friends on friends on friends.

Back in November, around Thanksgiving Break, I decided to watch the final season of Friends for the 23896753th time. I’m not even a little ashamed of my slight obsession with the ‘90s sitcom. It’s a cliché-and-laugh-track-fueled half-hour, in which the characters are just as likely to make a fart joke as to sing a song about pubic hair. But that doesn’t matter. No critique can undermine my connection to Monica’s purple, rent-controlled apartment, with its copper saucepans and mismatched chairs. The very first time I watched the show was when I was 9, sleeping over at Leslie Franklin's house (I'm allowed to use names in here, right? Even though I haven't talked to the girl since, well, probably that night I slept over 11 years ago) and her older sister had it playing on late night NBC.  The show sold mid-20s mediocrity in its opening credits: “Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, your love life’s DOA.” But that’s not what I saw - or understood, really (I still don't know what DOA means?). Monica & co. lived in Manhattan, (mostly) worked at creative jobs they (mostly) loved, ate out every night and were, of course, beautiful. To a shy, insecure home-schooler, the fantasy looked pretty good.  

But it’s more than that: I now see the failure those opening credits advertised. In “The One With Ross’s Sandwich,” Ross flies into a public rage when a manager steals his gravy-soaked turkey sandwich. He’s just been evicted from an apartment and filed for his second divorce. As he puts it, “Somebody ate the only good thing going on in my life.” Though stocked with pretty people in flattering lighting, Friends wasn’t about success—if it had been, myself, my friends and 52 million other Americans wouldn’t have been able to relate. The sitcom showed us that even in our wealthy, sushi-eating daydream, life wouldn’t be perfect. It showed us that we weren’t alone.  Even now, as a near-20 year old, my roommates and I rely on Friends to be playing while we unwind from our days and eat dinner on our couch, our only source of light being our flat screen TV and the delight we get from imagining ourselves sitting right there with our 6 friends in Central Perk. 

My point? Life as a college student is far from glamorous and, in my case, far from successful.  But, from the very first day here at BYU, I have had great friends to back me up, laugh with me, cry with me, and do generally absurd and reckless things (making police beat twice in the matter of a few weeks is still impressive and NOT a need for concern in my mind).  And while the series finale of Friends had me bawling like a babe in my bed that Saturday night back in November, it doesn't compare to the emotions I feel when I think about all the heartbreak, success, inside jokes, and reunions (see the picture above for a mini-reunion with Jazzy lady that Jennae and I had on Friday evening at the Noteworthy concert) I have in store because of my "family" here at school.  Now if only the rest of the boys could get home already...

word vomit.

 This past weekend was General Conference.  I, admittedly, did not focus as well as I should have (what started off as an assignment that was due at midnight turned into oh my gosh those sunglasses are so special and i get free shipping on this shirt and maybe i should read through the thought catalog while i'm on this dang internet...).  Regardless, I did my best multi-tasking and had a great weekend altogether.

what is a blog for if not for shameless selfies?? i mean really.

::Friday night, my dad took me on a date. A date! We went to Rodizio Grill and then headed up to Jordan Common's to see Jurassic Park in 3-D on the IMAX.  Along with our human size ICEE's. For real those things were so large.  It was a great night.  We talked a lot about my brothers and struggles and happy things that had happened and planned so many fake trips for the summer (sure, Belize sounds nice, we'll go there on our way home from Greece).  I think we'll probably drive to California for a long weekend.
::Saturday was such an ideal day for relaxing.  I got out of bed at 10 only to crash on my living room floor for the first session of General Conference.  The rain outside encouraged me to stay in my pajamas for as long as possible, so laziness ensued.  At some point, I whipped out an assignment, showered, and made it to a family dinner at Sizzler's.  At which point, chaos occurred. The good kind of chaos.  The family kind of chaos (the women in my family are all so loud, happy and busy all the time so it really makes for exciting evenings). 
:: I started the first season of Gossip Girl all over. Jennae had never seen it, so I HAD  to expose her to Blair Waldorf at her finest.
::Sunday morning, as I rolled out of bed and was about to leave to go to a family breakfast during the first session, I get a text from E. Good golley.  

