Why don't we just dance?

Group shot.  This just looks like fun, right? 

A few weeks ago, the institute had its annual Fall Formal. This year, however, it was Girls' Choice. I've never been one that has been too scared to ask a boy to dance, and this was no exception. My date and I had a blast dancing mocking other couples on the dance floor. You know ... the jr. high style? Swaying back and forth? Oh, and then there is the classic bear hug. That's always a good one at the institute dance. Enough talk. See for yourself the fun we had.

Take 1. And probably my favorite from the night. This was the -- "Hey, let's pose like high schoolers."  

Take 2. This is the ... "what is my date doing?" face. Also note that, while I am clearly laughing, the lowered eyebrow shows my apprehension at whatever is going on with my date's face. 

Take 3. This was taken on the photographer's "do a cute pose" cue.

There you have it. Being lame is not an option for us. 

happy & plans.

....leaving in 30 hours.

for NYC.

and Boston.

and SPAIN!

can you believe it's here?? i can't. i'm packing. going to the store & getting everything finalized. buying travel size hairspray. cutting down half of the stuff i want to take. printing maps and tickets. holy cow. my summer adventure is here!

also

remember the other day when i talked about a date? well, going on dates with this boy started my summer off perfectly. here is a picture from our recent date to a Thai restaurant (i enjoyed both the food AND the company immensely). i'd love to continue getting to know him when i get home. we'll see! doesn't he have the greatest smile (and eyes...and dimples too!)? Shoot!

well, back to work. i'll update you in NYC!

love,

the little traveler.

lovely things.

it's friday. that's something to be happy about :) two nights ago, I wrote a post about being overwhelmed & then I listed everything that was pressing on my mind. But, blogger was undergoing maintenance & didn't save my post. BUT, i feel much more optimistic since then so I don't need to write about those things. instead, let me focus on the wonderful lovelies that have happened :)

-i went on a date last night. it was the kind where you have butterflies before the date begins. the kind where the looks he gives make you melt. it was the date where even a 45 minute drive felt like 10 minutes. it's a date where you feel comfortable, happy, and you forget about every other worry. the sort of date when you think, "woah. is this really our first date? it feels like i've known you for a long time." can you tell i'm happy about it? i am.

-my mom is off work today. we might go rent a movie (yes, this one). we'll probably make some yummy food (like this recipe for a healthy frosted lemonade slurpee. and we'll laugh and talk and tell stories, like always.

-i have a hotel reserved for the night i get to stay in Madrid. and it's nice! i feel much more calm about things now.

-even though i have some health problems, i feel lucky to be able to move and do what i want. to have mostly-functioning organs and all my limbs. and to be able to see, hear, taste, touch. to be able to sing and laugh and dance.

-baptism trip tomorrow with my singles' ward. first time to the Bountiful Temple. I'm excited.

ok, i'll stop there. but i'm feeling lucky. and i love it.

spring break '11.

hey folks. sorry for that last post! i've been on spring break this week & this is the first time i haven't been ready to just get back to school/college life. it's been an amazing week.
four dates (why can't that happen at school?). byu lacrosse game. provo. getting locked out. frozen yogurt. time with besties. spanish fork. dancing with my nieces. lehi. tremonton. jamming on guitars. salt lake city. bowling Xs 3. park city with my mom. layton. di + thrifting. farmington canyon hike. seeing john allred in concert. big glasses. hair dye.

here are some photos:

{mom + me in park city}

{me + clay wearing glasses}

{watching john allred. clay wearing my glasses.}

{me + hollie at byu}

{byu lacrosse game. me + adam + cosmo}

i hope you've had a lovely week! now it's back to reality (school)...for six weeks ;)

one of those days.

You know those days...one of those days when you just know tomorrow has to be to better? Well, that's sort of how I feel tonight. And, I'm against writing negative Facebook statuses, but I've never made that commitment about blogging. So, I'm going to open up a little bit and let you into a part of my life I don't talk about (on my blog) too often.

Remember reason number one from this post? Well, this is a post about when things don't go the way you planned. Life throws you curveballs, and whether or not there is a valid/understandable reason, life still hurts sometimes. But, I was watching the 1959 classic Pillow Talk today and I pulled this great quote from it. I'm determined to apply it to this situation :) Or at least quote it over and over:

"I had the mumps once...I'm going to treat him like any other disease. I had it, I'm over it, and now I'm immune to him."

