goodbye, 2009.

It's weird to say that I'm grateful for 2009.


And glad that it happened.


but, I am.

Don't get me wrong, there are several events in 2009 that I wished would have never happened. But, they did.

{You know it's been a bad year when your mother says to skip out on the 2009 update with the Christmas card, because we don't have anything happy to tell anyone. Well, other than, 'Larry's still working from home and loving it..'}

Throughout this year, I have learned such important lessons
In addition to this list made in May,
I have learned that you are never alone.
Despite how alone you may feel, there is always one who knows exactly what you are feeling.
I have learned that my grandmother is amazing.
And I look up to her, and her ability to still be able to smile and laugh, even though no one in the room can understand her.
I have learned that the Johnson family is the strongest family in the world.
I remember walking away, confused, at how I wanted to help them feel more comforted, but walked away feeling more comforted than I ever could have offered to them.
I have learned that the temple is the closest place to heaven on earth.
And that I will forever live my life in a way where I will always have a recommend.
I have learned that blogs are great. And have been my therapy throughout this year.
I have learned that attitude and confidence affect everything.
Especially with your ability to learn and grow.
I have learned what it feels like to be a burnt-out first year teacher, without even being a first-year teacher. Thanks to being sick, mostly. And the lesson learned directly above this one.
I have learned that Iron & Wine and Sigur Ros are wonderful.
And I have learned that sometimes life is just meant to endured.
And that everything will be okay.
You just need to look at it with an eternal perspective.
And all your negative thoughts, insecurities, disappointments, pains, and tears disappear.
I promise.

This will be me on Saturday, hopefully.
(Well minus the blonde hair and pixie dust)

Please, 2010.
Be a little easier than 2009.

pictures via

oh, he's a good one.

...that santa

(or satan, as samuel calls him)

because this upcoming january we'll be here -

and the january after (maybe) we'll be here -



and i can go shopping here -




and now i don't feel at all guilty about buying this.



thank you, santa (s).

(i'm pretty sure that i have three santas that come to my house)

my new best friend.

his name is skrapshtebazilenerual2.



he's super fun.
and probably the best best friend I've ever had.
and we play a lot.
and he goes everywhere with me.
i don't even miss skraps the first that much.

(my dad's way jealous of our new friendship)

december is for birthdays. . .

yesterday was the nineteenth.
that means it was my grandfather's birthday.



This is my grandpa, JL.
He was a principal.

My grandpa is one of my best friends.
After all, he was the second person I told about my first kiss on the way to st. george.
(my parents and sisters count as one person, I just decided)
He is one who recommends me to read certain books.
We've been on lots of many road trips.
Been to auctions. Named cows after me and my best friend, Erika.
(even though he didn't tell me that those cows were the very same ones that were in my basement freezer)
We go out to lunch or dinner at least once a month.
From him I've learned
To always be happy. And smile. And laugh.
That when he says that he'll throw you out the window, he's just pretending.
About Jeffrey the Monkey and his many adventures.
That it is possible for someone to know the name of every player on every team in every sport.
{I promise, it's true.}
To always smell the ground before you set your sleeping bag on the floor of an old apartment (actually, I think he may have learned that one from me)
That when you're working hard, nothing is better and easier than slim fasts and v8.
What happened to the three marines when they ate the beans. . .
That if you ever think you are good at Monopoly, my grandpa is better. Always.
The key to get rich.
Well, not the actual key to get rich. But that there is one.
I think it has something to do with cows, monopoly, macadamia nuts and paint.
and that Almond Rocas, Sees candies, and Sour Cream Twists are really yummy.

Oh, I love my spanky grandpa.
He's the best.

(Even though one time he tried to poison us with dog food. But that's a story for another time...)



today is the twentieth.
that means that it is my mother's birthday.


meet little stefanie.
{the daughter of aforementioned JL}

isn't she a cutie cutie?

