castle of chaos

Happy Halloween!!  Unfortunately, I'm not donning a costume on campus - or really anywhere - today.  It is really sad, I know it.  I truly do love this holiday though, and I plan on spending the night with a fat bag of all chocolate candy (why isn't there a super bag with only the best candies? They always seems to throw in packs of Whoppers or Three Musketeers in the midst of Reese's and Snickers. Like, come one.  Don't.) and watching a festive movie.

However, in the spirit of Hallow's Eve and the ghouls and goblins that are gracing our presence here in mortality, I embarked on an adventure last night. Yes, to a haunted house.  With two crazy kids and this girl.  It was fantastically frightening for the first few minutes, but by the end, I believe I was screaming more out of impatience and annoyance than actual fear.  Like, "Stop touching me, stop carressing my face, stop pulling my hair, please just turn the lights on so I stop getting stuck in these curtains while simultaneously trying to hold on to my partner and avoid the actors' sick hands."  Here's what really got me.  There was a very strict rule to not touch the actors.  But tell me this: if someone pinned you down on a table and put their hands around your neck - with the help of others, no less - and your partner had zero intentions of pulling you off the table and getting you the heck out of there, what would you do? Wait for 10 pm when the actors could go home? Yell helplessly? No. You would yank their arm off of you and make a run for it.

"Hey, you're not allowed to touch the actors.  NO TOUCHING THE ACTORS."

"Ok 1, eat a tic tac. Or 25. Also...sorry? Weren't the one trying to kill me? Think about that." 

It was very fun though.  Fun to hold hands with a boy (and by hold hands, I mean have a death grip on him and at some points have my entire body wrapped around his), fun to run around like a crazy person, fun to get in the spirit of things, fun to be sweating like a boxer by the end of the night, just fun.  Here's a picture of me and my date:

(just kidding this was just one of the actors. we had a special bond going, obvi)

So here's to getting stuffed in coffins, going out of your mind after 5 minutes in a room with a strobe light and chainsaw, BO and bad breath, and making new friends. Young and old. Dead and alive.

Stay safe tonight!

ox/C

one of those nights.

Usually, when I don't have a spider-infested car, I leave the apartment when I'm faced with the dilemma of being alone in the apartment.  Tonight, however - yes, mostly due to the spiders inside my car (did I mention that there are SPIDERS in my CAR??) - I was left allllll alone.  I had just worked out, so my hair was in some sort of cross between a bun and nothing you've ever seen before, my face had more rosacia than makeup, and my clothes were nothing to boot (an oversized t-shirt I won at a football game and leggings I've worn too many times between washes).  So duh I was going to be in all night.

So here's what happened.  Instead of doing this all night:  

#dramaqueen

I did some of this:

President Monson's biography, "To The Rescue" - please, everyone, read it!

...and definitely this:

But the best part of the night was this.  Reading these 25 things was so awesome because it verified the fact that everyone does/thinks those things.  It was also awesome because it means that others want to fix those insecurities!  How awesome would it be if we stopped caring, started living, and continued on to complete and utter happiness?  So there's your challenge for, well, life.  Love you all.

ox/C

p.s. Here is the recipe for the face mask (which I LOVE).

1 1/2 TBSP Honey
1 - 1 1/2 TSP Nutmeg
1 - 1 1/2 TSP Cinnamon

Mix it all until it resembles a thick (this is important because if it's too runny, it will seriously slide right into your mouth and down your neck) chocolate paste. Rub it on to your face and leave it on for 30 minutes!  It's great - it takes away redness and exfoliates.  Love it, people.

so here's the thing.

I woke up this morning to cloudy skies, biting wind, and sprinkles of snow rain.  And you know, I would be perfectly ok with that if it weren't for a few things.

1. I am on campus all day, which means I had to put on human clothes and do my hair and wear makeup.  No top buns and yoga pants for me just yet!

2. I don't own this

3. I'm not at home watching An Affair to Remember.  And if you're not at home watching it either, then I suggest you get home so you can do so.  Seriously, make any changes necessary, and watch it on Amazon instant stream. You're welcome.

Other than those (semi) important things, I'm a happy camper.  I'm listening to Frank Sinatra radio and enjoying this dreary weather.  And dreaming of yoga pants and top buns.  But trust me, being in this office is actually pretty great despite my daydreaming.  Here's why:

A fellow student sat himself and his overabundant joy for the piano down on the bench outside my office and was playing to his heart's content.  And others, apparently.  He was shortly joined by another student who was more than happy to share his vocal talents.  I've never heard so much emotion, bad timing and innocence in my life. But oh the guts it takes, so I had no problem with it. 

Someone dear delivered hot chocolate to me.  Yes please? Thanks and why?  Can this become a trend?

Jamie showed up in a GREAT mood and showered me with compliments.  Always makes for a good morning.  Oh, and then he ran out to join the local musicians.  Uh, can I keep him forever?

Lastly, because I'm surrounded by service and therefore, great people.  No complaints there.

Ok. That's all.  And if that wasn't enough for you, here are some website that will unfortunately make your house, clothing, hair, and life feel inadequate.  Don't let it get you down!

Pretty Stuff by Patterson Maker  

Pinecone Camp  

sadie + stella 

Obviously I'm doing too much daydreaming over here.  One day I'll own a house. Right?

best weekend.