So I jumped in the shower (sorry family! I won't be able to make it to breakfast?) and tried to get hot in a matter of 30 minutes.  Let me tell you something.  I really like(d) this boy.  And I'm pretty sure he knows it.  So while I'm kind of mad/sad he keeps asking me to hang out even when I know he doesn't want to date me, it also makes me happy.  Because when it comes down to it, I want to be around him regardless of what our future holds.  Which is nothing.  Am I making sense?

He picked me up and we headed to Draper to stop in at Jessica's family's house.  Jessica was there with her husband - E's brother - and her entire family.  And the hilarity was non-stop.  Seriously, when I'm with these people (which seems to be a lot lately), I cannot stop laughing.  After we ate a little and finished the first session, we drove up to Salt Lake and were actually having a serious conversation (it's a big joke between us that we almost never have real conversations) and boy was it exhilarating.  We talked a lot about the Priesthood and the Priesthood session the night before, and hot topics that seem to always come up at Conference (debt, the last days, pornography, etc.).

After the session - which was amazing, I can't wait to read Elder Holland's talk again - was over, we drove back to Draper in a bit of a lighter mood. As in, belting Les Mis the entire ride.  We bonded more with Jessica and her family, watched a movie, and just relaxed on the couch.  All in all, it was a great start to this final week of school!


other tid-bits from my week:

::Guys, life is expensive.  On top of paying bills and rent and gas and all the other boring necessities you wish would go away, you're also expected to buy things for other people.  Maybe this becomes easier when you actually have money later in life, but this past weekend Wells Fargo and I were really struggling.  On Saturday, I had to buy a gift before the family dinner to give to my cousin's fiance.  So I stopped in at Bed, Bath & Beyond to pick up a cookbook and a cute Papyrus card.  That literally cost more than my entire education fund.  I mean, probably.  I was on the phone with my mom, already having a hard time swallowing the fact that I was about to spend $20 on a cookbook (hello!  use the internet for recipes! it's called resources of the 21st century) when the checkout girl from hell says "That will be $38."  In my head, I had to do quick math while still trying to attend to a conversation with my mother.  Accounting for tax and all, the card was SIXTEEN DOLLARS?? IS IT POSSIBLE SHE COULD BE TALKING ABOUT PESOS?  I handed her my debit card and ran out of there, proceeded to make a card out of some paper from a binder in the backseat, and returned the Papyrus card the next day.

::We gave Bunny away.  To Mother Nature.  I thought I would be sad about it, but I'm not!  As Jennae and I dropped her off on a lovely, secluded hilltop with lots of trees and foliage to eat and where was Julie Andrews, I felt happy for her.  She didn't seem to care or even notice she was being left.  In fact, I think she left us now that I think about it...

::The seriously horrendous workout I had to do with my personal trainer on Monday.  Honest to goodness I was waiting for him to crack up and say, "Nah just kidding I would never have someone do that, it's way too embarrassing!"  Let this sum everything up:

Word.

ox/C

bunny.

Meet...

the most impulsive decision of my life.  Saturday afternoon, what started as a craving for Rent-a-Puppy turned into a real life pet adoption.  O f  a  b u n n y.  Not that you need to know this, but we spent at least 6 hours sitting on our living room floor cooing Bunny and clapping/crying/cheering at every little thing she did.  WHOA did you see her new trick you guys? Our bunny is so smart, she knows how to turn around!  Oh my gosh Bunny knows she's not supposed to go in the kitchen, how did we raise such a smart animal?? Oh my gosh Bunny is peeing on my blanket. And then the fun stops.  For a second.  It was really a testament to how much fun motherhood is going to be for us. And how annoying motherhood is going to look on us.  I'm obsessed with a fur ball and praise her for looking cute when she breathes.  My poor children are going to be smothered.  

See below for Bunny's debut:

first picture with 4 week old Bunny

easter day photoshoot!  bunny was literally born for this day. 

Unfortunately, Bunny was not very considerate of our...well, everything, like our floors and cords and bathrugs and hands and hair.  But mostly allergies.  We're kinda sad about it, because unless she shapes up and stops spreading the itchy eyes and hives, she's gotta go.  Sorry, Buns.  You were fun.  And I swear people like us more when we have you (we started an instagram for her: bunny_named_bunny - and she got 11 likes on one of her pictures. you go girl). 

