I don't mind the weather, I've got scarves and caps and sweaters. I've got long johns under slacks for blustery days.

But I do mind when my car breaks down.
After loading and starting the kiln last night I went out into the snow to go home. My car struggled to start, and sometimes it doesn't like the cold, so I wasn't surprised. But I didn't know what to do because it would start up for a second and I could drive about a block and then it would die, the anti-lock brake system would turn off and I would have to slam on the emergency break, put it into park and restart the engine. I did this about 4 times as I drove down the street and decided to roll into a gas station to figure things out. The gas needle was on "empty" but the gas light hadn't come on yet, so I figured I was ok. However, when I filled up the tank, that usually takes 16 gallons, I found that my car needed 19 GALLONS! Then it started right up and I haven't had any problems. I was out of gas!!! WOah. I never would have guessed that that is how it reacts if your car is out of gas. That was the first time that has happened to me. Now I know.

A-HA!!!!

I just found this. wow.

this just in.

I am heartbroken, a completely broken heart. I just found out that Kings of Convenience played a show in San Sebastian, Spain on July 26th. I was a short train ride away. I could have gone to see the one band I have wanted to see for 4 years now.....I had no idea. This might be the saddest moment of my life. ok. maybe that's an exaggeration. but still. i love them.

haircutting as an art form.

For some reason, years ago for Christmas, my mom gave me a pair of hair-cutting scissors and thinning shears. I must have thought that was the green light to become a self-proclaimed hairdresser. I love to cut hair and contemplate/consider going to hair school after I get my masters. maybe I will. I know I would really love it.
This week alone, I cut the front of my own hair, my brother's hair, my friend Logan's hair, Chris' hair, Lee's long locks and Emily's bangs!!! Wow. I cut Lee's hair tonight and his was the most fun. It was sooooooo long, past his shoulders, and he let me cut it up to his ears. I have never done such a drastic do....cutting hair is the best.
I have a crush on this haircut. I just want to give every boy the haircut of the boy sitting in the front with the camera. Great hair!!

In addition to the Christmix....

I keep finding wonderful Christmas songs everywhere. There's not a mix long enough....

The First Snowflake from The Boy Least Likely To on Vimeo.

sometimes I do other things when I should be writing a paper.

Haiku by Greg Stuart

Some just fall asleep
Leaves fall, dead, as the wind blows
While some fall in love

I LOVE Platforms Magazine. Such great stuff.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!! Can you believe it's almost 2009????

rachel's best friend.

I have been alive 26 years. Approximately every year I get a new best friend. So, if I have done my math correctly, that would leave me with a grand total of 26 best friends over the course of my life. Sure sometimes it's hard to always be meeting new people and getting close with someone and then having to uproot and start all over, but for me, that's life. I guess I am used to it.
However, lately my roommates and I have different schedules and I have been thinking about a new best friend. Yesterday I wondered why I never considered "man's best friend"
Maybe I should get a dog.
I'm serious.
Seriously breed shopping.
Ideas? Comments? Advice? Jealousy?

Olfaction Satisfaction

Today I was thinking that I am glad to have my sense of smell. Gratefully, it is very acute. I smell a lot and I thought I would share some of my likes and dislikes.

First: I LIKE to smell a small, not life-threatening waft of second hand smoke, popcorn, mint shampoo, the front seat of my sister-in-law's truck, GAIN (the laundry detergent) and pumpkin pie.
Second: I DO NOT LIKE to smell poopy diapers, humid exhaust from a bus, feet, spray adhesive, and mold.

voila! Olisfaction.

Listening Fever.

