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.