marching on

will i ever get a handle on time? it feels like i'm always behind, always wondering how it has gone by so fast. how did it get to be the end of february? this semester is halfway over, and i still have so much to do.

truthfully, though, i don't think it'll ever get easier. i can't imagine being more on top of things when i eventually have a family: kids to shuttle off to various activities and meals to prepare and callings to fulfill and everything else that i can think of. so, i guess this is just practice for later in life, when time will be more precious than it is now, when my biggest worries won't be thesis and homework.

bring on march, i say!

if you were wondering...

my ice cream fast is still in effect (affect? i think it's the one with an 'e'), so if you wanted to get me a treat, belated birthday or otherwise, this is a really good option.

nothing bundt cakes, chocolate chocolate chip with regular petal frosting. i've been craving this for days, and i'm about to take a trip up to sandy for the sole purpose of buying one of these delectable cakes.

gotta satisfy my sweet tooth somehow.

days of my life

so, nothing super momentous happened on my birthday. i forgot about my birth moment while we were at dinner, i just stayed home and watched a movie after dinner and dessert, and no party or anything, which was kind of how i was feeling. it was a good day, though. it made me think (again, just two months after the new year) about the things i want to do better at 25.

birthday dinner at bombay house. always delicious and always a good time.

i've had a cold building for weeks now. it hasn't been too bad, just enough to keep my energy level a little bit lower than usual. but yesterday (the day after my birthday, luckily), the real cold hit. runny nose, stuffy nose (how can your nose be both runny AND stuffy? i don't get it.), slight fever, headache, sore throat, cough. so that's fun. i stocked up on day/nyquil and nasal spray (is nasal spray gross to other people? it's always been a staple in our house. also, am i feeling especially parenthetical today?) to get me through the weekend.

last night bergen, meredith, and i went to the cougarettes concert. i have loved the cougarettes for a long time, probably because they are so beautiful and i wish i had lovely dancing skills. my freshman year, i took a dance class, and one of the assignments was to go to a dance performance and write about it. so, naturally, i went to see the cougarettes perform, my first time seeing them outside of athletic events, where they are still awesome, but not quite as awesome. anyway, i was blown away. the dancing was so beautiful--there are pieces from that concert that i still remember. i've tried to go the concert every year since then, even if that means i have to go by myself because no one else can go with me. last night's concert was also amazing. so amazing, in fact, that i convinced mom to come down tomorrow night to see it with me again. lame? maybe. do i care? nosiree.

all in all, life is still pretty good. happy friday!

truly random spewings about movies and dvd players

for my birthday, meredith bought me (at my pleading suggestion), a new dvd player, since ours, a relic from my belmont days, has been out of commission since the summer.

so, last night, i set up the new machine for to watch penelope, which was basically why i wanted her to get the dvd player on my birthday--i really wanted to watch that movie.

i love movies, but i don't think i'm a movie snob. i like art films--sometimes i'll want to go to a movie like that, but i know meredith would be so bored, so i just go by myself--but i also like some of those cheesy, fun, moralizing movies that aren't about to win any awards. ramona and beezus is one of those; penelope is another. (there are obviously some movies that i really, really don't like--last year's horrid depp-burton collab dark shadows comes to mind. and, i'll get flak for this, a walk to remember. can't stand that movie.)

but anyway, we watched penelope and i had forgotten how great it is. at one point i said, i actually really love this movie.

well, this became more random than i thought it would be. i guess mostly i'm excited to have a machine to watch dvds on besides my computer, which we had to hook up with a special cable borrowed from tyler and then i couldn't work on my computer and it was kind of a hassle. and this is all pretty insignificant, really. but, that's it for now.

you know it's a good day when...

you walk to campus wearing (a skirt and no tights) + (a cardigan and no coat) + heels.

you eat leftover salmon for lunch.

your birthday is tomorrow.

your afternoon snack is frosted cheerios.

today is basically thursday because you only have one more day of class this week.

two years have flown by.

there's an extra episode of the bachelor on tonight.


it's a pretty good day.

although, i haven't had ice cream in a week and that is pretty much all i want as a birthday dessert. do i fudge for my birthday or stay strong? i'm in a quandary.

a grateful day

i don't know if it's the remnants of love day or what, but i'm feeling grateful today and thought i would put it out there.

i'm grateful for:
--my family--parents, sisters, brother
--sunshiny days in the winter when i can sit on the balcony and read
--the temple and smiling temple workers (and seeing former students in the confirmation room...only in provo)
--health insurance
--netflix
--relief society
--neighbors
--comfy couches
--hair bows
--zebra snuggie
--grilled cheese and tomato soup
--girl friends
--clean dishes and an empty sink
--the savior
--missionaries
--phone calls
--zumba
--warm coats
--new friends in dinner group (and dinner group itself :))
--the office
--blogging
--my talents
--sibling group texts
--all the things that make me laugh
--a car that works and has heat
--school/classes that are interesting
--loose curls
--good things to read
--the prophet
--good health
--the beautiful earth
--the internet
--provo, this wacky and awesome place to live

there are so many things i am grateful for. life is good!

on creation

i found this on a newly discovered blog the other day:

We each have to say to ourselves, What will I create of my life? My time? My future?

First, go where the Spirit directs. Be still and listen. Your Heavenly Father will guide you as you draw near to Him. Immerse yourself in the holy word of the prophets, both ancient and modern, and the Spirit will speak to you. Be patient, ask in faith, and you will receive guidance in your creative efforts.

Second, don’t be paralyzed from fear of making mistakes. Thrust your hands into the clay of your lives and begin. I love how Rebekah of old responded to Abraham’s servant who came in search of a wife for Isaac. Her answer was simple and direct, “I will go,” 3 she said.

Rebekah could have refused. She could have told the servant to wait until she had the proper send-off, a new wardrobe, until she lost a few pounds, or until the weather was more promising. She could have said, “What’s wrong with Isaac that he can’t find a wife in all of Canaan?” But she didn’t. She acted, and so should we.

The time for procrastination is over. Begin! Don’t be afraid. Do the best you can. Of course you will make mistakes. Everyone does. Learn from them and move forward.

Third, support others along the way. Every person on this earth is unique. We all have varied interests, abilities, and skills. We are each at different levels physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

Finally, rejoice. Creation isn’t drudgery. Creation flows from love. When we do what we love, we rejoice along the way.

If you are unhappy, if you are feeling weary, troubled, or disillusioned, may I ask you to try something? Instead of dwelling on your troubles, focus instead on creating something remarkable, something of eternal significance. Nurture a testimony, strengthen a relationship, write a family history, go to the temple, serve. 

Mary Ellen Smoot, "We Are Creators"

pretty great, right? create something remarkable today!