Dear Utah

 Now Utah, I know you are fond of playing terrible pranks on poor college students but really this snow business has got to stop. It is nearly APRIL! This means it is time to get warm so that the poor college students can stop freezing their little tushies off every time they step outside their door. You may rain all you like but none of this frozen precipitation anymore. That is so last month. Time to catch up with the crowd and allow us to wear our knee length shorts and shed some of our winter layers. It would be much appreciated if I could see my long lost friend the Sun again. I miss his rays of light. He is so warm to the touch and the clouds have been blocking him out. I mean the poor ducks must be confused out of their minds! So in short please comply with this request within the next 24 hours or I will be forced to cause the next summer to be so stifling that in Utah's arid climate everything wilts.

Sincerely,

Warmblooded Creatures

Random Fact: A jogger's heel strikes the ground 1,500 times per mile.

I looked out the window and what did I see....

This morning I awoke to find a winter wonderland. Yesterday I was in shorts and today I was bundled up like an Eskimo. Utah weather, I am on my knees here. I surrender to your all powerful indecisiveness. As the day progressed it snowed and snowed and snowed! At one point it was so heavy you couldn't even see the mountains. As I braved the "blizzard" to walk to my appointment with my chem teacher here are a few things that I saw:

 These poor ducks looked a little lost and came to me begging for food. :( I wanted to go back to my apartment and get them some bread.

This was right outside my apartment all the snow on the ground. Gotta love Provo weather.

A bird's eye view of frozen over Provo from the third floor of the Benson Building on Campus. You can almost see my apartment where I will be staying next year. It is slightly further to the right.








As you can see just because the calendar says it should be warming up doesn't mean Provo has to agree. I want to be in shorts and a t-shirt. I'm so done with the cold and the snow. Hopefully next weekend will be nice but it is conference weekend so it will be spent mostly inside. The plus side is I get to sleep in! No 8:30 am church for me :P You have no idea how excited that makes me. This cold weather also inspired me to write a little song to the primary tune "Popcorn Popping":

 I looked out the window and what did I see... 

Snowflakes falling on the Apricot Tree

Spring has brought me such a nice surprise...

Snowmen forming right before my eyes

 I can take an handful and make one too

A cold white ball I can throw at you

It wasn't really spring, but it should have been.

Snowflakes falling right before my eyes

Well world I hope it is warm and sunny wherever you are and not snowing. Have a great weekend!

Random Fact: Grapes explode when cooked in the microwave. (Yes I have done this and it works)

Six Months of Happiness

Check out this Epic M&M I got in my pack of Peanut M&Ms that Mark bought me. Haha they must know where my heart is. I thought it was rather awesome and it had two peanuts in it not just one. Well this past Tuesday the 22 Mark and I celebrated 6 months of being together. We came home from class and made a delicious dinner. It was honey sesame chicken stir-fry and rice. :) So delicious! It was by far the best meal I have had in a long time and the best meal I have ever made. It is so much fun cooking together and then he even did all the dishes! <3 What a hunk!

It amazes me that we have been together this short amount of time because it feels like we have known each other for eternity. I hope we one day are together for eternity. So I got him an Ipod Touch for an early birthday/ 6 month present. I made a playlist and had fun making him guess why I had put each song on it. He showered me with love and every kind of junk food a girl could ever want. Not sure what he is planning there but he's not going to fatten me up no sir!

Mandee, Alisha, and I have also made the commitment to try and go to the gym 3 times a week or atleast run. It is finally warm enough where we won't freeze our tatas off if we go outside. The sun is shining and flowers are starting to bloom. It's spring even if it did snow a couple of days ago. Strange utah. It really is beautiful here and makes me appreciate the heat of home even more. Mark has even decided to start running. A miracle! :) He sure knows how to make me happy. I really am the luckiest girl in the world just to have him in my life. Love that boy!

Here is a picture of our culinary masterpiece... yummy!

Random Fact: As of 2006,  200 million blogs were left without updates.

Dirty Dishes Love

So my biggest pet peeve is probably dirty dishes. I absolutely hate seeing things in the sink. It makes me grouchy and extremely irritable. So you can imagine when I come home after being on campus all day and at work to find the mound of dishes that was there when I left that morning had only grown I was a bit upset. I am pretty good about always rinsing out my dishes and putting them in the dish washer. The problem arises when the dish washer is clean and no one "has time" to unload it. -.- Don't even get me started there. So then dishes pile up in the sink until they are probably growing their own life forms. Because my goal this week was to see everything with love after taking time to simmer down for quite a while I bit the bullet and decided to wash them myself.

