I saw this video on a blog I read and loved it! 

Plus I really love this song, which is actually by The Smiths. 

Partly I love it so much because it's on 500 Days of Summer, which might be one of the best movies. 

Or love stories. 

Or un-love stories. 

We don't actually know what it is.

In any case, the cover is equally awesome. 

Have a very, very Merry Christmas!


P.S. I really love this song by Matisyahu. Plus, I wanted Shay to hear it too:

I've Been Dreaming of a White Christmas

Remember how I started to tell you about my Christmas present plans? Well, I'm going to tell you more about it, because seriously, it was an adventure. Heck, it still is an adventure!

I decided to put my trust in Pinterest. A.K.A. everybody's go-to place for the holidays. I cannot tell you how many gifts I have seen that came straight from the beloved Utah Valley sight: Whisks with candy inside and the reading of: "Wisking You a Merry Christmas. a jar full of the ingredients for brownies or cake or s'mores. I do have to admit, though, being a resident of Utah Valley, I only had to do the same thing! So, I did. :) Magnet boards out of cookie sheets, genius.

Candles is what I want to talk about here today, though.The lovely dollar store packages four candles together and sells them for a dollar. I needed eight candles. 2 dollars spent? I was jumping for joy. Literally. The idea was to get ink and a stamp and roll the candles to make them all fancy. My jumping stopped abruptly when I started rolling and the candles turned out to look something close to poo. Two out of the eight candles are saved and only two people out of eight will receive a candle. I'm feeling very sad about the whole situation. First, because that's mean. Second, because I so want to be creative. I envy those people who can whip out something as easy as rolling a candle through a stamp. Not my forte, not my forte.

I got my license on Friday. Are you boggled? 'Cause I was when I left that DMV. The freedom is embraced, and the picture is nonetheless priceless.

"You look much happier in the newer one," was my mom's comment.
 I completely agreed.

Someday I'll get to posting the before and afters, right now, though, the Honda (which is my lovely car for a week!) is getting repaired, and my license is currently residing in the car. Why my parents decided to fix the brakes just precious days after I got my license is obvious, but really, I only get that car for a week, and they could have waited. Oh, well. . . .This is the time where you just tell yourself "person, patience is a virtue" and get over it. So, I'm getting over it. The car should be back in my possession by the end of the day, so it's not so bad.

Christmas is in three days and I have not gotten any presents. Neither for friends nor family, and I'm basically committing suicide this Christmas by waiting so long. If I don't get in a car wreck first, I'll get pummeled and all of my Black Friday phobias will come crashing into my brain as my life flashes before my eyes. Dramatic? Yes. Realistic? Most definitely. kind of.

The friends will probably just get cookies and the good friends a late gift. (if you are a friend reading this, I most likely just told you your present. Close your eyes, count to a million and think of something other than this) My philosophy is why wouldn't you want a late Christmas present? It is the Christmas season, right? So, why keep one day just for presents? So, late presents are always nice. . .  Cookies it is. :) If you do have any creative present ideas, let me know!

Have a Merry Christmas!


Ash, are you ready to be home?! :)

Laugh A Little. :)

I was doubled over when I watched this. 

You know how when you laugh so hard you get to the point that you're not making any noise, and basically, you are beating on something or having a sort of convulsion? 

That's what it was like. 

Seriously, HILARIOUS!

My favorite part in this one is when Ellen is screaming Taylor's name. 

I have to watch it two or three times because it is just so darn funny.

And last, this one.

Oh, man. . . :)

Enjoy. :)

Preference 2011

**Disclaimer, I would have blogged about this waaay sooner, but I wanted to give the full effect, which included pictures, and I didn't get the pictures until today. 15 minutes ago actually. :) So, as of right now, I will tell you all about Preference. Ready? Good. It'll be a little long, sorry.

As I have already expressed my immense worry for this date because of the excessive awkwardness, I am now going to express the actual awkwardness, because seriously, it was awkward. It's okay, though, first dates just should be as such, and seeing as it was the first date for both me AND Mitchell, you've got double dosages.

Anyway.

