Goodbye Kui.

So there's this girl named Kendra who left on a mission today. She's kind of a big deal.

She is my Kui. 

Kui=best friend/roommate/all-encompassing awesomeness.

She is going to Japan to teach the gospel to her native people. There is nothing more amazing that she could be doing with her life at this point in time.

But I'm going to miss her. I kind of don't know how to live without her.

I may or may not have lived with her for the past 2.5 years. And it has been a complete blast the entire time.

I can talk to her about anything and she accepts that I'm completely crazy.

Our friendship was unexpected and I'm still not sure how or when it happened, but I'm glad it did.

She's great. We have fun. I'm sad she's gone.

Kui, I will miss you. See you in 18 months.

Let the good times roll.

Christmas was a success.
Good amounts of family time. Song singing. Present opening. Church going. And all around joy.
One of the highlights for me was our pre-Christmas program rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. I also enjoyed the dubstep dance party Adam and I had before everyone arrived for Christmas Eve dinner. The traditional Christmas Eve sibling sleepover was fabulous. A fair amount of Super Smash playing went down, some uno, some unintentional fat jokes, tons of catch phrase, and lots of laughs. My brothers are wonderful.
Christmas is such a lovely time of year. Obviously getting gifts is super fun. And being around my family so much is even better. But let's not ever forget that Christmas is really about Christ. A celebration and remembrance of his birth and life and death and resurrection. Here's a lovely video:

Sad note: Ryan won't be here next Christmas.
Happy note: He is going to be one a MISSION next Christmas. This is wonderful.
He got his mission call about 2 weeks ago. He's going to the Scotland/Ireland Mission! I am so excited for him! I have a couple friends in that mission, so that's exciting as well. Here is what he (and the parents) looked like when he first read his call:

 I can't wait! Missions are amazing things. Plus, 2 years really isn't that long. I've realized this recently because my wonderful friends are returning from their missions and as soon as I see them, it feels like they never left. Excellent.

Another good thing about Christmas: getting together with good friends from back home. At a lovely Chrsitmas sweater/pajama/mustache party.

I have the best friends. I miss seeing these girls all the time. We are so funny and have wicked dance moves and laugh more than my abs can handle. Life is just so great when I am around them and for that reason, I love breaks from school.

Changes.

Well gorsh. <--- in my head that sounded like Goofy... but typed out it looks ridiculous. Just go with it.
This past week has been one of the most busy and emotionally-roller-coastery weeks of my life. One of my bestest friends got married. Another gave her talk before she leaves on her mission. And I said goodbye for a year and a half to another beautiful friend who's also going on a mission. I have been roommates with all three of these girls and I could not ask for better friends.
To Mandy, Kendra, and Krystal: I LOVE you girls with all my heart. That ain't never gonna change.

This weekend was the first time that I realized that I really am growing up. I thought I was growing up and everything was going to change when I graduated from high school and then again when I first went to college and then again when all of the guys left on missions... but that seems like nothing compared to my current situation. Those changes over the last few years have shaped who I am and it has been quite the journey. But for some reason, these wonderful girls leaving on their missions is a way bigger deal to me than any of the guys leaving. And obviously marriage is a huge life changing experience as well.
I think that what I've come to realize this weekend is that life is never truly going to be the same again. Everything is changing around me, and I need to learn to roll with it. Sure, in the future we're all going to get together for lunch and laugh our heads off just as much as we do now... but it's not going to be the same. We all have our own lives we're leading; we're adults and each of us is doing something slightly different with our lives.

Normally I am a big fan of change, but these recent changes are a lot to take in. I know I'm still in the same place I have been for a couple years and it's not me making the big life changes right now, but I am still overwhelmed by the effect these changes are having on my life.
If I can say I've learned one thing through this crazy weekend, it would be this: The place I'm in in my life right now is super unique. It can change very quickly, so I need to take advantage of it while it's still here. I love where I am, but change is good. Kind of terrifying and makes me want to cry at times, but still very good.
I'm growing up. I am learning to accept that change can not be stopped. I already miss the way things were, but I also know that the future is going to be rockin.

Life really never turns out exactly the way you expect, but it always turns out the way it's supposed to.

Here is a song that is wonderful. And reminds me of my current situation.

Battle Week.

So I may or may not be in the midst of an epic battle. Yeah, you heard me, epic battle. I'm cool.

You may ask: with whom is this battle? Well, I shall tell you. Otherwise, this blog post would be completely pointless, unless I really just wanted to taunt everyone with mentioning the battle and then not elaborating. This would keep the world in such suspense, hanging on my every word. Actually, that's kind of a brilliant idea. But alas, I can't hold my tongue, because I really do have something to say today.

Epic battle.
In one corner there is me; a college student trying to find the balance between school and the fun I crave at all times. In the other corner we have this vile thing called finals. Don't worry about it, he's just lurking surreptitiously in the corners, ready to pounce at any moment. He truly is a terrible thing. My opponents mere existence causes spontaneous and terribly timed mental breakdowns. He also just enjoys putting the general college populous through pain. Quite the conniving little sucker.