Today I have been in the mood to listen to some type of music. I am not sure what kind though. It has been bugging me all day. Maybe what I really am craving is silence. Sometimes a media fast is really beneficial.
Then today at Family Home Evening we were making Christmas cards for kids in Mexico and singing "Feliz Navidad" When I got home I felt that maybe I was needing Christmas music....and in particular this song. When it is actually Christmas season (after Thanksgiving) I always feel guilty listening to "That Was The Worst Christmas Ever" because I just like to be more positive than that. But right now, when I really want a break from school and work and alarm clocks, this is a good release. Indulge.

one more ukulele.

this seems a lot like the magnetic fields. and I am not opposed to more of them.

a day in the life....

Today I went to buy an outfit for my sister's wedding on Saturday. Before I went to the mall I bought a little bottle of orange juice from the grocery store and was so happy to be drinking juice. I quickly sipped some and stuck the bottle into my purse before I entered Banana Republic to see if they had any chocolate brown or baby blue articles of clothing. As I went into the dressing room I noticed something was dripping. To my dismay, I opened my purse to see that the whole bottle had drained out into the bottom of my purse. There floating in a small lake of orange juice was my wallet, some pens, a package of gum and some papers. I took out everything and poured all the orange juice back into the bottle from whence it came...then went to Nordstrom's bathroom to wash everything off. Luckily, there wasn't too much OJ damage. (make all the jokes you'd like here)
Driving off in my car this song came on. I remembered watching this video when I was in Spain and just felt, "Hey, life is pretty great. I still like orange juice."

summer to fall to winter to spring.

I really like summertime. The lido deck, the beach, lakes, rivers, swimming pools, the sun and heat waves.
I think I am capable of liking winter too. The scarves, gloves, jackets, snow, red noses and cheeks, ear muffs and hot chocolate.
But no matter how much I like it, it shouldn't snow before Halloween. That's one rule I think Mr. Winter needs to keep. Then I am sure I will like him more. And everyone likes to be liked. Bye Bye Snow by Bobby Baby.

How a shish-ke-dog changed my life...

Today in my "Art in Theory: Context" class I was enlightened. We are talking about Modernism and Minimalism. I always thought they were similar and kind of represented the same thing, but today I found out I was completely wrong. With that realization came just enough partial information about the theories behind both of the movements to be able to apprehend. This information has lead me to absolutely love Minimalism!! Mostly for all the theories behind it and its esoteric attitude. I never thought I would enjoy these movements, or this class. I think it goes back to lunch when I went with Meg to Hot Dog on a Stick and Emily made us a shish-ke-dog. That changed my life.

One more thing that I love, love, love.

Check it out.



The video was disabled. So here's the link.

finders keepers.

I just found a cd that I made 6 years ago. and remembered this song. Sweet Avenue by Jets To Brazil Remember these guys? I love it. I dedicate this to Def Leppard and A.

FB stands for "Too Much Information"

I took this picture in Spain at a costume contest parade. I really want to be the solar system for Halloween. We will have a sun in the middle and all the other planets will circle around him/her. Then Pluto will be this nerd outcast who keeps trying to join our awesome solar group, but we don't let him/her. funny.
I think my favorite topic of conversation these days is Halloween costume ideas. It reminds me of one year where Rob and Gian talked for probably 3 hours straight on this theme. Andrea and I just sat and laughed and laughed. They came up with the funniest things ever. That year Stefan (Hi, Stefan) was a French bumblebee. Amber and I were Siamese twin ghosts. Every year I love dressing up, more and more. Maybe I just like to make costumes. That part is fun.
I am trying to ween myself off of FB (facebook). Mostly, I just don't like how you can see soooooo much of everyone's life. Tonight I went to this "painting party". Everyone was talking FB this and FB that. I guess that's just the way undergraduates work these days. Grad students usually just use the phone. ha. We think real-reality kicks virtual-reality's bum. TOE UP!!!
So there you go, besides all that, I am trying to get into some craft/art shows to be able to sell stuff. Hopefully the world/Provo likes my art. I have been in the studio everyday for the past two weeks all day long. I love love love ceramics, if anyone was wondering. And right now I love love love going to sleep.

more like RAD school.