Saturday came, and I woke up early to get the house cleaned. The day date was going to be hosted here, and all we were going to do was just play games. Since nobody really new each other, except for us girls, we knew we needed to do something to let us get to know each other. So, Maddy and Tiffany came over, we touched base, and then they left to get their dates: Trenton and Tyler. This is where our first problem hit. Jackie didn't know she was picking me up, so she was a little late. But she got to my house as fast as she could and we hurried off. We were going to go get Mitchell first, but we both thought that would be odd for me and him to be sitting in the back as Jackie was driving in the front by herself. So we turned around and went to get Parker. And then we came back to Mitchell's house. I ran to the door, knocked, and his mom answered.

"Is Mitchell here?" I asked.
"Um. . .He's actually on his way to your house"

I'm sure I looked stunned.

"Is that okay?!" She replied.
"Oh, yeah, yeah, it's fine!"

And I hurried off. Actually, I sprinted to the truck and told Jackie to step on it seeing as Mitchell was going to get to my house and nobody was going to be there. As I was told the story later, that's exactly what happened. Apparently, my parents were coming home to put the boutineer in the fridge, and they found my date standing on the porch. So, they let him in. Then they called me, and heard my phone ringing on the table. Great time for me not to have my phone, I know. Unfortunately, my cousin was getting married in an hour, and my family still had two hours to drive, so they told Mitch to go downstairs to get food. Then they left him alone. In my house. With my dog barking madly in the background. Lovely, I know. Honestly, though, I thought it was common knowledge that the person who asks on the date picks up as well. Apparently not- lesson learned!

The date as a whole went well. We just played Just Dance and ate food, and the mood between everybody lightened. I learned quickly, though, that Mitchell doesn't talk, and that besides the fact that he doesn't know the asker picks up the askee, he really didn't know how to handle the date. He texted. The whole time. It's okay, though, I cut him a little slack, seeing as it's all nerve wracking, Who knows, maybe his mom really needed to talk to him for 2 hours. :)

So then, moving on, Jackie, Tiff, and I all got ready together. Jackie was doing all of our hair, so we made a party out of it. 4:30 rolled around, quickly too, and Jackie and I went and got our dates, and Tiff and Maddy went and got theirs. We were to all meet up at Maddy's, since that was also the dinner destination. No glitches there, thankfully. . . until we got to Maddy's. Tiff and Maddy hadn't gotten there yet, so we were shown downstairs by Maddy's little sisters, and the T.V. was turned on. It was an odd thing to do while sitting in nice formal clothing. We watched that one storage auctioning show. That was weird too. It passed the time, though, and when Tiff and Maddy arrived we went and did our pictures:
 

 

 

From left to right: Tiff, Maddy, Jackie, Me!

From left to right: Trenton, Tyler, Parker, Mitchell

 As we ate dinner, we played the Host Your Own Mystery Dinner Party game. It was super fun, and super interesting! I recommend it to everybody!! I was the attempted murderer, and Jackie was the actual murderer. :) And then we went to the dance. Just like how Mitch doesn't talk, he doesn't dance either. Relatively, though. He would for like five seconds and then just stop. It didn't stop me, though! Oh no! I danced to my little hearts content. So much so, that I became sick the next day. Do you remember you telling you that? Good, I just reminded you. :)

The dance as a whole was super fun, and I'm glad that it really did go so well. I worried and worried about it, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Sure there were definitely more awkward things than in most dates, but hey! It makes for a great story, and I love to tell stories. So there's this one. :) Preference 2011!

Another Post on the Glorious Subject of Chemicals. Kind Of.

Because it was Monday, Dani, Tiff, and I made our routine visit to Starbucks where we spent a few hours trying to be productive, and get some homework done. Then we left, and my body was immediately faced with the possibility of entering into the afterlife by death of hypothermia. It was cold. So, I ran into my house (when I had arrived there, of course) turned up the heat to 74 (don't tell my dad. The rule is 72. . . whoops) grabbed a nice big comforter blanket and planted myself right on top of a heat vent. Because I was keen on being productive, I opened my Chemistry text book, and decided to try to fully understand the unit we're in. It's a bit hazy- basically, that's what everything is. I got about. . . two pages -- maybe -- into my reading and I began to look like this:

When I finally woke up at 5:40, I didn't look so hot according to my father. I walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water, and as soon as he saw me, his eyes got big, his jaw dropped, and he said, "What have you been doing?! Sleeping?!
"Yeah! I have my own personal sedative called Chemistry. Puts me to sleep every time. . .," I replied.
And there is absolute truth to that statement. I need to start getting caffeine or something before I start attempting to understand that foreign land. 