On Mother's Day, I wrote this for my mother.
She is a cutie cutie, huh?
I still stand by every word I said
(except that she made her children drink hormone-free milk. I found out that that only lasted a month or two)

She is a wise woman.
And she hand-quilts,
Claims she was born in the wrong era,
And, come January, she will be working much closer.
Because she loves us so much.


Love you, mother.

'dedicated to every single girl in the whole world'

oh, I love that this boy is home now.


{this boy is named fred}
fred is greg's best friend in the whole entire world

so we can find, watch, and laugh until we cry at lost videos like this:




reminisce about alex's christmas parties,
landon's deep voice when he wants something,
dave and that one time that he couldn't go to guitar center,
jacob on that one awkward date,
everything about greg (obviously) -,
and the disneyland trip that I didn't go on, but remember it like I was there,
(but mostly glad that I wasn't there)

burgess park barbecues,
this picture taken at a burgess park barbecue,


this show,


and all of our other high school/post high school activities,
and also plan for super awesome parties to come in the future and this summer.

I'm excited for the rest of the gang to be home.


I sure have missed them.

{well mostly greg}
but I still miss jacob, dave, landon, and alex quite a bit.
















(greg and I laughed super hard at these two photos probably once every two months)
oh, they're the greatest

christmastime.

real christmas tree
+
hot chocolate and herbal tea
+
flannel sheets
+
joshua james/sufjan stevens/harry connick/brian setzer christmas tunes
+
snow falling
=
a really excited me.

even though, I already know what Santa Claus is bringing me.
I'm still sick.
our advent calendar is crooked, and I already know what candy is behind Christmas.
my Christmas is a little bit blue.
I live in the {very cold} basement.

It's just the feeling of Christmas.
of love.
of giving.
and Him.

and that makes me extremely happy, even merry.

goodbye, logan

goodbye, dorm
goodbye, dorm friends
goodbye, grocery shopping
goodbye, cold temperatures
goodbye, messy kitchen
goodbye, education building
goodbye, logan city library
goodbye, brother jacobs
goodbye, hockey games
goodbye, MLMS
goodbye, mean registrar lady
goodbye, bicycle (i hope your new owner treats you well)
goodbye, aggie shuttle
goodbye, old main hill
goodbye, woodruff elementary, providence elementary, edith bowen, and cedar ridge middle
goodbye, logan friends
goodbye, free (kind of) gym
goodbye, tsc
goodbye, bishop reed
goodbye, tummi yummis
goodbye, bluezone network
goodbye, logan graveyard
goodbye, teachers
goodbye, nathan from the yetc lab
goodbye, 'A'
goodbye, firehouse
goodbye, sardine canyon

i will sure miss you.

hello, utah county
i am glad that we can be friends again.

i'll miss you, boys.

it's been 2 1/2 years.

that i've worked here.
in an after-school club.

and i've loved every minute of it. (mostly).

starting with the minutes working with dear kevin.
kevin, who i could motivate easier than anyone through snacks and candy bars.
kevin (this still remains my number one favorite story), whom i saw sneaking bags of potato chips into his coat sleeves, and i, wanting to prove that i have eyes in the back of my head, walked up behind him and asked, 'what are you doing, kev?' His reply: 'oh! these potato chips must have fallen into my coat sleeves! i'd better put them back. . . '

and to dear, sweet marco, who i've seen grow up (at least a foot and a half)
and who still remains the sweet, quiet, innocent, and hard-working kid.

to donovan, who is the tiniest punk i've ever seen.

to philip, the biggest flirt of an eighth grader.
who, on many occasions, begged to be my boyfriend.

to austin, who, someday, i will recognize by his photo in the sleeve of a brand new best-seller.

to kayson, who i missed the day they told me he couldn't come to mentoring anymore, because of all of his 'extra help' outside of mentoring. the extra help with the teacher he despised. and the teacher who made fun of him, and who never saw him produce an inch of work. i will never forget his face at that moment. i wish they could have realized all of the help he needed was a little care and trust, and once that comes, he will work for hours.