I am back here at BYU, going to grad school.
First of all, I live with Em. That couldn't be better.
Second of all, I sit across from Gian in the studio. He is inspiring.
Third of all, my brother and sister live sooooo close. I love them.
Forth of all, I have my new bike. I have a crush on it.
and fifth of all, I eat grill cheese sandwiches for lunch. Oh. I missed those.
Cheers to Rad School....

PS----paraque sepas....

On Friday night at 1:30am (so really Saturday morning) I took a bus to Madrid. It is a 5 hour long trip so I arrived at the bus station at about 6:30am, switched to a city bus and headed to the airport. I slept on my luggage for 4 hours in the airport while I waited for the luggage check-in desk to open up. Then at 1:05pm (Central European Summer Time) the plane took me from Madrid to Philadelphia.
We landed in the heart of Hurricane Hannah. It was pouring rain. The river was flooded and the rain just kept falling and falling and falling. Although the landing took us and extra 40 minutes, I boarded another plane to Las Vegas and headed home, arriving right on time at 8:26pm (Pacific Standard Time).
My luggage, however, didn't arrive.
They had to deliver it to me the next day, which they did at 9am. I guess it didn't make it to my flight and took the next one over to Vegas.
So, now you know. I am back in the USA. There are many reasons for me heading home a few weeks early, but mostly I wanted to be able to take more classes, so tomorrow I head up to BYU to start grad school, just one week late.
I am still a little jet lagged....getting really tired in the middle of the afternoon, because really it is the middle of the night and waking up in the middle of the night feeling all energized because really it is the middle of the day.
Time zone hopping is not for the weak of mind/body.
I can't wait to see everyone. It has been a long summer.

Raindrops on roses....

Well I am back in Spain. I have one month left here. Wow! I can't believe how "vonderful" my vacations were. I really loved Germany! Here are my 3 favorite things:
1. German Yogurt. It is more delicious then any other yogurt I have ever eaten. Plus they use it as a filling for chocolates and pastries. yummy.
2. Everything was soooooo green and beautiful. My cousins live by a river that has a bike path along it that goes all the way to France if you wanted to go that far. I guess you get what you pay for because it rains all the time there. But still, so beautiful.
3. The Autobahn!!!! My absolute favorite thing is the Autobahn. There are sections on all the freeways that are speed free. You can go as fast as you want. Soooooooo awesome! Here is a picture on the autobahn. We are going so fast that everything is a blur...

Guten Tag!!

My vacations are sent from heaven. I have been having such a good time that I forgot completely about blogging. Adrian came and went. We had a wonderful time cruising around Basque country in a car we rented and then spent the weekend in Madrid before she flew out. Everyday was filled with adventures...and I gave her my camera card, so I will have to post pictures later.
Then, on Monday morning our flights coincided. She flew to the US at 1pm and I flew at 12:55pm to Germany. My cousins live near Frankfurt. They always are inviting us to visit, but I have never been living only 2 hours away. So finally I took them up on the offer...and boy oh boy, I am sooooo glad. Germany is amazing. They live in this 200 year old farmhouse in a little German country village. There are bike paths up along this river right by there house that lead to the train stations in all the little towns and eventually go to France. It is so beautiful and I feel like Disneyland has come to life.
They have been telling me about all these civilian jobs with the military that I could get and I am seriously considering moving to Germany and learning this language too. I absolutely love German. Who would've known??
So, does anyone want to move to Germany with me? Bitte??

my two worlds collide in less than 24 hours.