Phew. Now that's out there. Don't worry. I'm not some sad, depressed girl. Just having a "life is tough" night. Tomorrow will be better. I'm sure of it.

PS. A rainy day photo seemed fitting, yet this also inspired me a little. I found it here.

tis the season.

As my roommate Lyndi said, "I've had a perma-grin all day."

Yes, it seems like I have not been able to wipe the smile off my face for quite some time now (besides the final newswriting story due tomorrow, ward christmas party tomorrow night, my stats final--eek--on Tuesday, 3 finals on Wednesday, Relief Society Activity Wed. night, final Thursday, White Christmas party Thursday...and everything else going on). I credit that happiness to these people/things:

Subject 1: Caleb. AKA "Landlord Boy". I've quite enjoyed spending time with him lately and getting to know him better. And I found this picture taken at the ward temple trip Saturday particularly pleasing! What I've noticed about Caleb is that he is always serving others. What a great example!

Subject 2: My roommates + Kelly (our surrogate roommate). These girls have brought so much happiness to my life, especially in these last two weeks as I've been stressed with school ... and life. We have so much fun laughing and joking with one another! I don't know what I'd do without them :) Subject 3: The temple + Christmas. This picture includes TWO of my favorite things: the St. George Temple and the Christmas season. I had the great opportunity to look at lights last night and feel the "magic in the air." I truly love this Christmas season! And I like this picture.

almost monday.

It's been such a fun weekend. Tomorrow we don't have school, which means I will be doing a lot of homework and studying (since I haven't all weekend!). BUT, these last few days have been a blast. Here are some things that occurred:

-made delicious cookies with great company ;)

-watched Titanic with my fantastic roommate

-remembered why I love A Cinderella Story (Chad Michael Murray)

-went boating, tubing, and cliff-jumping with some pretty awesome people (see above pic)

-wrote two songs with an incredibly-talented so

meone (and they're wonderful, I'm not going to be modest about it. I LOVE them.)

-picked up Ben & Jerry's at 1 a.m. from Walmart to celebrate our song writing :)

-got called to be the 2nd counselor for Relief Society in my new ward

-went to a fabulous fireside with roomie and a walk after

It's been a great weekend! Seriously. I've smiled a lot. And that's always a good sign! :)

until next time,

{c}

most embarrassing award goes to...

ME.

that's who.

Here's a quick story that recounts my embarrassment quite nicely.

Monday night after FHE, I decided it was lovely weather to go for a run. Only problem? It was around 9 p.m., and thus, a little on the dark side. I decided to ask a certain boy if he would like to go with me. Under normal circumstances, he would. BUT, because he had just indulged in a hefty meal from Panda Express, he declined.

I still wanted to go, so I told my mother I was headed out on a run (to which she said, "That's not safe!") and I know it probably wasn't, but I went quickly anyway.

Well, about an hour later, I got a text from said-boy, who inquired on my well-being. Immediately, I sent a text to my mom, "Mom! He just asked if I was still alive! :) Hooray!". A minute after, to my horror, I realized I hadn't sent it to my mom, but to him.

Awkward. Unbelievably so. Luckily, he has a good sense of humor, so he just laughed when I told him I had meant to send it to my mom so she knew people here were "looking out for me" ...but I have a feeling he won't let me soon forget this.

sweet summer.

Well, it's been quite the summer! My friend did a bulleted list of some things she did this summer and I thought I'd do the same:

• drove across the country with my best friend/sicolega/cousin and my brother and SIL.
• discovered Charleston, SC with my SIL, went on a haunted tour at night of the city, and also visited Cypress Gardens
• stopped in Nashville, St. Louis, Nauvoo, Carthage, and spent too long in Kansas :)
• met "bug boys" in both Charlotte and Kansas at church. Went on dates which included bowling until 2 a.m. and a 24-hour pastry shop in NC and a motorcycle ride in Olathe, Kansas.
• started working at Kohl's again, full-time, in the shoe department
• worked as the "shoe supervisor"
• moved in new place with mom/remodeling/unpacking/organizing (still going on)
• started attending a single's ward
• car died
• purchased an adorable pink scooter
• studied, took motorcycle endorsement test, got Lucy inspected, practiced driving in church parking lot and down the street
• picked up license plate, got hit by car, Lucy totaled :(
• first date with NC "bug boy", who consequently became my bf
• many dates with Adam
• spent a week in Spanish Fork with my wonderful family :) Plenty of game nights (me losing usually), swimming in the afternoon, and quesadillas.
• went to fireworks multiple times with my mom and Saturday afternoon lunch dates with mom at Subway
• decided against a long-distance relationship
• mission farewells galore!
• swam in the pool at mom's new place
• visited Cedar for a quick mid-week getaway
• attended a fabulous tea party

Six more days...where did summer go? Well, that's my summer in a nutshell though I'm sure a left out a lot!

