family blogsters

And then the waiting time is extended, so neither happens. No excitement, and no closure. Just more waiting. Awesome.

In more exciting news, we just got a new family blog, and everybody should go check it out. The Schwab-Barnes family is basically the besssssssst so it will be worth an extra click.

Visit the SCHWAB BARNES BUNCH and leave us some lovins :)

wrath of nerves.

Do you ever have those days where you feel like your life could either change dramatically in a matter of minutes, or it could just carry on the same uninterrupted?

Today is one of those days.

I feel like my stomach is eating itself. Or maybe that's a racoon...

inbetween trips, i watch CNN

Thoughts of the Day:

-Leave Palin alone already! I thought the pestering would die down once the election was over, but no such luck. She is a good woman and I dare even say I think she is quite intelligent (dont worry, im as surprised those words are coming out of my mouth as you are). She’s young, hot, and super smart. Although there was obviously some controversy around her nomination for VP, she did NOT destroy the McCain campaign. McCain destroyed it when he was old, boring, and running as a Republican in a year when people pretty much just hate Republicans. Stop using her as a scapegoat!

-I’ve never been a happier person than when it was announced Obama won. I was actually sitting in Del Taco (sadly I still couldn’t bring myself to miss Taco Tuesday, EVEN on election night…) and all of a sudden I got 5 happy phone calls all in a row. What an exciting moment in history!!!

-Prop 8 passed… no comment. People are protesting against the Morms… surprised? No, not at all. But really can you blame them? It does make me sad that people are protesting in front of the temple and blaming it allll on the LDS Church, but I still fully expected it. The Pro-8ers had the right to fight for it, and the opposing side has the right to protest its passing. That’s the way the political process works!!! Especially when it’s a heated issue that passes/fails based on a strong grassroots movement. I’m just grateful we live in America and are all entitled that right, no matter what the opinion may be.

-I’m trying to be all awesome and involved in my ward, but for every step I make forward, I feel like I’m thrown back another 10. I went to a mini- “get to know you” activity at my Bishop’s house (without the roommates… which means I get like quadruple the points), and everything went great and I met some pretty cool people……. Until it all went downhill in a ball of flames. Person 1: “Yeah, in most Arab countries, homosexuality is illegal” Person 2: “Oh, well that’s good” Me: “Yeah, but they like… KILL them for being gay. It’s pretty terrible.” Person 3: “Haha, maybe they should try that in California”. Me, in my head “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE”. But really… compare Arabs killing gay people with California? Do people, even MORMON people, really think we should KILL GAY PEOPLE? In 2008? As Christians? In America? Wow. I couldn’t say a word for the rest of the evening, and went home with tears streaming down my face. Sometimes Utah just kicks me in the gut.

As soon as CNN will stop talking about the election and propositions and transitions to power, I might be able to think about other things in the world. But then I think... what else IS there in the world?? I don't even remember what newspapers and television and my brain were like before the elections. My past YEAR has been wrapped up in the elections, and it's a bit hard to let it go. But I'm working on it, and CNN should too!

ORLANDO

November 5th-11th

HALLOWEEN 08

October 31st

Roadtrip to Oceanside

October 24-26

VEGAS

October 11-15

because i have a three minute pause

San Diego was amazzzzzing, but the drive home wasn't the most fantastic thing. Apparently deer and metal moving at a pace of 80mph dont mix together very well... and now my car is very very dead. As is the deer.

Pictures to follow shortly...............

california, please

Sorry everyone, I am a terrible blogger. My life is great, that’s all you really need to know. I went to Vegas last weekend and it was super fun. I love my job! It sounds weird, but I feel like trade shows are just like a perfect fit for me. Not forever of course, but for my age, situation, and personality, it’s pretty ideal. What’s better than being surrounded by a million people, meeting and talking to a ton of people, selling those people a sweet service, AND getting free trips to rad cities on a regular basis? Not much can top it.

I got my gym pass this week for the lovely Orange Soda employee price of $9/month, and so far I'm loving it. I adore the kickboxing class, though it doesnt love me back too much. Hopefully we can become better friends as I prove my dedication.

Um reallly that's all I can think of in the way of catching up. There wasss a whole lot of drama on my facebook, but luckily that's all tapering off now. Good thing, because the brain-near-explosion thing was getting really old. How do political debaters and bloggers do it for a living? It's TAXING on the brain and the soul, I don't think I could handle it for extended periods of time.

In other news, I'm going to San Diego tonight. Random, I know. Leesh and I were chatting online at work like usual, and suddenly we realized WHY NOT go to California? Since we're probably the world's most random people, it of course made perfect sense and now it's a go. So, look forward to a few snapshots from the adventures of Leesh, Chrissy, Aaron, and Andre in the land of sunshine.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

oh dear

MY HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLODE.

THE RESPONSE.

I have been working on putting together some sort of opinion essay, or response rather, to the wrath that has unraveled on my facebook wall, but it has proven much more difficult than expected. Obviously the use of "wrath" is a bit melodramatic, but it really has gotten out of control. Beyond the 20+ comments over the past week or so, I've also started receiving messages of curiosity and requests for explanation over facebook. Who would have thought that such controversy could ensue over a brief statement, which for the record was not even a political stance, about not "being a fan" of something.

