up to date

You know that ancient Gavin DeGraw song "I'm In Love With a Girl"?  Well yesterday, I caught myself singing it with the words "I'm in love with the world!"  Totally sneaked through my subconscious, that little devil, and made myself laugh.  I had never once practiced those lyrics to the song, or - to my knowledge - had ever sung that before...um? Quite the surprise.  Here's why those lyrics of my version of the song made their way into Summer 2012:

I believe in this program so much.  It changed lives these past two weeks, including mine.  I was a counselor for the two sessions it currently enrolls, and each week I had twelve amazing girls!  It's a camp similar to EFY in the sense that it's spiritually uplifting, built around the Mutual theme of the year, wonderful speakers come, and we are involved in so many fun activities!  But it's different, of course, because it is an all girls camp. I was a participant at Retreat for Girls back in 2005 and again in 2006, and I encourage all girls between the ages of 11 and 15 to save their money and go, it is so absolutely worth every penny.  I can't wait to return next year! 

However, it was an exhausting process getting ready for it (extra: I went home to prepare and bought a car from my parents! my mom drove back to utah with me...and my five million bags and buckets of supplies.  So blessed to have a car!) and even more exhausting living it.  I was up hours before my girls and up hours after them, and the hour a day I wasn't with them, I was in a meeting talking about them, and how to better myself for them.  It was a really interesting experience, living such a selfless life for that little bit, that returning to regular life was a challenge.  I was so used to counting 12 little heads behind me (or, like most times, counting 10 and going on a wild goose chase to find the missing 2), and constantly praying for patience and love, and crying over sweet things my girls did.  It was amazing.  Here are some pictures:

some of my cute girls (1st week)

all of my chic chicks (1st week)

last day :( (1st week)

we got SOAKED as we left the dorms for the weekend. but, we went to texas roadhouse to get out of the rain. good thing? yes

some of us spent the weekend in between at Bo's beautiful place in Idaho!

Go Team Kenton! (counselors, 2nd week)

counselor roomies (love them, duh)

my girls relaxing with "green goop" (they'll learn the importance of it one day) on their faces (2nd week)

Last day! (2nd week) Miss them.

 I love and miss all 24 of my girls so much!  I've received a few e-mails from them, but I just want them all back!

I wasn't in Provo very long after this, but I had some exciting things to look forward to for the few days I was in town!  A very important one being:

That was an exciting, emotional three hours in our apartment.  Jennae, who was away from us visiting her family, texted me and said, "Watching the bachelorette proposal and fully sobbing right now." Oh yes.  I know exactly how you felt, bbyJ.

we wanted to world to know how excited we were to talk about the satellite...not. (stop hitting on us, you're 31.)

I also just took full advantage of being a new car owner (let this be known: the car is not new, the ownership of the car is new) and ran errands around Provo.  Monday night was full of trying to pack, seeing my brother, reuniting with Cafe Rio, talking about astronomy and watching a satellite make it's way across the sky (weird experience), catching up with fellow CP-ers, and then doing some REAL stargazing.  The kind I like.  You know, with a boy.

This is really all I have to leave you with, that life is wonderful.  And, as I've been telling my girls the past couple weeks, you don't choose the happy life, you make it.  Even if things are hard, if you keep waiting for the good times, that's exactly what you'll spend your life doing: waiting.  Choose to be happy, especially when it's easier to choose to be sad!

ox/C

i am not yet in love, but i'm in love with love (st. augustine)

Lately, I have been trying my absolute hardest - mustering every strength I can - to have a positive outlook on everything.  (tangent: there has been a stereotype floating for the past millennium or so that girls hate other girls just out of pure jealousy. This is sadly true, whether we as a gender realize it or not.  Why do we hate girls we don't even know so much??)  This has consequently led me to see all the good and happiness that is all too apparent in Provo right now, and I yearn so much for that happiness to illuminate from me one day in the near future.  In a favorite book of mine, The Great Gatsby, Daisy utters these words to Gatsby: "I wish I could do everything in the world with you." So, although it will be so hard because my apartment - NOT due to mine or my friends' faults but...the other ones - is filthy and not very inviting, I am going to think nice thoughts. 

In other news, this is what I'm trying next week: Bountiful Baskets.  Have you heard of them?  I'm so excited.  I heard of them from a friend today and I absolutely cannot wait to sign up.  Here's how it works.

1) You sign up (it has to be on a Monday or Tuesday though so they have time to grow and pick little healthy friends just for you)

2) You select a location to pick up (there are SO many in the valley, including multiple locations just within Provo)

3) You pay $15 (folks, you can't put a price on healthy decisions.  You just can't). 