I will update soon with tea party pics. They're fabulous folks :)

In-N-Out

Well, I finally made it to the restaurant that I hear so much about: In-N-Out.

Thoughts?

-Chocolate shake is delightful.

-I love the simplistic menu (with less than eight options! This is a great place for an indecisive person, like me).

-The fries are from fresh potatoes, which just taste pretty good!

-The burger probably wasn't my favorite, which might have had something to do with their "special sauce" aka some spin of Thousand Island. It was good, but I'm not a huge Thousand Island fan (reminded me of Big Mac sauce).

-But, all in all, it was fun. Plus, I had someone awesome to keep me company!

PS. We had been at Seven Peaks for a few hours before eating, which explains our look a little more!

one day.

As corny as it is, one day I want this song dedicated to me by the man i love (or even better, he can sing it to me!).



please excuse the weird video...I did not have a big selection. And Firefall singing it live...was scary!

so, fess up...what song(s) have you thought, "Aww...I want someone to sing that for me?" I know I have more than this one, but I think you should post a comment about it :)

on the bright side.

besides the lack-of-phone frustrations continuing today, three things topped my "happy" list today.

1. a boy brought me a bag of the much-sought-after Cadbury Mini Eggs that I've been craving for the last month.

2. a stranger told me I acted much more mature than the freshmen she knew.

3. my outfit is finalized for our 50s Dance Party...I'm going as the "reinvented" Sandra Dee. You better believe I'll post pics.

Well, those were 3 highlights of my day (:

resolution.

...spend less time worrying about the boys who aren't interested.

...spend more time preparing myself for when i meet the one who IS.

...and enjoy all the in-betweens.

happy thursday.

the dance.

Last night was the Fall Ball. Remember this guy? He is one of my best friends. And he asked me to the Fall Ball. It was so fun. Delicious dinner, awesome company, great dancing.

He even spun me sometimes when we danced. It was great. Except my dress was pretty long (it did have a finger hold to keep up the train, but I wasn't holding it in the picture) and we had to pin it up...so sometimes when he spun me, a pin would pop and he'd apologize about stepping on my dress. And doing the Boot Scootin' Boogie? Difficult in the dress, that's for sure, but I DID IT!

My date was the perfect gentleman.

dear frozen yogurt:

i love you.

sincerely,
me.



p.s. Boys who buy me frozen yogurt? Brownie points.

It's Friday, I'm in love.

I'm not really in love, that's just a song.

BUT I could not be happier that it's the weekend. Finally :) I'm so glad classes on Friday end by 11. What joy! This morning I took a Nutrition test that I'd been stressing over all week (like usual). But, I felt pretty confident about it. And, then after that class, I had 5 texts from various BOYS. Wow! Definitely an unusual Friday morning. I responded to those, and then, as I was walking home, I noticed the glorious, warm weather outside. Now, I was so ready for fall, and I loved being able to wear my winter clothes...but I decided to take advantage of the nice warm weather and go running.

I got home, changed, and ran...up the canyon. It was so pretty! I ran over to a trail and then just let it take me through the mountains a bit. It was so fun. I definitely want to explore more of the canyon right by me that I don't take advantage of. I ran for about 45 minutes.

Then, I made a good lunch :) Chicken fajita. Good chicken, marinated in sundried tomato dressing. It was so good, I had two :) And a crisp fuji apple. Then I finished off my muffins made the other day.

Now, I'm just waiting for 8 p.m. to roll around so I can go to the ALLRED concert! How excited am I? VERY excited! Plus I'm going to the concert with my best friend Sam and a cute boy who I met at the temple on Saturday when my stake went to do Baptisms. It's going to be a great weekend :)

In the meantime, check out Taylor Swift's new song! It's so great! She has 5 new songs out, and I love them all, but this is one of my favorite two! She claims 7 out of the 10 best-selling country songs on iTunes, and has 15 hits on the Billboard 100 (the most ever for a female artist). Go Taylor!

The other song I love is this one.
Enjoy!

{C}

a midnight walk in the park.

Ok, it wasn't really midnight! Sam and I went on another lovely walk last night, but THIS time, folks, we became true t-birds. With whom? The founders of our university of course :) Take a looksie!