Some pretty amazing things happened this weekend. I embarked on a journey to the happiest place on earth, which was perfect!  We made it there and back (almost) safely! We had some minor major encounters with spiders in the car we borrowed from my brother (our intention was to save money on gas, not to have night terrors from spiders nesting). There was a total of three spiders seen, but many more felt.  The first sighting was about an hour into the trip, as one crawled right by me on the driver's side and up into a crack by the window.  OHMYGOSH I freaked.  I actually think I was bawling, yet somehow managed to get us safely pulled off the freeway.  Jennae was so sweet and calm, she searched for the spider - to no avail - and took over driving.  Needless to say, it was an interesting trip with some lengthy stops to do anything we could to rid our car of the slut spiders.  Just outside of Vegas, after the second spider sighting, we stopped and got a deep cleaning car wash then vacuumed out the entire car.  In our minds, the car wash would send them all running (even the thought makes me want to hurl) into the car, where we would all smash them.  So we went through the entire car was with lights on and weapons in hand. You think I'm joking.   Unfortunately (or fortunately? I can't decide) they decided to keep hiding out.  I hate them.

On our drive there, however, as we were driving through the middle of California, I get a call from this girl and she got her mission call?!?! I am so excited for her and all the other girls that have waited for this moment their whole lives.  Perth, Australia is going to LOVE her!

Anyways, here is a photo dump.  Sorry, they are all from phones, so don't expect too much out of them:

mimi comforting me after the first spider made his debut

right outside the disney gates (before our hair turned afro from the rain)!

cars land

just eating our weenies for first lunch

hanging out with adam

best.ride.ever

i love this place so much

brer fox needed some loving.

as we got off our last ride - haunted mansion - we were dancing our way off the moving walkway and one of the workers slipped this into my hand so...

of course we had to use it.  yolo,right? free pass to any ride!

and it's sunday.

Rules for a standard Sunday:

Wake up too late for church, and never understand how you can't find anything in my closet to wear for Runway Sunday's (singles ward problems).

Settle into Sacrament Meeting - after taking in everyone's outfits and checking to see if your future husband is sitting in the vicinity - and make sure one of your friends has brought the community gum.

Pull out your phone after the first 20 minutes.  It was a valiant effort, but if you really wanted to stay away from your phone, you would have left it at home.

Press refresh on instagram feed every 5 minutes. I mean come on, I know it's early on a Sunday morning, but not a single person has something interesting to post?

Mingle between church blocks. You've got to be social for a couple minutes a day at least, or you'll forget what the sound of your own voice sounds like (here is where you ask the designated gum roommate to break it out...stale breath=no EC's).

After church, IMMEDIATELY change into a baggy shirt and shorts, then literally stuff your face with every random piece of food on your shelf. This is an important part of your day, without this step, you will not feel like a fat slob.  You must not miss this.

Take a nap. Like, forever.

Watch movies on movies on movies.  It doesn't even matter what they are, because you will be on your phone the whole time, wrapped up in a blanket, thinking of what more baked goods you could fill you stomach with.

Go to bed feeling very unfulfilled yet also satisfied...? See, normally you don't get much done on Sundays, but it feels so good. Feel free to elaborate on those steps at your own risk.  Today, we had ward choir after church which ROCKED (have you ever heard of 40+ people showing up to ward choir when they could be indulging in Sunday afternoon activities? See above list for details).  We bonded with so many people and even CRIED when we heard the piece first come together.  We also had a good time at ward prayer and beyond bonding about choir even more - guys, we're seriously obsessed.  The following terms came up: "choir club", "choir parties", "choir jackets", "tall tees".  Then we came home and were paid a visit by our favorite engaged couple (Mimi's brother and his fiance) and company.  Company stayed later than engaged couple, and we laughed and laughed and didn't have a serious conversation once.


These are just some of my tips to making the most out of your Sunday. Take it or leave it. Oh, and enjoy these beauties from various points at church.

disclaimer: I LOVE church. So much, and I do get amazing things out of it.  I enjoy everyone there, everything that is said, and all the thoughts and inspiration I get. Sometimes...my phone just gets in the way.

the countdown begins!

I can't count how many times my roommates and I have said, "We need to get out of Provo!" or "Why haven't we gone to California yet?" or "Let's just take a spontaneous trip!" Well, we were tired of not doing anything about these comments, so...we did something.

We did some booking last night for a suite hotel motel in Anaheim.  Yes, we are going to

 I have nothing else to say.  Really, I don't. Halloween at DISNEYLAND?? I could not be any happier if I tried.


Fun things at #29:

• Disney, duh.
• Watching movies while studying the past two nights.  So much better than regular, smart people studying.
• The amazing bra I bought last night for $20. Seriously. So. Happy.
•  A picture is worth a thousand words. We had a lot to say in our moments of boredom (sorry Jennae:

thus far...

It seems like all I ever do is catch up on this blog. Woops, sorry?  This summer/school year has just gotten away with me!  But I'll do my best to fill you in on the glamorous life of yours truly.

I don't know how, but I escaped CP without any diseases (as far as I can tell, but let's give it a couple more months. Maybe I should go get checked just in case? I mean, we are talking about Campus Plaza here...) and moved into a darling little place that feels more like a home than anything.  You know, like it has a wreath on the door and yummy candles inside, cute decorations and even cuter roommates? It's wonderful.  The great thing about Junior year - or the downfall, in some cases - is the fact that you can justify not being social, because you're a junior and juniors are studious and have serious boyfriends  and are all partied out from their first two years of school. Right?


Anyways, here are some pictures from my phone that will just have to hold us over until I decide to use a real camera that doesn't make my skin look gray.

my bestie boos came to support me at my first/last triathlon

september 11 memorial #weloveamerica

you're not really friends until you've been to a wedding together...

this lady had a birthday!

we attended the dedication for the brigham city temple!

we had a good time spectating at the hockey home opener...

obviously we were there for the players, not the playing.

papa smith came into town and i indulged in a little football with him!