my old world


Isn't it so weird when the new world you've embraced, for example the mission or a new city and a new life, come to know parts of the old world, like your family or someone from your past. It is always tricky to place the "old" person in the new environment. Sometimes it happens that you move to a new city and see someone out of context and feel, "I know this person, but they don't belong in this context. They belong in a different world that I used to know."
Well, that's the way I feel right now, but in a very excited way. I have made my planet here in Spain. I have a whole group of new friends and family that mean a lot to me and have posed as substitutes for the ones "back in the US(s)A" (Beatles reference for you). But in less than 24 hours, my sister is coming to spend some of my vacations with me. We are going to travel around the Basque Country and then go down to Madrid and check it out.
Think how interesting it will be to join the two worlds! Me, speaking Spanish, with my new Spanish friends, with my silly Spanish personality (which is different than my English personality) and then my sister, who thought she knew all about me since I was born, plopping right down in the middle of Spain...completely out of context.
Personally, I can't wait to share this amazing experience with my old world. I am glad someone will get to see what I am living, otherwise I might go home and feel that all of this was just a dream...

my new world

He will eat you up...

Today at the library in Gorliz I found a book called 3,000 Old Photos: For The History of Viscaya The book is filled with pictures and drawings dating back to the 16th century. It is so fascinating to see how Basque Country has changed...or not. I found a section on the "fiestas" in Bilbao and they are still very similar to the fiestas I just saw here.
In the parades they have "giants" and "big heads" made of paper mache that march around the streets. The giants dance and parade while the big-heads carry bladder-ballons which they use to scare the children...hitting anyone who comes near them. Here is an old picture, like those in the book, of the giants (standing behind) and the big-heads (standing in front) You can see the balloon-type bladders that some of them are holding.

They make the giants look so real that unless you see a normal person standing next to the giant you can't tell its not a real person, except for the floppy arms.

Here's some newer ones:


One of the most interesting giants that I am looking forward to seeing in Bilbao next week is "Gargantua" The French author François Rabelais wrote a series of books called "The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel" They tell the adventures of two giants, a father and a son. Here is the Basque Gargantua that parades in the streets during fiestas. Little children go in through the mouth and slide out the back.

These traditions are so interesting and strange (in a good way). I am having a great time experiencing these things first hand. While surfing around wikipedia I found an English translation of the introduction to the series "The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel" I include it now for your reading pleasure:

Readers, friends, if you turn these pages
Put your prejudice aside,
For, really, there's nothing here that's outrageous,
Nothing sick, or bad — or contagious.
Not that I sit here glowing with pride
For my book: all you'll find is laughter:
That's all the glory my heart is after,
Seeing how sorrow eats you, defeats you.
I'd rather write about laughing than crying,
For laughter makes men human, and courageous.

BE HAPPY!

Barrika.

Yesterday I took a little hike around Barrika. There are all these cliffs with paths that allow you to get really close to the edge...to the point where if your mom was there she would say, "Be careful, come back a little bit."
Later, I hiked over to where the two boys are sitting. See them?

So I hiked around and took a lot of pictures of myself (see below) Here I am, just me and the sea. I was on a top of the cliff with only the ocean in the background...for miles and miles and miles.


I perched myself on the precipice facing the sea and read my book. It was so relaxing with the ocean crashing below me and birds flying directly over my head and all around me

I always wish I could fly and I loved being able to be so close to those birds as they drifted around in the air. What a magnificent life birds have!! I felt like one of them, there on the cliff and as I looked around at all the bird poo, I just hoped they wouldn't think of me as a target.

Then as I hiked back leaving the birds I thought of this:



She says "wake up, it's no use pretending"
I'll keep stealing, breathing her.
Birds are leaving over autumn's ending
One of us will die inside these arms
Eyes wide open, naked as we came
One will spread our ashes 'round the yard

She says "If I leave before you, darling
Don't you waste me in the ground"
I lay smiling like our sleeping children
One of us will die inside these arms
Eyes wide open, naked as we came
One will spread our ashes round the yard

Compounded/'cause I no longer know where home is....