Otherwise, it was a pretty melancholy week.  Still as obsessed as ever with my gym membership, I spent a good amount of time there last week.  It was one of those weeks where I felt so overwhelmed with schoolwork, only to look at my schedule and realize it will be pretty non-stop until finals.  Boo.  But don't worry, I took occasional breaks to keep my soul healthy and happy.  I went shopping with my dad on Tuesday, after which he took me to a Mexican restaurant that a co-worker recommended to him.  Whoever his coworker is going straight to the Celestial Kingdom I swear it (or, in the words of dear Ginnifer Goodwin, I would like to intimately touch whoever discovered that. And remember, G said it, not me).  So, of course, after sharing a bite with Mimi, we had to go again.  The next day.  It was so beautiful outside too, so we sat outside and literally got over our obsession with Cafe Rio's pork burritos with each and every bite. 

El Gallo Gyro, you have my heart. 

And then I continued to do schoolwork with occasional breaks for The Walking Dead.  I had some catching up to do - with the show and with a boy, so I did both at the same time!  Oh how I missed hanging out with him.  I seem to see his roommates everywhere and while it's really fun, all it does is make me think of him.  And even though nothing will ever happen between us, everytime I am with him these days, I just want to tell him how great he is!  Cause everyone deserves to know exactly how great they are.  So thanks, E.  Maybe one day, I'll actually tell you. 

look at us getting healthy.

So I've been doing a little spring cleaning around here. And by that I mean operation: get a hot bod for summatime. So far, so great (cue Demi Lovato) thanks to yet another depletion of my bank account towards a gym membership!  And let's be honest here.  I needed this to happen at least 3 years ago because I have an unhealthy obsession with donuts. It's seriously the best worst habit I have.

Let's just say this: if they ever made donut flavored ice cream I'll live like two more years tops because I just love donuts a lot.  And now that I've gone on much too long about donuts...time to stop.

These are my best lady friends and I post- and pre- zumba.  I won't really go into to much detail about how uncomfortable and awkward I look when I'm trying to do zumba (think: Jennifer Grey at the beginning of Dirty Dancing) but I pride myself on the fact that some people are at home on their couch eating donuts, and that's what gets me through guys.  

So if you see me around campus with a dumb smile on my face, don't worry. I'm probably just giddy about my plans to go the gym.  

tid bits from my week:

:: the Mexican restaurant I went to today with my dad was bomb.  Like, my burrito will probably make some appearances in my dream tonight. 

:: the unbelievable amount of stuff I have to get done this week. So obviously the answer is to blog about it and not do it because that makes perfect sense to me. 

:: Florence Welch and her lungs. That's all.

:: my ever growing confusion with a boy. #wtf

:: @prodigalsam (just look him up on twitter and get back to me in a few years when you're done laughing)

...save it for a rainy day.

sometimes, it only makes sense to go to in-n-out on a tuesday night

This week, I have felt really overwhelmed and bogged down by my school and the craziness that surrounds my office at this time of year (everyone all the sudden remembers that they need 20 service hours for their class. by next week. I actually welcome the company of fellow procrastinators).  As I left my house this morning, I was completely unaware that my zipper was down and two of my buttons on my blouse were undone (I'm sure people were curious as to my morning activities). I locked myself in the tunnel in the basement of the building I work in, which is one of the scariest things because there is a wide assortment of baby dolls, old posters, and a basic recreation of your grandmother's attic. I dipped my hair in my boss's oatmeal on accident - she reacted like a champ. I on the other hand was a hot mess.  Today was the kind of day I shouldn't have left the house unless I was sure I had Yoshi and a bunch of extra lives.

Then.

Jamie Taylor.  As he was shuffling between the two offices, he paused before walking out my door and turned to me. "Um, Christina, I'll make sure and be back before you leave today.  And if I'm not, will you please come to the other office before you go home? So I can give you a hug?"

