Tuesday Itinerary

I can't wait for tomorrow. It's only 28 minutes away, but there's still at least 9 hours of mandatory sleep I need to account for until the fun can actually begin.


Here's my plan:


Wake up... whenever I feel like (which is already a great day in the works!)


Watch the following on my DVR with breakfast (which will probably be... hot chocolate and toast. as always), which I will thoroughly enjoy:


Ellen
Pretty Little Liars
The Bachelor


Shower and get ready


Go to the Antique Mall with Chloe, Amanda and Makayla!!! (most excited about this!)


Buy some awesome things that I can fix up and make cute, and hopefully turn one of them into something cool to give Val and Garr for their housewarming party on Saturday (just another exciting plan in my always-exciting life, haha)!


Be crafty for awhile with 3 of my most favorite girls in the world.


Have some dinner, possibly, well, eventually I'll eat, I just don't know when!


And most likely (haha who am I kidding -- I see the man every single day, and I absolutely LOVE IT) end the night with Devin, in the library...

...Just like old times :)

Yeah... I'm pretty excited. It will be a marvelous day. And every single second has KATIE written all over it!

Also, I have some quips about technology, but I'll save that, probably for tomorrow! Auh. Which will be another great part of my day, because I really do love blogging, obviously. The best part is that you guys actually READ this stuff! I hope I entertain you. Well... I actually guess I'm already doing that, because you keep coming back, haha! I love it though.

cross your fingers!

still feeling pretty opinionated these days.


today... I noticed something. In fact, I noticed a few things...


1. I appreciate it so much more when speakers in church teach with the scriptures. This morning, we celebrated my little brother's birthday with a big breakfast and presents, while kelli and sean were still in town, so I wasn't able to make it to my own ward. I hadn't been at church last week either, because we had a huge floor set at work, so I was able to make it just in time for Devin's 1:00 church, which was a life saver. I see such a huge difference in my life when I start off the week with the spirit!


Anyway, we've both noticed a few things about speakers in his ward: the first girl, Penny, and also the other 2... did the typical "tell a joke to lighten the mood" routine. Sure, you can be funny, but there is a time and a place. I didn't come to church to hear your joke. I came to learn about the gospel, and feel the spirit. Sometimes, I get it. Because sometimes, they are applicable, and don't cross the line... but most people aren't funny, or take it too far, and it disrupts the spirit.


The second speaker, Kaden did an excellent job. The only talk we both truly enjoyed! We actually know Kaden, through Kylee, so it was a good surprise to see him speaking in church. The third speaker was great, too, forgot his name, but he also told too many jokes.


The other thing we noticed, though, is that rarely are the talks given in Sacrament meeting involving the scriptures. Are these not the foundation of our religion? I would appreciate it so much more if I were learning more doctrine, rather than hearing your mission stories (no offense... incorporation works, though...).


2. Devin's Dad is an excellent cook. Devin's Aunt had a bit of an emergency, so his mom went to help out, leaving his dad to cook dinner! He made delicious beef strouganauff, but joked the whole time that if I stayed with Devin after this meal, I must really love him! Well, yes of course, but it really was good! Very impressive, haha


3. (this is what I had originally meant to talk about) Games are only fun when you win. Okay. Maybe this isn't the case with all games, I agree, but with most? Losing sucks, and we all know it!


Exhibit A: When Dash and I first started dating, we were addicted to Angry Birds, the app, along with the rest of the world... and it was so much fun to play! But after we'd been stuck on the same level for who knows how long... we got ticked off! It got legitimately frustrating.


A few other addictive games came and went quickly, but obviously didn't hold our attention... until now. I don't know HOW IN THE WORLD this happened... but we are both insanely addicted to Vegas Style Soliatire. It's bad! Vegas style (we get asked this a lot...) is regular Solitaire except it's draw 3, you can only go through the deck 3 times, and there is money on it. Every time you restart a game, you got $52 in the hole... ever card you get stacked on the aces is $10... sounds simple, but trust me, it all adds up. We're usually in the hole a good $200.


Now since Solitaire is purely a game of chance, and luck... we hardly win. And by hardly I mean we usually have about 3 wins in every 25 games. And we play well over 25 games a day! I don't know what about it is so addicting-- oh  yeah I do...


THE DESIRE TO WIN!


When you have played 5 rounds, and haven't won anything, and are in the hole $350... you will play. until you win. indubitably. which leads to endless games of solitaire, because once you win... you realize how much fun it was, and want to win again! It's a horrible cycle, and we've been sucked in.