Needless to say, it was a REALLLLLLY good nap. . . Having a constant source of heat enveloping you as you live in dream land for two hours. Man, it feels rejuvenating. AND the Chemistry homework is done! Even if I basically bombed 3 tests today -- one of which was completely bogus, and I couldn't believe I was actually forced to take the ridiculous thing, but I won't get into that -- and I have another Chemistry test on Thursday, life still goes on. I only have two more weeks until Christmas break, and it's warm, and I'm not going to die of hypothermia.

That statement is more or less temporary. Seeing as I have goosebumps on my arms, I still could. Thank goodness for heaters!

I Thought I'd Share

      Jesus Christ lived so that we would be able to keep our baptismal covenants. Through the example of his life, he paved the way on how we should live it, which is by serving our fellow men. Through the reality of his death, he created the way so that we can return to Him, which is through repentance.

     When we are baptized, we take upon us Christ's name, so that every day we strive to live the life he led, and enter into the kingdom of God. In John 18:36, Jesus teaches us that "his kingdom is not of this world." Ultimately, we are promising Heavenly Father that, starting at the age of accountability, we will "be in the world, but not of the world." Jesus himself, who didn't need baptism, shows us that the only way to live this lifestyle, which is His lifestyle, is by beginning with baptism. He is the perfect example that this part of the plan, and this part of our life, is crucial. Matthew 3:13-17 reads:

"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

"But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

"And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for this it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him:

"And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

     Heavenly Father is pleased with all of us after we are baptized. This is the reason why we are confirmed and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is our Father's spirit, which is God's promise to us: if we keep the covenants we made during baptism, his spirit will always continue to be with us. Mosiah 18:8-10 reads:

". . . And now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;

"yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God. . .

"Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?"

     In a conference talk, Elder Hales teaches us, "When we understand our baptismal covenant[s] and the gift of the Holy Ghost, it will change our lives and will establish our total allegiance to the kingdom of God. When temptations come our way, if we listen, the Holy Ghost will remind us that we have promised to remember our savior and obey the commandments of God."

     The Atonement was done for us so that we can repent and return to our Heavenly Father eternally, and also so that we can return to our cleansed, baptized state temporally. The sacrament is the time that we renew all of our baptismal covenants. Through the sacrament, we should be thinking about what we can do throughout our weeks and throughout our lives to better ourselves and become more like Christ; to "establish our total allegiance to the kingdom of God." We should be thinking and trying to understand our covenants, and by doing so, we will allow our Father in heaven keep his promise by sending us his spirit to direct us in our lives, our thoughts, and our actions.

     I know all of this to be absolutely true. In all honesty, I had trouble with this topic; to know what to say, and how to say it. When I turned eight, baptism was just something that happened, and I was too young to comprehend or have the desire to want to comprehend the covenants I was making. Having this experience to really read in the scriptures and read the council from the general authorities, I've come to an understanding that baptism and the covenants made weren't just something to do because my parents told me to. They are crucial; they are the foundation to my faith and to my obedience. I know that Christ atoned for my sins so that I can repent and again strive to be like Him; to live the life he led, and to one day enter into the kingdom of God. I know that my father in heaven loves me. I know that the prophets are true; that the Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith, and that it truly is the word of God.

Thankful for the Thankful Day

Thanksgiving was a success this year. I always is, but each year I'm (am I wrong to say everybody?) always reminded just how fantastic the day is. You're eating to your heart's content and there's nobody to stop you- what's to complain about?

This year we had the party at our house. Luckily it was the small side of the family, so the crowded-ness that usually accompanies our tiny house, wasn't too bad.

 My favorite is my dad wearing my Christmas apron that is even too small for me. Yes, there are ruffles at the bottom. :) Anyway, the entire day was fantastic and delicious and happy. . . . 

. . . .  And we were all stuffed to the brims. It's totally worth it!

 This last picture is probably my favorite just because it sums everybody up perfectly. Family time is the best, and needless to say, I have a pretty cool family. Hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving.

