (just like flourless chocolate cake that my mom and grandma make!)

Here we all are. Isn't it nice to reminisce about the evening before?

I could barely walk after eating so much food. Back home my comfortable sweat pants were calling me, waiting to be worn. But it's nice to have a fat day once in a while, right?

The lamest super power ever:

...no super power at all...

guac

I love guacamole. Fresh guacamole. Not the gross kind that grocery stores have premade and packaged that taste like plastic and only have about 5% of real avocados in them. I'm talking about the good stuff. The stuff that my mom makes at home.

That's why I was so happy when I went grocery shopping and saw avocados for just 25 cents EACH !! WOO WOO!! Score.

So I made some homemade guac for dinner. Yep. I am classy.

this made my *nigt!

*at the request of Brooke I am not editing my typo.

I already blogged today, but I just had to post these little treasures that we discovered.

I seriously grew up on Arthur. Best show ever (also wishbone). Every year we would await the wonderful day when the best episode of Arthur aired: "Arthur's almost not real live music festival," which was only once a year.



and then we found this:

perspective

Today while studying for my Doctrine and Covenants exam I re-read a quote from our required reading. It went as follows:

“I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far away [from God], that if I immerse myself in the scriptures the distance narrows and the spirituality returns.”
Pres. Spencer W. Kimball (Address to CES personnel, July 11, 1966, BYU.)

For some reason this quote hit me so hard. I have definitely seen this exact thing prevalent in my life, especially while being here at school. Sometimes I can get so caught up in my worries and day-to-day activities that the spiritual parts of my life get pushed to the side. I personally think that when I devote my time to the Lord by "immers[ing] myself in scriptures," then all other parts of my life fall into place. School becomes easier, I become a better person, life becomes easier, etc. As I put my faith in the Lord, come unto Christ, and strive to live the commandments, he helps me in all aspects of my life.

Here is another quote I liked:
"It is a paradox that men will gladly devote time every day for many years to learn a science or art; yet will expect to win knowledge of the gospel which comprehends all sciences and arts, through perfunctory glances at books or occasional listening to sermons. The gospel should be studied more intensely than any school or college subject. They who pass opinion on the gospel without having given it intimate and careful study are not lovers of truth, and their opinions are worthless."
Elder John A. Widtsoe (Evidences and Reconciliation’s, Vol. 3, pp. 16-17)

I love the part about how the gospel should be studied more intensely than any school or college subject. It's definitely been an adjustment for me learning how to balance all my time in college and still put the Lord first. Coming to know of the mysteries of God takes time. Nothing comes that easily. That's why I love listening to Conference. It is a time where I can learn of the things that I need to do better in, and it comes directly from my Heavenly father! I love how you can be hearing the same doctrines and principles that you've heard all your life, but you can still get different messages out of it. There are specific lessons just for me that Heavenly Father wants me to hear. Things I need to improve on and prepare for.

Anyway, those were just some of my thoughts.

And now I have a sudden craving for chocolate...

dandelion wishes . . .

I wish I had something cool to blog about like all my friends do.
I wish I could be more philosophical and articulate.
I wish I wasn't so timid when I first meet people.
I wish I could stand up for myself more often.
I wish I knew my major.
I wish I didn't have to take midterms.
I wish I was a better test taker.
I wish I didn't get so distracted while doing my homework and studying.
I wish I was fluent in french already.
I wish I wasn't so scared of making mistakes.
(I hope my oral exam goes well tomorrow.)
I wish that dream of mine could become a reality . . .
I wish I could come home to a real dinner every night.
I wish the good foods that I like to eat weren't so expensive, like fish for instance.
I wish I could talk with my sister (on the mish) for at least an hour, just to talk.
I wish it was thanksgiving already so I could be with the fam.
I wish I could give charlie a little cuddle.
I wish BYU had longer vacations and that they were more frequent.
I wish Colorado wasn't an 8 hour drive away.
I wish I could read the future, most especially mine.
I wish I had more time to read the books that I like.
I wish I could relive one day from my childhood.
I wish I could have a wishbone marathon. You know, the "little dog with a big imagination!"
I wish I could travel.
I wish change didn't happen so frequently.

I wish wishes came true.

today

. . . was so good.
I woke up to the rain. Seriously the most perfect way to start the day.

Then we got to talk to Claire. I love that girl and am so happy for her. Check out her awesome experiences here.

Then I got to watch conference. LOVE! And it's not over yet!

And I am not stressing about school/my oral exam on tuesday. whatev.



Speaking of rain . . . I really like this picture my sister took this may.
Just check out her photography blog here.

in the fruit basket . . . yum?

how did we not notice this?