Also... without the drive to win, there would be no competition. Because everyone hates losing. Everyone. Even if you aren't a "sore loser"... I guarantee you still don't like losing! We've been biologically programmed with this sort of pride!!!


SO... the moral of the story is... games are only fun when you win. When you don't win, they  just put you in a bad mood, mostly.


the end.


ANOTHER THING I NEED TO GET OUT:


IT'S A PRETTY STANDARD POLICY THAT COMPANIES DON'T HIRE ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 16. AND THAT'S FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, AND TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE. BUT WHAT GETS ME... IS WHEN COMPANIES ONLY HIRE AT 18. IN A LOT OF CASES, THIS MAKES SENSE. CHILD LABOR LAWS, ETC, ETC... WHATEVER.


WHAT REALLY GETS ME... IS WHEN COMPANIES SAY THAT THEY HIRE AT 18, BECAUSE "IT'S A MATURITY LEVEL THING".


REALLY?


I KNOW PLENTY OF 16 YEAR OLDS THAT ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE MATURE THAN SOME 26 AND 27 YEAR OLDS! THIS IS RIDICULOUS.


AGE, AT LEAST BEYOND 16, SHOULD NOT BE A FACTOR AT WORK. DEALING WITH SERVING ALCOHOL AT RESTAURANTS WITH LIQUOR LICENSES, AND SITUATIONS LIKE THAT ARE AN EXCEPTION, BUT BASIC RETAIL JOBS? COME ON!


YOUR MATURITY LEVEL, IS VERY, VERY LOOSELY BASED, IF AT ALL, ON YOUR AGE. NOTHING ABOUT HOW MANY YEARS YOU HAVE BEEN ALIVE HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE WAY YOU ACT, AND HANDLE SITUATIONS, AND INTERACT WITH PEOPLE IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER. THAT IS BASED ON YOUR PERSONALITY, THE WAY YOU HAVE BEEN RAISED, AND THE KIND OF PERSON YOU ARE!


I'M MOSTLY COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE MY LITTLE SISTER WILL BE 17 IN APRIL AND STILL HASN'T FOUND A JOB, BECAUSE NOBODY HIRES UNDER 18. AND THIS IS A RECENT THING. SHE HAS APPLIED AT PLACES I WORKED AT WHEN I WAS HER AGE, SO APPARENTLY THEIR POLICIES HAVE SINCE CHANGED! I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE DEAL IS.


AND ALSO... I JUST WANT MY SISTER TO GROW UP A LITTLE AND GAIN SOME SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY! SHE NEEDS IT... DON'T WE ALL?!


OKAY I'M DONE.


p.s. remember when i had that interview for the promotion at work a while ago? i didn't get it, because i didn't have the avaliability to work full time, since i was in school full time, and we ended up hiring my awesome manager, LAUREN, who is the best. BUT, there is another CSL position opening! Tim has been promoted, so his job is now available! I am interviewing for it tomorrow -- I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how much I want this job. It is the BEST JOB EVER. I already LOVE bbw, and I plan on staying there for a long, long time, so being a manager would be even better!


Plus, I really need a full time job anyway! I will go crazy without anything to do (like i already have!) so... keep your fingers crossed for me! I'm pretty confident about the interview -- i'm really good at them, but i've got some steep competition! The other girls applying would also make GREAT managers, and I would be so, so happy if any of them got the position! I would love to work with them, but I also REALLY want to move up the company! So tomorrow, I'm turning up my WOW factor. aaaaahhh i'm a little nervous!

hurry, run!

everyone in my house:
Dad
Mom
Kelli
Sean
Me
Kayla
Kyle


everyone in my house coughing:
Dad
Sean
Kayla
Kyle


aahhh! I do NOT want to get sick! It's already the end of January, and I've avoided the sickness thus far.. and I'd like to keep it that way!


I'm going to start taking as much vitamin C as I am medically allowed. Maybe even a little more than that!

double double, and other stuff.

Today was SO much fun. I woke up in the morning, and did lots of browsing through bridal magazines (which now cover and consume every surface of our home...almost, sorta, kinda...) with my Mom and Sister. THEN, Devin suggested we get some lunch with Kelli and Sean. Which we did. At Sammy's. Which I love.


THEN, after some quality vegging on the couch, Devin went to watch the BYU game with his parents, and Kelli, Mom and I went wedding shopping. My Mom and I mostly just needed to see what Kelli's ideas were, and what kind of stuff she was looking for, so we could do some shopping and planning without her, since she lives in Logan. Total success.


Then, we stopped at The Emporium on a whim, to try on some dresses, just for fun. And it was! I wasn't impressed with their dress selection.. nothing really my style. But the service was GREAT and Kelli found a dress that I think could be the winner!