to taylor, who impressed me everyday with his knowledge from wikipedia, french, and video-games.

to michael, who is just michael.
i will never forget that moment when playing catch phrase, and all of us adults, puzzled at a word, he read it and explained it's meaning in an almost dictionary-perfect definition. whenever he speaks, i think instantly of sheldon cooper.

to juan, jesse, and fernando, who are three of the sweetest boys, despite what teachers say.
i'll always be amazed at juan's skateboarding and video-editing skills, jesse's sense of humor and artistic way about him, and fernando and when he is always the first one to help out.

to fransisco, who i lived for the moments when i could hear that click in his brain, and for the moments that he understood what he was doing in math.

to jorge, who i threw off his schedule today, because it was a wednesday, and i only come on tuesdays and thursdays. from his reaction, it was almost as though he had never been so surprised, or confused, in his entire life.

and to amon, who is new. and from curitiba, brazil. and when he spoke portuguese on the telephone, i got goosebumps.

and i'm so grateful that i didn't yell at you today, david.
i was very close.

oh, little boys, i will surely miss you.
i learned so much from you.
i hope you learned from me.
i know you can succeed in whatever you do
and i hope you realize that.

happy birthday

it is my best friend's birthday today.
he is in brazil.
and the greatest person I have ever known

because

1. he makes anyone laugh harder than they have before.
2. he has the cutest smile i've ever seen.
3. he draws me funny pictures in his letters.
4. he loves the Lord, and is the greatest missionary.
5. he sees good in everyone and never talks negatively.
6. he is a gentleman
7. he is really good at magic tricks.
8. he plays ticket to ride and does puzzles with me.
9. he's the best dancer at stake dances and in my kitchen.
10. he makes me want to be a better person everyday.


and he'll be home in less than two months

happy birthday, gregory stevai

see you soon.

(his friends made this on a shirt for him one year)

my last day.

I will sure miss you, dear little first graders.

I look up to you.

And your strength, happiness, and innocence.

Some of you have had more to deal with in your precious six years of life, than I ever could imagine in my twenty years of life.

I love all of you.
And miss you already.

pretty much amazing

so, my bike got stolen.

I'm pretty sure.

because, today, I ran outside to hurry to my classroom management class to get my bike.
it wasn't there.
I double checked.
I triple checked.

I didn't see it.

The only thing that confuses me is that it was a crappy bike.
Like it wasn't a cute little beach cruiser.
Or a really nice road bike.
Or even a nice mountain bike.
It was just an old scwhinn that my grandpa fixed up for me.
That I loved dearly.

hmmm.
I wonder what will be next?

I do hope it's my printer.

But please, Robot (my laptop), Friend (my tb), Car (my car)
try really hard to stay alive, running, and useful.

funeral for a friend.

for my five year, ten month old ipod, skrapshtebazilenerual.

well, I called him skraps for short.

he died.

the poor boy.
and after five years, i finally caved in and bought him an iHome.
he only got to sleep there once.
the night before he died.

goodbye, skraps.

we sure did have some good times.
like all of those times we went running,
all of those logan drives, you were my constant companion.
you were there for me during my sleepless nights,
and remember how i watched high school musical with you?
that was pretty fun.
and you know, how you helped me clean
i couldn't have done it without you
my friends all loved you too.
but, i knew you were getting old.
slower.
and a bit unresponsive.
and it was your time to go.



it'll be hard to replace you.

