#5 Make a wearable item of clothing

Check.

You can add crocheting a hat to my list of accomplishments, 

thanks to the darling Jessica that showed me how to do it.

I am now officially ready for winter.

Bring it on, snow! 

My hair is safe. 

Basically, I'm On My Way to Australia

In light of the imminent statistics exam that I have to take tomorrow at 11:00 am, I have decided to take a break from my fake studying and tell you some exciting news.

Australia is finally becoming a reality.

My major has a high adventure study abroad program this summer from July 8-August 13.

It takes place in Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand.

Um, yes please!

So I am applying right now, trying to convince them that I am awesome enough to go.

Cross you fingers for me, that I'll get in.

And that I can find a job that will pay me enough to save up for this adventure.

My dreams of scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef and safari on the Outback are finally realistic.

That is all.

Have a good day.

Bird Watching

Thanks to Tiffany, I am completely obsessed.

It's a problem.

Andrew Bird.

He's all I've been listening to for the past week.

There is something about him and his violin,

something about his whistling,

something about his lyrics that captures me completely.

Love.

Love.

Love.

Love.

I recommend these songs:

A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head

Oh No

Tables and Chairs

Scythian Empires

You should also read his blog post on Measure for Measure,

Words Will Tell

Quote-ables

via Yes and Yes

Why do all the good shows get cancelled?

I am so ready for this. 

Penguin Love

When a male penguin is sweet on a female, he'll search the beach for the perfect pebble to give to her. Once he finds it, he waddles over and places it at her feet. If she accepts, they become life long mates. 

Adorable.  

via long live the queen

Wanted:

I am trying not to imagine how awesome this dress would look.

Curse you, Anthropologie!

I need to graduate and get a job asap so I can buy things like this.

Real Love

"Sexiness wears thin after awhile and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that's a real treat."

Joanne Woodward on being married to Paul Newman

Oh just another reason to love Paul.

Laughter.

That's what I'm holding out for.

via Long Live the Queen

Life is good. Be happy.

Last night, I had a little surprise party for this awesome guy.

It went really well.

He was super surprised.

And I got to spend the evening with my favorite people.

I am so lucky.

Then we went to Danielle's and had a fire with roasted apples.

Then we came back to my house and watched a movie.

Where I fell asleep.

I think everyone left around 4:00 am.

I was not really awake and just stayed on the couch until a phone call from Will woke me up at 9:00 am.

And then it was pancakes and Conference!

Guys.

General Conference.

Seriously.

Watch it.

Best weekend{s} of the year.

I can't even begin to describe to you the joy I get from this.

It's stunningly beautiful and perfect.

Funny Quotes

"Actually, I can put a price on how much I love my family. It's $105 one way."

~Heather, when we were talking about the expense of going home for Thanksgiving and how much we love our families.

Michelle: Aren't you going to make waffles?

Joey (On his computer): Is this not how you make waffles?

Joey: Sometimes I forget that there are things more important than the internet.

Me: It's not that hard, I already wrote it. It was 3 1/2 pages.

Michelle: How did you get 3 1/2 pages on that subject?
Me: It was double spaced.

Quote-ables

"I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half in agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own, than when you broke it eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant."

~Captain Wentworth's letter to Anne Elliot

Persuasion, Jane Austen

This is my favorite line from my favorite Jane Austen.

Just thought I'd share.

And now I look like a smurf

On Monday night, we all gathered at my house for FHE.
We filled up water balloons with water and paint.
Then we filled up the shopping cart that randomly appeared on my back porch earlier that day with our ammunition, and headed to the park to play capture the flag.

Pregame, we're all looking pretty clean.

Post game, we're all looking a little awesome.
Wow my shorts look a little too short!
But they were the only dark item that I didn't mind ruining.

No, we aren't dating. Although this picture looks like it.

Ugly faces.

All in all, the night was a complete success.

This is real fun, the Mormon way.

P.S. My body is still blue and purple.
3 showers and much scrubbing later, that stuff is still refusing to come off.
I would recommend using a more water soluble paint if you try this at home.