Look how much fun we have on our walks!

Today I had the brilliant idea to make the above creation :) Stephen's Mint Hot Cocoa + Dreyer's Peppermint Icecream (which carton I may or may not have eaten since Saturday...)

This is me, happy with how it turned out :)

Today has been fabulous, friends! Geology test, snow, Christmas music, Subway, Michael Buble time, finished my homework, got a ride to campus (and a ride home), worked on an article, drank hot cocoa (maybe twice), ate Subway (the rest of my footlong), talked to best friends multiple times, felt cute (even when I didn't do my hair), caught some Gilmore Girls, AND volunteered at the library with a great guy (photo below)! Every week they have this thing where volunteers from the service club read to kids, and so we went this week. We helped frost cookies and I just remembered how much I love little kids! They are so sweet. And they were all in their cute Halloween costumes! I can't wait to help out again next week. So anyway, now it's off to...well, I don't know. I'm done with homework :) But, I do have 3 articles due on Thursday! So, I better get those started. Looks like I'll be doing some of that, drinking some of my Cherry Coke Zero (YUM) and then another walk with Sam tonight.

until next time (ps. sorry for all the updates!)

{cp}

{fall in cedar}

Autumn is my favorite season (as mentioned in previous posts). I just love the changing leaves! Anyway, yesterday I finally had a spare minute to get out and take some pics. So, here are {just a few} results. Also, a boy invited me to go into the canyon by this little river, so I have a few shots from that as well. I love this time of year!

{river picture}

{Jake took this one}

{me and jake}

{cool, abandoned truck-- sorta on "no trespassing" grounds..woops}{squinting in the sun}

{local shots}

{on the way to class, while taking pictures}

{a curve on the way home}

it's late.

But, I wanted to post anyway :)

I'm home this weekend...what a great one! Yesterday I rode up to Nephi with Sam, then my mom came and picked me up from there. Lizzie was planning on staying the weekend with mom, which made it even better! So, yesterday I hung out with mom and Lizzie, and enjoyed sleeping in my bed :)

Then, today....holy cow. Very fun! Remember the post about this guy? Well, we decided to hang out while we were both in town. So, we went on a fun date....that lasted 12 hours. Haha. He picked me up at noon and we went to a fabulous restaurant where I had this amazing chicken wrap in a homemade pita bread...anyway, then we went to his house for about an hour and jammed on guitars.Then we drove into K-town to see "The Proposal" in the little theater, even though it's out for real. Good movie, love Sandra Bullock and Ryan is simply gorgeous. Some awkward scenes though for sure.

After the movie, we drove back to his house. His dad has a recording studio in the basement, so he told us to record something. We had tried to find a song before the movie, but had little luck. We stopped by his aunt and uncle's house in Kaysville and while there, I started playing the piano. I decided to play "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" (great song by DeathCab for Cutie -- look it up) and it clicked...that's the song we should do. We got back to his house by 6:30, and didnt' finish up recording until 5 hours later.

BUT -- it was such a great experience :) I loved it! For some reason, singing and recording and all that...just felt right.

His dad told me too after that I could come record my songs that I've written there. That'd be so cool, so I need to get them polished up! Anyway, it was a fun date! And after 12 hours, I wasn't even sick of the kid! K, here's a pic. I happen to like it!

a motorcycle ride.

VROOOOOOOOOOM.

Tonight I went on my.first.ever motorcycle ride! Pretty much....awesome. The boy I "had to" wrap my arms around (naturally) might have influenced that outcome :) It was freezing. We rode up the canyon to the "C" on the mountain here, and looked out on the city...an awesome view for sure! Then we sang on the way down the canyon and I think I had a speech impediment cause I couldn't really form words well.

Once we entered the city, we drove over and got some delicious hot chocolate (my first of the season!) and drank it up, happily. I think I burned some taste buds...my tongue still kinda hurts, but it was great!

So, anyway, life is goooood! And, yesterday I went with Sam to Richfield for her little brother's football game. It was a lovely drive. Lovely game. Good friend!! I'm so happy this weekend is nearly over and that Sam is coming home with me this weekend, and for general conference! Hooorah! Also, I got my speech grade back from my communications class and I did better than I expected. Yay!

This post is full of happiness!

Here's some pictures!

{Besties in Richfield}

{me & motorcycle boy}

{this is on the way back...very cold. I refer to this as the "Eskimo girl, ninja boy" look}