I didn't go Black Friday shopping. I feel as if that little thing is overrated. Maybe that's just because I've never gone- I cherish my sleep too much and my healthy bones. I just know that if I go, I'll get pummeled and every single bone in my body will be broken. It did start move the Holiday season nicely into Christmas, though. You can now listen to 100.3 without shame. :)

R.I.P to you Jeans

School breaks are fantastic. I slept in until 10:00 this morning, and spent my day at the mall and playing with friends. The latter brought adventure (also embarrassment) to my life. It goes as follows:

Caleb, Clara, Mia and I decided to go on a walk. We were walking down, down the street. At first we were just talking; you know, being normal. And then Mia whipped out her dancing. And then she whipped out her leaps. I love leaps, so, naturally, I started doing them as well. Bad news. As I jumped in the air, I heard a loud and clear RIIIIPPP, and when I landed I felt that cold air right in between my legs. I looked up to see Clara looking at me,

"Did your pants rip?!" she asked.

My face answered all, and she burst into laughter. So did Mia. Yes, nice big belly laughs. I did too after I came to terms with what had happened. Caleb on the other hand. . . we made him as uncomfortable as uncomfortable gets for a boy. Poor guy.

As you can see, the rip is bad. Completely unfixable, which is sad because they were good pants. It's also sad because they weren't my pants. Ashley, this is confession time. I'm sorry I ripped your pants. I promise I'll buy you new ones. At least be happy it's not your car this time? Still love me, please.

Needless to say it was funny and weird and crazy and sad all at the same time. I've never had my pants rip on me before, so I guess it goes into the experience meets embarrassment book. :)

P.S. I came home to this:

Sorry it's on its side; I don't know how to fix that

Spiders normally don't scare me, but this one gave me the geebeez!

"Low as the Laughter of the Cricket, Loud, as the Thunder's Tongue-"

I'm thankful for days like today. I woke up early, early to go to Seminary. I pulled on my layered outfit: oxford shirt, V-neck sweater, fall; fitted jacket, jeans and boots, and as I walked outside into the falling rain and cold air, I was toasty warm. Not even one goose bump was raised on my arm.

I received delicious cookies from Alec. She's the best, honestly. If everyone was like her, the world wouldn't be blighted. :) Plus, I ate those delicious cookies while doing research and listening to lots of music today during Study Skills. Granted I really gorged on the cookies and ate all of them, but that was mainly out of nervousness and done subconsciously. 

I received full credit on a quiz I should have failed, and didn't have to turn my lab in that we did last class period in Chemistry. Mr. Adamson said it was for practice. I looked up to the heavens and sang hallelujah. Also, our lab consisted of different colors and the need to describe them. Our group got super excited and tried to go as far out as we possibly could. Seeing as the most creative we got was "Bacon grease" and "Sunny D Yellow," we aren't the most creative. It was fun, though, and it brought color into the gray class. (haha :))

We watched Finding Nemo in French today. I have this obsession with soundtracks of movies. Nemo is in one of my tops; seriously! Go look it up right now. I promise you'll love it. Not even to mention the actual talking sounds better in french too. It was nice. I also have this strong urge to watch Series of Unfortunate Events. Mainly because it's soundtrack is awesome too. Actually, Nemo and Lemony Snicket's soundtracks are quite similar.

Basically, I think I find lots of joy in music. I wish I was musically talented, but seeing as I'm not, and never will be, I spend my time listening and listening and fawning over soundtracks, new songs, and grooveshark. I think you should also go back and listen to The Lime Tree song again. I'm obsessed- completely. I also find lots of joy in laughter. This post is bringing me laughter, actually, which makes it all that much better. I'm going to now apologize in the middle of it for the scatter-brain-mess.

Also, If you ever get the chance, spend your day at the Library. It's a good place for serenity. It's quiet and relaxing and makes you want to soak up anything you can learn. That is, if it isn't math. I gave up well into my second minute of being there. I went to look for some Emily Dickinson, but seeing as the American Fork library has a very, very sad selection of books, they didn't have anything. So, instead, I grabbed the complete works of Shelley, Keats, and Byron. Poetry is fascinating, and one day I'll be able to understand it.

And to end this good day? I ate Cafe Rio for dinner, Tomorrow is technically Friday, and I get to sleep into it with an early bed time.

New Love

 

This song simply makes me smile. :)

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

Lauren and I were sitting at the kitchen table with her pop bottle rocket in front of us. I thought helping out with the making of this object was much more important than my Chemistry homework, so I worked as a bottle holder while the pieces were being put together. I was holding the rocket with one hand, and I was laying over my other arm. My eyes were closed, and my mind was drifting in between my la, la land and my. . . dream land? That sounds so stupid to say. Anyway, as I was just thinking, my phone vibrated. (it was extra loud since it was right next to my ear) I startled awake and looked at the message. It was from my neighbor Rod two doors down.