boats boats and more boats



One week ago, I sat on the river shore in Plentzia waiting for a procession of boats to sail past. The procession was for the patron saint of the town. It was that saint's day so he/she got a boat parade. It was pretty amazing as they all filed passed dressed in the colors of Euskadi. Red, green and white flag flew from the masts. I love the tradition and culture that Basque country possesses and remembers.
For some reason, at that very moment I started to think about compound words and how I like them. A compound word is double the word, so it has double the meaning, no? I thought about taking a compound word apart and substituting its two parts for its two equivalent antonyms or opposites...me explico?? I often play word games to keep my mind busy...so for example: "playground" would become "rest-air" and "haircut" would become "bald-mend" I thought a lot about "homesick" and couldn't decide on the opposite of home. What would it become?? and then I thought about this song and how this song makes me soooooo "homesick"....not "foreign-well" at all.
Homesick-by Kings Of Convenience


compounding on the beach

I just ate this....

Arroz Negro (translation: Black Rice)
It is rice with calamari. What makes it black you ask? It is cooked in the squid's ink. This dish would be among those that I like.

Here on the northern coast of Spain I eat a lot of seafood. Some of it is good, some tolerable and some un-swallowable...I hate to be that picky girl, so I have eaten a lot of food I wasn't really into: anchovies, weird pickled asparagus with mayonnaise, all types of mollusks and cephalopods, blood sausage, cooked red pepper drenched in oil, duck, cow, pig....I am turning more and more vegetarian.

It could be that I just miss vegetables. I only ever eat potatoes, carrots (cooked), hard cooked peas (Aaron remember these from Uruguay) and the typical salad that they have with every meal which consists of lettuce, tomato and onion drenched in oil and vinegar.

Or it could be that I tire from the incessant cutting, blood, chewing, fat, blood, cutting, chewing and chewing, blood, fat, chewing &c. gross.

Anyway. I miss good food. Truth be told, I end up eating a lot of ice cream. You can't go wrong with ice cream.

Oh, this letter!!! Oh, this book!!!----sigh-----I love them both

Miss A.E.
I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own, than when you almost broke it eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone I think and plan--Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes?--I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feeling, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice, when they would be lost on others. --Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men. Believe it to be fervent, most undeviating in F.W.

Do you know where this is from? Who else is in love with this book? I thought I had read it already, but while reading realized maybe I had just seen the movie a lot! I can't remember. But anyhow, now it stays in my mind as a wonderful study and commentary on relationships and personalities. The characters are developed so perfectly, the plot so entertaining and the theme so personally engaging!
I must share this quote from the back cover, "the poet Tennyson, visiting historic Lyme Regis, where a pivotal scene occurs, exclaimed: "Don't talk to me of the Duke of Monmouth. Show me the exact spot where Louisa Musgrove fell!"

Last week I started to read said book on the metro. My previous book I tossed in the trash because that is exactly what it was. I kept thinking it would get better but being half-way through with no desire to continue I threw it out. I was very overcome with the author's immoral, selfish,worthless and hopeless outlook on life. I was charmed by the movie "Everything Is Illuminated" (it is not as vulgar and crude as the book) but would admonish anyone with principles to not read that book. Tangents aside..."Persuasion" by Jane Austen made me trust authors again. Life is about so much more than was "illuminated" in that other book. And I am so happy to love again.

next spanish excursion...

Yesterday as Maite and I were walking home from playing at the beach, this guy started to talk to us. He was nice and walked with us for a while. He is probably about my age and in the course of the conversation he found out that I have the afternoons free and go around the Gorliz area hiking and exploring by myself. We were talking about all the beautiful towns and wonderful nature in northern Spain and he offered to accompany me next week to this town called Barrika where you can hike down around these amazing cliffs to a beach. So I got his number and am going to call him and meet him at the bus station on Tuesday to go to Barrika. In the meantime, I have found my next destination. This is Bermeo, Spain.
It is only 18 miles away, so I can easily take the bus there one afternoon and take some pictures of my own. This picture is surreal. Anyway, maybe Juan Carlos will want to come with me there too. I love having a friend. Cross your fingers!

saint malo, france, august 15th...