4) You wake up early on a Saturday morning and drive to pick up your treasures, which just happens to be a LAUNDRY BAG full of half fruit and half veggies! 

The coolest part is, they are all locally grown, and you can even choose to get organic.  I'm so excited.  Don't forget to sign up on Monday or Tuesday (closes at 10 pm Pacific Time)!


p.s. Don't forget to watch this.  And then invite me to it (December, come fast!)

 

'tis the season.

I know that phrase typically is linked to one of presents, snow, mistletoe and St. Nick, but I refer to a season that involves much more reproducing, romance and jewelry.  Rings, to be exact.  Happy couples that want to seal the deal before school starts again in the fall know that this week was their deadline, so of course everyone and their moms got engaged (I guess their moms got engaged long ago...but for number's sake I'm leaving it in there).

I also believe that the wonderful change of weather that took place about a month ago inspired couples to think about families and adding to their's, if you know what I mean.  So many pregnancies and proposals!  What's a single girl to do but hope.  And if it weren't for the fact that I'm living in the ghetto (even my mom knew it was the dumps, so that's saying something) for the next four months, I would have high hopes for changing my status.  Everytime we tell people where we are living, they seem shocked.  SHOCKED.  Which I'm actually really confused by, because I believe the college experience relies on going without for a time.  We shouldn't constantly be spoiled by living in two story apartments.  But let's be real...you can't come back from that.  But they look at us like we just told them we are living in an insane asylum and then follow up with a comment like, "Wow, you guys are in for some interesting experiences. You will definitely be popular."  So only at a below-average complex will we finally become the popular pretty girls?  Oh good. Thanks, I guess. worst.compliment.ever.

I'll post pictures if it's really that bad.  Actually, I'll post pictures regardless.

Ok, Mr. Right, come find me.  I'll be the only girl without a ring on and a baby.

ox/C

currently listening to:
40 Day Dream - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (favorite summer tune from 2011)
Cheerleader - St. Vincent
Concrete Wall - Zee Avi
Boyfriend - Justin Bieber
The Big Bang - Rock Mafia

the end is near.

finger painting in MR5 with "the fam"

welcomed this dear woman to town...

so she could enjoy our little hulu!

did some vandalizing with L

threw a mock wedding...

with these fun film group folks.

celebrated Easter on the loveliest day of the year!

It has been an awesome, emotional, stressful and fun past couple of weeks.  Not pictured is the General Conference weekend spent with the fam, Relief Society and Ward parties we attended, some shopping trips, the trail of jellie beans the Easter Mimi left for us, some heartbreaks, signing contracts at Campus Plaza (ghettostyleohemgeesoexcited), a luxurious Sunday walk and less important but equally as fun things.

Stress has officially set it.  I spent 6 hours in front of a computer yesterday editing a movie for a class and it dawned on me:

SCHOOL ENDS NEXT WEEK.

I have to pack up my whole life and finish all these projects and papers as well as take the actual finals for the classes.  I still don't know how I've managed to do it 2 times and still don't have a sense of it's possibility each time it comes around.  Higher powers, people, higher powers.  Prayers are encouraged if you're feeling extra thoughtful today.

On a yummier note, as I walked out of the JFSB after being kicked out of the computer lab for Devo today, I ran into my good friend N who invited me over to his apartment to make crepes.  I said, "Duh I"ll come."  After flipping enough crepes to make my stomach go wild with anticipation, he informed me that the crepes were for his French class.  Belation at it's finest, folks.  I, however, carried on with a semi-cheerful attitude and continued to flip the crepes until I had to leave to clock in more time at the ever-dreaded JFSB computer lab.  20 minutes later, as I settled into a rollie chair in front of the editing station with my partner, I was majorly disappointed.  As was my stomach.  After a few minutes of editing, I look up and see N walking through the door with a plate in his hand and a big smile on his face.


Yes.  All's well that end's well, I suppose.  Thanks for the surprise treat!

ox/C

it's like...

Awful.  That's what it is.  If you're curious to know my self-diagnosis, please keep reading.

From a young age, I have felt more than comfortable around boys.  Perhaps this can be attributed to the Smith family clan of 3 boys then baby Chrissy.  Some have gone as far to say that I'm flirtatious, and that's a sure sign of comfort.  So give me a boy any day and you'll have given me a friend. 

UNLESS.