I have taken 2 finals thus far this week. One yesterday (don't worry, I only spent FOUR HOURS on it) and I just finished one. And then there's another tonight.
I am not a fan of evening finals because you go in knowing it's going to be dark when you come out and it's just a horribly sinking feeling. Plus, it's right during dinner. Rude.
Anyway, so tomorrow's goal is to turn in one take home final, trek to the testing center to take my last multiple choice final, and then start and hopefully finish another take home final. Then I will be done! Done with finals by Wednesday. Will this actually happen? Let us hope so.
6 tests in 3 days? I'm a fan. I think that would definitely mean I had defeated, even pummeled, my unworthy opponent.
Secret to my success? Wearing my Ron Weasley t-shirt to every final for the last 3 semesters. Win.
Picture proof? Done.

I'm pretty sure that everyone around me in the library appreciated me taking this pic.

End of semester things.

Apparently I don't believe in sleep. Especially not this last week of school.

What with projects and papers due this past week and finals coming up next week, sleep just doesn't happen. I really just don't have time in my life to sleep. Or eat, most of the time. Eating and sleeping. It's really terrible, because I feel like those are two essentials for life. However, when the end of the semester comes, I do away with them. I propose that school is not more important than my life necessities... but try telling my professors that.
Monday may or may not have consisted of me staying at the library writing a paper until 1:30 in the AM (I'm leaning towards may). Tuesday was me staying up until 2, writing the same paper. Wednesday was the turning in of a semester long creativity project and a paper. Then staying up until 5 in the morning, yeah... you heard me: 5 am. Thursday was me turning in 15-page research paper, group presentation, and turning in another paper. It was great news.
On a positive note: My group presentation went surprisingly well. We talked about adolescents and gangs, and had an ex-gangbanger come be our guest speaker. A+ if I do say so myself.
Another positive: I was so incredibly blessed this past week. I haven't felt tired one bit. Seriously, when one gets 2 hours of sleep in a night, you expect her to be exhausted the next day. However I have been so blessed as to not feel tired even a once during work and class and reviews.
Another positive: at the finish of this very long week of final projects, we had a Chinese Murder Mystery date. Details are forthcoming. Don't even worry.


So I've come to the conclusion that teachers think it's hilarious to assign semester long projects that are due the last week of class (aka 1-2 weeks after Thanksgiving). They do not actually intend for you to work on these projects all semester. They just want to make you have a mental break-down the last two weeks. They assign these projects in the syllabus and briefly mention them the first day of class and then don't talk about them again for months until 3 weeks before they are due.

The student thought processes on semester long projects:
September: "Do we have something due at the end of the semester? Eh, that's months away. No need to worry about it now."
October: "Our teacher mentioned something about a project in class today... maybe I should figure out what that is.... Nah! That's not until after Thanksgiving, that's not for two months!"
Early November: "I finally read the assignment description for that project, it seems like a lot of work. I should start that or something."
Mid-November: "I really will start that project over Thanksgiving break! I have so much free time that weekend! I'm totally going to get it all done!"
Thanksgiving Break: "Nom nom nom nom!!!!"
Monday after Thanksgiving: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! That project is due in one week!!!!!!! I'm going to freaking die!!!! Oh no! And the project for this other class is due. And the one for this other class!"

Professors who assign semester long projects just think it's wonderful to give you a false sense of security and then BAM make you realize that you fail at time management. And their class. These professors know well enough how college students work, I mean I'm sure at some point in their lives they were college students too. They know how procrastinating works and they know it is inevitable. Yet they continue to assign them and I continue to get no sleep for a week straight while I do a semesters worth of work in that one week.
I don't see the humor. Maybe I will once I get some sleep.

Me. Today.

I love people who are confident in themselves, but not cocky.

I love eating holiday foods. Particularly ham. And green bean casserole.

I like when we play Bananagrams in the library.

I am a fan of my Ron Weasley lego keychain.

I love the productive feeling I get when I finish a paper/project the day before it's due, instead of an hour before.

I appreciate listening to Christmas music at work.

I enjoy my major. People are so interesting.

I love when you find a really well placed, comfortable bench and just sit there forever because it's that wonderful.

I like this song. It just makes me happy.

Probably my life is crazy and busy and overwhelming but I love it. Especially the people in it.
Good work.

Some thoughts.

I have nothing to say today. And by nothing, I mean that there are a ridiculous number of thoughts swirling about in my head and I don't know how to verbalize/put them in words. 

Life is crazy sometimes. 

I am crazy all the time.

I am wearing flannel today. I love flannel more than most things. It's Flannel Friday.

I want to watch Harry Potter 7.2.

Thanksgiving is next week. I'm a big fan.

Here is something that made me laugh today:

Ok. Seriously. If you didn't laugh at this, then we have a problem. I'm about to start crying, it's so outrageous.