"Do you still have the wii remotes?" he asked.

Interjection: I had borrowed their wii remotes for the day date on Saturday, and I had yet to return them.

"Oh, they're still in my basement!" was my reply
"Is it okay if you brought them over; Kimberly and I just want to watch Netflix," he said
"Sure, I'll be there in 5 minutes."

Needless to say, I was slow, and it was a little longer than five minutes, but I ran over with the remotes in hand and knocked on the door. Rod answered it and asked me if the house felt extra warm. I stepped inside, and my face was completely covered in a loving warmth, and I nodded and smiled. He led me over to their fireplace, which is an old wood burning stove, and had me stand in front of it. I sat in front of it instead and just absorbed as much of it as I could.

Rod opened the door to the stove and we admired the almost perfect orange light coming from the burning wood.
"Get me a marshmallow" was my joking reply
"Do you want one?" he asked
"Sure!"

So, Rod went and got me a marshmallow to roast, and made a little stick out of a hanger. As I sat there looking at the burning fire inside the stove, I couldn't help feeling disappointed that I didn't have a camera. I thought how some of the best things happen when no camera is around. How I wished that people could just see right into my head; see exactly what I see when I tell the story. When Rod brought the marshmallows, I turned them over and over again, letting the flames absorb them until they were golden. They set perfectly on the paper towel, oozed when I dug into them, and  melted in my mouth. Happiness.

Rod then offered me a cup of hot chocolate, which I gladly received. When I wrapped my sticky fingers around the mug, they were almost burned from the heat. Taking a sip, I was reminded of the delicious hot cocoa from the beloved Starbucks, and from my face to my hands to my feet, I was completely warm- completely content, and it felt nice. I didn't want to leave that spot.

Luckily, Rod sat there and talked to me. I told him about Preference- he told me about some dates he had gone on. I told him about school- he told me about The Shop. Life was good for that moment, and it still is good. Chemistry never goes away, and I guess it's something that I am just going to have to get used to. It's also nice to slow down, be able to sit and savor the moments that are only meant for the eyes and mind; for thought and insight- no cameras needed.

Hello Winter and Germs

Preference ended well. It was awkward and fun and crazy all at the same time! The story on that one will come later, though. When I get pictures.

I don't know whether it was the stuffy gym filled with bacteria just itching to get into people's bodies or my crazy dancing, but my body has decided to punish me. I woke up completely congested yesterday morning. My throat burned and my voice sounded like a mix between a man and a woman hippie: super slow and low. It still does, (minus the super slow; that was from my tiredness from the night before, and adding in the occasional crack since it's starting to go away) but my throat is not hurting, thank goodness! My nose decided to take it's place, though, and it's been running all day. I'd take a runny nose over a sore throat and cough any day, though, so I'm not complaining. My neck is completely kinked; however, that's not from the coming on cold. The hair whipping song came on at the dance and basically. . . it's my favorite.

Have you ever looked on Pinterest? It's lovely and I could spend hours and hours looking at it. You should look it up? Yes, I think so. :) A few of my favorites:

"Your Life Little Girl is an Empty Page That Men Will Want to Write On. . . You are 16 Going on 17 Fellows Will Fall in Line Eager Young Lads And Grueways and Cads Will Offer You Fruit and Wine"

This week just might have been, or will be one of the biggest weeks of my life. Besides the fact that I turned 16 yesterday, I also go on my first date tomorrow.

16 feels nice, but yet exactly the same and dramatically different all at the same time. Let's just say my brain is jumping around and is in no place to stop or even to make sense of anything that I'm feeling. When asked, "How does being 16 feel?" My reply is, "I don't know whether I should break down in tears or jump for joy!" Seriously, the fact that this age that I've been hoping and wishing for for basically my entire childhood is actually here. . . it's mind boggling, and a little frightening. I remember being 11, watching my older sister Ashley being 16, and doing so many fun things. I remember saying to my mom, "Mom, I just want to be Ashley's age- that would be the perfect age!" Boy was I naive! Just kidding. :) Now, I am that 16 year old, the responsibility that was basically placed right in my hands, doesn't know what to do with itself.