(i don't have $200 to spend)

giving thanks.

thanksgiving.
i have never been too big into it.
like, it's just one of those holidays.
that's right inbetween my two favorite holidays.
and gets kind of neglected.

but i have realized.
i am not as thankful as i should be.
i have so much to be grateful for.
and i take it all for granted.

so, thanks to:

my parents
who make sure i am safe. and that my life is comfortable.
eternal life.
calendars
who help me keep track of my dates and countdowns.
letters from brazil that make me laugh out loud.
good windshield wipers.
that help me see even when it's snowing and raining.
the turkey bird
that gives me presents to beg to stay alive. and yet, he still forgives us because we always eat turkey. and we always get presents. oh, turkeys never lose hope, do they?
facebook.
i probably would be friendless without it.
fingernail clippers.
onions.
so that in n' out can put some onions on my hamburger so it will taste oh so yummy.
justin danielson.
because today i laughed when i saw him passing the sacrament and wondered how he is so old. because i remember the days when he would come to our door and ask, "sydnee can play?", still unable to form complete sentences.
cute 'hi's' from my nephews, learning to speak.
my robot.
because he allows me to do my homework, read blogs, update my library books, and check my bank account all at the same time!

and thank you,
my dear friends and family.

you're the greatest.

after today x 2

this



and this

make me extremely happy.

i love goofy movie.

languages.
lone peak.
and fat nordick.

{to hayley beth tintle castle: please tell me you've seen this}

ps. i guess i sort of wish it was the day after today.
because it's friday and i'm coming home.

but mostly, just wish it was the month after this month.

ok.ok.ok.

I feel much better.
Life is great.

i'm ready ready ready for a break.

i'm tired.
i'm sick.
i've had a good case of the shingles, that are still my constant companions.
i am sniffly and coughy, still.
my room needs major cleaning and packing.
i'm overwhelmed.
i've totally broken out all over my face. it's lovely.
i'm tired.
i have piles and piles of homework/responses/evaluations/lesson plans/blah that need to be completed.
i'm behind in homework.
there are not enough hours in my day.
i have headaches all the time.
i'm tired.
i want to cry.
i probably did cry just a little.
i'm super worried and stressed about the future, even though i tell myself i'm not.
i'm scared of not being a good enough teacher because i'm not preparing well right now.
i'm worried because i have no idea what will happen next year.
and slightly more worried because of everyone's opinions and 'personal experiences' that people change too much in two years.
i don't have a job lined up.
i am tired.
i procrastinate everything.
like. right. now.

but, thanksgiving break is soon.
then the end of this semester.
then christmas break.
and then a cruise.
right before a semester of no school.

but i need to worry about school right. now.

fall 2009. who knew it would be my most difficult semester?
with the fewest (slight exaggeration.) amount of credits i've ever taken? and without (no exaggeration here) a social life?
well, i thought it would be cake.

i was very much mistaken.

(ps. i normally don't just break out. or get headaches. or shingles. or be a bad student)

i am done venting.
that is what blogs are for, right?

I went to the library today and in the non-fiction section of audio-tapes, inbetween autobiographies and biographies was this -

I'm so glad Superman is real.

alone in my apartment

with the exception of friday night, and a couple of hours saturday morning,
I have been alone in my apartment.

It wasn't scary, I mean.

And it's pretty common.
But this weekend, it was a bit comical.

Well first of all, I took my mother's advice to not leave the apartment

Second, I don't think I've changed much.
And probably smell, even though I have taken like 7 showers.

Third, I've been singing really loud and dancing (carefully and not too extreme) to Christmas music.

Fourth, I only leave my bedroom (hopping or dancing) to use the bathroom, or make myself some chicken noodle soup.

Fifth, I have no idea what I did to occupy my time. Because here I am, Sunday night, living in a messy room, realizing that I haven't finished any of my lesson plans, reading responses, or scanning of student work. I mean, I know I watched a couple of movies, took a couple of naps, read a little bit, but seriously?.

And really, because two whole days confined to a small space secluded from the world would make anyone act comical. . .
right?

if you don't ever see me again,

it's because i coughed up a lung,

choked on it,

and died.

but hopefully you do see me again.

And if I do live and recover
(hopefully by monday, please)

I have
Simply Orange (with LOTS of pulp)
You've Got Mail
Sleep
Nyquil
Lexie's SAA water bottle
my cold shower
and my comfortable bed

to thank.