Bowerbirds are playing here:
I really want to go!!! sooooooo hard!!!

I feel like watching a Harry Potter movie...

or ALL of them for that matter.

sin fotos...

Today I had the chance to go around Bilbao shopping and to museums. Finally! It was so fun!!! The first thing I did this morning was go to the Guggenheim. I have been wanting to go through. Unfortunately, when I got there and pulled out my camera to start the photo magic, I noticed the red battery light flashing and then, it gave up and said I had to change my battery pack....so, no pictures. Today.
After going through the Gugg, I came to the conclusion that the best art there is the building itself. Truthfully I didn't like most of the art in there. I found myself just passing by everything....
The heart of Bilbao--Casco Viejo
Then I headed over to the 'Old Quarter' or 'Casco Viejo' as it is called here. The streets are narrow, no cars allowed.
I stood right there today, luckily someone else already took this picture for me!
I was looking for this store called Union Recycling that is a 2nd hand shop. But, I found out that during the summer, stores close early on Saturday afternoon, so I will head back there some other day. Also I found out that by that store, if I wanted I could also become a hippie/Bob Marley follower. It was the funniest street, I kind of felt out of place because I wasn't wearing tye-dye and I didn't have dreads.
In Casco Viejo I went to the Basque Museum. That was very interesting to learn about the culture that is so prominent here in Northern Spain. It is such an old and intriguing history....that dates back to the Neanderthals!!!
All in all, 6 hours of walking and I am tired. Time to charge up. my ipod, my camara and my body.

oh, metro signs...

TOP: Don't pry open the doors.
MIDDLE: Don't walk through the door if the alarm is going off
BOTTOM: You are not allowed to sit in a seat if there is a triple Siamese twin who comes in.

the sabbath.

Directions: open This Page in another window and press play, then read my post.
I went to church in Bilbao today and this has been my theme song for my Spanish adventure so far. Every time I walk through the cities and countryside I turn on this for my soundtrack. It's just too bad I didn't have my ipod when I got lost trying to find the ward in Bilbao and was 'walking the old eroded streets'
Luckily, I made it just in time for sacrament meeting. I met the Branch President. He is this wonderful man from Colombia. They have a class for single adults and I already made some friends. After church, I took a little walk around the Guggenheim.
That thing is amazing. Bilbao is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been in. I contemplate never leaving...
Then I found out the Metro/subway was closed to get back to Gorliz. I still don't know why. It is a 45 min Metro ride, so walking was out of the question. Then I saw two girls from church by the Metro station and they helped me find a bus that would take me half way and then I would have to change buses to make it the rest of the way.
Many nice people helped me out along the way. This older lady that sat next to me on the first bus even called one of her friends on her cell phone to see when the buses to Gorliz pass by and where I should get off.
Now, at home finally, I will rest, like the sabbath requires.

Aaron, Guess what this smelled like????

if you guessed Uruguay, you are right!

yo vivo aqui!

a bridge in Plentzia, Spain. This river runs in from the bay of Gorliz



Gorliz, Spain. taken from a hill in Plentzia, Spain


Jone was tired of riding her scooter, so I took a turn and she took a picture


Josu and Maite walked a little slower than Jone and I


this is Jone and I. She is the older of the two girls that I tend. This is the best vacation ever!

not having a cell phone is weird....

Attention everyone: I am in Gorliz, Spain. Luckily we were able to set up wireless in the house of the family where I am staying, so I will be able to blog a lot! I am an au pair, if you did not know. I just met the family when I arrived here yesterday. They are very nice and this area is sooooo beautiful. I wasn't nervous at all to go across the world and stay with people I did not know, until a few seconds before exiting the plane, when I realized I could not remember what the dad looked like who was coming to pick me up....AH. When I walked out of the salida, I saw a man and woman and waved, thinking it was them, but they just ignored me, so I looked around and saw another man with a little girl who looked very familiar and that was them and they recognized me right away.