Since I have nothing else to say today, I will now enlighten the world with what is currently on my Christmas wishlist. In case anyone is curious, I want:

The  Lord of the Rings Trilogy (extended editions, naturally)

All of the Harry Potter movies

A cozy BYU sweatshirt

Cool stickers

A new camera

Gouda cheese and salami

A sweet CTR ring

Definitely some new jeans

A pokemon

An increase in my DVD collection

Some fabulous cardigans

Some quality Chinese food

A turtle (ninja or regular, I'm not picky)

A phone call. I love when people randomly call me up just to say hi.

Orc slaying.

So.... I have this obsession with Lord of the Rings. Yeah, it's pretty bad. Except not really, because LOTR is a-freakin-mazing.

Anyway, so the other day I watched the 3rd and final and best of the LOTR movies: Return of the King. It seriously is the best movie. I am such a big fan.

The battles are epic. The men are manly. The villains are terrifying. The charaters are well developed and I love them. The scenery is beautiful. The story is incredible. Seriously, these movies are just unbeatable.

Plus, honestly, this is the most inspirational, pumping-up speech in the world. It makes me want to go slay some orcs. I love Aragorn.

Parched.

I've been told my humor is dry.

I suppose next time I tell a joke, I will get you a drink.
Or maybe a slurpee.
Yeah, definitely a slurpee.

So I think what I've established here is that whenever I am funny, a slurpee is necessary. That means I am going to need to have a slurpee with me at all times, because I am hilarious.

Probably the funniest person I know.

Fact.

Blood.

I find giving blood to be an interesting experience.

Really, they are just removing some of your life-blood. Weird.

In past blood-giving experiences, I have at one point passed out, and at another point lost the contents of my stomach. They were unpleasant experiences. However, I really do enjoy knowing that I've helped people, so I keep doing it.

Also, I feel that it is my duty to give my blood. You see, it is O-negative.

Everyone wants my blood.

So yesterday I definitely prepared myself. I drank a ridiculous amount of water. Luckily I love my water bottle. And I even made time to make myself a lunch that morning. So I prepared myself before, which is new, and it definitely had a good effect. I didn't get sick or dizzy. I was perfectly fine in fact. Except for the fact that my phlebotomist was totally freaking me out.

I really don't have a problem with blood or needles or anything like that. But when the person sticking you with a needle and swiping your blood is super apologetic, then that makes me lose all faith in her.

Result: my arm is so ridiculously bruised today. Ouch.

All-nighter? Why not!

Freshman year Kaylee and I decided to have an epic all-nighter. Here is a list of things we did that night:

Homework was the main reason we stayed up, and it was obviously the one thing we didn't get done. And here is the picture of the end of the night. Note: the clock says 6:15. Nice.

So this year we decided to keep with tradition and have our annual all-nighter. Annual in this instance meaning we did it 2 years ago, completely forgot about it last year, and then doing it again this year. So when I got home from SYTYCD the night of my birthday, the decision was made that that was the night for all-nighting.

We began our evening with a lovely 2am trip to Walmart to get supplies. While there, we ran into a BEAUTIFUL friend of ours. Love me some Captain America.

And then we stood in the check out line for an excessively long amount of time.

We then made some cookies.

And did some homework while we watched Swan Princess.

I know what you're thinking, "How in the world could you do homework during your all-nighter? You didn't do homework last time." And my answer to this inquiry is that we are much more mature nowadays, so naturally we were responsible and studious while depriving our selves of sleep.

We then delivered cookies at 4 in the morning.

You may not be able to tell what this is.. ok, let's get real, obviously no one except Kaylee and I know what is going on in this picture. Just know that I was falling out of the car and it was freezing and late and hilarious.

We stayed up all night. Not one wink of sleep. And the next morning, we both went to work at 8 and then a full day of classes. It was worth every ounce of being tired.

It was a lovely night. And I love Kaylee. We have fun and bond. Shweeeet.

We like to party.

Wednesday was the celebration of my birth. It was pretty normal day: work, class, funny friends, eat, try to nap. But then the night came and life got exciting.

Kendra and I bought tickets to the So You Think You Can Dance live tour back in July. This was my birthday gift to myself. It was a brilliant move on my part. The day had finally come and this is our excitement as we were leaving the apartment that night:

We have a tradition of eating Chinese food while watching SYTYCD, so naturally we ended up eating Vietnamese food while driving to the SYTYCD tour. We were in a hurry, so I had to eat on the road. Don't worry, we didn't die.

**Edit: in response to the many people that were freaked out by this picture, I must offer a word of reassurance. 1- I was only eating at red lights. 2- I put the food away once we got on the freeway. 3- hahahahaha! I promise I'm not a terrifyingly dangerous driver. End edit.

Then we finally arrived. This is our ecstatic faces right as we got to our seats. Note the SYTYCD sign directly behind us. Yeah, we had ballin seats.

Then they danced and I went crazy. It was AMAZING! This is when I splurged (again) and bought myself a sweet t-shirt:

These human beings are so incredibly talented. It just amazes me what they've trained themselves to do and I love the fact that they are sharing their talent with me. The show was amazing! I love my Kui, and I'm so happy that she went with me! This is when we met Mitchell (one of the amazing dancers) and he gave me a hug because I said he was adorable. It was great.