{on the other hand,}
late nights, donuts, and hot chocolate,
please stay away.
I don't think you're helping

the list

(in no particular order)

Life Goal #1 - Get married in the Mt. Timpanogos temple
.
.
Life Goal #10 - Cook every recipe in a cookbook
.
.
.
Life Goal #14 - Zipline through a jungle
.
.
.
Life Goal #23 - See Sigur Ros live
.
.
Life Goal #25 - Live in London
.
.
Life Goal #29 - Spend all day at Barnes and Noble (opening to closing)
.
.
.
Life Goal #34 - Buy a whole large bottle of kimchi
.
.
Life Goal #38 - Run a marathon
.
.
Life Goal #42 - Own a bike with a basket
.
.
.
Life Goal #54 - Make someone believe I'm magic
.
.
.
Friends, it goes on.
I'm so excited.
I love lists
especially the bucket ones

thank you, safety kids

I've always been safe.
thanks to you and your songs

the future.

Right now, It's pretty hard to live in the present. . . .

When the semester ends in six weeks,
I move home in six weeks,
I graduate soon,
Christmas is in 2 months,
We go on a cruise in 3 months,
And G comes home in 3 months

And when my life consists of me going to school, eating, sleeping, checking the mailbox for letters, making lesson plans, drinking hot chocolate, and reading (books and letters).

It's pretty hard.
But I'm trying.
I promise.



And (thanks to my shingles) I've been really trying not to worry. . . I think I'm doing a better job.
But, mostly I'm just super excited.

those little first graders. . .

'Miss Sparks, I need help!" she says for the 1000th time as she erases her correct answers, and ready for me to explain the concept that she already understands.

Then, the sweetest, smartest girl in class unknowingly flips me off by showing me her spider ring -

And when I introduced myself, I told the class I like riding my bike, ice cream, and don't like asparagus. To my surprise, so did at least five of the students.

And little, sweet Austin, as he was sounding out 'sheet', said a swear without realizing.

{not a child in my class. via papertissue}

Oh, I love first graders.
And, sometimes it's really hard not to laugh.

(It's only day 3. I have five more weeks of this fun)

all HALLOWS eve.

I'm so excited.
It's my absolute favorite holiday.

The other day, I told a lovely story to my dear friend, Sam.
It was a story of when I was Peter Pan for Halloween.
(I was Peter Pan twice. This story corresponds with the bottom right picture directly above these words)
I was waiting for the bus.
Then I saw Landon come out of his home.
He was Hook.
We battled, not only at the bus stop, but for the entire day.
It was the greatest Halloween ever.
We didn't even plan it.

I'm so excited for Halloween.
and this year, I'm going home
where I will
have soup,
eat homemade donuts,
carve pumpkins,
make a gravestone,
and see my cute nephews in their cute halloween costumes

I even made a playlist to get pumped up

(check it out on the right)

are you excited for halloween?

oh no.

I feel myself getting sick.

Not a good time to get sick.

Please, sickness, whoever you are, will you come back in 7 weeks when I'm done with school?

It would be very much appreciated.

(I do not want to make up my practicum hours over Christmas break when I will have no place to live)

my resolution

It's not new years.
but a have a new resolution.

take more pictures.

Recently, I have realized how few photos I have.
It makes me a little sad.
And when going through my days, I often think, oh my that would make a lovely photo!

So, today, as I was riding my bicycle through the graveyard,
I took a few photos.

what do you think?

{now do you understand why I choose to ride my bike through here every day?}

I so want to become a great photographer.
I'm a pretty good faker.
I even just made a flickr account.
hopefully I'll have at least five more photos added to it tomorrow

Heima

If you're not sure what to get me for Christmas, this film will do. . .









I once saw it in 2007 when it first came out. And it was magnificent.

I think I probably cried. I think probably we all cried : David, Landon, Jacob, Greg, and I.
(Maybe even Ken when he walked in to see what we were watching)

It really was magnificent.

And it would be a dream come true to be able to watch it over and over and over again.

Oh, it is love.