It's only the first place we've gone though, and she's only tried on 4 wedding dresses... so it's hard to tell. But she looked so gorgeous! I'm so excited for my sister!!!


After that, Devin and I did some more shopping, for, you guessed it, the Bridal Show! We needed some pretty specific table cloths for his booth, so I offered to sew some, instead of going on a hopeless search of finding exactly what we need, for an affordable price. 12 yards of basic cotton broad cloth later... I've got quite a project on my hands!


NEXT, Devin and I headed over to one of my best friends in the whole world, Mitch Oldham's house, to begin a long over due double date! Devin and Mitch finally met, and we got to meet his girl, Camree, who is AWESOME. Totally love her. Winner. Keep her, Mitch! ;) haha


We went to Marley's and got some gourmet sliders, and shoelace fries -- all delicious! The only thing I didn't like was the mess my burgers made, and the fry sauce! Sad day when the fry sauce is no good... but not a dealbreaker!


And of course, since we were out in public, Devin had to see somebody he knew! He ran into an old friend from Jr. High, and we caught up with him for a couple minutes, before spending some time warming up by the fire pits in the Riverwoods!


That remodel of the Riverwoods is seriously so cool. People have been complaining about a lot of different things about it, but I think they are lazy and bogus, and the Shops looks BEAUTIFUL! Love those fire pits, too!


After that, we headed to Mitch's to watch a MUCH anticipated movie (anticipated by me, and me only, I think. but anticipated by me for WEEKS!): Sherlock Holmes! I LOVE that movie!


I think I quoted like 40% of it... haha Devin was getting a kick out of that!


When we got to his house, we found his siblings and their friends (not an unusual sight at the Oldham casa...) scattered all over the house. This time, they were separated into 2 teams, doing a COOKOFF. How clever of them. I thought it was kind of cute. The horrible part was that A: they had occupied the basement kitchen, which is by the family room where we were going to watch the movie! and B: their secret ingredient (they were legit about this!) was BACON. So the house reeked of bacon. And so did I when I got home!


Totally worth it, though. Such a fun night! Such a fun DAY! Devin and I got a double double date day! Love him so much!


Which leads to:


Things I love to do with Devin:


1. Homework in the Library. Not because either of us enjoy homework, but simply because that is how this whole thing began! And it's such great company :) lots of great memories on the 4th floor!
2. Drive. Both of us love driving aimlessly, but "aimlessly" usually leads us up to South Fork... so many amazing conversations up there in Maxine!
3. Cuddle. Self explanatory.
4. Go to church. I absolutely love going to church with Devin. I love that our love for the gospel is something that we share, and can participate in together. I love being able to feel the spirit and learn about our Savior and His teachings with Devin by my side. I think it is a huge contributor to the success of our relationship.
5. Veg. Different from cuddling, I can assure you, and also, what we do most often. Vegging consists of (usually), catching up on our favorite TV shows: The Office, Top Gear, and Ghost Adventures, or watching one of our popular picks on the History and Discovery Channels. Vegging also almost always involves a healthy bowl full of ice cream, caramel topping included, and some quality cuddling.
6. Play games. Mostly because we are a great team. We play Vegas style solitaire... he gets us in the hole, I get us out... (haha) Plus also, the first time I ever played NERTS, we SCHOOLED his family. Teamwork. 
7. Traditional Sunday nap. Another thing I love about Sundays. Mostly because we're both super tired, and have a convenient break between church and dinner, haha!
8. Rock climb. Of course. Not only is D the best teacher, and has helped me improve sooo much, but he is a huge motivation to me! I get to the top every time! Whether that be out of his supreme coaching skills, my fear of embarrassment if I didn't finish, or the drive I get from knowing he's watching... is still undetermined. But I love sharing that with him, nonetheless. I also love climbing with Dash because I know it's something that he is passionate about. He absolutely loves it, and when he is in that mindset, he is practically unstoppable. I love being able to watch him in his element! 


On a completely different note...


I have some opinions that have been rummaging around in my mind lately. And of course, my blog is the target of this opinionated projectile. 


I have been thinking a lot lately about the schooling I have gone through, both at DSC and UVU. And my conclusion has been this:


I absolutely love the kind of personal attention I got from my professors at Dixie State College. Being a state college, the enrollment was smaller, the classes were smaller, and the face time I got with my professors was much larger. Each of my professors knew me by name, and checked in with my regularly.


I felt like so much more than a student to them, and it gave me extra motivation to do good in the class. I was no longer seeking an ''grade, but I was now trying to succeed not to just impress a professor: because my instructors had become more than that to me. It was personal. And their approval was anticipated by me, thus, pushing me to do better. And it worked.