Grabbing my best friend the flower scrubber I went at it. I first had to unload the dishwasher before I could load it again. It took me 20 minutes to discover the bottom of the sink again. Then there were other pots and pans to wash as well. The problem is even if you use a pot or pan when the sink is in that condition you can't wash it if you even wanted to because you can't get to faucet. This wasn't the only opportunity I had to do the dishes this week. I tend to start the dishwasher every night because otherwise we won't have bowls for the morning. No bowls means no cereal. *gasp* This is a staple in college and simply not an option. 

When I get home I usually unload the dishwasher because surprise surprise it hasn't been unloaded yet. Then I pack away all the other dishes in the sink. The cycle starts over. You can see how this might cause frustration. Mark and I have almost made a game out of it. It really helps to have someone to talk to and joke with while cleaning and doing chores. I am so lucky to have him. He really takes the edge off of this pet peeve of mine. I understand that my roommates are busy but so am I. Well on the plus side there is only a month left in the Pit of Despair and then it is off to Disney World!!! :) I am so excited. So this week I learned a lot about love by just doing the dishes. Funny how that works, right?

I found this comic thought it was hilarious along with so gross that I just had to share it:

Random Fact: In the game Monopoly, the space on which a player has the greatest statistical chance of landing is Illinois Avenue.

Passport to Europe

 Last night I was transported to Europe as I walked into the Wilk. There was carriage rides with real horses! I sampled delicious mint chocolate chip Italian gelato along with coconut and pineapple flavored Italian sodas. I danced next to the Eiffel tower and even got to play miniature golf. It was a lot of fun and well worth it. Mark wooed me with the "gun show".
Here as some of the highlight photos:

Mandee and I had fun with the camera and stared seductively into each other's eyes. We probably creeped out the camera guy.

Then we couldn't help but have a goofy picture. Notice Mandee's Spock hands. :) I did the typical Thai picture pose. Peace!

Mark and I got to have fun on the carriage ride with the horsies. Why did we ever change our mode of travel?

Our lovely tour guides. I wanted to take them home with me. Can I keep them mommy!?! I promise to love them and take care of them.

Mandee and I found our  KSA (Knight in Shining Armor). ;-)  He was such a hunk! Don't you think he's cute?




So as you can see we had a lot of fun exploring Europe. The best part was all of this was FREE! That's right folks no charge. It really is true to say that the best things in life are free. Of course I already have my knight in shining armor with his ginger hair and all.






Random Fact: No piece of normal sized paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.

No off button

Computer, Check. Chocolate, Check. Sappy yet hysterical episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Check! All these elements combined to create the perfect concauction of gooey, lovey, dovey, hormonal, mush in my brain. One moment I was tearing up the next I was laughing and then I was jumping for joy. This could be due to the fact that I was watching these episodes after 1am but despite the late night craziness they really got me thinking. How would you want your last words with someone to be? Would you give up a friendship with someone even though you are in love with them because it is the right thing to do? Are certain people really fated to be with one another?

With these questions swirling around my brain I couldn't help it and I just needed to let it all out. To answer the first one I don't really believe last words are always the way they are portrayed on TV or in movies. Sometimes they are simple things like "I rented Crocodile Dundee 3 and it totally rocked." Not always are they the profound, heart-wrenching, gospelesque (yes I know it isn't a real word but deal with it) words that we make them out to be. Very rarely are they that way in fact and often we don't remember them. Still... this should not hamper us from trying every day to be better people. To try and do good every moment of every day. I never want someone's last memory of me to represent something I am not. I know I have my faults but heck, no one is perfect. Those who know me best love me for who I am not for who they wish I was.

As for the second question. Would I give up a friendship with someone even though I am in love with them? Well I kinda had to do this once. It is the most painful thing in the world and would not wish it on anyone. Sometimes though life throws us a curve ball and it's our job to get down on our knees and learn how to not strike out. How about you out there? Would you be willing to give up a friendship? Could you tell the person you are in love with that it isn't right and that you can't be friends any longer? Personally I believe the situations would vary but if its right sometimes you just have to be patient and wait for time to catch up with the feelings you already feel.

