Here's to Obsessions

My sister seems to get a kick out of me pointing out my flaws like this.
Here is part two.

One.  I sit at the kitchen table with my legs propped up and my laptop open to the latest show I'm watching while doing nothing else all day.  The most recent ones have been The Walking Dead, Parks and Recreation, Arrow, Suits, and the Blacklist and I won't stop until the show is finished.  The five seasons of Parks probably took me a week and the three and a half seasons of Suits were complete in a few days.

Two.  I like to read a lot.  When I do, I focus on my book and ignore all sounds around me; I don't hear people speaking even if they are right next to me.  I tend to stay in the same spot all day and when Ashlee comes home she says, "You're right where I left you."  When I purchase books either in the same series or even if it's by the same author, they need to look the same. I will now fill my own shopping cart for birthdays and Christmases so I have them look how I want.

Three.  When I find a song I enjoy, I put it on repeat and listen to it over and over until I get sick of it (and that can take a very long time). Sometimes I am referred to as the lyric police because I know a lot of lyrics to songs, only because I listen to them so much. 

Four.  After Kelsie got married I got all the leftover flowers and put them in my room. I was literally surrounded by flowers and the smell was so strong. On my bedroom wall most of the prints are of flowers and if I was wealthy I would by fresh flowers every day.  If anyone gets me flowers I will love them forever. 

Five. I have what you would probably call an immature food palate. I love cafeteria food, fast food, and food you get in the freezer section like hot pockets or Totino's pizza. I enjoy fake cheese like velveeta or easy cheese or whatever is in the cheese dogs (I used to sneak into the kitchen and eat those hot dogs cold). When my cousin Austin and I were younger we made ramen a lot and would put ice cubes in it to cool it down. Low quality food is the best!

A Day of Not Choosing

I am officially nineteen now and I don't feel a year older.  I like my birthday, but at the same time it's usually a day where people ask what I want to do and I hate making decisions.  However, my family is incredibly thoughtful and listened to me when I told them I wanted them to choose everything. They surprised me with lunch that included an Olive Garden salad, mini corn dogs, and bagel bites.  I was planning on going to work that afternoon but thanks to their influence, I took a sick day.  We played games and had a lot of fun.  For dinner we got Wienerschnitzel and Farrs and ended the night by watching Thor 2.  I love my family so much and they made it a great day.  And if you can't tell, I love the best kind of food out there.

As for the bags under my eyes that my glasses only magnify, don't judge.
I've just been up late watching the Walking Dead.

No big deal.

College

I have discovered that I can talk myself out of things quite well.  I first noticed it when I started my Spring semester at school with Accounting classes.  People suggested Accounting and it sounded good so I set my major, planned a schedule to go around accounting, and after a few weeks I decided I did not like it.  I started going less and less, and it definitely did not help that my Accounting class was my only class of the day.  As for my other classes, I started going fewer times to those too.  Most don't take attendance, post notes online, and all the homework is done online too.

I would wake up on time only to think about if I really needed to go to school or not.  Sometimes I would take a shower in the morning and by the time I got out, my mind would be made up to stay home.  Other times I was really planning to go and then as time went on I slowly began to realize that I wouldn't be missing anything by not going.  Sometimes before I even went to bed the night before my mind would be made up.  My mother thinks I am failing school and I am going to drop out.  But I have never been the type of person to get bad grades because I won't let myself.  So even though I don't seem like the best student because I often miss class, I am doing just fine.  I just cannot wait until next semester when I'll have better classes.

Photos via tumblr.

Hey there, Kels

 

I love Kelsie a lot.  We always knew which towel was ours even if they were the same color or if we were to switch spots.  She was the shades of gray girl and I was the bohemian princess.  Our idea of having fun on the weekend was sitting in mom and dad's room watching a movie.  We loved finding new music and if we fought, we knew we just needed time and we would be good again.  On her wedding day, I was very emotional with lack of sleep and a few other things.  But mostly it was because Kelsie was getting married and there was going to be a lot of change.  So embarrassing.  The videographer thought it would be cool if we did a shot where the sisters were comforting the crying one.   Naturally I started crying all over again and in the pictures, my splotchy red face is looking good.

Flowers

Josh and Kelsie's wedding was this last weekend and I filled my room with leftover flowers.  I keep my door closed so when I push it open, the smell of flowers is strong.  I love going to bed while breathing in the floral scent and having them brighten my room.  If I could, I would buy fresh flowers every day.

"It's just going to be you, me, and dad now."

Unfortunately mom, that is not the case. 
Even though I have told you repeatedly that Paul, Ash, and Jack live downstairs. 
Therefore, it is just going to be "you, me, dad, Ashlee, Paul, and Jack now" since Kelsie is getting married.
I love you dearly mom.
But no matter how many times you say this, it will not become true.

A High Eight

In high school, my friends would gather around the table at lunch to eat and Ali would always ask how our day was, rating it from 1-10.  Most said 7 or 8, whereas I was the negative person who said 4, 5, or even 6 on a good day.  Hopefully I am getting better with my positivity.

Today I am proud to report that I would give it a high eight. 
I was up early for my 7:00am class
Got a really good score on my biology test
Spent a couple of hours finishing up homework before my next class
Found out my class got cancelled and went home early
Changed into shorts and read outside in the sun
Drove with my windows down and music turned up
Things got rearranged at work, but pleased with who is on my team now
Boosted my patriotism by watching Miracle with my fam.

Here's to Laziness

One.  I cannot put my washed sheets back onto my 

bed.  They sit in a pile next to it while I use regular blankets. The 

last time this happened, I was sheetless for a couple of weeks.