My success at DSC, I think. was largely based on the relationships I had with my professors. I feel like I did so much better in those classes.


What I did not love abut DSC was the atmosphere, and the people. The atmosphere outside of the classrooms seemed so competitive, in a social aspect. There was not as much focus on student's academic success as there was on social success. Outside of the classroom, I was constantly (and I mean constantly) bombarded with a slew of events, coming back to my apartment each day with a large stack of fliers and invitations to various campus occasions


Maybe for some people, that is what they like about the college, but I paid for, searched for, and enrolled in an institution of higher education... to GAIN SOME. Not to meet friends, and party every weekend. So in this sense, and this sense only, was Dixie the "party school" to me. It was quite ridiculous. Not even the campus library was suitable for studying, because even there, I was trampled by club members, and their rehearsed inquiries of my weekend plans.


This is one of many reasons why I chose to leave Dixie, but that's another story for another time!


Now, what I love about UVU... is it's potential. UVU is a prestigious institutions in the making. They are a diamond in the rough, and have certainly taken all of us aback in the last few years. They have sky-rocketed with enrollment rates, and have only improved since gaining University status.


I love the feeling of the larger college, because I felt more important. I felt more a part of an educational environment, rather than a candidate for your next social gathering. The size of UVU is extremely intimidating, but that aspect became almost comfortable after a few weeks of attending.


I was not impressed, however, especially after the kind of experiences I had at Dixie, with my Professors, and my relationship with them.


There is not too much to complain about in my one semester there, mostly because out of my 5 classes, I am positive that 3 of my professors knew me personally. Those three classes, unfortunately, were either elective, or pre-req classes. My general education classes had an average of 100-150 students in them, while my elective classes had less than 20 each.


Taking biology as a lecture class,with upwards of 100 other students is not my cup of tea, and proved to be extremely discouraging.


There was a lot to love about UVU as well:


Proximity: so close to home.
Friends: present.
Options: more of them.


all in all, it was great. both were great, really. but both had their pros and cons. So when someone asks me if I think smaller or larger universities are better... this is my response.


Wow... sorry this ended up being such a long post, but what can I say?! I've got a lot on my mind, and a pretty exciting life if I do say so myself!


Again, so grateful :) for friends, for family, for Devin... for everything that I have. all the opportunities, all the good fortune! I have such an amazing life, and I feel so blessed!


P.S. More exciting news that I may or may not have already mentioned on here: Kelli and Sean are officially booked for May 13, 2011 in the Logan Temple! The coolest part is that our Great Uncle, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, will be marrying (? Officiating?) Kelli and Sean! I am so excited for them, and only sad that I won't be able to be in the temple with them to witness the happiest moment of their lives! Love them both so much :)

in my opinion...

Scary movies are actually pretty accurate.


I think it's safe to say that I'm not the only one that finds myself yelling at the TV, while I grip the edge of the couch, and watch the naive young girl walk straight toward the hiding place of the "bad guy".


The characters always seem to follow the creepy sounds that come from other rooms, and as a viewer, you already KNOW that it's the bad guy making all the racket! So, we grieve and tell her NOT TO OPEN THE CLOSET!!! Because we already know her fate! But why do they do it? Why does the character always go to the bad guy? Why do they always seem SO curious about the sounds? They probably know it's the bad guy, because who else would be sneaking around like that -- but they still go.


I'm not saying that I have the answer.


All I'm saying... is that these movies are disturbingly accurate.


This afternoon, I was minding my own business, folding some laundry in my room. I was home all alone, and nobody was expected to be home for another hour or so. I heard some creaking upstairs, but disregarded it, because I always seem to psych myself out when I hear those noises, and have almost always brushed it off my shoulder as house-settling noises (my house makes those noises a lot anyway). I ignored it, and kept folding. Then I heard it again, and assured myself it was just the house, or the heater, or anything normal.


Then I heard it again.


Instantly, I found myself creeping up the stairs, slowly and quietly, making absolutely no noise, and gripping my cell phone in my hand. I paused on the landing by the front door and waited to hear more noise.


I did.


This time, I could tell the noise was definitely coming from the deck in the backyard. I walked up a couple more steps, and positioned myself to see through the dining room window, and the window on the back door, right as a bulky man walked briskly back down the steps. I ran quickly to the back door, and locked it, and watched him. He had gone down the stairs, and to the backyard...


He was taking pictures. Of the windows. My guess is that he's from the company that just installed our new energy-efficient windows, and was coming by to do some type of follow-up service call. He had probably been on the phone with my Dad about it all day. But my Dad is in Price for the weekend, and obviously failed to mention that I would have a visitor this afternoon.