So basically. I lost my voice. I watched some dancing. My mind was blown. I laughed a lot. I danced a lot myself. And my birthday was FABULOUS!

And then that night when I got home, Kaylee and I decided to have our annual all-nighter. Here's a sneak peak picture just to spark your excitement and curiosity:

Guess what!?

I'm 21 today.

Beat That.

Blog

Why do I clog? Ok, that was hilarious. I def meant to say: Why do I blog? but naturally I ended up asking the cosmos why I clog. It's a valid question. I have no answer, if you have an answer for me, then please, enlighten me. End of typo-induced tangent.

Why do I blog? (this is the real question) I think I really enjoy hearing myself talk, but sometimes I don't want people to think I'm as crazy as I actually am, so instead of talking, I type. However, I hate the word blog. It's ugly and sounds like someone is choking. They should probs name it something else. I'll think of something and let you know.

Another reason I blog: I think I'm hilarious. I have decided to be generous and share my hilarity with the general population. I don't thank me, I know I'm fabulous.

I used to have people I knew all over the world. Kaylee was in London, Grandparents were in Uganda, Gimps was in Cambodia, and Lyse was everywhere. I blogged to keep them updated. And stuff. But alas, they have all returned to me and the great state of Utah, yet I continue to blog. So I guess I blog more for myself than for them.

Yes, I think this world is wonderful. Life is hard, people cry, hearts get broken, and people are mean. But in all reality, this world provides some spectacular experiences, the best of friendships, and joy beyond belief. I blog in order to remind myself of the joy in life. Yes. Life is good. And I don't want to forget it.

So I blog. Not having one specific reason, just hoping that I can preserve a portion of my life in text.

Week.

Within the next week:

Annual Epic All-nighter

Fam Pics

BYU football - most especially Riley Nelson's hair

Me 21st birthday (apparently I talk like a pirate now)

&& So You Think You Can Dance live tour!!!!

If only I had no homework. Then life would be perfect

Something else great about this week: I have teenage mutant ninja turtle finger nails.

They will eventually have eyes. And my thumb will say TMNT. It will be great.

Fall

Fall. Autumn. Football. Colors. My birthday. Rain. Puddle jumping. Beauty. Hot chocolate. Excitement. Galoshes. Cozy blankets. Movie watching. Thanksgiving. Sweaters. Jackets. Cardigans. ALL fall clothes. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. More football. Halloween. Boys wearing flannel. Fabulous scarves. Partying. Carving pumpkins. New seasons of my favorite shows. Leaves in the canyon. Cornmazes. Raking leaves. Jumping in leaf piles. Raking again. Wind. Boots. Moccasins.
Seriously, I just love this season. I wish it was longer.

Fake fall.

Sometimes I absolutely can not focus on studying. Even if I have a midterm tomorrow. So I write blog posts instead.

I love fall. But some days fall forgets to show up and it hands the torch to winter. And by torch I mean icy frost.

Today was one of those days. It was beautiful. Just not fall.

Harold.

So I hang out with Harold every night. Literally. Every night last week. In fact, I'm with Harold right this second. You would think that our relationship would be getting stronger, but alas, it is the exact opposite. The more time I spend here, the more I decide that Harold and I have a love-hate relationship. Emphasis on the hate. You could say I spend an unhealthy amount of time with him.

Harold tries to offer me everything I could ever need. Yes, he does have an exorbitant amount of knowledge to share. And yes, he does occasionally allow for some hilarious memories. But overall, my time spent with Harold is anything but enjoyable. In fact, it might even be called painful. He forces me to do homework more than the normal person should. He makes me sit in uncomfortable wooden chairs. I've been told he plays music late at night, but he's never played it for me.

I definitely would love to tell Harold that I never want to see him again, but it's just one of those relationships that I am forced to continue. Sadly.

Harold, you see, has many names. He is also known as the HBLL. Or, for you non-BYUers, the Harold B. Lee Library.

We have a rocky relationship.

Sister Yoshi.

It's a really strange feeling when your best friend/roommate is old enough to open her mission call. That means she's 21. That means she's a full blown adult. That means that I'm older than I feel. Here's the story:

Kendra at 6:00: "I'm opening my mission call at 6:15!"

Kendra at 6:20: "I'm opening my mission call in half an hour!"

Kendra at 6:50: "They'll be here in 15 minutes, and then I can open my mission call!"

Kendra at 6:55: "5 more minutes! Ahhhhhhhhh!"

7:00 - Walbeck's arrive with the fated mission call.

7:01 - "Sis. Walbeck, you have been called to labor in the TOKYO, JAPAN MISSION!"

7:02 - Mass screaming ensues. Hugs are thrown about. Tears are shed.

7:03 - "Finish it! When do you leave?!"

"You will enter the Provo MTC on December 28!"

Mandy: "You won't miss the wedding! My heart almost stopped!"