I've had a few epiphanys in the last two days, though. One being while sitting at lunch yesterday. Me and my friend Brandan were talking about my favorite topic: Cafe Rio. I told him how much I loved Cafe Rio, and if he ever wanted to just get me a random present, let's just say a birthday present, Cafe Rio would be a fantastic choice. (my hint was a joke of course, but it did have a hint of truthfulness to it. . . Yes, I'm good! :)) He then replied, "Well, if I had a car, I would take you there." My initial thought was dang! I can't go. . . and then my second thought was (and I spoke this one out loud; not particularly on purpose) Oh, yeah, I can date now! I can date. I CAN DATE NOW!!!!!!!!!

Which brings me to my next event.

Remember Preference? Remember my embarrassing story? Well, the big day is tomorrow. The big awkward day. I called him today to just make sure he was remembering about it. As soon as he picked up the phone, my voice started shaking and moving a million miles an hour. You know how when you give a talk in sacrament meeting your practiced slowed speech no longer applies, and you just look down at the paper in your hand- which is crumbling because you're holding it so tight? That's basically what happened. (Replace the paper with a phone and my audience with Emmy who was picking out books to take home, and you're golden) I just rambled the information off, and then said bye. The entire conversation lasted 57 seconds. I looked on my phone after. Heaven help us tomorrow when we actually have to socialize. In all honesty, though, I'm sure that we'll have a good time. I mean, we're playing games, a.k.a. Just Dance, for our day date. We'll warm up to each other and everybody else. It will be fun; I'm determined of it.

I made the same wish at 11:11. The first time better make it work, seeing as I was in room 11 at 11:11 on 11/11/11. The fact that I was in chemistry might make the chance go down, but that's what the second time was for. I won't tell you what I wished for, but you can probably guess. Don't say it out loud- I need it to come true! In fact, pretend it's 11:11 right now, and hurry and wish my same wish.

High Time For Some Adventure

Welcome to dream land. My dream land, that is.

For me, it's something adventurous. 

It would be nice if the rain was involved and Cafe Rio was at the end of the rainbow, too.

 

In any case, let the songs do the talking- just listen. 

Then do whatever they make you feel like doing.

Mondays and Cups of Cocoa

Last week's weather turned frigid cold, and so, I made the proposition on Monday to my good friend Dani, who takes me home, that we should go get some hot chocolate. I had heard that Starbucks makes some of the best, so I proposed that place specifically. Long story short, we did get our hot chocolate. . . and man, it was amazing. Carmel hot chocolate is probably one of the best inventions ever; not even to mention their pumpkin bread and scones. Heaven, people, heaven!

On top of the deliciousness entering into our stomachs, you've got the smell of coffee, which is equally heaven, and also the fun city feeling. Each time we've gone into the small shop, there are always people talking quietly on their cell phones, to each other, or even, people sitting at the small tables working on their laptop, on homework, or personally my favorite, having business meetings (there was a group of people having a business meeting when we walked in today, and I just smiled to myself). Everyone is in their own little world, which allows you to look at them, and make up their story based on what you observe. It's such an independent feeling to me, and it feels good! 

We decided, though, it's probably not very smart to go every single day of the week. Bummer, I know. Our solution was to make the dreary day of Monday into something fantastic! Starbucks is that solution, and it's a delicious one at that!

Halloween Scrooge

I absolutely hate Halloween. Despise, spit at, roll my eyes at, get annoyed with, lock myself in my room, don't go to parties, dress normally, all of the above describe my opinion of the stupid holiday. All it is is an excuse for those excessively weirdo people to show their true character, boys to be stupid, girls to be sluts, and all those "groupies" to prove to everybody that they are in a group together and you are not part of it.

First period there was a boy who dressed as a 70s person and then blasted his hip music down the hall. It was annoying. Or after school, a group of boys who had dressed in their "groupie" outfits, which included masks, got up in my face and basically invaded any form of personal space while doing some kind of grunt? I had, and still don't know what in the heck they were doing, but it was stupid.

In math, there was a girl who dressed up as a cat. That alone should make you look questioningly at the air in front of you. My point, though, is that her skirt covered zero part of her legs, and her stomach was completely hanging out of her jacket. It was gross.

And last, if you weren't either a nurse/doctor, a princess, or a pirate, you were either a) Cowboy for a boy or b) nerd for both genders; mostly girls. This is another reason why I hate Halloween: it just proves to everyone how unoriginal you really are. Now, now, I know I sound like a super pessimist right now, and I can openly admit that I am generalizing everything with my large opinion, so I would like to say, if I did dress up for Halloween, I thought it would be funny if I got a red wig and was Sydney Brocious. I think it would be also funny if Sydney got a brown wig and was me. There's always an idea for next year I guess. . .