The last of the questions in my mind tonight. Are people fated to be with one another? Is there such a thing as soul mates? Well according to the Princess Bride there certainly is. Nothing can fight true love. The die hard romantic in me desperately wishes that this could be true. Unfortunately, the realist wins in this case. Everything is about timing. It can be evil sometimes. I believe that there are several people in this world that you could be compatible with but it changes based on the timing and where you are in your life. Perhaps that first love really is the one you are supposed to be with but maybe later when you are looking back at past relationships you notice that there were reasons why they failed. This is what I have done recently. I am going to fight my hardest to make sure that Mark and I do not fail. I can't quite explain how perfect we are for each other. My friend Marian has even said that while he is on his mission for two years that she will lock me away in a closet and then drag me to the alter. It feels so right. Just got to put my faith in God now and hope he agrees.

Well now that my "deep" thoughts have all gotten out on paper so to speak I am feeling much better. My girl brain is still on turbo tempting me to eat the last half of the mega bar of chocolate Mark gave me but it is also almost 3am and my intellect says go to bed. With this I bid you adieu. Good night world.... until we meet again.

Random Fact: Male monkeys lose the hair on their heads in the same way men do.

Faulty alarms and close calls

So yesterday my alarm never went off and I woke up at 10:50 am to the sound of my roommate leaving for class. I freaked out because I had my 10 page research paper that was supposed to be due at 10am that morning. Throwing on some clothes I dashed out the door fighting back the emotion. I think I made it to the Maeser building all the way across campus in just under 10 minutes (a typical 15+ minute walk). I had to wait an hour for my teacher's class to get out and then hope and pray that she would still take my paper. As I was waiting and trying not to hyperventilate or break down and cry I was listening to various artists on my iPhone. I can't help it I am a music junky. Despite my best efforts of keeping myself distracted the time seemed to slip by so slowly. As I sat there on the cushioned benches in agony my mind began to wander. What if I couldn't turn it in? This was most of our grade. I know I had set two alarms. I must have turned them off in my sleep. I mean I had stayed up until nearly 6am working on my paper.

I was finally saved by the bell and jerked from my thoughts. As students flowed out of the classroom I realized that I was sitting outside the wrong class. Luckily a friend from the class Ashley saw me and told me the correct room. She had just turned in her paper due to printer trouble. I grabbed my things and gave myself a bit of a pep talk before walking into the room. Instantly my eyes glazed over. I spoke calmly with my professor and she reassured me that she would accept my paper with no penalty. When those words reached my ears I lept for joy. I thanked her profusely and headed back for home. I took that walk back to my apartment rather leisurely. I had gotten a text from Professor Marsh that I didn't have to come into work that day.

I have also been informed lately that I won't be able to continue to be his TA next fall. He lost funding and so I'll have to be job hunting again or hopefully if all goes well I can get into a Lab and work with a professor that way. This being the case I need to start branching out and looking. I'll have a car next year (after I get my license) so that will be a huge plus. So although I am sad that I won't still have the "dream job" on campus I'll be ok. Gotta keep my chin up and be thankful for all that I have been blessed with.

Random Fact: You have no sense of smell when you are sleeping.

I See The Light - Tangled up in you

I just had to share this... The song is beautiful and it really touched me. If you haven't seen this movie then you are really missing out. Disney really knows how to do things right. Maximus is probably my favorite character. He is a horse that acts like a dog and is just hilarious. Really though go and watch this movie. It will be well worth your money and your time.

It really got me thinking about my life. I truly do believe I am where I am meant to be in my life. To me the light in this song is Christ and he can really lift your burdens for you. When you come unto him and truly trust him everything can change. Another quote that has really stuck with me this week is from the devotional on Tuesday.

Russel T. Osguthorpe, President of the General Sunday School for the LDS faith said: "If we are not acting out of love, we're nothing. "What if we were only motivated by love? What if all the words we spoke were motivated by love?"

Can you imagine how just that would change our lives exponentially? This week I am really going to try to view everything with love. That's my goal! I'll let you know how I do next Sunday when I post. So many problems can be solved and confrontations could be stopped before they even begin if we just view it through love. When applied to our schoolwork you can notice that the subjects that fascinate us and that we "love" we strive to do better in. If we were to read our textbooks because we "love" to do it than we learn so much more than if we do it begrudgingly. This is my goal this next week. To really try to look at everything with love. It won't be hard in some cases, *cough* Mark *cough* but when I feel frustrated or stressed with classes it will be more difficult. 