Two.  I will not get up in the middle of the
 night to get another blanket if I am cold.  I make myself
suffer throughout the night because I pretend to
believe I will be colder if I get out of bed.

Three.  If I am looking for food to eat, I choose 

the easiest option available.  I omit cheese or other toppings, 

sometimes even resorting to stove top stuffing.

Supervisor

This commercial makes me laugh so hard every time I watch it.  

It must be because of the people I talk with at work.

Customer, "Can I speak with a supervisor?"
Me, "They will tell you the exact same thing I just told you."
Customer, "That's fine. I just need to hear them say it."
Okaaaay….and how is that going to help anyone?

Sometimes I don't understand people :)

Forever Honor

In 2012 I went to EFY in Rexburg, Idaho and it was the best week of that summer.  I went with Mikayla and Melanie and I loved each person in my company.  We called ourselves Forever Honor and we became really close during that week.  My counselors, Julianne and Jesse, were amazing and I learned so much from them and from the rest of the company.

Some highlights:
: Strangely enough, I liked how we had escorts because I got to talk to the boys more and learn more about them.
: Eating together was always so much fun.  There was not a single meal where I was not having fun and laughing.
: I really liked that we had a small company, only 15 girls and 12 boys.
: Playing games with the company for family home evening and free time.
: Personal scripture study for an hour outside.
: We won the cheer and banner contest.
: Pizza night.  Eating, dancing, and talking about the boys.
: The Living Christ lesson with the girls and our counselor, Julianne.
: Variety Show.  Megan and James are going to be famous!
: Testimony Meeting with my company.
: During lunch one day, this theater group did a big Lion King dance that was so cool!
: Two dances, one was outside.

Row 1: Nick, Connor, James, Houston, Josh, Nate, Taylor, Morgan

Row 2: Mckenzie, Brielle, Steven, Quinn, Taylor, Megan, Abby

Row 3: Emily, Jennifer, Kelsie, Sydney, Kelli, Rachel, Larkin, Lydia

Row 4: Nathan, Jeremy, Mikayla, Alyssa.

Melanie, Mikayla, and me

New Year's

Here's to making this year different than the last.  

2013 was good and I hope that 2014 will be even better.   

Primary

I got released from my calling in Primary yesterday.
I've been in it for about five months--first with the five year olds, then with the sunbeams.
Teaching is definitely not what I want to do with my life but I have had a lot of fun with these kids.  Some are loud and can't sit still, some are quiet and listen to what you say.
Most of my favorite times with the sunbeams are when the teachers sit around the table with the kids while they eat and we talk and listen to them.  You can hear all the games they make up while they play with their food and some things just do not make sense and all you can do is laugh.
They are adorable and so sweet.

Happy Six Months and a Day

I started working here in the summer, and to be honest, I disliked it at the beginning after training was over.  I didn't really know what I was doing, it was stressful, and I couldn't wait to get a new job.

Gratefully things have changed.  I love the people I work with and the employees are treated well.  I am a lot more confident in my job, and it is a call center so of course there are negative parts about it.  But then you get to speak with some really nice people who make you realize that what you do actually matters.  I really enjoy working here and it has been a good six months and a day.

My first try at a french braid

I was in Bear Lake with the fam and I decided that I would try to french braid my hair.  

I'd never done it before, and I obviously wasn't too good at it...

...but good thing I am much better at it now!

The Second Snowfall

Being cold is much better than being hot.  And I love the snow.  It is so pretty and makes the sunlight coming into my house even brighter.  

I'm currently working on an "All About Me" book for a Personal Progress project.  I have to make a list of 100 things that make me happy, 100 things that drive me crazy, and 100 things I'd like to do in my life.  There are other questions in it too, but these are the hardest.  I have come to realize that I need to fill my lists up with the little things like talking in accents or watching the snow fall (things that make me happy).  Or hearing people say negative things about UVU or making decisions (things that drive me crazy).  

Matching

Some people may know that I am kind of weird about my books.  Here is one example of my weirdness...

If I get books that go in the same series or are by the same author, they had better look the same.  In the picture below, the left half are series where just one book does not match.  The matching series are on the right.  They look so much better and they look like they all belong next to each other.  It annoys me that I think like this, but I have exchanged books before so they all matched...

Goodbye Vans

I had a pair of vans that lasted me about two years.  They were a part of me and I always wore them wherever I went.  But then something dreadful happened to them, making them almost unwearable (See picture below and just imagine that times 89).  However, I did keep wearing them no matter what my family told me. When I got a new pair of vans, these babies went into my closet where I kept close watch on them.  I looked in on them daily wondering what to do with them.  My answer came a couple of weeks ago when I was simplifying my room, downsizing my inventory.  They had to go, but not before I took pictures to always remember my beat up vans.  I will always remember the time when my friend asked me what I did to make my vans look the way they do.  I replied and said that it was all natural!

My List, as of January 2012

In no particular order, here is a list of things that I enjoy...

1. books

2. a clean house

3. playing the piano

4. my family

5. my friends

6. nice people

7. natural lighting

8. doing crafts

9. going to Orem High games

10. eating hamburgers

11. eating in general

12. cheesy romantic comedies (e.g. hallmark movies)

13. the smell of cleaning supplies

14. the LDS church

15. my ward and neighbors

16. organizing

17. playing the wii

18. school

19. cooking/baking

20. looking on pinterest

21. browsing a book store (Borders was the best)

22. listening to music

23. a partly cloudy, slightly breezy, 65 degree day

24. wearing shorts

25. being outside

26. avatar the last airbender