So... it was nothing. Nothing important anyway. Scared you, didn't I?!?!


The point is that those scary movie scenes that we think are so bogus, are actually accurate! At least in my case! I heard the noise, and went straight for it! I saw the guy cross the windows, and RAN to them! I'm not sure if it was adrenaline, or curiosity, or what, but I did it.


here are some prime examples:


In Prom Night, Brittany Snow's character always follows the sounds into the darkest, most creepy corner of the whole house. Same with Camilla Belle's character in When a Stranger Calls. Look at them! Just walking RIGHT TOWARD the bad guy!

At least Camilla Belle came well-equipped, right?


I had to laugh at myself once I realized that there was nothing to be worried about, but then I realized that I was just like the girls in the scary movies -- and that made my a little bit concerned for my own safety... Here's hoping there's nobody lurking around in my closets!

it's like sympathy pains, only for being tired

Clearly, Devin is always entitled to feeling as tired as he often does, because of all the hard work he does every single day. He is constantly "on the move", doing so many things. He's got one full plate, I will tell you what!


But why is it that I get tired just as early as he does?! Sure, I am productive with my time, but I definitely don't work as hard, or do as much as D!


SO my solution is that my body has adapted to feeling things vicariously through Devin. Weird. I guess I'm just super empathetic sometimes? It's like sympathy pains, only for being tired...


I think it's kind of funny, really. They say things like that about couples. That you start talking like each other, you pick up each other's habits, and when you're old, you even start to kind of look alike... Dev has totally been rubbing off on me, I can tell. I say things that he says a lot, and it's pretty entertaining when I catch myself doing it! I guess it's just one of those things...


Anyway, the point is: It's only 10:30, and all I did today was all that deep cleaning, and I'm pooped!


So I'm going to sleep.


lOve
katiE


P.S. I have an awesome Belkin FM Transmitter that I use in my car for my iPod, but the station I use, which is 99.9 is pretty fuzzy. Does anybody else you an FM Transmitter? Tell me about what station you use, and how good the quality is. I've gotta fix this before I go crazy! I also just barely learned that my transmitter is wireless. I'm an idiot. It has a cord that connects to the cigarette lighter, and it used to charge my iPod too, but the charging feature doesn't work anymore... anyway, I accidently unhooked the cord from the actual transmitter while I was driving home tonight... and the music just kept playing! It was awesome. And all this time, I thought the station was fuzzy because there was a tweek in the cord! OOOH that katie johnson. But really, help me out!

4 hours later

and everything in sight has been dusted. literally. it smells like pledge, and not even my Slatkin & Co. candle can overpower the "lemon zest"! But it looks great. and I feel relaxed.


I just barely realized that it's already the 27th of Janurary.


2010 went by SO fast (thank goodness), and 2011 is showing no signs of slowing down either! This could be a good thing, I guess, because there is so much going on right now that I wouldn't mind having it go by faster!


The end of January means:


*Kyle, my baby brother turns 15 on Monday. That is so crazy. It seems like he stopped getting older at 12! He is already a good several inches taller than me, but now he'll be driving and dating soon -- then going on a mission! Wow. That is so crazy. He's the coolest little guy though. Best brother I could ask for. He's the sweetest kid!


*we're a whole month closer to SPRING


*we're a whole month closer to my sister's WEDDING


*we're a whole month closer to my BIRTHDAY. Which is only important because I cannot even begin to tell you how annoyed I am of being 19. I feel soooo young, and it's frustrating to me! It probably seems silly, and I know it is, but I still can't wait to be 20. Nothing will be different, but I will sound older, haha


*Christmas was a whole month ago... uh... it seems like I was still wrapping presents, and decorating the Christmas tree last week.

I am totally losing sense of time. I could probably guess why ;) but honestly, I don't mind it!


Now... I'm gonna go see what else I can clean. I still haven't satisfied my anxiety.

genius.

I feel SO smart right now. I finally figured out how to get a different text on here! Thank you, blogger! I mostly just had to write this post so I could test it out.


But also...


I had a call-in for work today, and they don't need me, so I am going to deep clean. Yes. You heard me. Deep clean. Last night, Devin was saying how tired he was, but the whole time, he was walking around his room, organizing things. As soon as he started on his nightstand, I said "Devin. You're organizing your night stand. Stop!" it was hilarious. Had to be there, I guess. But he was saying how he can't sleep in clutter, and it got me all anxious to clean, so today's the day! I have a full 8 hours with no plans, so expect this whole place to be spotless!