Some Good Links

1. I must have these books.

2. There are a lot of strange places in the world... I must see them all!

3. Guess what? You can make your own handwriting a font. Thank goodness. I've been waiting for that one.

4. My uncle wrote a book. And my mom helped edit it. (Seriously, crazy amounts of time spent with that book.) And now it's finally available on Barnes and Noble. Check it out!

5. Speaking of books, I ordered this one last week. Stunning.

6. I've been listening to a lot of Bach lately. Particularly this song.

7. I desperately want this lipstick.

8. General Conference is this weekend. I really recommend it.

That's all.

Cookies=Angels

Every once in a while, someone knows just what you need.

Sometimes it's before you even know it.

I had a dear friend drop by last night with cookies because she loved me and thought I needed them.

I didn't really need cookies last night.

But I needed them this morning.

In this case, "cookies" are not just the Milanos on my nightstand, but the "love and caring" that comes from someone who's thinking of you.

My friends, there are angels among us.

Keep your eyes peeled.

You might miss them if you aren't careful.

Fanks, Jen.

For listening and acting.

The ghouls are starting to arrive!

Autumn is finally here!

Autumn is my most favorite time of year. 

I live for it.

Especially in Utah.

It's deliciously windy and colorful.

The air is crisp and inviting.

I've pulled out all my tights!

And the Farmer's Markets are all over the place. 

It's simply superb.

PS Halloween! My favorite!

What's your favorite season?

Just a little update

Here I am.

Back in school.

Back in Provo.

There's a lot going on these days.

I moved into a new house.

I have 4 new roomies.

And 3 new windows that let in so much sunshine it makes me giggle with happiness.

I found a new major.

It's a permanent one, this time.

I mean it.

I was never absolutely sure about the rest.

But this one?

It's exactly what I need to be doing.

And I feel great about it.

I have a new calling at church that screams of too much responsibility.

But I have 3 amazing ladies to help me out with all the work.

I'm sorta excited about it.

And that's about it.

Post edit:

In response to the emails, the major is

Recreational Management and Youth Leadership with an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation

and the calling is Relief Society president.

{For those of you who don't know, the Relief Society is the largest women's organization in the world. It is for LDS women, ages 18 and up, and it's focus is building faith, strengthening homes and families, and serving others.}

Style Icon: Lonely Tourist Charlotte Charles

I found the first season of Pushing Daisies on the shelf in the living room of my new house.

So of course I immediately grabbed it and began watching episodes whenever I have down time.

And then I remembered...

I love Chuck.

I love her clothes.

I love her hair.

I want to dress like her forever and ever.

Thoughts?

Anchor

I am loving this video and this song.

My suitcase isn't big enough to put everything I need into

I hate packing and moving.

It doesn't matter whether I'm in Florida or Utah, I hate leaving and going back.

I hate collecting all my stuff from around the house.

I hate leaving my family.

I hate leaving Tiff

{especially because she keeps having new babies right before I leave}

I hate knowing that I didn't spend time with all the people I wanted to.

I wish I had super speed, so I could just zip back and forth every day.

None of this saying good-bye stuff for months at a time.

Litany

I've always thought a lot about my future children.

What are they going to be like?

What are they going to enjoy?

I want to instill in them a love of the beautiful things.

Poetry. Art. Music. Literature.

You know, the important stuff that makes us humans.

The beautiful creations that make life worth living.

Anyways, here is a little boy that is super cute.

Poetry was always meant to be recited by little mouths.

I should like to have little ones like this one day.

Litany

You are the bread and knife,

the crystal goblet and the wine.

You are the dew on the morning grass

and the burning wheel of the sun.

You are the white apron of the baker,

and the marsh bird suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,

the plums on the counter,

or the house of cards.

And you are certainly not the pine scented air.

There is just no way that you are the pine scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,

maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,

but you are not even close

to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show

that you are neither the boots in the corner

nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,

speaking of the plentiful imagery in the world,

that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,

the evening paper blowing down the alley

and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees

and the blind woman's tea cup.

But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.

You are still the bread and the knife.

You will always be the bread and the knife,

not to mention the crystal goblet and -somehow- the wine.

~Billy Collins