The rest of the evening: Mass hysteria and happiness and phone calls and smiles and tears.

Sister Walbeck, You are the best roommate ever, and you will be the most amazing missionary. I love you. Go teach you some Asians and connect with your native country.

.

I have an affinity for using periods in my writing.

That fabulous little piece of punctuation.

I am typically opposed to using exclamation marks, except on very special occasions, when something is worthy of more excitement than I usually posses towards life. So, moral of that story/tangent: pay close attention when I use exclamation marks.

Back to the real focus of this blog post. I love periods. I daresay the period is my favorite form of punctuation. I will admit that as much as I under-use the exclamation mark, I overuse the period. Though I can't say that this is necessarily a problem. I feel as though short, brief sentences ending in periods get my point across and portray how I speak. My speaking style being succinct, sarcastic, direct, and mildly hilarious. Obviously periods express this perfectly. I'm a fan.

Sometimes I forget.

Sometimes I forget how much I love college.

Sometimes crazy things happen. Mostly because I'm crazy and I have crazy friends.

Sometimes we randomly go to 80's dances in Salt Lake, even though I have work at 8 the next morning.

Sometimes (or every night) we have roommate dinners that end up lasting for hours filled with laughter.

Sometimes we break into random song/dance in our apartment.

Sometimes Kui and I lay in bed to go to sleep at night and then end up talking for hours about life and everything.

Sometimes I see my brother on campus and we take a stroll around the library.

Sometimes we have game nights and die of laughter.

Sometimes we go to Spoon It Up and J-Dawgs way more than is healthy or financially feasible.

Sometimes I end up watching hulu instead of studying (ok, this is like everyday..).

Sometimes we do outrageously spontaneous things.

Sometimes I laugh so hard my abs start hurting.

Life is fabulous here. Until classes actually start... then I have a bit of a problem. That's when I remember why I was dreading returning to college. But alas, I endure the torture of homework and reading way more pages then I actually understand. All of the ridiculous, hilarious things make life beautiful, no matter how much work I have to do.

Twice.

Sometimes grandparents come home from missions to Africa. This has happened to me twice. It was just as fabulous the second time.
I love when amazing, serving, loving, hilarious grandparents are back in Utah.
I also like when 90 year old great grandmothers take an extended vacation to Utah.
Mostly, I'm just a fan of grandparents. Specifically all of my grandparents.

College Football.

Coming back to school is hard. I'm not a fan of homework and trying to get back into the groove of keeping up with classes. However, with the return of school in the fall, comes the return of football season. Specifically college football. This makes everything, including homework and tests, worth while.
I LOVE college football. Saturdays are the best because I just sit on my couch watching football games all day. Nothing can beat that.
I love me some football. I love cheering. I love watching talented players complete amazing plays. I love watching the underdog win. Mostly, I just love fall.

Do you know whats going down in about 2 hours?
BYU-Ole Miss.
I.CAN'T.WAIT.

I am all packed.

Tomorrow I move back to the unique college life known as Provo.

I have mixed feelings.

Returning

Yesterday I attended the "I just got home from my mission so I'm going to tell you about it in the context of the topic I've been given" talk in church of two of my friends from high school. These are the first two boys that were in my grade to return home from their missions. And within the next year, most of my friends will be coming home as well. This realization brought about all sorts of thoughts and feelings.

I have been graduated from high school for over two years. Oh wow.
Two years seems long when they first leave.
I can't believe how fast two years actually goes by.
What have I accomplished in the 2 years since I last saw my friends?
How much have I changed?
How much have they changed?
I will be 21 in two months. Oh my heavens.
I'm filled with joy at the thought of seeing old friends again.
I am a Junior in COLLEGE!
I hadn't realized how much I missed these boys until I thought about them coming home.
I love reminiscing about our old adventures.
We used to be crazy and do outrageous things.
Have I become boring since they left?
I can't believe my brother is almost old enough to go on a mission.
Time is a funny thing.
My friends are a funny thing as well.

Woes of the Camera-less

Sometimes I like to take pictures. And when I say sometimes, I mean all of the time. If I had the ability, I would photograph every single thing I did in my day. I just think that would make for some interesting viewing. Sometimes I think that if I was creative, I would be a photographer. But then I remember that I am not creative. Also, being a photographer requires the possession of a camera. Which does not describe me.
I used to possess one of those fancy contraptions, and I took many fabulous pictures like this one:

But alas! It was not meant to be. My camera was rudely stolen from me over 2 years ago while I was dancing my heart out at Senior Dinner Dance a couple weeks before my high school graduation. It was a tragedy.
But let's not dwell on the past.
Let's dwell on the present.
I don't have a camera.
This can often pose a problem.
Luckily for me, I have roommates and friends who often take their cameras on our adventures. Downside: it often takes a long time for those pictures to make their way onto my computer. This leads to a problem: I have had some fabulous adventures as of late, however I don't feel I could do them blogging justice unless there is photographic evidence. Therefore, you will just have to wait for them in anticipation.

I teach.