Is it embarrassing that I'm excited? haha

what a feeling

obviously...

wishful thinking got a {makeover}


again.


it's just that the site i use gives me so many cute options... and i don't have a long enough attention span to stay the same for long anyway... so just get used to it!


in other news... i have a song for you.


i already know you love it, and you haven't even listened to it yet.


and without further ado, Wishful Thinking proudly presents, the always talented wife of Greg Laswell... INGRID MICHAELSON:

you're so welcome.

shame.

so... I hate to admit to this: but I had this really sick and twisted thought a couple weeks ago: "Wow, Kate. There hasn't been any drama in your life for a LONG time!"


That's not the bad part.. the bad part was the feeling that associated this thought: boredom.


I am so ashamed of myself to admit that I felt bored without any drama in my life?!


So what happened? Karma. That's what. I got just what I asked for.


In the middle of a totally normal conversation with a friend... we got interrupted by a third party. A third party that was seeking drama, intentionally. I let a few texts slide, and then after about half an hour of "refusing to feed his need for drama"... I slipped, and let him have it a little bit. Not contributing to the drama though, because after I said my two cents, nothing else happened.


And then I remembered why there isn't any drama.
Why I love my life without it.
And why I'm so glad that the last 3 months of my life have had slim to NONE. 


I am soooo not bored!!


Ooooh, that Katie Johnson.


I swear on my life I will never let that thought cross my mind again!


SPEAKING OF life lately, and these last 3 months inparticular... It has been 3 months-- In case you were wondering.


3 months of seeing my very best friend every single day. 3 months of adventures. 3 months of total bliss! And 3 months with a very promising future of endless months to come! Needless to say, everything is going perfectly :) school and work and life are stressful, but at the end of the day: Devin and I support each other, and are here for each other, and that is what matters. I couldn't ask for more!

felicity

Devin has proven himself to be someone I can trust. Someone I can talk to about difficult things that I don't especially want to have to talk about. Someone who doesn't take offense to those things, and supports me unconditionally, regardless of those things. He has helped me in so many ways, overcome obstacles that I know I couldn't have done alone, or with the help of anyone else, for that matter.


I have been finding myself so grateful lately for the kind of man Devin was raised to be. His parents did an awfully great job! He told me the other night about how he has been taught all his life how amazing pure daughters of Heavenly Father are, and that they deserve to be respected and treated properly. Wow!  


Kylee's blog kind of inspired this, a little bit. I totally agree with her: chivalry is in no way dead! Point to the gentleman that brought her flowers, just as a thank you! That is awesome.


Also, major points to Devin, for being so constantly... aware of me! How I'm feeling, doing his best (and succeeding) to make me feel comfortable, cared for, entertained, all of the above! He has not only made life easier, but much more enjoyable! I only hope he can say the same about me -- I definitely try my best each day to return the favor! I have never felt so loved and appreciated!


My main "Thank You", though, goes to Devin's wonderful parents, Vicki and Gaylon. Not only have you welcomed me into your lives so graciously, but you have become my friends! I will say it again: You raised an amazing man. He is such a great example to me every day, in everything he does. He definitely doesn't let you down! I am so grateful you are both in my life! I look forward to every chance I get to spend with you, whether it be every Sunday for dinner, stopping by to grab mail and some soda or an entertaining game of Nerts! I feel so loved and accepted, and can't wait for all the fun times ahead! I love you both so much! Thank you!!!

"We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins,then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."


"Words and language are inadequate to express the gratitude I owe to my God for having given me so honorable a parentage." - Joseph Smith 

sweet is the work

Friday Afternoon Craft.


Did this all freehand.. I had tried to sketch it out with pencil, but got too impatient, and for a first try, without anything to follow, I think I did pretty good!

After I made it, I realized that I hadn't thought of a place to put it! So here's it's temporary home until I can think of something better:

day with the girls

I got to spend today with two of my favorite little girls EVER!


Sophia Ruth and Claire Rebekah! I love them so much, and they are ALWAYS so much fun!


Claire came over in the afternoon, while Sophie was still at school, and we "did makeovers" which just means I did her hair and put some make up on her while I was getting ready, then she insisted we paint her nails, and after that, we had some lunch and picked up Sophie.


Once Sophie was with us, we made some bracelets and necklaces and keychains, and then I took Sophie to her piano lessons, and Claire and I watched Up! It was such a great day!

I tell her she can't have a treat until she finishes her sandwich... so she shoves the whole sandwich in her mouth and laughs hysterically at herself! How clever

 No 3 year old can pick just ONE color!

Our matching toes

She is so much fun to play with -- so witty!

