Bowl of Nutshells

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Pigtails.

Sometimes John squeezes and pokes and bites me.

Today he compared it to an elementary school boy who pulls on a girl's pigtails.

"I just like you so much. I have all this energy, I can't contain it and I don't know how else to let it out.

"I like you so much!!!"

:)
I like him, too.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Paradise Permeating

I've talked about my obsession with lilacs before:

Day 12: Lilacs
Day 23: 15 Facts
Day 1: 15 Facts by Johnny

So I don't think I have to explain back story. :)
In the second link it shows a picture of some of the lilac-smelling things I own. Despite my desire to smell lilacs all the time, I have purposefully procrastinated using most of them. Why? Because I didn't want to waste them on places that simply didn't deserve this divine smell.

Well, I'm in my own home. I've had one of my oil-heater thingies set up in the front room for a while, but I didn't have any unscented votive candles to use (I have plenty of lilac smelling votive candles :P). I bought a bag of tealights (discounted!) the other day so...go.

I got distracted and temporarily forgot about it.
Then I smelt this absolutely heavenly amazing smell, and I was confused. I've been too busy since I got home from school (ending in Zumba) to shower yet, so there's no way it was me. Even my perfume from this morning has faded. I didn't get it.
Then I did.
And I'm in paradise.

I am SO glad that it works. I've been worried that none of them would work since the house is big and there is a lot of open air to permeate. But it does it well. And I am happy.

I love this.

I started school last week. I was apprehensive, worried, nervous, scared, and bracing myself for drudgery.
I was also dead excited to have a life.

I could bore you with the details, but right now I want to focus on the things that are making emotions pulse through me.

I love that the classes at SLCC are small and personable.
I love half of my teachers, and I like the other half.
I love that I can raise my hand and participate.
I love that I feel like for once in my school career I will be actually learning something.
I love that most of me is committed to my classes instead of the normal "whatevs" approach.
I love that I am honestly excited about every single subject.
I love that I feel motivated.
I love that I actually understand the organization of each of my classes.
I love that I am here because I want to be, and no other reason.
I love that the government is paying me to go to school.
I love that I can get up every day.
I love that I come home and still have energy even though I'm physically exhausted and hungry.
I love that my Sarah Lynn will be in my Institute class. We haven't had a real class to be together in for years.
I love that I saw my wonderful good friend Stephen today.
I love that I got to share with Stephen in Institute, and that talking about religion didn't leave us both frustrated.
I love that I know people.
I love that I feel confident enough that my outgoing side is bursting out.
I love my Religious Diversities class. I don't know how it could be more perfect.
I love that I know I will stay on top of assignments.
I love that I'm actually excited to do my assignments.
I love that I already have a topic for all of my English papers.
I love that I get to write about something I'm passionate about, while learning more about it.
I love that I'm busy out of my mind.
I love that I'm burning a million calories and working out my leg muscles like crazy in Zumba.
I love that I'm excited to read my textbooks...perhaps cover to cover.
I love love love that I became friends with Aura Kenney today.
I love that Aura and I talked for at least an hour and a half straight and it was thoroughly enjoyable, and slightly addicting.
I love a million other things.
I love that each of the above were things I thought about, and got happy because of, before I wrote this.

Life freaking rocks.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

I AM a Utah Resident, Thank You!

Once upon a time there was a girl.

She was a basic, boring, run-of-the-mill, white-trash, Utah Molly Mormon.

[Okay, so maybe she just lived in white-trash West Valley]

She grew up in Utah her entire life. Her parents had both grown up in Utah, as had her parents' parents, and so forth. She had never left the state for more than a day until she was 12. She had never even left the country at all until she was 19.

Then one day she decided to stop being uninteresting, and went to live in Mexico for four months.

Except it really wasn't that interesting. She just got married and her husband toted her around while he did cool things like a study abroad in a foreign Ivy League-equivalent University.

Then life settled down a bit and she decided that she should go back to school now that she wasn't moving every couple months.

When applying to go to a cute little college called SLCC, she was asked if she had lived anywhere other than Utah anytime in the last 12 months. Well, she considered herself living elsewhere, but that is entirely subjective and they certainly didn't give her enough information to tell her which was technically right. But, thinking that either way it shouldn't be a problem because she was, of course, a Utah Resident, she decided to give the benefit of the doubt and click "yes."

