the one about exhaustion

the one about exhaustion

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Do you ever wonder why sitting makes you so tired? Last week I drove across the country with three friends (post to follow). We went from Charlotte to Atlanta to Dallas to Colorado Springs to Provo.

That's a long way--2,360 miles to exact.

This makes for roughly 36 hours of car time, aka sitting time. I've been home two days now and I'm just exhausted! I don't know, I didn't much other than sit, look out the window, sing along to music, and have witty conversations all across the south.

Regardless, it was an incredible trip. Everyone should drive cross country at least once. Chalk it up to experience.

The open road, specifically crossing the Mississippi into Texas from Louisiana. 

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the one about watson

the one about watson

Thursday, May 9, 2013

You know how some people name everything? Their phone, their laptop, their car, their favorite shirt, etc. I am not one of those people, with one exception: my car. (Note: I do not criticize those who name everything, I'm just not that creative.) Choosing a car name is an important ritual. It has to be a name that clearly defines the car, but doesn't reflect poorly on you.

I picked out Watson for my car. I like Sherlock Holmes--it's classy and makes you think, plus we all know my secret dream is to be British. Watson is the best sidekick in the world, and, thus, I paid homage to him.

My little Mazda 3 is a manual transmission. This makes for quite the adventure. I have driven stick before, but never for long periods of time. Mama Lo and I went to pick up the car yesterday and she politely asked, "Do you want to drive it home or should I?" Not wanting to seem like I wasn't sure what I was doing I said, "Oh, I can totally do it." The first few miles went great. I usually have a hard time getting out of first, but not today! Then it became time to turn into Trader Joe's. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but this Trader Joe's turn-off was on a hill. For anyone who gone through the painful process of becoming a manual transmission expert, you know that hills quickly become the bane of your existence.

So there I am, sitting on a hill and wondering if I will ever get to Trader Joe's. At this point I have rolled back 20 feet from my original position. This hadn't been a problem until a peppy 16-year-old pulled up behind me. I couldn't just sit at this intersection forever, a thought that had crossed my mind 100 times since I had been at this intersection. The time had come, I had to somehow get out of this intersection. I nursed the gas (all the way to 7000rpms, no big deal), squealed the tires like crazy, and eventually made it all the way to Trader Joe's. I'm pretty sure everyone in that intersection was embarrassed for me.

I would like to say that this was only squealling-tires-this-isn't-the-Fast-and-Furious moment of the day, but it wasn't. I am great everywhere but hills and when you live in North Carolina, they're everywhere! I have one week until my road trip commences--let's hope I get this hill thing figured out...

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the one about a love letter

the one about a love letter

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

There have been some great love stories in the history of the world. Romeo and Juliet, Beauty and the Beast, Noah and Allie. The best ones, however, have been the ones that are real. I went to work with my mom today and stumbled upon a love letter that Ronald Reagan wrote to his wife Nancy after they had been married for a quarter of a century: 

Dear St. Valentine,

I’m writing to you about a beautiful young lady who has been in this household for 25 years now—come March 4.

I have a request to make of you but before doing so feel you should know more about her. For one thing she has 2 hearts—her own and mine. I’m not complaining. I gave her mine willingingly, and like it right where it is. Her name is Nancy but for some time now I’ve called her Mommie and don’t believe I could change.

My request of you is—could you on this day whisper in her ear that someone loves her very much and more and more each day? Also tell her, this “Someone” would run down like a dollar clock without her so she must always stay where she is.

Then tell her if she wants to know who that “Someone” is to just turn her head to the left. I’ll be across the room waiting to see if you told her. If you’ll do this for me, I’ll be very happy knowing that she knows I love her with all my heart.

Thank you,
”Someone”

How beautiful is that?! Mr. President, this is my favorite. 

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the one about pinterest

the one about pinterest

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

I, dear Reader, think that it's time I come clean. I've been trying to hide this for quite some time now, but I simply cannot continue to live a lie:

I am a Pinterest addict.

I know, I know, I'm just like every other BYU co-ed: Pinning away, planning the perfect wedding, decorating the perfect house, and finding the secrets to get dancers' legs. 

I have boards dedicated to recipes I will never try, clothes I will never buy, and hairstyles that will never grace my head. I'm not really sure why I pin, but I can't stop, haha. Maybe it's cathartic and maybe it's just a way to pass the time while at work. Maybe one day I will actually live in my Pinterest house (it's beautiful and I definitely wouldn't be complaining). 

This house is perfect and a taste of what you will find on my board. 

My house board is filled with white linens, wood floors, and sun-bathed rooms. It makes my Provo apartment look rather depressing, actually...

Sometimes, though, I do find things on Pinterest that I find to be useful. There always seems to be little tidbits of advice spoken by a general authority or some famous writer whose book I meant to read. There's also a plethora of travel pictures that feed my desire to see the world. My travel board is a healthy mix of places from East Asia to culture-rich Europe.

And then there are the boards that are...I don't want to say 'wishful thinking' but that's the only thing that is coming to mind. Case in point: the wedding board. Is there a female BYU student who doesn't have an oversized wedding board on Pinterest? I would venture to say probably not. So my wedding board is filled with ranunculus, burlap, lace wedding gowns, and mason jars. Who knows what my wedding will actually look like, but hey, a girl can dream, right?

Burlap and ranunculus in the same pin?!

So there you have it, Readers, my confession. I am a Pinterest addict. This addiction serves no purpose, but it's not hurting anything either so I suspect that I will continue pinning away in the afternoon sun. And please don't surmise that pinning is all I do. I promise it does not affect any 'real' things that I have to do. I save this addiction strictly for downtime. So I'll keep pinning and telling myself that when I've finished college I'll actually try some of the things I've pinned :)

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the one about my iphone

the one about my iphone

Monday, May 6, 2013

I'm an Apple junky; I'm not afraid to admit it. I think Apple is slowly taking over my life and I'm gladly handing them money to do so :) The best part is that my whole life is always in my pocket (ok, not my whole life, but a large portion of it). Here's the 25 most played songs on my iPhone:

1. The a Team, Ed Sheeran

2. The Boxer, Mumford & Sons

3. Empire State of Mind, Jay Z

4. She Got the Honey, Mat Kearney

5. What I Know, Parachute

6. Tiny Dancer, Caroline Glaser

7. Ho Hey, The Lumineers

8. I am the DJ, Neon Trees

9. I've Just Seen a Face, Across the Universe Soundtrack

10. On Top of the World, Imagine Dragons

11. Young Dumb and In Love, Mat Kearney

12. Barefoot Blue Jean Night, Jake Owen

13. If You Told Me To, Hunter Hayes

14. The Gambler, fun.

15. Man in the Mirror, Michael Jackson

16. Beauty and a Beat, Justin Bieber

17. Steal My Kisses, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals

18. Wagon Wheel, Old Crow Medicine Show

19. A Drop in the Ocean, Ron Pope

20. When I Was Your Man, Bruno Mars

21. Daylight, Maroon 5

22. Brighter Than the Sun, Colbie Cailat

23. Fine By Me, Andy Grammer

24. Gravity, Sara Bareilles

25. Hey Mama, Mat Kearney

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