After several days of pondering and several different versions of my so-called rant, I am at a loss of what to say. If you have your mind made up about this topic, there is really nothing I can do to change that. Before I go on, please read the letter sent out by the 1st Presidency at http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/california-and-same-sex-marriage Perhaps we can clear up a few misconceptions right from the beginning.

In the issue of politics, it has never been my intention to swing anybody from one stance to the other. I love talking politics and I love getting worked up over it, but rarely- if ever- with the intent of persuasion. If someone has done their research and has some solid arguments, I have never attempted to discredit their opinions. Particularly if I can sense they have a particular passion over it. It is for this reason that I take particular offense to some of the statements that have been thrown around based on Proposition 8- my wall being one particular venue as of late.

I am a human rights activist. No matter whom it is or what they believe, I believe in equal rights for ALL, particularly where no harm to others is involved. Right now, gay people in America don't have those equal rights. You can criticize their lifestyles all you want, you can hold up the religion flag and claim it as a sin all you want, but the point is, they are PEOPLE , they are doing no harm to anyone else, and they deserve the same rights and opportunities as any other person in this country. This country was founded on a group of people seeking to escape religious persecution, yet here we are trying to change the very foundation that many worked so hard to defend.

I have nothing against gay marriage. If two men or two women want to get married, so be it. It does not affect me personally and it's not going to affect MY marriage personally. As for Proposition 8, luckily I don't live in California anymore and I will not have to make the vote myself. In my heart, I am against it (aka "not a fan") and I see it inherently wrong and faulty. Furthermore, the so-called "evidence" to back it up is a construed arrangement of lies and fallacies. Nobody will have to learn about gay marriage in school, the Church will NOT lose its non-profit status, and temple sealers will NOT lose their licenses. I recommend all members of the pro-8 side read this document before writing the comments that are sure to follow this entry.http://connellodonovan.com/thurston_response.pdf I do not mind a bit if you disagree or comment, but I will mind if you use rumors and lies to back your argument. Regardless of reasons or spiritual levels or what anyone tries to say is right and wrong, I cannot say I am for Prop 8 and still feel like I'm being true to myself. The church's involvement in this issue makes me extremely uncomfortable, and I wish more than anything that they would have stayed out of it.

Sometimes "the prophet said so" is not quite good enough evidence in political realms. It might be for you, and that is great. However, when you make arguments in any sort of public venue, a religious rant just isn't going to cut it. If your goal is to truly deny gay people from ever getting married, you're going to need to find a few more reasons to convince the rest of the country. Because religion aside, I have yet to find one.

According to the last reports I saw, members of the Church had already spent OVER 10 MILLION DOLLARS toward the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign. To me this number is alarming and sad. It appears that this sudden explosion of support is simply an excuse for people to push their own anti-gay sentiments and feel more validated in their opinion. Now people can't knock you and say you don't believe in equal rights for everyone, because you have the church to stand behind as an excuse. For clarification, if you truly are standing behind this point of view strictly because you are trying to be a God-fearing person who accepts the Prophet's counsel, I have nothing against you. I will never judge someone who is simply trying to "follow the Prophet." From my discussions and inquiries, this rarely seems to be the case. Also, keep in mind all the other things the Prophets have taught, such as showing charity and love for your fellow men. That one seems to get cast aside quite often in discussions I hear regarding the gay community.

There have been many cases in the past when the Prophet has asked people to donate their time and their means to helping on a variety of different causes. In every General Conference session we are taught about Fast Offerings and Missionary Funds and Humanitarian Funds and the Perpetual Education Fund. All of these are great charitable causes put to good use. So where does an additional 10 million suddenly come from? I feel like the "official Church stance" has just become a wall of defense for the anti-gay rights team to hide behind; a sudden excuse to pour millions of dollars and millions of hours into "taking a stand" against gay people.

I also find it interesting that these claims on the definition of marriage are coming from Mormons. Did we not have our own battles about different "definitions" of marriage, a mere 150 years ago? Sure polygamy was technically "between a man and a woman", but it was still seen as weird and twisted by most of the American population. I'm sure those of you with long lines of LDS history in your family trees have heard stories of oppression and hardship because the rest of the country didn't understand WHY it was that the Saints took on this lifestyle. Why is it alright to bash on another group's "alternate lifestyle"? Because polygamy was called by God and homosexuality wasn't? Laws in America should not be based on whose side was called by God and whose wasn't. Separation of church and state is there for a reason.

I have many gay friends and even gay family members. They are very dear to me, and are some of the BEST people I have ever met. Where charity and love for people is concerned, I would hold them up against the Mormons I know any day. They want to be happy, they want to be part of committed relationships, and they want to be guaranteed the same rights in those relationships that the rest of us already have opportunity for. It's not about "destroying the sanctity of marriage" (cuz let's be honest... at a 50%+ divorce rate, we've pretty much lost it already), but making sure that all people have the same types of rights to the ones they love. Without the right to marry, presently those rights simply do not exist. In my search for more information and others opinions while I've been trying to make sense of all this, I have received several emails from some of these good friends, and I decided to share a couple.

