a journal entry, of sorts

sup.

hello 2016.

so far you've been fine.

like, a b+. january was a rocky start, and i never expect too much out of february, but STILL some super cool things have happened to me since we last talked!

a year ago.

here's what's going on in my life, so that i don't forget my favorite (and least favorite) things in 30 years, and i can reminisce on the good ole' [poor, stressful, sometimes aimless] days.


+ currently listening: ALL of Sia's new album (wowowow); lots of classical music (trying to be more intelligent! also i'm out of data already so my spotify sessions are on pause, and i have a classical cd in my car); and of course Hamilton (more on this later, most likely).

+ currently doing: no laundry (again, more on this - and my passive aggressive roommate - later); weekly sessions with a personal trainer which i LOVE; experimental things with my hair, cause what else?; and anything i can to make good friends! is there such as dating, but for girl friends?

+ currently dating: no one but also everyone. ok so this sounds like a dumb problem to have, but i've been having kind of a hard go of it. truth: i'm more than ok to not be or even get married for a while, but i would at least like to be reminded that really (or even mediocre? haha) good guys exist! so many thoughts on this. but i DID challenge my date to eat a live goldfish on friday night and he actually did it. not sure if that belongs in the + or - column.

currently reading: i saved this for last cause it's the most exciting thing in my life (not joking, i love it so much). after the first presidency devotional back in december, there was a segment that aired right after on byutv about joan of arc. she's always been a hero of mine (i'll ask my mom for pictures of the time i went to first grade dressed like her...?), so for christmas i asked only for books on joan. mark twain wrote a novel based on the accurate events of her life and even he claims it's his best and favorite work of his (and i agree. even though i've never read anything else by him but ugh DETAILS whatever).  every page i read gives me so much inspiration, so if anyone is looking for a heroic story about the coolest female ever, look no further: joan of arc.

the first paragraph of this chapter! love. 

So on and so forth.

K here's pics!

ugh i hate SO MUCH that the watermark stayed on there. whatever. still goin' strong with this chick, we talk at least 3 times a day despite our distance. 

spent time with two of my favorite boys this weekend up at temple square (with a fun friend! see below), and watching Grease Live on sunday night. 

i told you a fun friend came! honestly just realizing that all my friends left me at the same time...is there a support group for friendless people? or is that just called social activities? 

aaaaaaand just cause. 

ox/C

back.

soooo this is awkward - i've spent the last few minutes trying to decide whether i should go through with making my blog private or not, then just decided that i have nothing to hide (except maybe my greasy hair) and i don't feel like going through all the work that would require. ha.

so hi! it's been a while, huh?

:: ^ just cause i can, i post shameless selfies on here. also, identity crisis! my hairdresser didn't do exactly what i hoped for but when do they ever, you know? she put in too much orange-blond and took off too much of ends, but hey! it's 2015. and in 2015, i let things go. i guess.

:: i still have an impressive 100% in ALL my classes and it has been two weeks. senioritis whaaaa? i haven't even skipped a class yet! motivation, never leave me!

:: i've seen two very good movies so far this year. most importantly, american sniper. it was hard to watch (mostly thinking of my brothers the whole time) and i will probably never watch it again, but WOW i lovedddd it. first time i've been impressed with a movie in a while. 

:: my long MLK weekend - my couch, netflix, and yoga pants.  it sure beats having to SHOWER and DO YOUR HAIR and PICK AN OUTFIT and GO OUTSIDE.  what even is outside?  

jk, it was actually really productive, but i sure relished in all the time dedicated to watching friends and eating granny smith apples in my pj's. ahhhh it's the little things. 

:: andddd to top this year off, i spent a glorious day in slc with ellie, where we ate too much and laughed even more, and ended up day with mimi at a m[i]lk and cookies party. such a good life i have. #blessed

hear ye, hear ye! // a party you're all invited to.

i'm about to do something really weird and potentially very self-absorbed.

my life is so good and happy but also, it's my life and is sometimes sad and very personal.  i love sharing my thoughts and i LOVE when i'm out with people and someone will say to me, "hey! i just read [insert really embarrassing and probably too-graphic of a story] on your blog!" that's THE highest compliment you could pay me: taking time to read my writing.

so. if you would like to continue reading my weird thoughts and scrolling through my meaningless pictures, please send me your email! cause i'm goin' private, yo! seriously, whether i know you or not, whether we are good friends or not, whether i once punched you in the face and you still care about my life or not. if you want an even more inside look into my brain (in which case, bless your soul and best wishes), send your email (+ compliments + your bank account info + an invitation to meet you at McDonald's) to:

christina.johansen.smith@gmail.com

i know. guys, I KNOW. i'm that annoying girl that a) thinks everyone is interested in her life and b) makes her dull blog private. i hate when the blogs i super secretly stalk go private! but ya know. what if i wanted to post a nude on here? you shouldn't have to see that unless you want to. 

so! starting next week, we'll all be part of this cool little [read: little] club that is my blog! i promise i won't disappoint. maybe we'll even make t-shirts. 