"Thanks for submitting all the information about you in the world. We've decided that you are humble enough to get into our prestigious poor starter college. Congratulations! Oh, and by the way, you're not a Utah Resident so you have to pay 1,000,000 times what everyone else pays."

Bah Humbug.

If she's not a Utah Resident, then pray tell, what is she a Resident of????

The state of Utah considers her a Resident, as they had no problem updating her Drivers' License. Why does the school not consider her a Resident?

Because of one simple drop down menu that could be considered a mistake, but was certainly taken simply on the girl's word.

So, what does she have to do? She has to spend way too much time trying to figure out how to fix it, and then even more time actually trying to fix it. Then, when she gets all her papers in and everything to prove that she is, indeed, a Utah Resident, what do they ask for?

Proof that she was gone at all.

Excuse me??!?? If you can't prove that I'm gone, WHY DO I HAVE TO PROVE THAT IT DOESN'T COUNT!?!

The best part?

There ISN'T any proof that she was gone.

The ONLY proof that she was in Mexico for any amount of time, let alone for four months, is either total personal correspondence (which could all be complete bull for all they care), or a tourist visa.

A TOURIST visa, people! A tourist visa proves that she was a TOURIST, not a RESIDENT!!!

Also, because of complications with idiotic, stupid, ridiculous, conniving, thieving, corrupted Mexicans (not that all Mexicans are that, but the ones encountered for this purpose definitely were), the tourist visa wasn't even legitimate or legal.

AND if we had driven back into the US instead of flown, neither the Mexican nor the US government would have any idea or record that she was ever in Mexico at all. Possibly they still don't. That last guy was probably all of those adjectives as well.

Oh, and another great part:

What if she lived in a different state, instead of a different country?

There literally would be absolutely NO hard proof that she was gone. Ever.

Grumble.

Luckily, she is now considered a Utah Resident by all parties.

Thank you.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

JnB Wedding Photobook: Wedding Day Candids

I love this one. I love all the random pictures that capture the feeling of the event. Thanks to Angelo, Brett, and our photographer Joanne for getting perfect candid shots!

Hahahahahaha...I just realized that I put the wrong date on the cover.

As much as I feel like I just barely got married, it was not just a few months ago. It was last year.

Wedding Day
March 12, Twenty-TEN

Sunday, August 21, 2011

To Love

This week, from last Saturday to yesterday, was my family's reunion. We decided to do it "relaxed" this year and do a whole week of stuff but stay at home and such. Haha...it was packed and exhausting! BUT it was so. much. fun.

I LOVE love love love love my family! I am very grateful that I had mostly positive experiences this week, and so many of them, and I was able to remember that I do love them. I never stop loving them, but sometimes I stop having Christlike love for them.

Sometimes I get caught up in the annoying habits and personality traits my siblings and my parents and even my nieces and nephews have. We may be a bit stubborn and strongly opinionated. We may be a bit weird and socially awkward. We may make stupid and pointless comments. We may be impatient with the kids and each other. We may have different ideas of what's important in raising children. We may overlook what's currently pertinent. We may all get so caught up in making sure everything's planned smoothly that nothing gets planned at all smoothly.
But that's okay.

I realized last night that I used to be more loving and accepting to everyone, but somewhere or sometime that ability started getting used significantly less. I started getting cynical instead. I became impatient with people. Those two traits are some I dislike most in other people. So, I decided that I can and will be more loving toward my family, despite how much they may subtly bother me. Or, rather, instead of letting myself get subtly bothered.

Since I started that train of thought last night, I have realized how much happier practicing love instead of annoyance used to make me. Life is beautiful when you don't harbor negative feelings toward others. Those negative feelings don't have to be big, even. I haven't stopped believing that there is no one I hate. I always still loved my family. But so often it is the small things that make the biggest difference, especially as they build up.

So, I will begin again to look for the good in people. I will love them because they are humans with weaknesses, as I am. I will give help and encouragement. I will accept others, regardless of our differences. I will try to be humble so that I can learn from those who can teach me.