"Denying people who love each other the right to get married does not question the sanctity of marriage. It enforces the values of marriage. Commitment, love, and happiness, a right everyone should be able to enjoy which should be guaranteed to anyone no matter what your sexual orientation, or gender. Also as an American in this country, it is not fair to deny me my rights as a human to marry the person I love because of religious practice that is ingrained into this society. There really is no valid reason why I am being denied my freedom." – Aaron

"If I want to join into a union with someone I love, I want to have the same rights under the law that a straight couple has. It's about the RIGHTS not about what they call it, or the religious aspects. For the gay couple who have been together for 50 years only to not be allowed to visit each other in the hospital or who have to PROVE something to jump in the back of the ambulance with their loved one... THATS what it's about for me." –Josh

“I think that our country was formed to give our citizens freedom, and so I wouldn't vote for anything that diminishes that.” –Carol

“"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" -Jeff

“As a person, gay or straight notwithstanding, I am expected to work or contribute in some way to society, pay bills, vote, etc so why shouldn't I be afforded the same rights along with the same responsibilities as everyone else? Proposition 8 just breaks my heart and frustrates the hell out of me because I don't see a lot of logic in it, just discrimination and hatred.” -Adam

Now, tell me how I am supposed to look into the eyes of these people who I care about and tell them that I would vote against their ability to share in the same rights as I will someday have the opportunity to enjoy? I look forward to spending my life with the one I love, and they only do the same.

To Prop 8 fanatics: It's so easy to talk big game about the sin of homosexuality and how the destruction of the world is surely near if they keep getting all these rights and how we should drop everything to devote all we have to making sure they never have the right to marry. Do you really know these people? Have you ever been faced with the decision of choosing your religion (since that's what everyone is telling you it comes down to) and telling your own family and friends that your religion, which you value so deeply, is commanding you to take a stand AGAINST them? Maybe your stance would still be for Proposition 8 from a purely religious standpoint, and I respect that. But perhaps you would approach it from a different angle. Perhaps support it in a bit of sorrow, rather than so much gloating.

VEGASSSSS

Just wanted to give a quick update while I have the internet for a few minutes. I'm currently in Las Vegas for work (that's right, how grown up does THAT sound?!?) but I'll be back on Wednesday. At the top of the priority list upon my return include:

1) mass retalliation regarding Proposition 8 drama that has been building up on my facebook while ive been away. i just caught sight of the bulk of the drama this evening, and i am OVERFLOWING with response. im giving myself a few days to think it over so i dont say anything rash, although no promises to how calm the end product will actually come across.

2) go get a Gold's Gym pass. i have just been informed its only $9 a month for Orange Soda employees. heck yessssssss

3) plan my nextttt trip to vegas

Yeah, I guess that's pretty much it. I thought the list would be longer, but I guess my life is pretty easy these days. Anyways, just wanted you to know I am alive, and also send out a minor press release that MY LIFE IS AWESOME. Seriously, you should be jealous of me.

one of those boring political ones THAT YOU SHOULD READ

It's official, my new job is rad.

Sadly, I missed Sushi tonight. This makes 2 weeks in a row, and I dont know how much longer my body will hold up without it. I missed Taco Tuesday anddd Sushi Thursday. What is this world coming to?

Caught the last half of the VP Debate tonight. Goodness I love politics. Not much makes me happier than a classic debate with real facts and tactful class. Props to Biden and Palin for displaying both. I was impressed by both of them (although I'm not going to lie... I'm mega crushin on Biden about now.) Some of you may have noticed that my Obama obsessions have toned down a little bit in recent posts. Let me explain. This does not mean in any way that my love for Obama has diminished. In fact, Biden's showing tonight really just made me like their ticket even more. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll even be going to Colorado to help with some campaigning. So, why less blogging and less obsessing over the big D's then?

Let's face it, I was a bit obsessed. The only problem with being obsessed with something is that... you're obsessed with it. It's harder to see and accept outside opinions and it's harder to find faults in the things you believe in. I'm all about being open minded, and being a fanatical Democrat doesn't help anything or anyone, not even me. I don't want people to ever think I support particular candidates just because I am a registered Democrat or that I'm too intense one way or the other to respect another opinion.

The fact of the matter is that I just generally tend to sway more liberal in most respects. It's truly difficult for me to think from other sides because I believe what I believe so strongly. I dont know if that's making any sense at all or if I'm able to portray what I'm wanting to. Basically I'm just saying that because I'm so opinionated and passionate about some issues it's really hard for me to think any other way. BUT I realize this is a major fault so I'm trying to correct it. I want to always be open to alllll ways of thinking, and respect everyone for how they think, even if it's completely opposite of what I believe. SO, even though I truly LOVE and fully support the Obama-Biden ticket, I also fully respect John McCain and Sarah Palin and all of their political efforts. Sure, I don't like their policies, Palin drives me nuts, and I don't like listening to McCain for longer than 5 minutes at a time, BUT- I still fully respect them and know they just want what they think is best for America, just like every other good politician.

So, cheers to me for trying to be less psycho. Weekly political rant, complete.

PS: If my back screen door creaks open and shut one more freakin time I'm going to pee my pants. WHY IS MY HOUSE SO CREEPY?!?

PPS: Kristen AND Afton AND Janessa are alllllll going to be in town this weekend. WOOT WOOT.