SEND 'EM MY WAY! love to you all. 

p.s. how cute is my little aly girl? i got to run around with her all night on saturday at my family dinner. 

disclaimer: this post is going to mysteriously make us look like this is our first christmas "together." no no no. it just works out that my family lives here, and A and I both got a littttle excited about decorating a tree - any tree! - and could use any excuse we could get to go to a tree farm. lot? yes. tree lot.

^ so much deliberation between these two. i think i liked the first tree i saw when i walked in. so oops, decision making skills are either my best or worst suit. 

when your name is kitty cocktail...

despite being raised by chris smith, i love parties. also, i love getting dressed up. both of which i got to do for the murder mystery dinner party A and i went to.

so, i introduce to you:

cy ramsey & kitty cocktail. 

yes. my name was kitty cocktail. i was a cocktail waitress (obviously), dating the up-and-coming chicago gangster cy, who was the bouncer at the club i probably stripped in. 

things i learned about my character throughout the night:

:: my dress probably covered me wayyy more than kitty would have preferred. and by kitty, i mean the customers. 

:: the only role i played was distracting people so cy could actually get work done.

:: i probably was abused by cy (note the bat? yikes)

:: kitty was not southern, but that's the only accent i could muster up. so. i made kitty southern. 

:: she illicits the most inappropriate jokes without having to do anything except breathe. i mean, what is that name.   

:: i love kitty cocktail. 

hair-do's and [half] nudes.

let me set the scene:

i am currently under my giant down comforter with 324 pillows surrounding me, a bowl of stuffing and cranberries balanced on my chest (balance isn't really an issue when your chest is quite flat), getting candle-drunk off of frosty pine, 17 tabs open in hopes of finding the perfect christmas outfit + gifts for A, and gilmore girls on in the background.

so, if you were me, would you do homework?

oh i forgot, christmas music is playing upstairs. so yeah, bye, productivity!

here's what's up [lately]:

A is learning how to do my hair. so then at least one of us can do hair. don't let that picture be the basis on which you judge his hair-styling. i was very impressed with his first fish tail (or, as A called it, a beaver tail. two very different things.)

^lol. before we went to light the riverwoods, we went to a good (?) pizza place called...oops. i don't remember. so maybe that question mark really was merited. all i know is we got free cheese bread, then i accidentally left my leftovers at A's and i never saw them again.

light the riverwoods! a night that we spent 25 minutes trying to park and 3 minutes looking at lights! wahoo!

i feel like such an adult making lunch plans to go to cheesecake factory. it was a big jump in life going from "hey let's go to zupa's in 10" to "dear michelle, you are cordially invited to join me for lunch at the cheesecake factory promptly at 1 pm."

what the hell, who am i kidding. i'll be 37 and still making lunch plans to go to mcdonald's.

two words: butt massage. everyone needs one! just to clarify: i got a full body massage, but MY GOODNESS did you guys know how tense our butts get?? how much stress builds up? i'm not really sure why, i haven't quite figured out what it is our butts do when we get stressed. but they do it! and my butt deserved all the attention it got on wednesday and i think i was a different person after those 50 minutes. does the internet really need to know all these things about me? no! probably not!

all these things really added up to create the perfect thanksgiving break. and now, on to christmas!

ox/C

words: i [usually] never run out of them.

there are simply too many things i want to talk about and yet my brain juice is at an all time low right now.

//my partner for practicum just texted me and said 'hey, i totally forgot to tell you, you're taking my reading groups tomorrow. but it's super fun! my groups are really funny, they'll make you laugh." me and my eye bags, we're all just laughing our heads off over here. but. my belly is full of chicken tikki masala + pazookies and i get kissed goodnight every night by A. so, WHO IN THE WORLD CARES. 

//here's the thing about waking up early. no. 

//i've spent the majority of my nights the last couple weeks in the library pretending to have lots to do but really using it as an excuse to hang out with A. cuz he lives there, didn't you hear? it works out great for both of us - every five minutes when i think of 174 more things to say to him i get to rip his earplugs out until all my words are gone, and he gets to study in between those times. 

+pam bought me a new lip stain earlier this week so i debuted it at the library tonight. yeah. we'll just chalk these photos up to vanity. 

ANDREW MADE ME TAKE THEM. 

ok no. 

alright, so, because i have run out of [energy to say all the] words, i'm actually going to go to bed. after i show you pictures of me and mimi dancing. i had video footage of it, and i just spent 20 minutes googling "how to make a gif." 

truthfully, i spent about one minute googling that and then 19 minutes watching this cat gif.

aaaaaand goodnight.