Unless it happens to be a boy that actually catches my eye.  You know, in the romantic sort of way, where I get twitterpated and before we have even made eye contact I'm thinking ahead to the next time we will see each other.  Let me walk you through this story.

Yesterday, as Sacrament Meeting ended and the MR5 girls stood up to gather our things and mingle, someone caught my eye.  I had never seen him before, nor the other two boys standing with him, but he was talking to a woman that I have recently come to adore and who I assumed to be his mother.  Ok.  I started connecting dots.  About the same time he caught me looking.  After looking away for what I thought was a reasonable 15 seconds, I couldn't help myself.  This time, I caught him.  He smiled.  Did I smile back?  Yeah, I have no idea.  As my roommates and I made our way to the front of the room, I somehow found myself all too close to him and I knew it was too risky to take a peek at this point, so I made a bee-line for his mother and we hugged.  In my mind, this was a good move, because he then became aware of my relationship with his family.  Now I'm thinking it was too much.

Moving on.  We took our seats in Sunday School and M and I got wrapped up in a conversation as we waited for class to start.  Then.  Then he came in, walked past our row looking for seats, then turned around and came RIGHT INTO OUR ROW and sat next to M.  I heard introductions between the two of them, but for the hearing impaired (which relates to this story in multiple ways but I won't delve into that today), it was hard to tell what was being said.  And here is where the trouble sets in: this would have been the perfect opportunity for me to then lean over and introduce myself.  I could feel his eyes on me, but I couldn't do it!  I was stuck and nervous.  It was awful.  And while I'm sure the lesson was great, I don't remember it at all because I was all too aware of the cute boy sitting two seats to my left.

And now we've reached the conclusion.  The worst part.  After Sunday School ended, he looked over at me and we smiled.  Then he opened his mouth and what he said shocked me.  Well, not so much what he said but how he said it.  And that set me stumbling over my words for the entire conversation which lasted about, oh, 15 seconds.  And then I proceeded to mentally kick myself over how lame I am at communicating with people.  I couldn't think of one interesting thing to ask and now all I want is to see him again (which is so not likely) and make amends for how awkward I am.  And how special I already think he is!

Hopefully I don't regret this post later.  I'm already slightly embarrassed.  Happy reading!

on sunshine and short skirts.

Well, everyone on campus is bathing in the sun like lizards on a hot rock.  As I waited outside for a class to start, I could feel the sun beating on the back of my legs and when I touched the back of my head, I was more than pleasantly surprised as I felt it's warmth.  Oh how sweet life is today!  I am truly blessed to be here, right now, enjoying my first-world life as a student at an acclaimed university who's climate has reached one of utmost pleasure.  

This morning, I was able to enjoy this little article from the Daily Universe.  The topic is old, the concept innovative.  I love this new look into the subject, one that seems to suffocate many cultures (occasionally even mine).  

http://universe.byu.edu/index.php/2012/03/22/a-modest-proposal/   

What do you think?  Don't you feel a little liberated after reading it?  Sure, it wasn't giving thumbs up to girls to go ahead and wear shorter skirts, but it sure makes you feel like less of a harlot for not wearing a pilgrim outfit.       

summer loving.

Had you asked me to wear a short-sleeved shirt when it hit the 60's back in October, I would have slapped you and wrapped up in cute fall coats and my ever-faithful boots.  This week, if you had asked me to bundle up in sweaters and boots because it was in the 60's, I would have slapped you.  I haven't worn a coat all week, and I even wore sandals to school on Monday and a hot pink maxi skirt on Tuesday.  As J has been saying for the past few weeks, "Spring is in the air, I feel it in my bones."  How right she was!    

heretofore, i was a virgin to chick-fil-a.  i know, it's weird cause i'm mormon.

Along with the indecisive weather has my own indecisiveness made an appearance.  Emotions riding high, I made some rash decisions this past week.  #noregrets2012, is what I'm told.  So, having made it through the past week, I'm doing nothing but forward thinking from here on out. Here's to a better week with, unfortunately, worse weather.  One day, the stars will align and there will be some happy medium in my life.  For now, the sandals will be going to the back of the closet and those dreadful coats, boots, and sweaters I have come to despise will be wrapped on my body once more.

ox/c.

MR5 Highlights of the Week:

• C and M took a seriously scary ride down the stairs, only to have an accident (you know the kind) on the bottom steps.  In front of B.  
• The new found love of trivia games around the dinner table, in the living room, during study time, on the stairs
• Indexing
• Rolling the windows down the second we get into a vehicle (I mean, it was in the 60's, remember?)
• Crying. And crying.