PPPS: I'm getting my car tomorrow (YAY), but I'm still in search of a good bike. Mine was stolen by the University Villa devil crew this summer, and I'm needin a replacement. Any leads?

looking upppppppp

OK, major apologies for the last post. I was obviously not very happy, and unfortunately took it out on the poor keyboard. I felt used, abused, and mostly poor. And feeling poor is probably one of the worst feelings everrrrr.

But in a fantastic turn of events.........I GOT A JOB.

Like a real one. The type where you go every day, they pay you the same amount every month (so you can actually budget- sweeeeet), you get a few paid weeks off, and you get a business card (ok, no guarantees on that one, but i'm keeping my fingers crossed). I'll be working as a Marketing Events Coordinator at Orange Soda, an online marketing company in American Fork. I have been super impressed by the company, and my job description sounds fantastic. I feel like it's the type of company that actually cares about their employees (crazy concept, i know) so that will be a great change. I can't wait to get started-- I really don't think it's possible to express how completely HAPPPPPPPPPY I am about it. Who would have thought that such a frustrating week could end so well? YAYYYYYYYY.

danger zone. you have been warned.

Screw trying to be positive. I don't remember being this deeply frustrated for a long time, and I need some sort of venting mechanism. I tried punching a wall, but it turns out that hurts REAL bad. So since this is my blog, you'll just have to deal with it. Prepare for some serious capital letters and a fair share of curses.

WHAT KIND OF DUMBASS COMPANY PULLS THIS KIND OF STINT?!?! This morning, after 2 weeks of continal promises that we'll "be back to work tomorrow", work was cancelled AGAIN. I woke up with complete optimism and walked myself across town, only to find an EMPTY office. Surprise, surprise.

Of course I was pissssssssed all over again, but the magic of the day had just barely begun. Finally I get a call that the company has another call center doing collections and I could come work there until our calls were up and running. Great news, right?! Yeah, until I found out that THEY WERE OPEN ALL ALONG and they could have had me come to this office for the past freaking 2 weeks. A different department, of course, but at least it's a freakin JOB. And then on top of that, the employees were all sworn to secrecy about their pay because they knew that once we found out how much these freakin idiots were making, we'd be pissed and want to leave the Sales department.

WELL DUH. But feeling lied to and taken advantage of makes me want to leave so much less. So they kept this whole call center a secret and instead kept us unemployed, all in fear we'd experience the land of great commissions and never return. SELFISH BASTARDS.

TWO AND A HALF YEARS with this damn company. Ive driven across the entire country TWICE for them, I've worked as an admin and a summer sales rep and their TOP SALES REP for all the time inbetween. And then they go and open a whole new division with higher commissions and DONT FREAKIN TELL ME ABOUT IT, just because they're too selfish to give up an employee or two that actually makes them some money.

Maybe they could work on making the sales center NOT SUCK and actually train their employees so they all can become good salespeople so they dont have to cling to the competent ones. Maybe they could hire good managers who actually know what the hell they are doing. Maybe they could stop buying so many freakin Hummers and fatty houses and trickle a little of that money down the line to their dedicated employees. Maybe they could ASK their employees for input so they dont implement stupid pitches and policies that DONT WORK and just lose them money and waste them time.

But that would just be too difficult and too smart, wouldn't it.

Moral of the story: DO NOT EVER WORK FOR INFINITI CORP.

for the love of lists

Rather than use my blog as a source for venting, which is what I reallllly feel like doing right now, I have decided to enlist the power of THE SECRET in my life and focus on the positive for a little while. So, here's a list of a few things that make me happppppppy. 

I LOVE...

my new house

thinking about Uganda

my roommates (and friends)

my sister

Dish Network. and selling it.

knowing what it's like to have an overabundance of free time

being productive

running

air conditioning

my new car! (which i have yet to view in person)

shows

pictures. taking, looking.

Macs. i rarely admit this.

chocolate

Africa reunions

frozen yogurt

the internet

sushi

the Ellen show

adventures

the hunt resumes

This is my 4th day off in a row..... AND I'M NOT VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT.

It's really frustrating when a company you have been working for for over 2 years can just screw you over whenever they feel like it. Not only does this make the whole money sitch just that much worse, I really am out of ideas on what to do with all this free time.

When I was going to school, this much time off would have been a major blessing. I would have killed for a few extra hours to just relax or actually study or go visit a friend or even just clean my room. But, now that my life consists only of work, I'm left without much to do when it is taken away from me. So, here I am on campus (cuz that's what cool college grads do, obviously) job searching away in the computer lab. I need a second job, or a replacement job, or maybe even a REAL job to occupy more of my time. Free time kills me.

On a more optimistic note, this weekend was great. Joshua James concert, dance party, HELP reunion, playing with Alyssa and Thad, my new ward, hanging with Leesh, and a dessert party. Looking back I guess it was pretty jam packed... all the things I like best about Provo in one lovely weekend. As an update, I'm loving the new house and my new roommates-- it seems to have been a fantastic pick.

OH and it rained this morning and felt so Seattle-ish I was tempted to run away to the northwest and never return. As much as I lovvve summer, I'm getting a little excited to pull out the sweater box. BRING ON THE FALL.