I teach swimming lessons.
I love teaching swimming lessons.
Sometimes I get sunburnt when I teach swimming lessons.
I always put put on sunscreen.
But sometimes the sun decides to evade my layer of UV protection and burn me anyway.
But I still love teaching swim lessons.
Small children are funny.
They are particularly funny when they think they know how to swim.
Usually they don't actually know how to swim. At all.
This is why I teach them.
I enjoy swimming long lengths on my back.
I also enjoy pretending to know how to do the butterfly.
Mostly I just enjoy teaching swimming lessons.

Purchased.

So You Think You Can Dance?
This is a question I ask myself often, with varying answers. This is also the title of my favorite television show. Dancers tryout around the country and once a top 20 is chosen, America votes weekly until they finally chose America's Favorite Dancer. It's really quite exciting.
This season is probably the most talented season I have seen on this show. Really. They're that good. I am in love with people who know how to dance and who do it incredibly well. I appreciate talent.
Every year, these top 10 talented dancers go on tour around the country. And every year they come to Utah. And every year I wish I could go witness this spectacle for myself. However money is always an issue. The issue being that I have none.
It seemed that the same cycle was destined to occur this year. That was until the tour dates were revealed.

October 26, 2011
Does this date seem important to anyone?
It is the day that 10 amazing dancers will be performing in The Maverik Center in West Valley, Utah. It also happens to be my 21st birthday.
Coincidence? Most likely. But the best dang coincidence that has ever happened.
I absolutely could not let this opportunity pass me by. I immediately set my mind upon buying myself an incredible birthday present. And I recruited my fellow SYTYCD addict, Kendra to come with me.

So Friday, July 29th at 10:00 AM, tickets went on sale and I purchased 2. I have never been elated in my entire life. We have floor seats. Row 15. If I could express my unrequited happiness in words, I would. But there are no words for how excited I am. I leap with jubilation whenever I think about it.
October 26th, here I come.

Happenings.

As of late: I have slept (or lacked sleep) on the streets of Salt Lake City. Lost my voice while cheering for parade entrants. Watched lots of children. Taught lots of swim lessons. Created lots of playlists. Witnessed a great concert. Traveled to the cabin. Played by a river. Blazed trails. Explored. Been scum. Eaten too much junk. And mostly, I have remembered how much I love summertime.

On an unrelated note: Tomorrow is August. Can you believe that? I can't believe that. I came to the realization today that I have less than a month before school starts again. This is a tragedy.

Pool party, baby. It was a cool party. Cool pool party. Lalalala

Sometimes I have pool parties.



And they are fun. We dance. And chat.



We go to the dollar store and buy pointless things.



Like silly string. And sombreros. And monkey's named Enrique. And florescent plastic shot tubes/glasses. But not alcohol.



Then we party and it is fun.

End of an Era

Let me take you back to a very long day in my life.
Last Thursday.

Now you see, I was reading a certain 7th book of the Harry Potter sort in preparation for a certain movie premiere. Well, I finished that book a day earlier than I was planning, which you can't blame me for because once they apparate into Hogsmeade, there is absolutely no point trying to shut the book. Anyway, needless to say, this filled my Thursday with quite a bit of anxiety. You see, at 12:01 that night I was going to be seated watching a movie I've been waiting many months, even years for.

After walking aimlessly around the house, watching ridiculous amounts of interviews with HP cast members, driving to the only party store in Utah that still had Harry Potter glasses in stock, and then attempting to make time pass faster by making playlists... finally 7 o'clock arrived. I was able to forget my listlessness for an hour while I sadly watched Ryan get kicked off of So You Think You Can Dance (I didn't particularly care that Alexander was gone too).

And finally at 8 o'clock arrived. I showered. I made my hair as huge as humanly possible (for the record, this is HUGE). I picked up Kui/Kendra/Cho. And then we prepared our costumes.

I have a bit of problem when I dress up. I am incapable of dressing up quickly or simply. I go all out.
So this is what happened (photo credit to Kendra. I stole off her FB):


Yes, I became Bellatrix Lestrange. It was quite a jump from my usual, and just as outrageous Professor Trelawny costume. I fear I may have frightened a few children, because along with going all out with the costume, I also stay in character. If you know anything about Bellatrix, you know she's terrifying, which is what makes her one of my favorite villains.

So we all got together at the theater and here is our motley crew:
We have a stunning Cho Chang, Bellatrix, super excited Hermione, an eccentric Sybill Trelawny, heroic-looking Neville, Harry Potter himself, and some type of Harry/Ron mix.

All in all, it was a successful pre-movie party.
Even more successful: the actual movie.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was most definitely my favorite HP movie. It was exciting and made me cry. Twice. It was a wonderful way to end that series and bring my childhood to a close. I love everything about Harry Potter. Especially Ron Weasley. And Neville Longbottom was looking quite attractive himself. How wonderful.

No sleep = blog posts.