For all of you Halloween lovers out there, I do hope you had a fabulous day. For all of you people who are rolling your eyes at my negative comments, I will tell you one plus to Halloween. It's this: the holidays have officially started, and boy does that feel nice!

In other news, I'm loving these three songs: (beware of the last one. The lyrics are stupid and will turn your brain to mush, but the sound will blow your mind!)

I finally talked to Mitchell, and basically all my "depths of despair was stupid- he's super nice! Also, my birthday is in two weeks, I got a 3.9 for the end of term 1, and this week has started out swell. I hope the same for you, too!

The Quiet, Loud Girl

My knee is deciding to give out on me. I'm thinking it's having to do something with my experience in track my 7th grade year. Long story short, I screwed up my knee, hence the reason why it's acting up. Needless to say, I've been limping, and making people feel sorry for me with my periodic comments about it. Yes, I'm a wimp. Yes, I'm fishing for "I'm sorry-s" and "Poor You" looks, but sometimes, it just happens, and it kind of stinks. I'll get over it by tomorrow when it doesn't hurt. Cross your fingers. Or just buy me some Advil.

Warby decided to get weird with us in choir today. I'm pretty sure teachers aren't supposed to talk to their classes like she did today. . . . Then again, Warby doesn't give a crap about what she says and does, which makes her one of the best teachers ever. Needless to say, nobody in that class needed the image we got today.

I still have yet to write my paragraphs for my ABC book in English on The Scarlet Letter. It shouldn't be hard, but really, it could get hard really fast. My creative juices have evaporated from my mind this year, and the fact that I need those juices to flow for this thing that is due tomorrow, worth 250 points, and goes on 1st term that ends, oh, on Friday. It causes me anxiety, and if you know me at all, I have the worst anxiety. I psych myself out.

Speaking of psych. I love that show! It's hilarious- it's what I'll be doing this weekend. Come join me if you wish. I'm always up for a party.

Also, in other news, I have my dress for Preference:

I still haven't talked to the Preference date, though. . . I wimp out every time! I'm making too big of a deal out of it, and everybody agrees with me. People, as in everybody because I spread my life's story like wildfire, ask me if I talked to him yet. My reply is always a no, and their response is always, "SIDNEY!" I can probably guess that was your response, too. My problem is just that when I see him, my knees go out (not because of the previous said symptom) and I can't walk, I start sweating, my thoughts become completely jumbled and the possibility to form a complete and comprehensive sentence is completely and utterly impossible. That happened to me today, and I just kept repeating, "I can't, I can't, I can't" like I was some insane asylum patient. My friend, Branden, asked me what I was going to do when I had to go pick him up. At his house. I said I'd probably pee my pants. I'm going to talk to him tomorrow, though. It's really not that big of a deal. I need to suck it up, and stop being so self-conscience about what he thinks of me.

That's the goal, and I probably won't be able to live with myself if I leave school without talking to him tomorrow. Pray for me.

The Weather Down Here is Good

It started off with just us talking, and then, Brook and Hailie started laughing. 

I was sandwiched in between them. 

So, they took this picture above. 

Welcome to my life, people! 

I sure hope that this made you laugh as hard as it made me. 

Life is soooo good, so make today great! ;)

Our Weekend

     I found this lovely little tea cup. I made hot chocolate and talked in a British accent, and made it a ball of a time. :)

St. George was fantastic! It was nice to just get a weekend to do whatever you wanted to do, which is what we always do when St. George is the destination. I read my scriptures all day one day, and finished The Scarlet Letter, which I thoroughly enjoyed. :) We made a run to Barnes and Noble where I picked up the said book along with Tess of the D'Urbervilles, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and The Hiding Place. I have found that I very much enjoy reading. :)

Our weekend was also filled with the Farmer's Market, going to Pine Valley, which is a cute little town outside of St. George. It has one main road leading into it, a population of about 5, and fall colors glistening on the leaves. I want to live there. It reminded me so much of Avenlea, and you all know how much I want to be Anne. One day I'll have that white house with green shutters. . . . We also went and saw Noises Off! in Ceder City our last day. We ate at the Pastry Pub, which was delicious, and the play was also fantastic. Hilarious just like before. :)

Hope you guys also had an enjoyable weekend. I also hope you guys are enjoying the change of the seasons! The fall weather is really growing on me. I enjoy smelling leaves all the time and having my hair being brushed back by a chilly wind. Even the goosebumps don't feel half bad. That is if I have a warm building to go into. . . I guess cold never will appeal to me. Although, hot chocolate (in tea cups :)), warm blankets, and books do appeal to me. Let's have a party.