I would challenge everyone who reads this blog post to try and do the same thing. I would be really interested in seeing how it affects your life. Please leave comments saying you will commit to doing this with me and then I'd love to hear the stories when I post my results. Have a wonderful week everyone :)

Random Fact: The phrase 'rule of thumb' is derived from the old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. 

Sun? A long lost friend

I could already feel the UV rays being soaked into my pale skin. It was like a hug from an old friend. I have missed the sun and its warm rays. It is like a transformation has taken place over night and the campus is crawling with life again. Everyone is out sitting on blankets with mountains of books around them. A few are playing frisbee or simply reading a good book. It is so refreshing to not have to be bundled up like an eskimo just to go to class. Gone are the days of mittens, snow boots, and chattering teeth. I welcome this new weather with open arms. It can stay as long as it likes with no fear of overstaying its welcome.

Still, despite this beautiful weather I am not holding my breath that it will stay. Utah is notorious for that freak snow storm in the middle of April. With some luck that won't happen this year. The grass is starting to turn green again and it is warm enough to rain instead of snow. :) This has never made me so happy. Utah rain is annoying though because when it rains it is more of a drizzle all day long. It is far from the flash floods of Bangkok where the sky would dump it's huge drops of H2O down on you when you least expect it for 20 minutes and then the sun would come out. For instance last Monday it rained alllllllll day! I kid you not. From the time I was in class at 9am to the time I left at 6pm it was raining.

The birds are back! I enjoy listening to their love calls. This also means that the ducks can enjoy their frolicking once more. I can't wait to see the little ducklings. For some reason or another I've taken a liking to the ducks around campus and get rather excited when I see them. Perhaps it is because I am such an animal lover and deprived of them here on campus. I gotta get my fix somehow! Thank goodness for horses every saturday that I can go to and enjoy the presence of Dassa the large, white Great Pyrenees. She is such a sweetheart.

On a random note this whole Daylight Savings time has me thrown off. It is 6pm now and still the sun is blazing. Oh don't get me wrong I love that but my internal clock is rather confused. It will be nice to get out of classes though and not have it be pitch dark. Well enough rambling for now. I am off to do some much needed spring cleaning.

Random Fact: The word sophomore means sophisticated moron.

Singing the Blues

The last couple days have been a bit rough and right now I really just want some mindless entertainment. I should just go to sleep. I should have worked on my mountains of homework today but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. On the plus side I did very well on my Book of Mormon Midterm so that is something to be happy about. Also the weather is finally warming up. I am looking forward to enjoying it tomorrow. =D  The semester is winding down which means that stress levels are mounting higher and higher. Not really sure what to do there.

In other news I got the results back from my MRI. This is what it said.
"The ventricles and sulci are normal for age. Negative for mass or significant mass-effect. Negative for intracranial hemorrage. Single tiny hyperintense white matter focus in the right frontal region is nonspecific. The remaining gray and white matter are normal. There is no evidence of diffusion restriction. Normal signal flow- void identified within the internal carotid arteries, basilar artery, and superior sagittal sinus. The pituitary gland appears normal. The posterior fossa structures, including the cranial nerves appear intact. The paranasal sinuses and mastoid air cells are clear. The orbits are unremarkable. No abnormal enhancement.
Impression: Essentially normal MRI of brain."

So in english basically I have a brain and it is normal. The only abnormality was that hyperintense white matter in the frontal region of my brain. That's funny cause that is where my migraines typically originate from. They see it a lot in patients with a history of migraines, stroke, or seizure apparently. They have no idea what it is but they aren't rushing to cut me open and examine so I think I'm safe. He recommended that I start a regimine of 400mg of Magnesium twice a day along with 200mg of B2 twice a day. Yay more pills!!! :) Well at least I will know that I am getting plenty of magnesium and B2 in my diet now. haha...

If anyone missed the best game in the history of College basketball then they really did miss out. It was the highlight of this stressful mush filled week. Jimmer scored 52 points, 33 of those were in the first half alone. He was on fire. Unfortunately my man man Charles Abuou foulded out of the game but I still love him anyway. He may be from the Ivory Coast but he is all Dark Chocolate. hehe... The final championship game is tomorrow against SDSU. Should make for a great game. I'm excited. Hoping for a better day tomorrow and a good weekend of recouping.

Random Fact: Your brain is 80% water.