I am swooning over that boy currently.  I am sure he is blessed with this innate ability to comfort those when our Heavenly Father cannot do so.  He is such a sweet little angel in my life today (is this getting too mooshy for you yet?) and even though he asked me for a "favor", it is the biggest blessing I could have asked for. 

And that's all. 

ox/C

chee-hoo.

 

And so, just like that, another year of the BYU Luau has come and gone (remember last year?) 

 

It was such a fun couple of nights of performing!  This is our third year of doing Luau (it kind of feels like bragging rights, being able to say that.  three whole years of luau. are you impressed? it would be even better if the other dancers/instructors recognized us after all this time. but we can't have it all) and it makes Winter semester so much more enjoyable.  I mean, except for the fact that you have to wake up at f i v e - t h i r t y am.  Yes, 5:30 in the morning. Yuck, right?  Which leads me to reflect on the beauty of sleep:

one::

Pillows are soft and they make your neck feel good. They are like beautiful hugs for your head. I have many pillows on my bed because I like to pretend I am royalty as I fall asleep. You can get super soft ones and just encase your body in them. You can also use them to build a fort, but unless you’re sleeping in that fort, that’s not relevant to this post.

two::
Dreaming has got to be the raddest thing out there. Like, I just want to say thank you, subconscious, for giving me a fake husband the other night.  It was really great to have him for a couple minutes.  And also, no, it wasn't that kind of dream, for the record.  It was just me and him, in this little house we had. That's all. And I loved it.

three::
It's kind of like what it must be like to be dead, but it's 100% temporary.  I mean, right?

four:: (this one is for the future, cause all I have right now is a twin size bed and a throw blankie to cuddle with)
Sleep is when you get to snuggle and cuddle and drool and cling to and generally use another person’s body like a jungle gym for your own comfort. And it’s totally sanctioned by love and stuff. They have to let you even if you are sweaty or heavy. It’s the rules of romance. Get to spoonin’, boo. I don’t have all night. (Jk, I do!)

Moving on from sleep and kind of more back on track of my Luau week, Mama Smith came into town, and her visit not only included fun family dinners and catching up, but house hunting as well. Eeeek!  Like, obvi, my vote is for the new houses down on the golf course by the lake, but who knows. That geriatric neighborhood of houses built in the 60's could just be calling their name. To each their own, right?

Then, the ladies of #29 decided to whip together a musical number really quick for St. Patrick's Day Sunday.  Perks of living with really talented ladies that are spontaneous.  And that have a few extra hours to spend in a practice room in the dorms on a Saturday night.  Needless to say, we had a lot of fun.  So we were feeling kind of on top of the world after singing in church (truth be told: I was shaking more while I was singing than when I was dancing in the Tahiti section. nothing like good old fashioned nerves!)  Then, per usual, we ran into some good friends in the hallway that suggested we have a roommate model shoot!

JOKES.  Of course the four of us are always the first to suggest model shoots.  Our friends just obliged to be on the other side of the camera.  Enjoy!

ox/C

checking in

I sat down to write the post this morning, hands posed on the keyboard excited to get to work... and I got nothing. My brain juice has been depleted (it's currently being REpleted with a giant glass of chocolate milk, but we're not gonna push it just yet).

I had quite the late one last night, staying up to finish last minute costume details for the luau, and I’m a little tired.  Perhaps contributing to my lack of anything to write about?  But all this luau business is really making me dream of summer a whole lot.   You know, the season where it’s not weird to go to a park alone and read a book slash people watch slash clear your mind. Slash obtain a minor sunburn.  It needs to be summer already so we can for-go showering because we are constantly in the pool, sans styling our hair cause rolling the windows down will do enough blow drying for us.  It needs to be summer so we can meet up with hot boys at dusk, get ice cream in the middle of the day, wear a swimsuit more often than actual underwear,  and pack all the boots away for good.  I’m just having a love affair with summer right now.  Sorry, winter. 

 

Anyways, last night was the Bachelor finale.  Jennae and I settled in for all three hours of Sean Lowe and his lovely ladies (I don’t want to offer any spoilers for those of you that missed the episode), complete with leave in conditioner, top buns, yoga pants, and face masks.  Sometimes, it’s just really fun being a single girl.  I really mean it.