We had a 3.5 hour car ride back to Gorliz from Madrid and it was fun to conocer the country side to Basque country. In Basque country, the capital being Bilbao, they speak two languages, Spanish (Castellano) and Basque. Basque sounds really similar, but is written so differently. Quite a few times, I hear people speaking, think it is Spanish, can't understand AT ALL what they are saying, and finally realize that they are speaking Basque.

The weather is a lot like San Francisco and other coastal parts of Northern California. We live really close to the beach and go down to a plaza right near the beach a lot. It is humid, but not too hot, so it's ok!
Their house is so beautiful! I have my own bedroom and bathroom. There are no closets here, just big built-in cupboards/armoires. I think I love that. Also, did I mention that I love bidets? and also Spain. I love it.

ps: pictures coming soon.

Voila!!!

Here is the bike I have been working on. I loved fixing it up and now I can't wait to ride it everywhere!!! After I got it painted by my neighbor's paint guy, I put the crank shaft and handlebars back on by myself.
I went to the bike shop one day to buy some new parts. I told the guy I needed to fix the corroding handlebars and he gave me a Schwinn set of bars that they were going to throw away, so I put those on instead of the old ones. They look so great!!

Then my friend Casey helped me put on the back brakes and the derailers. He wasn't sure how to hook up the cables, so I took it to this shop and they made it ride really nice.
Today, right when I got it home, I stuck on these HOT PINK decals that I bought from Hungary via ebay.

It is sooooooo pretty! I don't think the pictures show how bright the colors truly are...but one day I will be riding down the rode and you will spot me on my custom made bicycle...

Futurific!

Susan had a birthday, shout hurray! We decided to welcome her future of being in the 30's by having a theme party. Theme: the future. We all got carried away and had a blast dancing like robots/aliens/spacemen, eating milky ways and watching Spaceballs.




Now that I have seen a little glimpse of what the future looks like I can tell you, believe me friends, you are gonna love it. The future looks bright.



my friends will and kyle made this video to show at our party, (may not be suitable for children) but hilarious for everyone else

Any advice for a long flight???

Last night as I was looking at my seating assignment for my trip to Spain, I started feeling tired and claustrophobic with a sudden urge to use the bathroom, but the inability to do so freely because you have to make someone else get up each time. I am not really nervous or scared to be in a new country with people I don't know for three months, I just am dreading the airplane ride over the atlantic. It's 5 hours from Las Vegas to Philadelphia, then another 7 hours to Madrid. Right now, I am wishing I could teleport
Any advice for a long flight??

Tagged!!!

5 random facts:
1. I love the smell/feel of clean pajamas.
2. My favorite soda is Sangria.
3. I used to do a sudoku puzzle every night before I went to bed. Now, it's at least a couple times per week.
4. I brush my teeth for two minutes every time (my toothbrush times it for me)
5. I always want to hang out with the 17 year olds that work with me, then I realize I am almost 10 years older than them. ha. weird.

there you go teryn! loves! have fun in switzerland! Bon voyage. Nous allons voir en France!!

wish me luck!

Time to re-assemble!!! I hope I can remember where everything goes!!!

"twelfth" is a strange 4-consonants-in-a-row type word

Fact: Megan is an incredible violinist


Last night, one of my good friends had her senior violin recital. She was amazing. I have never seen fingers move so swiftly! She played "Concerto in E Minor, Opus 64" by Felix Mendelssohn. The whole time I kept thinking of the quote from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, "Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em."
Through her hard work, dedication, practice and talent she has become so great at the violin.
I always wish I could be "great" at something. Instead sometimes I feel like Joseph Heller says in Catch-22 "Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them." That's probably why I am so excited to go to grad school. I will have the chance to become great at something by studying and practicing so intensely.
So, the word's out. I will be back at BYU to start my masters in January. WoW.
PS. I just bought this movie and it is one of my favorites. WATCH IT!!

