Connor, Emmy, Simon, and Parents.

This is one of my favorite families in existence, And I want to take a little time tributing them and the influence they've had on me. You see, I used to babysit these kids, and we had so much fun together. In fact, there were several times when I chose babysitting these kids over hanging out with my friends or going to dances, just because it was really that much fun. And I have never regretted those decisions.

Connor: He just started high school in the fall, and this kid is seriously so awesome. Not many people people can make me laugh like Connor does. We have a plethora of inside jokes, and whenever I visit home and see him at church, we end up standing there quoting nearly everything we've ever watched in stupid voices and laughing our heads off. Connor gives off this "Hyper vibe", and it cheers me up every time I talk to him. :) He's also way talented and very sincere. He's great at piano and isn't afraid to be himself.

Emmy: Emmy was also my first piano student. I have always been amazed at how smart and talented she is! Even though we are almost 10 years apart in age, I still consider her one of my besties because we love to talk and we have a ton in common! Once, I remember we just sat there and talked forever at their house! We talked about friends, fashion, vacations..and it was so fun. We used to give each other makeovers all the time and sometimes, the outcomes were hilarious. I think Emmy has seen my silly side more than most people I know. Again, there are about a billion inside jokes between us. Emmy also has an awesome sense of style, and knows how to be an individual. She is very talented in music and dance. :) In fact, we've had a couple little dance parties!

Simon: He's only a little toddler, but this kid is funny and totally sweet. He's already taking a bit after his bro with video games. And fortunately, he's as sincere as his brother too. It's really been fun getting to know him!

Parents: Zac and Kelly are both so awesome. Zac is incredibly creative, and has always given this laid-back vibe. Kelly is so nice and has always been so friendly. She is also very creative and talented. And she has always been incredibly supportive of me and my sisters! As a couple, I look up to them so much! They are so secure and are able to have fun whether they are together or apart. I applaud the fact that they still go on dates, and I always see them treating each other so kindly, surprising each other, and remaining polite and considerate toward each other. I hope I can keep my marriage that fun and positive!

Arts and crafts

Today at the student center, they had free birdhouses to paint and build. I was sooo excited to see this! So I made a birdhouse with the brightest colors possible. I made it look like it was smeared with a ton of sidewalk chalk. So i am really happy about that.

When i got home, I started making my "special quesadilla" meaning that it not only had cheese, it also had thin slices of deli turkey, guacamole, hummus, and lettuce. Delcious. And while I was eating, I thought about all the paint on my fingers (because if it's going to look like sidewalk chalk was smeared all over it, you kind have to use your fingers as your main art tool) and it reminded me of this girl in my Jewelry Making class at SLCC who had a real passion for working with silver. So much so, in fact, that she often spend long amounts of time in the studio, bringing snacks with her, and eventually got so used to the taste of silver dust with her food that she kinda craved it. And then I thought about how wonderful it is to work with silver..how it becomes are part of you as you shape it and polish it, and how whatever you do to it, you often do to your hands at the same time. And then, this poem fell right into my head.

Flakes of wax

shreds of silver.

That satisfying, burning

chemical smell of flux,

Bubbling and glowing,

and turning the torch flame green.

Black fingers, polished shiny

after being sanded to perfection,

Mold both wax and metal

Into a part of me.

The torches the files,

The blades, the shafts,

The smells, the sounds,

Seeing is barely part of the process.

Oh, Jewelry Making at SLCC

How I miss thee.

When you make something and really get into it, it's like the divine bits of you show themselves a little more. Even though it was just an oriental trading wooden birdhouse, I got to experience that outlet a little bit today, and for a little while, I was The Escapist. :)

For more thoughts on creativity and divinity, watch this speech: (we watched it in my public speaking class)

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

It is the semester to be inspired...

I have heard some really interesting and exciting speeches lately.
On friday, I heard Sister Philips (from the Good Things Utah Morning Show..I think) speak and she was so awesome! She was so funny and sarcastic, but she got such a great point across. Here are my notes:

-It's ok to seek wealth on these conditions:
Take good care of what you own
Help others with what you have
Be humble

AND DON'T BE A HOARDER. Your things should be organized. If you don't use it, don't keep it!

Ecclsiastes 3:1-6

Oh and if something is broken, get rid of it.

Remember stewardship: We are stewards of what we own. (this means take good care of your "kingdom")

Share with others; we want relationships with people, not things!
"You can't love things that don't have eyes." (This was from a story she told about her preschool aged daughter when she got excited about her new lunchbox.)

2 factors for happiness:
1. Spending time with family
2.Good health
(From a national survey)

Families are a growing experience (so don't expect perfection)

Also, Life gives many opportunities for education, and we are supposed to take as many opportunities as we possibly can!

The Gospel teaches action and education-if we do all the gospel teaches, we will succeed.

And finally, 9 things young adults can do to improve thier lives:

1. Travel.

2. If you have lived in Utah your whole life, experience a different place to be an example in and learn from.

3. Watch at least 1 less tv show per week. See what other things you can do with that time!

4. Act cheery until you actually feel cheery.

5. Try doing something new that you feel is in your blood. What have you always thought is really interesting or cool to do?