Please Jón Þór “Jónsi” Birgisson, Georg “Goggi” Hólm, Kjartan “Kjarri” Sveinsson, Orri Páll Dýrason come play in Salt Lake.

And not on a Sunday, like in 2008. And this time you can play in a 21 + venue if it's sometime after February.
(I was very sad when you played at the depot back when I was a young girl)

You inspire me, Sigur Ros.

Take me to Iceland,
let me speak Hopelandic,
and see you play,
with my true love,
and i will be happy forever.

Phobias

Phobias sometimes make me laugh.

Not like -

Pocrescophobia (fear of getting fat), Phasmophobia (fear of ghosts), Tocophobia (fear of child-bearing), or Acrophobia (fear of heights)

But phobias like -

Vestiphobia (fear of clothing), Papyrophobia (fear of paper), Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia (fear of long words), Ophthalmophobia (fear of opening one's eyes), Cathisophobia (fear of sitting), Anatidaephobia (fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you), phobophobia (fear of developing a phobia), and Telephonophobia (fear of telephones)

Hmm.

I think that someone may just be having a bit too much fun with this whole phobia thing. . . .

But, maybe I'm wrong.

Maybe there is someone, somewhere who hasn't opened their eyes for the last twenty years, because they're too afraid.

Fall

I love fall.
So much.

Not the fall where it's like, 'Yay! summer was yesterday and it's snowing today!'

But the fall in Alpine

Where the leaves change colors.
And where you don't have to wear a jacket everywhere you go.
The fall where it's still warm enough to go camping
And where you can smell pumpkins and get excited for Halloween.

I love that fall.

And I found a new reason to love fall:



I went mountain biking for the first time.


It was incredible.

I loved feeling the wind through my clothes, the sound of my wheels against the rocks and ground. I loved the look of the fall colors, the pretty yellows, oranges, and reds. I loved the feeling of being invincible. I loved the feeling of being in the best place on earth. I loved the sound of my chains and brake pedal squeaking (my bike is old). I loved the feeling of where I was sure I was going to fall, but quickly pulling out and recovering. I loved the feel of my heart beat and sound of my breathing. I loved being so tired, yet wanting to do it again. I loved forgetting about itching (except for when my leg decided to run into some stinging nettle). I loved riding my bike on trails so few go. I love mountain biking.

I want to go tomorrow.

Who's with me?

Awkward

Awkward, Part One

Yesterday

"I told everyone. I hope you don't mind."
"I don't", I tell her (her, who I saw at Wal-Mart an hour earlier, while picking up my prescription)

I lied a little bit.
Mostly because when I walked into class, every eye was on me and I received at least five smiles and five 'how are you feeling?'s.

I love attention, I thought to myself as we discussed my shingles , shrinking in my seat, hoping to disappear.

First, we talked about how Dr. Read's mom had it, and five people in my class's grandmothers and grandfathers had it. (Nate told me that I look really young for being sixty. I agree)
Then, during break, everyone asked where it was and what it felt like. How fun, I thought, sarcastically to myself, rubbing under my chest, realizing that everyone was looking at my braless breast, and then feeling the need to explain to everyone that I don't wear bras anymore.
Finally, we were writing poems. Write down 11 ideas, Sylvia said. Naturally, five of my eleven were things like itching, calamine lotion, doctors, etc. Of course I got a laugh when sharing ideas,
I said itching.

Yes, I have shingles.

And, it's oh so fun.

Awkward, Part Two

Today

No bra, again. Jacket (to hide my bra-less chest). Keens. Light, thin, light green capris.

During our break, I went to the restroom (as usual) and realized something

it's that time of the month . . .

Let me remind you, this does not go well with light, thin, light green capris who, unfortunately, didn't hide anything.

Feeling the need to explain the reason why I am checking out my butt in the mirror as Jenny walks in, I explain my situation.

What a great week for you, she says.
I laugh in agreement

Awkward, Part Three

Today, After Break

Presentations!
Alright!
Everyone in class gets to present their science inquiry project, Dr. Lott explains.