Why is Thad so cute? This boy kills me.

food for thought

The first step — especially for young people with energy and drive and talent, but not money — the first step to controlling your world is to control your culture. To model and demonstrate the kind of world you demand to live in. To write the books. Make the music. Shoot the films. Paint the art. -Chuck Palahniuk

zeeee hairrrrrr

Asked for a trim, got a chop. Surprisingly falling in love with it rather rapidly.....

(but don't worry lengthy locks, you will return. and this time i'll take much better care of you so i never have to chop off all your nasty dead ends again...)

340 N 200 E

Announcement: Chrissy is no longer homeless!!!!!!!!!!

Andddd I'm officially staying in Provo. Finding a house around here is a major pain (especially when you wait until the middle of September), but I finally found a winner. I'll be the first to admit that the inside is a bit ghetto ... But, since my life is pretty ghetto as a whole right now, I probably won't notice.

They're finishing the new paint and carpet on the inside this week, so I get to move in on SATURDAY. As fun as it's been living on Leesh's couch (thank you dearly, sister dear), it's time to give her and her poor roommates their living room back.

Also, one of the main amenities of the house includes a larggggge paved parking lot in the back. Since getting a car is still in the works, it is useless to me OTHERRRRR than the fact that it is a PERFECT PARTY VENUE. If only last year's house + this year's back yard could be combined... Someday I will design such a house for myself. Anyways, this is just a heads up that as long as my roommates are cool, 340 N 200 E will be hosting a few lil shindigs this year.

But until that fact is verified, I'll just be unpacking and settling in. Visitors are always welcome. Last but not least, a special thanks to everyone that has offered me their couch during this lovely transition period. You're all the bestttttttttt.

recooperation and rentals

I've kind of been in a funk since I got home, and only barely starting to emerge from it. I haven't felt like myself at allll, and have just felt tired and boring and lame (and extremely sick) all the time. I think a lot of it was due to jetlag, combined with a minor case of malnutrition obtained in Uganda. Now as I slowly get my schedule back on track, eat a better diet (actually including protein now... its amazing), and get back into a routine, I've been feeling MUCH better. I'm still going to the Doctor tomorrow, just for a routine make-sure-I-didn't-acquire-any-fatal-diseases checkup, but I'm pretty sure he's gonna tell me more of the same... get plenty of rest and make sure you eat a well balanced diet. Boring. Also, if there's some equivalent to post-tramautic stress disorder that's related to 'post-coolest-trip-of-your-life' disorder, I probably have that too. I miss Africa!

As the jet lag diminishes, my bleak view of life brightens, and I'm beginning to remember how great my life really is. I'm car, house, and job hunting... which it turns out I'm not very good at. I can do one at a time pretty well, but all three together just boggles my brain and I don't feel like I'm very productive. It probably doesn't help that I'm still unsure if I should be in Provo or not, so I find it hard to commit to a contract. I've been praying like crazy about it, but the heavens haven't seemed to open with a direct answer yet, so I guess we'll see. I tend to get answers with slam in your face NOs, or the path is cleared YESs. Sooo I guess I better just do what I think is best, and I'll get a face slam if I'm wrong. It's been a while since I was on the ask-God-first track, so I'm off in unfamiliar territories right now. I like it though, I feel a lot safer in my decision making.

That's pretty much it for now, but I'll be better about posting more, I promise!

Homeward Bound

So, I'm officially home and back to Provo. Hopefully you have been keeping track of me at my other blog while I've been in Africa. If not- don't worry I'm still alive. I got home Wednesday night, tried to get over jet lag on Thursday, and then started work on Friday. After work Leesh, Aaron, and I decided to hop in Leesh's new car and head home for the weekend. I forget how much I LOVE roadtrips. At about 2am Aaron handed the wheel over to me, and Leesh and I drove and partied for the rest of the night while he slept in the back.

The following is evidence of what happens when you have severe jetlag, have just stayed up all night (for the 3rd time this week), and then induce a SEVERE caffeine overdose upon yourself. Bad news.

We drove straight to my Dad's house and hung out with him for a few hours, which was lots of fun. He and Adam made us breakfast and I got to meet Adam and check out their apartment for the first time. A+ to both first encouters. I'm glad that both p-rents live in the same state again.. makes dual visiting much easier.

Next step... SILVERWOOD on no sleep. Wouldn't really recommend it, but we still had a blast! I forget how amazing that place is. It's like a mini Disneyland swarming with Pacific Northwest white trash. If you ever feel the need to see an abundance of mullets, jedi braids at record lengths, and underclothed overweight people, Silverwood is definitely the place to go. It was fun to just have a full day hanging out with the whole family and all the long lines gave us an abundance of chill time. Unfortunatly by the time we went out for dinner afterwards my brain was the equivalent of fried eggs. Others compared it to watching someone come down off a heroine high... call it as you wish. The point is I fell asleep on the Applebee's table and others had to translate my order for the waitress. Again, bad news.

Sunday was our family's SIX YEAR ANNIVERSARY. Go us.

Now I'm back to Provo in pursuit of a house, a car, and a real job. Leads in any area would be much appreciated. Really that's all the update I have at this moment, but I'm sure I'll be back with more soon.