6. Don't let yourself get so hungry that you just grab junk food.

7. Learn to clean. If your place is clean and organized, the spirit can easily be there to uplift and guide. Plus it will make finding things easier and it will smell good!

8. Sleep at a decent hour.

9. Get married and have babies!

Of course these notes don't give it justice but I hope this was a positive influence, anyway. :)

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

The Worst:

I have been really stressed lately. School is only a small part of it so far, I mean with school always comes some stress, but right now it's the stuff on top of school that is killing me.

Such as planning a wedding long-distance. oh my goodness. How am I supposed to do this without and resources or important people around me?

My living situation is also very stressful. Not having a car is hard when you have so many other things to worry about. And it's not like I can just buy one.

I also am looking for a job, which is very difficult without a car and such.

I also am having so interpersonal problems, and I try really hard, but it's just so difficult to get along with this person. I realize sometimes there are people you just can't expect to have a great relationship with, but it's important that we at least get along if we see each other often you know?

So, stress is a big part of my life right now, but there are some great things going on too.

The Best:

This past weekend was so great. even though much of it consisted of letting out my stress, I was able to cry on safe shoulders and feel loved.

Craig was incredibly nice this weekend, and he always is, but it was just great that we had such a good time hanging out and talking. On friday we had a really interesting, compelling conversation. We hadn't had one of those for a while, just because we hadn't had the time. and after talking for a while it was like I suddenly realized: " oh yeah i remember why I am marrying you now!!" We also had some fun valentine activities. we went to Panda Express, and then made valentine boxes and lots of little fun valentines for each other. It was really refreshing. He makes me feel so loved and just plain amazing.

My family is so nice to me. I found on my bed at home the other night a new scrapbook album, fun of paper and decorations. How exciting! My sister left it there for me just because she's really nice. And another sister held a chinese new year party, which was really fun. We got to make our own sushi (I know it's not chinese but it was delicious anyway!) and played fun games. After people left, me, Craig, Miche, and Kristan watched Sasquatch Gang and talked.

Wedding planning may be stressful, but I am lucky to have a very helpful mom. She's doing sooo much for me. I am so blessed! She is practically doing more with the wedding than i am. I am just not very good at planning out events, and don't have much of an idea in how to go about planning a wedding. My mom is so kind to me. She is a champion at making sacrifices for others.

Miche is such a great best friend to me. She is so sweet and very willing to listen..she understands me so well! She has been really helpful to me lately and I cannot wait for her to come visit me!

I got a new, ultra-cute coat on saturday, and I only paid $3 for it. I used a free gift card I got from the mall, and the coat was on clearance. It was exciting.

Other than that, I just feel very blessed with kind friends and roommates. I am still having a lot of fun, even though I have so many stressful and crazy things on my plate. With each difficult challenge, I come out of it happier than when I went in.

The goings on

What I want to watch right now: Where the Wild Things Are. I've been listening to the soundtrack and am now dying to stare at those monsters in thier striking landscape.

What I am craving: A nice shopping trip with my girl Miche. That would be awesome.

What I did today:
I started today with a lovely, in-person conversation with Craig. So great! Then craig and i went to our friends' Christine and Todd's place for lunch. It was great to visit with them and Christine made the yummiest cake. I need to learn to bake from scratch.
After that, Craig and I just chilled out for a little while before he had to go home. :( But it was awesome to have him up here this weekend. Craig and I are more than a couple, we are bestest friends and a great team. I am so excited to marry him!
After craig left I moped around a little...and played some Sonic.
Then i went to the game, Nevada vs. USU, which was a great game. It was fun because it was a close game, which made the crowd more intense and excitable.
After the game, I went to the Mardi Gras party! Sooo fun. I finally fulfilled my life long dream of seeing a hypnotist show, and it was awesome. My friend Corey was hypnotized really quickly, so I got to see him be aladdin on stage! Sadly, the hypnosis didn't work so well on me, because I was a little tense and way overly excited just to be there, so i couldn't relax. Maybe next time. But it was still way awesome and completely hilarious!
Also at Mardi Gras i had my first gambling experience (with fake money) and it was pretty cool. Ok not really, gambling is kinda lame to me but I did win more than I lost, which is cool. Of course there was a dance at mardi gras so we did a little dancing before heading home. I love dancing so much and pretty much go to a dance or dance party every week now. I think this is the 4th weekend in a row where I've danced for greater part of the weekend.

Yesterday I: Went to the IWA formal dance with Craig. I had a cute outfit but judging by yesterday, I definitely want to hire someone to do my hair and makeup for my wedding. I a good at hair and makeup, but I'm not so good with formal styles and it's too nervewracking when you only get one chance to do hair and makeup for an important event!
The dance was great. I was a little more on the tired side, but I still thoroughly enjoyed dancing, and Craig was an excellent dancer!

Something I've been wanting to blog about: Ducks. The thing I like about them is that they can walk, swim, and fly. Sure, they can't fly like a falcon or swim like a fish, but they balance between both worlds and are versatile creatures. I also think of ducks as pretty down to earth. They just do thier thing and do the best they can. I try to be like that, and I think I am a bit like a duck.

And now, it is time to sleep.