Wiki-who?

HERE is my home from June 30th to Sept 28th. Gorliz, Spain looks amazing! I just can't wait. PS I have Aug 18th-31st off work and want to travel around Europe (mostly southern France and Spain and Portugal) Who wants to come??? Meet me in Madrid!!!

just last night....

this song put me to sleep. yum.

the park by feist
Why would he come back through the park?
You thought that you saw him but no you did not
It's not him who'd come across
The sea to surprise you
Not him who would know
Where in London to find you

With sadness so real that it populates
The city and leaves you homeless again
Steam from the cup and snow on the path
The seasons have changed from the present to past

The past
The past
Turns whole to half
The past

Why would he come back through the park?
You thought that you saw him but no you did not
Who can be sure of anything through
The distance that keeps you
From knowing the truth

Why would you think your boy could become
The man who could make you sure he was the one?

The one
My one
My one

Needless to say....the night-after-the-last-day-of-school is a good night's rest. No more school....EVER!!!

I think I'm in love with these guys....

OR maybe I'm just in love with the 80s!!!!


But look, they are good:
Here they are with Laura Marling! cute.

Memorialized....

We went to my parents' new house this weekend. It is so beautiful. Out of every window is some amazing vista! My sister and her beau were there too. We cleaned up construction mess, went shopping in St. George, played games and watched Perfect Strangers. I kept singing this song....and I keep falling in love with The Magnetic Fields.

I wrote a poem....

Premeditated Seasons
When the leaves in my days turn
or start turning
from green, to yellow, to orange, to red
to brown
a new leaf is turned.
The winter, in a beauty,
strange and indifferent,
calms me with its stillness and
woos me with its silent
white.
Ideas that reverberated
my mind
lay still in
the fog,
unsure of changing
thought patterns
as the seasons
change.

Let's blog it out...

I have this song stuck in my head ever since Suz showed it to me. And I really like the video. YUM!

Laura Marling-New Romantic

Also she sent me a link to an animation from This American Life. I love this couple and the story they tell. If you didn't see it in the theaters, check this out. The husband and wife are wonderfully considerate and caring of one another. Plus, just like counseled, they really have become one individual. ha. sooooooo great.

We are having and 80's Dance-A-Tron...

My roommate made this amazing flier. Rachel & Susan: Bringing You Back!

I am reeling!

which bike should i choose??

Input please. I am painting my bike. What do you like/dislike about these? How do they make you feel? Who do you picture riding these?

a change in the weather vain....

Recently I was reflecting on how much I dislike wind. I remember once, my friends were visiting Las Vegas and said they really enjoyed the wind. I was shocked. It has always been such a nuisance and definitely signifies bad weather. So I decided that maybe I could change my outlook on wind. In order to do that I have become a kite enthusiast. I bought a kite just last week. The day I bought it, there was no wind and I found myself secretly wishing for some wind....funny. Now I am wishing for it. I got the kite up, all by myself and flew it for 10 minutes or more. I forgot how great kites are!!

So lately, as I plan/think/wonder about moving to Denver, I debate about the weather. I wonder if I can handle cold winters with icy sidewalks and cars covered in snow every morning. Where when you are late for something and run out the door without a second to spare, you still have to brush/scrape off your whole car and drive slow slow slow down the road. yuck.
I realize that if I want to move there I have to find something to love/enjoy/embrace about the weather there. Therefore, I have commenced a rigid search for a winter pass-time that I love so much I will be able to handle the cold. IDEAS????
Doesn't Denver look so fun?? Roque and I have fun!

Babysitting 101

Get a mac. Show the kids photobooth. Fun for hours. and hours. and hours. and hours.
Also fun for adults. I took all these great eclipse pictures last weekend. soooooo fun.