So, the entire rest of the class, I am debating whether to wear my jacket to cover my chest or my pants.

The pants won.

At least there are only two boys in my class.
And one is married.

Everyone else understands, right?

Awkward, Part Four

Conclusion

I am throwing all rules of etiquette and decency out the window this week.

Hope you don't mind.

If not, you can avoid me.

love you, h.

I wish I could help ease the pain.
and help mend your broken heart.
I love you, h.

Most of all,
I wish that it wouldn't have happened to you.

But, you're stronger than me.
I've always known that.

From the time when you cracked your head open and I was so jealous because of all of the attention you got. I wanted so badly to crack my head open, so I could get presents and words of affection, but instead, I just got a few stitches.
That was all I could handle.

To the times when I blamed you for everything, hoping you would be the one to get in trouble and not me. When you were braver than me to admit to doing something wrong.

And now to this.

I'm not good with words,
phonecalls, or texts
But, Pretend I'm giving you a hug right now.
(Even though, I'm pretty not good at those)
You can even sleep in my bed tonight,
Place a pillow next to you and pretend it's me.

And know that I look up to you.
And want to be just like you, h.




She loves you.
She misses you.






But, she wants you to be happy.
And, I do too.
I love you.

The Countdown

I can't wait for halloween

(three months)

I can't wait for thanksgiving

(two months)

I can't wait for christmas

(one month)

I can't wait for our cruise

(one week)











I can't wait until the end of january

There's no wrong way. . .

So, today I wanted a reese's candy bar.
I got one.
First, I put my money in the vending machine,
and watched the little vending machine curve to let the poor candy bar free
I almost felt the need to cheer it on, because I could tell it wasn't coming.
But, to my surprise, it was freed.
And not only that, but there came two reese's candybars. . .

I'm so lucky.

I thought, I got two candybars for the price of one!


(But later realized that I forgot to pick up my 50 cents in change)

Side Note: Remember these commercials? Aren't they the greatest?

Someday

I would love to have a library like Belle -
(as a child, that was my dream -)

or, to be more realistic,
less selfish,
and more practical,

something like this will do :

(as long as there's a ladder)

To the parents of all bloggers,

Dear Mom,
Coy is funny. Sometimes there are things you don't understand.
I love rain.
My future does confuse me.
Trees are sentimental.

Dear Dad,
It is not funny when you act like you have his shoes.
The word "naked" does grab attention.


Conclusion:
Parents, don't make fun of our blogs.
You don't have to read them if you don't want to.
They are funny.
We are funny.


Love,
Holly & Lauren

If you pee, You're Invited.

my dream

last night I dreamt that I owned a cute little restaurant/cafe.

I imagined it a mix of

Tin Angel Cafe,
Flour Girls and Dough Boys,
&
The Royal Penne Cafe

I imagined it a place with

mismatching dishes, poetry readings, creative art and photography placed strategically on all of the walls, a random assortment of furniture and chairs, a collection of clocks, soup that warms the soul, antiques, live music, and meals that makes anyone drool and anticipate their next visit.

I hope that someday this dream comes true.

Flour Girls and Dough Boys in American Fork

(if you haven't heard of it, please visit 35 N. Barratt Ave (150 West),
order 2 cups of the creamy tomato basil soup, bring me one, and maybe I'll forgive you)

Tin Angel Cafe and Royal Penne Cafe are just as good & located at 365 W 400 S, Salt Lake, and 155 N University, Provo, respectively

Him.

Why is there a boy in my mission prep class that has eyes and glasses just like him?

And why did that kid last night have the same shoes as him?

Dance like him?

And play his guitar like him?

And why does absolutely everything I see or hear remind me of him?

{well, he does have only four months and a little bit, then I'll actually see his shoes, his eyes, his dance moves, him playing his guitar, and everything about him I have missed . . . which is everything}

(and, he is the greatest missionary in all of brazil. i don't know how i got so lucky)

yum.

but please

stop me

{before I gain 300 pounds}