And if you ever want to make me REALLLLLY happy, deprive me of caesar salad for 7 weeks and then provide me with a giant plate of it, free of charge. It will always make me smile THIS BIG.

Tribute to Summer, Part 1

Thanks to my lovvvvvers for a fabulous summer.

This blog gets a breather for the next 2 months, so in the meantime, find me HERE.

xoxo.... see ya soon!

you so white..

Work is getting prettttttttty boring lately, so Aaron decided to liven it up a bit by writing his own joke book. Although I can't promise him true joke book author status, I did tell him I'd include them in my blog instead.

The latest:


"Girl you so white if you fell from a building and splattered on the ground folks would think you were bird poop"

"You so white when black people see you comin they run cuz they think it's the KKK"

"You so white little kids come up and ask if they can sign your body cast"


Yeahhh like I said. Work is pretttttty boring lately...

sweet, sweet domesticity

My last entry was supposed to be a pity-post that I left up until everybody felt bad and commented the heck out of it................ but I have no patience and I have to do a new one. With Annalicia and Aaron being gone, it's left me with quite the plethora of free time (oh yes, i mean plethora).

I miss them like crazy, but I've tried to pass the time quickly by being productive and getting as much done as possible. I finally went running a few times over the last few days, the house is spotless, I'm completely packed (I realize I don't leave for 9 days, but the excitement is killin me!), yesterday I went to the Farmer's Market, and I even went and layed by the pool and swam for a while.

So now it's Sunday, and I was trying to figure out what to do with my last 10 hours of seclusion. (Wait, go to church, you say? At my (much hated) ward? Alone? As if...) So I decided to put Annalicia's sewing machine to the test.

My dear, dear parents have provided me with a new camera for the trip (which is on it's way south with Leesh right now!) and I decided I needed to figure out how to protect it well. I'm notorious for losing, breaking, and dropping all things electronic, particularly my string of cameras in the past few years. One of my new goals is to take better care of my stuff, so I went to work at the ultra-mega protectant camera case. Unfortunately the sewing machine busted within the first 5 minutes (easy fix, I'm sure, but I was too groggy and confused this morning to mess with it) so I just went to work with the needle and thread. What was I gonna do with the rest of the day anyways???

All in all, it's been a fun morning, and I'm pretty excited to show it off. Here is the final product:


I'm not the biggest fan of the wriststrap, but I had to make due with my limited supply stash this morning. I think I will work on replacing it this week. But, it is reversible and packed with stuffing on every side, so if (heaven forbid) it DOES drop, hopefully the lining will take some of the heat. It's been a while since I've sewed, and actually I forgot how much I like it. Afton's got nothin on me!!! (just kidding, just kidding. Afton is basically the best sewer ever and I am super envious of her skills. She makes like.... REAL stuff. I hope to someday reach her level of mother-readiness)

I also made a little throw pillow for my upcoming trip. Nothing fancy, but honestly the angle doesn't really do it justice. It's actually pretty cute, I promise. It's nice and simple, and will be easy to tote across the world (literally, as it's going to take 44 hours and 4 layovers to actually GET to my destination).

Well, now that I'm hooked on this new sewing concept and more awake than before, I think I'll go see what I can do about the sewing machine. Turns out it's a LOT faster than hand stitching everything, so I don't think I'm up for another project until it's back in commission.

Am I taking crazy pills here...

Or did everyone just disappear off of the blogging planet?!? I don't know whether it's that people are hiding out and reading without sendin lovins (aka where are my comments???), I've suddenly gotten super boring so nobody bothers checking my page anymore, or if blogging just got lame overnight and I didn't even know it.

What is going on here?

Warning: I am a creepster

SPECIAL SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: I WORK WITH THE BYU QUARTERBACK. anddddd several players (although im not sure their names yet).

So the truth is, I don't deeply care about BYU Football, and haven't watched a game in like 2 years. I haven't even talked to him yet (despite the fact he sits only 2 cubicles down). BUT, it just seems like one of those things you can brag about. Maybe not as cool as meeting Angelina Jolie's nanny or marrying a prophet's Grandkid or something.....

But helllllllllllllllllo here. I WORK WITH MAX HALL.

(if he walks by while im writing this post, and sees HIS OWN PICTURE on my screen, i will be the most embarrassed person ever. how do you explain a situation like that? at least it's not a covert operation picture i snuck OF HIM with a cell phone or something... is google-image stalking less invasive than cell-phone sneaks? new survey question.)

Yupp. That's him on the left. BOO-YAH. Beat that.

the bestest in the westest

Yesterday was an awesome day. Easily one of the best of the entire summer. For starters, my morning boss is out of town for the week, so work is nice and stress-free. Then after being at I-Satellite for about 5 minutes.... they sent us all home. WOO HOOO!!! Free day without even having to feel guilty about it. So, to celebrate the wonderful HOTTT weather we have been having, we decided to head down to the lake (yes, Utah Lake, despite rumors of it being unbearably disgusting. turns out it's not so bad). We blew up one of Aaron's rafts, the 3 of us jumped on (yeah, remember how i have no other friends? of COURSE it was leesh and aaron), and rowed on out. Basically we layed on the raft and fried and swam and fried and layed out some more. It felt so good to get to play in the water!!! After 2 months straight of being cooped up in office buildings, it was nice to get some real sun. We're all a bit burnt today, but within a few days it will be a nice, golden tan, I'm sure...