Now that I have a blog, I have a new outlet for when I cant sleep.
You see, I can pretty much sleep anywhere, anytime. Some people can function on pretty much no sleep, but I struggle to think whatsoever when I'm running on fewer than 7 hours of sleep, and that's only when I'm in school. During summertime, I require at least 8 hours. It's kind of ridiculous. Anyway, what I'm trying to get at with all of this is that pretty much every night of my life I can fall asleep immediately. However, every once in a while, there is the rare night where I simply can not sleep.
Tonight is one of those nights.

So now I will proceed to ramble on about anything and everything that may cross my mind.
On nights such as this, I used to waist my time away perusing the facebook, which I feel is an incredible waist of time and energy. I wish I could say that I was morally opposed to facebook, however I confess that I am way too addicted to be able to say such things. When I am unable to sleep, or have nothing to do, or have a lot to do... I somehow always end up on facebook (from now on known as FB, due to my incredible amount of laziness). It's a terrible thing and now that I have recently become an avid blogger, I will be spending much more of my time blogging than facebooking.
So I'm thinking that a my inability to sleep tonight may be a result of watching the 2nd Harry Potter movie as part of our week long marathon. I get mildly freaked out by bloody-eyed basilisks. Or it might be because of too much excitement that has filled me while watching Harry Potter trailers. Or because of the fact that I have I Heard It Through the Grapevine stuck in my head. Or it could be due to the 3 incredibly irritating mosquito bites on my left foot. Probably a combination of all of the above. Excellent.
So I think I'm going to try to sleep now, or something. Most likely not, but I suppose I ought to try.
Scratch that; I think I'm going to go look up some of my favorite So You Think You Can Dance dances on the youtube. Yes.. this sounds like a fine idea.

PS: This is definitely one of my favorite dances.

Camp.

The young women of my ward are leaving for girls camp today.
I am filled with sadness that I am not accompanying them.
Girls camp is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me.
I thrive in situations that include me making a complete fool of myself for long periods of time.
So obviously girls camp is the place for me.
Ridiculous camp songs. Crazy skits. Crafts. Beautiful hikes. Outrageous games of Ride That Pony and Big Booty. Fire-roasted food. Snipe hunting. Forcing girls to be excited to be there. Endless amounts of energy.
These are a few of my favorite things. (yes, that was a Sound of Music reference)
But really, I just love girls camp and have ever since my first experience when I was 12.
I have been too old to go for the last couple of years. And that is a tragedy.
If I could go to girls camp every year for the rest of my life, I would die a happy human being.

This is one of my favorite pictures from from any girls camp:

We really get into singing and dancing camp songs.

Obsessed.

To put it lightly: I have an obsession.

It's called Harry Potter. And I just can't get enough.

There happens to be the final installment of the HP movies coming to a theater near you at 12:00 AM (or, as it happens, 12:01 AM) on July 15th. This mean that as of today, we have finally entered the month of the release! I am more than excited. Way more than excited.
I'm exhilarated.
Thrilled.
Electrified.
And all other adjectives you can think of.
I get chills every time I see a trailer or when they release a new "exclusive preview." Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), I WILL cry during this final movie. This has been a major part of my life for a good 10 years. I have had many discussions about different aspects of magic and the wizarding world as a result of these books and movies. I owe many good memories to JK Rowling and her genius.

This my absolute favorite clip I have found so far, though I could definitely show you at least 6 more that are almost equally fabulous.


I also am absolutely and positively in love with Ronald Bilius Weasley. He is absolutely wonderful and awkward and adorable and nerdy and attractive and goofy and sweet. In short, I want to date him.

This is him, in all of his fabulous glory:


Long story short, I have been waiting for months for this and it will be here in 2 weeks. I CAN NOT WAIT.




Side note, I'm really in to adjectives today. Sweet.

Weezer just makes me so happy.

It doesn't matter my mood; Weezer just plain makes it better.

If I made music, it would sound like Weezer music.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to tire of listening to Weezer. Then I laugh and recognize the truth: that would never happen.

Today's piece of advice: go listen to some Weezer.

I choose pirates.

It is the eternal battle. Everyone must take sides at some point. It is one of those things that is simply inevitable. This is the never ending debate/war/competition between ninjas and pirates.
Maybe it's just my friends and family, but I have been asked to take a stand in this debate many times. I have never been able to come to a conclusion. Until now.

I choose pirates.

I thought it would be a difficult decision, but when it came right down to it, I looked at the facts and it was quite easy. Don't get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for ninjas, and would undoubtedly become one if I had the ability and/or opportunity. Also, not be stereotypical, but ninjas are typically Asian, and sometimes I think that I have more Asian friends than the typical white Utahn. So, moral of that story is that I love ninjas.

However, pirates are the winning party in this situation. I have defeated my fair share of ninjas in my time, but I can't say that I have ever defeated a pirate. Probably because I couldn't. And that right there is a substantial argument. But wait, there's more! Think about it: pirates are rad! They just chill out on ships for incredibly long periods of time and then instill fear in peoples hearts when they decide to come ashore. Also, the orchestra played a Pirates medly at the Bingham High School graduation this year, which I interpreted as encouragement for those grads to go out and pillage and plunder. A most excellent message, if I do say so myself. Also, I suppose it's meant to be an insult, but I find it hilarious when pirates say "wench." So all in all, pirates are just the best. Unbeatable, really. Plus, it's way more fun to say that you're stealing booty than to say that you're kicking booty.