 Waiting for Sophie to get out of school!

Sophie!

 Modeling their new jewelry they made all by themselves!

 Soph's bracelet-- how classy!

 I made this keychain... but it broke.

So I made this keychain

The funniest part of the whole day had to be when Claire told me how excited she was that my sister was getting married, and she asked me if I was getting married too, and I said "no, not yet. But I have a boyfriend!", so naturally, she had to see a picture of him. We got on facebook, and she wanted to look at ALL of Devin's pictures and kept saying "wait, wait! go back!" as I went through some of them. Then she said "he is cute. he should marry you!" She is 3.

Then, every time I picked up my phone, she would say, "That Devin?" and I would say "yes." and she would say "tell him to get married to you."

classic. i love her.

Remeber what I said about this craft thing being a disease?! It's true. I even made the little girls join in! So the plastic bead jewelry was our craft for the day. Plus Also... here is my craft for some time last week: I just hung up a couple clothesline picture lines around my room and I love them! My walls were bare in weird places, and there were already nails up in other places, so I made use of them, rather then take them down.

 I took this picture, because I realized that this corner actually looks pretty cool! MJ poster, pictures of Elvis... and no, that is not a picture of the temple upside down! It's a picture of the temple's reflection in a puddle on temple square... and I love it. haha

I also did these because I ran out of frames, and had just made lots of prints with pictures of Devin and I, and some other ones I had wanted prints of for awhile...

Everything is Amazing and Nobody is Happy.

I don't know why, but today has been an emotional one. I get this way sometimes, I guess. Every once in awhile, I will just get super sensitive, and everything makes me cry, but for good reason!:


Warning: DON'T LAUGH AT ME!


1. I have done it again: I made the mistake of getting hooked on this season of The Bachelor. If you follow it, awesome. Let's talk about it! It's soooo dramatic. And if not, here's some background on what made me CRY:


One girl, my favorite (yes, everyone picks their favorites, and everyone usually has the same favorites...) Emily, is from one of the Carolina states, and pre-Bachelor, she was engaged to this guy named Ricky, who was a race car driver. Every weekend, Emily would travel with Ricky to his races, but one weekend, right before they were supposed to fly to a race, Emily wasn't feeling good so Ricky told her to stay home. It was a Sunday. Ricky's plane crashed, and on Friday, Emily found out she was pregnant.


I CRIED.


2. THEN, This insane girl, Madison, who has vampire teeth, and has always been super weird, heard Emily's story, and SHE CRIED. And then she starting re-evaluating why she was there, and got all deep and thoughtful, and decided that she wasn't in it as much as the other girls, and they needed the chance more than she did, and they deserved it more, even though Madison thinks Brad is the bomb, she left voluntarily. And I CRIED. Well, mostly just teared up, but it's very thoughtful of her... well, as thoughtful as you can get on "reality TV".


3. During the Bachelor, THIS preview came on, for this new show on ABC called "Secret Millionaire". I can't WAIT to watch this. It is so inspiring. I CRIED.


"The greatest gift we can ever get is the chance to give."


"If you ever want to feel good about yourself, go help somebody out."


It says it's "A life-changing new series!"-- and I TOTALLY believe it.







4. I started watching UP today, and again, I CRIED. The very beginning, when it goes through Carl and Ellie's life, starting when they meet in the clubhouse, all the way through Ellie finding out she can't have kids, and then they grow old together, and she dies... and all the sweet little things they would do... aww it's so adorable. I decided today that UP is one of the cutest love stories ever. The whole movie, Carl is doing things for Ellie, and talking to her, and taking care of her house for her, and keeping his promise to put their house on Paradise Falls... if you think about it, it really is the sweetest story ever. And also one the most hilarious, and cutest animated movies made! Love it.

5. Devin. He made me cry a little bit today, too. (Dev, don't laugh at me. You're just the best, that's all...) He is easily, the most humble, genuine, simple person I know. He works FULL TIME, doing hard stuff, that he loves anyway, even though a lot of people are unhappy about having to see him, and he has to drive all day, and deal with people, and then he goes to school. Three classes, one online and the other two, each 2 hours long, but on different days, and sit through lectures... and then he has this giant heap of homework to do... so he goes to the library after class with the 2 hours he has to be productive with his schoolwork, and what does he do? He invites me to come keep him company. So I bring my book, and sit by him, and we both read (only his reading is from a MUCH less exciting textbook...), and then he is exhausted (naturally!) and it's bed time. AND THEN, he apologizes to me for not being more entertaining, and thanks me for being patient with him... Devin, I completely understand, and I am lucky to even get to spend any time with you at all!!! He is so amazing. The best example to me. I have never felt so loved!