Mercredi

Today is Wednesday. But. . .Not just any Wednesday. It is the Wednesday we call Friday. You know why we call it? You probably do, but I'll just tell you the obvious answer anyway. It's Fall Break!!! Man, it feels good to be starting with the school breaks. I've had the serious "I don't want to do any homework anymore or stay up until 10:30 doing that homework" fever. Seeing as I went to bed at 10 last night and 8:56 the night before, I decided to act upon my sickness.

What might I be doing for this lovely break, might you ask? Well, people, St. George is the answer!!

Anne of Green Gables of course is what is planned for tonight. Seeing as all we're doing is driving, it seem appropriate. :)

Hiking is the agenda tomorrow. I'm not the happiest camper inside about that, but I guess I'll live. I forgot my running shoes at school, anyway, so I need to intense exercise.

We're going to see Noises Off! in Ceder City at the Shakespeare festival. We'll also be eating. . . . At the Pastry Pub, which has some of the best shakes!

And we'll end the trip with watching the beloved Anne of Green Gables. :) Man I love that show.

Hope you have a good weekend as well. Au revior.

 For Young Women's, we went up to the KSL studio in Salt Lake. I had heard of other youth groups going up and touring it, and so I thought it would be fun. Apparently my mom did too, because she planned it all out! It turned out to be a complete success! I experienced many things, and I would be happy to share them all with you:

We started our tour with the news, obviously. We got to go to a room above the actual set is where they have a big window looking down. As we watched, our tour guide (who was super duper attractive! His name was Ryan, and he had really, really good jeans. My fantasy world was completely shattered when he mentioned his wife. . . . . approximately 6 times), explained how it worked on the appearance side of it all. He said that the girl anchor Nadine is only 5'3'' and the man anchor, who I don't know the name of, is 6'1'', but then he pointed out that they look the exact same height on the television. Apparently, and you're going to be watching for it now, they slanted the desk, so you don't see the torso of the guy. It makes Nadine look taller. And. . . I thought this was funny, Nadine sits on a little cushion that raises her up higher! I'm thinking I'm going to get one; it would make school a whole lot easier. (Don't even say anything about the driving, too. Already thought of it. :))

We then moved our tour to the radio stations. There's nothing really cool about it besides the fact that this was the radio, and the studios looked awesome! Someday, I'll be on the radio interviewing some cool famous person. That would be sweet!!

The set for Studio 5 was our last stop. It's a really cool set. Off to one side is the kitchen, and then off to the other side is the couches where they do their interviews. Next time you watch it, if you watch it?, look at the stove during their cooking segment. There's no knobs. :) We don't think they actually cook, which is such a scam! (That's opinion, don't repeat what I said. . . :))

Apparently, I don't listen very well. . . . My mom had asked our tour guide if he knew Jillian from The Biggest Loser. I was just over daydreaming about having my own cooking show, that I didn't hear. When I went over and entered the adults' conversation with Ryan, I picked up that they were talking about The Biggest Loser. He was talking to them about how he does the casting for the show and how his wife works as one of the off camera personal trainers. Cool, huh?! So, when there was a break in the conversation, I asked him if he knew Jillian. He looked at me funny, and then my mom said, "She's my daughter." I thought it was really strange. . . And then one of my leaders informed me that my mom had asked the same exact question in almost the same exact way. So, Ryan replied that he did know her, and that him and his wife go on dinner dates with her all the time. (This is also exceptionally cool!) Well, then I asked the obvious question: Is she really that mean in real life? Again, I got the same strange look from Mr. Tour Guide and the reply, "Your mom has already asked that." I guess my mother and I think alike. . . Anyway, the answer is no. So, if you were, don't be afraid of Jillian; she's cool! :)

Another thing: I'm going into journalism. I'm going to minor in psychology. And finally, I'm going to have my own Dr. Phil show. But it's going to be Dr. Sidney instead; roughly that, though. We'll come up with some coolio title later. So, look for me on T.V.! :)