After revamping at the house for a while, we decided to trade in our swim suits for hiking shoes, and head up to the mountains!!! When you get an unexpected day off, you have to take advantage of the rare freedom while you have it. So we picked this random turnoff up Provo Canyon that Aaron has always been curious about, and went exploring. Turns out there was a really cool trail going straight up a little cut out of the canyon, and straight up a stream bed. It was so gorgeous!!! The sun was setting, so the weather was perfect, and parts of the trail were actually in the stream so we got to cool off along the way. When we got back to the bottom, we just walked around the roadside and felt the wind and stared at the huge mountains.

yeahhh on the way back down i slipped and slid down this section of the stream on my butt. sweet.
i dont have any pix of the lake portion of the day, but im pretty sure leesh's bronzed body is evidence enough.

so maybe utah is pretty cool after all...

check out my chacos.... shipped, delivered, adored, tested, APPROVED.

All in all, FANTASTIC DAY!!!

if i were Catholic, this is what i'd confess:

#1: I wanted to sue them. About 2 weeks ago I opened my little oatmeal packet to a lovely surprise... a huge infestation of bugs and larvae!!!! It was truly the grossest thing of my whole life. What if I had been oblivious as usual and just cooked them up and ate the whole thing??? Eughhh. *note: It was NOT Costco Organic with the bugs in them. It was an brand I will not mention here (cough... quaker...cough...) that I will no longer be eating for a while. My parents say this phenomenon of random bug appearances is normal. I say, I am NOT in Africa yet, and therefore will not tolerate bugs in my food!

#2: I bought a pair of designer jeans. Annalicia made me. But now that I have them, they were worth every penny (yup, all 10,000 of them). Citizens are officially my new favorite denims. And I wear them (almost) every day.

#3: I slept all the way there.

Leesh and I went home for Jacque and Erik's graduation (see facebook for more pictures...), and I literally slept the entire way there. In the car on the way to the airport, on the plane (thank you leesh for your lovely shoulder... and lap), and then again all the way from Seattle to Kennewick. Going home makes me miss my family, and miss us all being together all the time. Sometimes I wish we were all back in the California house just runnin around in the back yard with squirt guns, or cruisin for pajama rides in the Suburban. Growing up is weird.

#4: When my neice was born, I thought she was odd looking. But now she is adorable, so it's ok, right?

#5: I like hosting/attending/watching big parties. I just get this weird high from inviting lots of people over and then being surrounded by all of them. At this particular party (Jac and E-rock's grad party) I knew nobody but family, but just loved walking around and watching everybody. I'm such a stalker.

#6: Large crowds rejuvinate me.

I'd been feelin a bit down-and-out lately, but couldn't quite put my finger on whyyy. We decided to go to Orem SummerFest last weekend, and it was perfect. Being surrounded by thousands of strangers was just what I needed to perk up. There's just something about brushing arms with people you've never met, smiling at babies, and eating nasty fair-food that gets the endorphins pumpin.

#7: Thad is the cutest. And I am going to be a good Jesus-Mommy. I would consider staying in Provo a bit longer in the Fall just to see him every day. I think having him around will fulfill any baby-wanting urge I get over the next few years (not cuz he makes me not want to have a baby, but because having a Jesus-baby makes you forget you don't actually have one). *Note: I currently have no baby-wanting urges within my soul. The only reason I mention this is cuz I hear those start to surface around age 21 or 22. Is this a viscious rumor?

#8: Sometimes I actually think it's funny that he can nevvvvver keep a straight face for photographs. A normal smile? He truly just can't do it.

#9: I'm going to miss my sister bunches and bunches when I leave. In a mere 18 days. And wish her luck. On her Californian adventures.

#10: I am a peacock.

the end.

Ebay Madness

I know that none of this display-of-what-I-bought stuff is interesting to anyone else but probably me... but I'm just so excited about this new addiction that I can't help but show off the goods. So, I've never had an Mp3 player before- no Ipod, no generic version, no Zune, nothing. They've always seemed overpriced, and frankly a bit unnecessary. I never wanted to be one of them walking around with headphones comin out of my head all the time (no offense to those of you who tote around the ipods. really i'm just jealous). Sometimes I like to just celebrate the silence, ya know??

BUT I finally got curious, broke down and searched them out on ebay... which inevitably lead me to an entertaining full scale bid war with some stranger in cyber-space. And the good news is... I WON!!! I figured I'm going to want one for the mega trip to Uganda (umm yeahhh 40 hours in planes and airports. sweet), and it will also be handy to store up pictures and videos. I ended up getting a 30 gig Zune, sleek black, barely used, and coming my way in a short 3 days...

Oh, and thanks to Zune's new unlimited pass options, I'll be able to enjoy ALLLLLLL the music I want (as in any song, any time), at a mere $15 a month. Yay.

eager beaver

Hmm lucky pair #2. Retail: $105 Ebay: $36. Go team.

I almost felt stupid about the accidental 2nd pair.... but then realized that I can't exactly wear the SAME pair of sandals every day for 7 weeks, right?!? So really I just saved my feet and a whole lot of cash, because I got BOTH pairs for less than the price of just one. (yes, as we all know I am an expert justifier. let me be.)