ON TOP OF ALL THAT, he is getting ready for the Bridal Show, which is a HUGE deal, and has a sinus cold that's killing him, and is dealing with the aftermath of getting Captured By Dash Photography to Captured By Dash Photography, LLC, and he still manages to make me the HAPPIEST girl on the planet. Plus also, I am positive there are things I am leaving out... I don't know how he does it, but he does it ALL. Flawlessly. He is my hero. I have never felt so blessed. Yeah, all of that made me feel very humbled and grateful, so I cried a little bit to my sister. I love him so much!




ALRIGHT, Changing the subject, to something more uplifting... haha and also, the reason for the post's title:


Everything is Amazing and Nobody is Happy.

If you haven't seen this YouTube video yet, watch it. Now. And watch the other 2 on here... They are SO worth your time. After all, I wouldn't put ANYTHING on here that wasn't worth your time! ;) [another testament of the dire need in this society for a sarcasm font...]


ANYWAY, that video is sure to lighten the mood, but also to make you realize that you should seriously stop feeling sorry for yourself, stop being so self-absorbed, and get up and do something! I like how this guy puts it: spoiled idiots. No offense guys, cause I'm here too... but we live in a pretty RAD generation, with some AWESOME technology at our fingertips. We have accomplished things that were far fetched DREAMS that people laughed at other people for thinking 50 years ago... it is AMAZING the kind of things we can do now, the kind of things we have access to, and the means of which we can access these things! It is truly amazing! And everyone is COMPLAINING about it! Hilarious, but think about it. It's so true. SO true.


We are not nearly as grateful as we should be. Myself included.


ANOTHER THING (maybe this will redeem my personal lack of gratitude to society for a minute): I am currently re-reading my favorite book of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird.


The other day, I was talking about it and Devin asked me how many times I've read it, and I said it's been way too many to count, and he asked if I pick up anything new each time, and I said not usually... but TODAY, I stand corrected.


There I was, sitting next to D in the library, reading the book (I'm kind of rushing through it now, because Dev got me "The Infinite Atonement" for Christmas, and I really want to read THAT!), and I found something new!


If you don't know much about TKAM, then here's a little background that will help: The book is from the viewpoint of a little girl named Scout, and her father, Atticus is a lawyer.


Atticus has been appointed to represent a black man, Tom Robinson in court. Tom has been accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell. It's the 1930's, so racism is still alive and well, especially in Maycomb County.


This part of the book follows the whole trial, and during the trial, you come to realize that Tom is completely innocent, and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but SOLELY because he is black, he is guilty.


Scout's brother, Jem says "There's something in our world that makes men lose their heads --they couldn't be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life."


Tom gets sent to jail, obviously, even though EVERYONE in the town, INCLUDING the jury who convicted him, knows he is innocent.


I just finished the chapter where Scout hears Atticus tell his sister, Alexandra, that Tom was shot, as he was trying to escape the jail. The town news reporter, Mr. Underwood write a column about it and "He likened Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds..."


The book is called To Kill A Mockingbird. (coincidentally, my favorite bird...)


Rewind: For Christmas, Atticus gives Scout and Jem air-rifles and tells them, "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."


Scout doesn't understand, so she asks her neighbor, Miss Maudie about it, and Miss Maudie says, "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sing to kill a mockingbird."


Tom is like the Mockingbird, because he didn't do anything wrong, and everybody knows it, but he still gets shot. Yeah, sure, he tried to escape from jail... but what's the problem with letting him leave if HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG?!


This frustrates me, and I apologize for getting a little analytical, but I can't help it! The symbolism, and morals in this book are so amazing!


ANYWAY, all of this brought me to my second "everything's amazing" epiphany of the day: (not to be taken offensively.) Right after I read this, I looked up, and noticed that the library was filled with people of all different races.


All different races attending the same university. Not segregated in any way. And it's a nice university, too. I am just impressed with how far our country has come, and in a great direction. Sure, there is something to be said for some of the things going on in politics today, but the basis of where we are: united, free, equal... it's something worth being proud of. I am glad not only that this is happening, but that I notice it, and appreciate it.


Sure, it's been this way for years now, but it's still a miraculous change that our society made at one time, that has GREATLY impacted how our country is run now. I have so much respect! I am very proud :)


SO, it's been a good day. And I'm more than a happy camper!


Moral of the story: Everything IS amazing; cheer up, folks! Life is good!


Also, sent my cover letter, resume, and references to 6 different companies today: cross your fingers for me! They are all incredible jobs that I would love to have!