No, my opinion on the matter will not bring the everlasting debate to a close, but as always, I had to put my two-sense in. Ninjas vs. Pirates. Always a good conversation starter.

World Traveler. In theory.

Someday I will be a world traveler.
I will travel the globe.
I will see the sites.
I will go on adventures.
I will meet the people.
I will eat the food.
Someday I will travel the world.
But that day is not today,
So I will travel the Utah.
It can provide me some adventures as well.

Lever's are Funny

If you know me, then you most likely know my family. And if you don't know my family, well then you're missing out, but I can assure you that you pretty much already know them because they are exactly like me. We just plain crack each other up all the time. Probably the most accurate description of them would be this:
My family is the funniest group of human beings I have ever met.
Really though.
I just spent the last 3 days on a stay at home vacation with them. This was most likely the best thing that has happened in a while. I wish that people could just follow us around and see the ridiculous things we do and say. I am always entertained by my family.
We saw some Asians, a lost goat, and a huge tire at Kennecot Copper Mine. We fit 6 humans in a tire at the Copperton Park. We made a spontaneous stop at an arcade, stuffed our faces with pizza, and I played more than my fair share of skee ball. We hiked Ensign Peak and got THEE most beautiful view of the valley. We sang/made up songs while being accompanied by the subtle sounds of a uke. We alpine slid down a mountain. Twice. We laughed a ridiculous amount. We took a brief reprieve from each other about halfway through the vacation. Half of us nearly died while hiking up to Timp Cave (ok.. mostly Dad, Adam, and Kade practically ran while I nearly died. Still fun though.) We became airborne via an outrageous number of trampolines. We cheered for the Bees of the baseball variety; we don't appreciate bees of the insect variety. We celebrated Christmas in June, except the celebration was only in the form of cheesy Christmas music and a skinny Santa in red shorts throwing candy at us. We were attacked by gnats while viewing a spectacular fireworks show (really, it was incredibly splendid). And most of all we enjoyed the fact that we are the most entertaining family. All in all, I say it was a successful weekend. Well done parents.
I adore my family.

And now for the photographic proof:

This tire was not as big as it appears. It was a squeeze.

Sometimes we pose on tires.

We are unique.

I win at skee ball.

The reward of the hike.

My life is a musical.

Once upon a time I watched High School Musical(this was not one of my finer moments), and as terribly cheesy and ridiculous that piece of cinematic entertainment was, it made me come to a conclusion. I would just straight up LOVE to have my life be a musical. If people burst into song and dance everywhere I went and whenever something important happened, I would absolutely adore this. I would also probably feel more comfortable, because I'm pretty sure that I tend to do this in normal situations. Sometimes I just can't help but sing. And if the song is good, then it absolutely must be accompanied by dancing. So, since I already bust out in musical exhibitions at mildly inappropriate times, then I figure everyone else around me might as well join in.
Seriously though, wouldn't it be so cool if you were just walking around the grocery store and people started singing ballads about what they were buying and beboppin' around with their shopping carts? Or if you went to a soccer game and the people in the stands started singing about how much they love the sport? Or if I was walking around campus and backpack-clad students just started spontaneous dancing in Brigham Square.... ok, let's get real, I go to BYU, so that already happens on a weekly basis, maybe even daily. :) Anyway, yes, this would be so incredibly cheesy and logistically impossible for there to be choreographed songs and dances everywhere I went, but it is still worth the dream. If my life was a musical, even the terribly sad or disheartening things that happen couldn't be that bad. And so, despite the ridiculousness of the idea, I will continue to sing and dance in pretty much every situation I am placed in. It just can't be stopped, trust me, I've tried.

Side note: If my life WERE a musical, this is what my roommates and I would look like:

I'm a child at heart.

There are some things in this world that are fun no matter how old you get. Maybe I'm just immature, but there are many things that were tons of fun when I was a young lass, that I still enjoy excessively.

Puddle jumping and kite flying are two such things.

Also, walking around in the mud with bare feet. It's just so squishy.

Also, sticking my head out the window and yelling "SLURPEEEEEE!" on my way to 7-11.

Also, watching Pocahontas over and over again every day and never, NEVER getting sick of it.

But mostly puddle jumping and kite flying. I've done both within the last week or so, and they never get old. And they still hold their old exhilaration.
I will always be a child. At least on the inside

You caught me.

I've finally given in.
I never thought it would be me.
But I have now started a blog.
This is a big day. Momentous even.

I probably have more random thoughts than the average person.
Random is typically a good thing.

Opinions. I also have those.
I suppose that they will be shared in this here blog.
I think I approve.

Oh yeah. This is me--------->
I laugh. Kind of a lot.