Wowee.

I got a new hair-cut and color. woo hoo. It was my birthday present from Peedle.

Wish I could tell you about the distance between, how my life is unfolding and how I thought it would be.

So I always seem to make plans and then they fall through. It's ok though. Mostly because I just love the plan-making process.
I was planning on going to Europe, but two families fell through. I think it's off.
I was planning on working at Bubble Swim School, but my school asked me to teach an art class on my day off.
I was planning on NOT going back to BYU, but now that is my only grad school option (I am still waiting to hear back from them).
I was planning on going to the gym tonight, but when I got home from teaching swim school at 8pm, riddled with hunger, it was off.
There is always tomorrow.
oh
I don't know what's happening to me.
Is it a symptom of disease?

For Air-y Bair-y

RELEASE DATE: November 21, 2008....That seems like forever away!

We need a break....

I am still in shock!!!

Here's what happened according to the news. Wednesday night my roommate received news that her sister and family were traveling to the hospital in an ambulance because their house had just exploded. I was so nervous as my wonderful roommate talked to her family, and I just prayed that everyone would be alright. She left the next day to drive to Idaho with tons of good things we found around the house to give her, since EVERYTHING she owned exploded or burned. It is amazing that they will all eventually be healed and whole, but please, keep them in your prayers!

I like it like that.

I saw CTFTPA in Phoenix last summer. It was such a good show. He was touring with the Donkeys, but I like him better like he recorded yesterday on Daytrotter. All electronic, all the time. Listen to his great version of Nashville Parthenon HERE. Soooooo great.
Today my principal asked me if I would want to teach an art class to the 6-8 graders on Thurs mornings. ummmmm yes!! of course. I can only imagine all the fun projects we are going to do. YEAH! I love art.

Whatever happened to good ol' hanging out?????

Less dates, more hanging out. That's what I want.

I like you.

All my experiences lead me to believe that this mathematical equation is true:
Fake Valentines ≥ Real Valentines.

I like making them and giving them. It could be the part of me that also loves April Fool's Day. V-day is like April Fool's Day for lovers. A day to prank people in a tone of niceness and admiration.

Here's my V-day treat, to the girl that gave me the tickets to the James Blunt Concert:




HAPPY FEBRUARY VALENFOOL's DAY!!! sucka.

awkward confession.

So tonight my friend called me up with $80 tickets to a concert. She invited me to have one and at first, I hesitated, but thought, James Blunt can't be too bad, plus its free. I mean, at least he is really ridiculously good-looking. Why not? I had just read a couple paragraphs of an article in The Neon about him and was a little intrigued.
So we went and it was the weirdest thing I have experienced in a long time. My one desire in life is to never be a 40 year old drunk lady hitting on guys to buy me more drinks and dancing to teeny bopper music. Get me outta there! So needless to say we left early and laughed the night away watching all the Vegas crazies.
I do admit that I liked it when he covered this song:

Today I was wondering who the ambulances were for, and thinking I needed to do that more often

Yesterday I decided I needed to get another job. Currently I am working 3 different jobs, but not really making ends meet, because I only teach Spanish 16 hours a week, swim lessons one night a week, and all my earnings from working for my sister go toward a plane ticket to Europe for this summer. Joslin and I decided to take a trip because my family fell through.
So I found this place called The Artful Potter. It's like Color Me Mine. So I filled out the application and as I called people to be my reference I got TWO job offers paying me more and fitting my schedule better. WOW! That made my day.
So now I will be working for my brother in-law again and also working more hours at the swim school in the office and also going to swim meets and selling gear to swim teams. It will be good to be uber busy and make enough money to save for grad school in the fall.
Well. self, good day.

i love you sailor....

Getting used to being alone can be a bad thing. It's really easy to slip into only caring about yourself. Everyday I find myself doing what I want more and more, not thinking about what others need and/or feel in the moment. I go to the library when I want, wash my car when I want, eat when/what I want, sleep when I want etc etc. Just that a life alone, only caring about what I want, isn't really that fun. Sometimes I just wish that I could do what other people wanted too.
Fun times alone are at least 3 times as fun when shared with people you love.

two of my favorite things....

Erlend Oye and The Cure

I am planning to be an au pair in France this summer. I hope everything works out. I really want to live in France, but if it doesn't I have some backup jobs in Basque Spain or Norway. Maybe if I go to Norway I can see this in real life. woot.
After the summer I plan to move from Las Vegas forever. Weird. I don't know where to yet, because I have to wait for 4 different graduate committees to review my applications and decide my fate.
I will keep you posted.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrman

Fair-weather Soldier

That's me. I don't do anything when the weather is bad (ie cold). I just learned that the term cold-blooded is misleading and I would now scientifically be called an ectotherm. I, literally, am a slave to my environment. So my resolutions are to move more. Truth.
So the saga continues. I went to the gym today and saw that Bob Barker retired. I had no idea! Where was I when Drew Carey took over????
Oh TV, thou art a thing of the past. Who watches TV anymore anyway. I am too busy complaining about the cold winter weather.

A two year old told me yesterday....

"When you love somebody, you say goodbye and smile when they leave." soooooo cute.

Ob-la-di Ob-la-da...

I really like via audio today. Especially since this reminds me of the beatles and I think they did that on purpose. listen. soooo good.Oh Blah Wee-Via Audio

Busy Bee

I have been so busy lately. It was a 2 week vacation that I filled up to the brim with wedding preparations, grad school applications, shopping at H&M, going to the library, reading, being with my family and having parties. I said good-bye to two of my best Las Vegas friends because they moved. And all I have to do now is plan two weeks worth of lessons before tomorrow when its back to school. The school year is half over and I just can't believe it. I am going to start working at Bubble for the winter this week too. It is just one night a week and that should be fun. Today I have just been looking on greataupair.com to see if there were any jobs for the summer in Europe that I might be interested in. Cross your fingers for me. Thanks.

Just need to find out how...

I would love to live in Europe. How do I just move there? Is that all there is to it? Just pack up and get an airplane ticket and stay at Populous' house in Italy? Ojala!!

I love the biblioteca.

I love my library. I go there all the time now. It has a really great cd and dvd collection. I just got Maverick with Mel Gibson, this great movie called Designing Woman with Gregory Peck and How To Marry A Millionaire with Marilyn Monroe.
They carry cds like Low, the Brunettes, Harry and the Potters, !!!, and the Carpenters Christmas. Today I went to the library to check out Como El Grinch Robo La Navidad! I am going to read it to my kids next week. When I showed up in the kid's department I saw all my kindergarteners to second graders there on a field trip. They were all so excited to see me and show me all the books they were checking out.
They helped me find the Spanish section of the library. It was so fun to hear them all yelling "Hola! Senora Van" across the aisles. shhhhh kids. C'est une bibliotheque!

ma préférée

Right now I am in love with this song. You would love it even more if you knew what it was saying and you were me. There's just those moments when a song hits you where it counts...