Now let's just pray that they both fit...

the new frontier

I just made my very first Ebay purchase!!!! I have to put my Reef flips aside for a few weeks while I'm in Uganda (because they aren't the safest for Nile rafting and jungle hiking..) UT I need a pair of Teva's and/or Chaco's, which current volunteers say they wear alllllll the time. SO I dove into the online world, and got myself a pair of shiny Teva's.

Retail: $80. My price: $16

I can see how this could become a major addiction..........

(Side note: I also bid on a pair of ridiculously underpriced Chaco's right before, thinking I'd quickly be outdone, and then found these Teva's anyways. Few hours later, and I'm still the highest bidder. 2 more hours, and I might just have myself a pair of Chaco's as well. OOPS. But cut me a little slack, I'm still new at this thing....)

the grand top ten

Latest on the homefront

-Our new apartment is rad, despite the perpetual pile of cereal bowls in the kitchen sink

-Leesh and I live by ourselves (with no narker rooommates) and each have our own rooms... although we end up sleeping together the majority of the time

-We never see Aaron, and he never stays over (that's a lie... he's like our other half. if 3 halves can make a whole...)

-Work is the same. As in I literally do the exact same thing. All day long. Every day. And then talk about DVR's and HBO in my sleep. It's frightening.

-I leave for Africa in less than 5 weeks.

-Leesh and I are going home for Erik and Jacque's graduation this weekend. We leave THURSDAY MORNING!!!!!!!!! Oh how I miss my little hoodlums.

-The above statement is most exciting for the fact that I haven't been outside of Utah since school started in January. That's pathetic. I need OUT.

-Our new ward is intensely friendly. Also slightly judgmental. Weirdo combo, I know.

-Lately Leesh, Aaron, and I fall into these deep intellectual/spiritual/metaphysical conversations on a regular basis and it gets the brain wheels turnin. It's definitely a change from my normal shallow thinking of the past few months, but I like it.

-Obama officially has the Democratic nomination (well you know.. unofficially officially). HELL YEAH.

AFRICA BOUND

OFFICIALLY BOOKED.

I'm more excited than these Ugandan dancers themselves.

Departure: Tuesday July 8th 12:50pm from SLC

Land: Thursday July 10th 2:30pm in Entebbe, UGANDA

with stops in: Houston, United Arab Emirates (guess who's roamin the streets of Dubai for 12 hours?!?!), and Ethiopia.

My life is basically amazing.

Staying a grand total of 7 weeks, so I will return to grand ole America on Wed Aug 27th.

All further Africa-related updates can be found on my other blog, found here. And tomorrow I will make a real update, which may or may not be a cool one. For now I'm going to clock out, and celebrate.

the legend of the laceration

One lovely Friday evening, three friends decided they would go to the Hot Springs up the canyon. It had been a long and busy week, so lounging around in scorching water seemed like a wonderful idea (ok, in all honesty Chrissy realllly didnt want to go because she was struggling with stomach-ache-of-death, but she quickly caved after seeing the excitement on Annalicia and Aaron's faces) ***note, in saying I didnt want to go, I am in NO WAY shifting blame for the remainder of the evening onto any of the other party members.

So they hopped in the truck and drove on up to the Hot Springs in Midway. The picture below is not technically the ones we were at, but is merely a mile away. Therefore, the setting and visual are fairly accurate. They were having a wonderful time....... until terrible tragedy struck!!! Aaron stepped onto a jagged stick and cut his foot open!!! At first we thought it was merely a scrape, so Annalicia and Chrissy slowly made their way out of the water. By the time they emerged, they realized this was serious business. Not only was Aaron's face pale and voice panicked, but there was blood everywhere!!! So we jumped into the truck, and drove to the hospital. Unfortunately Chrissy barely knew how to drive stick, Annalicia had no idea where we were, and Aaron was slipping in and out of consciousness. All in all, NOT the best combination! But have no fear, the lovely 911 operators were very helpful, and Chrissy miraculously drove the truck to the hospital (in record speed) without stalling even once.

They sat around in the hospital for a while... and were all pretty proud to be sportin their scantily clad swimming get-ups. Hmmm nothin like hangin out in the emergency room in your swimsuit! Classy, eh?

What they thought would be a late night in the ER for a few stitches, quickly turned into a whole weekend (slash summer) affair. Apparently that stick was a mean one! It cut a 5 inch gash in the bottom of his foot, and through 90% of his big toe tendon. So the doctors sent them home for the night and scheduled Aaron for surgery at noon on Saturday.

As you can see, Aaron was well taken care of during his time at Utah Valley Medical Center, Room 488. (Sarah and Chrissy actually performed the surgery. If he limps for the rest of his life, it is NOT their fault...)

When Aaron is high, he has a weird fascination with ice. Not only does he like eating it, but also throwing it. Chrissy recieved a few ice chunks to the face, followed by Aaron laughing like a mad man.
All in all, it was a longggggg day at the hospital, and a pretty crazy 24 hours. They finished off the event with goodies from Applebee's, and a new set of crutches for Aaron.

And THAT is the legend of the laceration.