weekend update: brought to you by a few redheads

on friday nights in the streets of tehuacan, there's a few things you should be aware of:

doesn't matter how ugly/fat/pockmarked/zombie-eyed you feel. if you are female, every guy will whistle at you, call you "baby," or recite to you all of the english they know--usually compressed into one word, like "hello.goodbye.ilikeit."

on one particular friday evening, me and my three amigas were walking past a futbol court at 12:45 am (don't worry mom, we had heavy books with us. and i know some boxing moves now). all of a sudden, whistles rang out. just think 4th of july, only the fireworks are human. and they're not illegal (usually. haha).

the weeks are flying by here. i cannot believe it's already almost march. do you know what march is? my last full month in mexico. doink.

this week...

• my ipod went missing for a week but showed itself again after lots of prayers and some diligent mexican children who wanted to find their teacher's iPod.
• i slept through an earthquake. how does this happen, you ask? especially when a bunch of my other compadres woke up mid-air? Well, you see, I have this little problem called allergies. And they regularly knock me out with wrecking ball strength. i'm pretty bummed.
• i killed about a thousand cockroaches. i'm starting to become so skilled at this particular activity that i can now spot them using my peripheral vision. just call me spiderwoman.
• i dictated a story written by my students. someday soon i will post it on this blog. it's too funny not to share. preview: it involves las vegas, a casino, a smackdown (between me and a girl named Ana Paula), kissing, shopping, and New York City. I think these kids watch too many mexican soap operas. but that's just what i think. what do i know?
• i listened to the opening theme from "the adventures of pete & pete" about ten times. it's only 58 seconds, guys. do you remember that show? only my family will get this: "i can smell his fear, and it smells like bacon." ahh, 1993. where have you gone?
• i dreamt the following (all in one dream, by the way): i weighed 300 pounds, my computer completely died, i was sent home for sleeping through school one day, i found out i was adopted, my dad came to teach in my place, and he was wearing those green overalls spotted on mom's blog.
• i ate tacos filled with cesa. cesa=pig brain. oh yes i did.
• i watched the first twilight and laughed really hard. i shoulda worn my "team edward" shirt. oh wait, don't have one. dangit.

you wanna know what i realized this week? my family is probably the best, funniest, most supportive, wonderful, coolest family in. the. world.

i miss them a lot.

i also realized that rockin' the harold b. lee's is starting to become a flop instead of a fad. for some people. for example:

oh, and one more thing. i need a haircut again, real bad. any thoughts on the subject? here's what i'm leanin' to.

hey look, another redhead. they're takin' over this blog it seems.

see what i mean?

farewell, all you lurkers. i know you're reading this by the way.

(oh have you guys seen my tabs? i think they're pretty sweet. just sayin'. check 'em out!)

i miss her

we used to have good/bad/funnies every night. i miss those.

we used to read from the time capsule and laugh 'til we couldn't breathe. haven't laughed like that for awhile.

we used to talk about our futures in the park or on walks, and we could read each other's minds.

we used to take care of each other, when i was sick she gave me oils, when she was sick, i drove her to the hospital. heh.

we used to drive to winco on the weekends and get lost, and talk about how much we loved grocery shopping. yeah, grocery shopping.

we used to make playlists for sundays and listen to them really loud while doing our hair.

we used to read to each other from our journals and talk about how much we had changed, or not.

we used to think of ways to help the other with their boy problems/successes. those were fun days.

we used to take turns shredding the ivory.

we used to lay out on the grass in front of the library in the summertime and people watch.

we used to watch old movies and laugh at the things nobody seems to appreciate anymore.

we used to brag to each other about our meals every day. she usually won.

we used to swing in a hammock on 1st west and play "would you rather."

we used to make up competitions in which the other person had to owe bolthouse. bolthouse was our (other) religion.

we used to have inside jokes in our english classes together, which made it hard to sit by each other. yet, we always did.

we used to take turns talking to the bishop every sunday.

then, one sunday, she talked to the bishop after i did.

and she came home and woke me up from a nap i was accidentally taking.

and she told me she was leaving me for 18 months.

i smiled and got excited,

but secretly...

i was sad.

and now i miss her.

the 2011 to-do list + an announcement or two

Lately I've had some writer's block when it comes to this blog. You probably don't want to hear the same ol' stories about Mexico. I mean, c'mon, it's just Mexico. Nothing too exciting here.

Ahem...that was a joke, by the way.

But then this morning, I had a stroke of brilliance! I remembered not too long ago, in the month of January (wow...that was kind of long ago, actually), telling my mother that I had made a really long "to-do list" for 2011. She demanded to see it. I told she could, but then the next day, I left on a jet plane. I never got around to showing her that list.

So why not show all of you? I asked myself.

And myself answered, I don't know.

Thus concludes the awkward conversation I had with...myself.

As for this announcement....I am now leaving Mexico on April 9th (a week early). I was originally leaving for my weeklong vacation on that date, but I feel like I need to be back in the states, specifically the Idaho one, earlier than 1/2 a day before my real life begins again. I'll see you all in...uh...just click here.

And now for the giant 2011 to-do list. Some of this stuff is kind of personal. But since I like you all (all of you who aren't lurkers, that is), I'm willing to share. Cause sharing is caring.

These aren’t in any particular order…

1. Go to Mexico and teach English and have adventures and meet new people and SPEAK SPANISH!!! Woooo! Ok, this is number 1 for a reason.

2. Read the Book of Mormon, D&C, New and Old Testament—that’s right, all of them!

3. Finish that dadgum booklist, yes I will.

4. Run the Ragnar with my family! I am so excited for this one, can you believe it?!

5. Start writing Jezka Black, Janna Mills, and CHELSEA ANN BEDKE! Sister Missionaries are people too!

6. Do Get Connected again

7. Go to the Salt Lake Temple and do baptisms

8. Hammock in my very own hammock

9. Visit Liz, even if I have to fly to California or Oregon or wherever!

10.Rafting trip, I WILL do this, no joke

11.I’m also going to climb R Mountain

12.Tackle Blitchford, Blainers, and Derek Hudson when they return. Or at least give them really big hugs. *for my readers, these are missionary buds who left 2 years ago*

13.Sew something

14.Learn “Moonlight Sonata”

15.Go rock climbing

16.Go to Moo-tana with Courtney Gopp!! Yes I surely will do it!

17.SNOWBOARDING PLEASE!

18.GO TO THE OREGON COAST. HECK YES.

19.Road trip somewhere, anywhere

20.Go on an epic, sweaty bike ride (ewwwww, awesome!)

21.Go to the taco bus with un hombre guapo

22.Lay out on the library grass at least 3x a week for some Vitamin D action

23.Be more friendly/interact with people at work

24.Have some kind of celebration at 11:11 on 11/11/11.

25.Run hardcore and get my weight to 130. I WILL DO THIS.

26.Get up early for scripture study

27.Give away a Book of Mormon/share my testimony with someone

28.Bear testimony in church more often

29.Write a letter/note every week

30.Go to Zupa’s, bring Zupa’s home, eat it on the floor while watching Bones, all preferably with Tessa Perry

31.Fork Fest with Allie and TP, only this time it’ll be on purpose

32.Morning/evening/all the time prayers

33.Take my drawing materials with me to Rexburg and do some sketches on my free time

34.Keep up with the journal

35.Go to a concert, preferably of a way cool indie singer nobody knows about (this will probably be at Sammy’s…haha)

36.SIT UP STRAIGHT. Mamacita, this is for you.

37.Become more patient with my siblings and others…and myself!

38.Go to Manti again

39.Road trip to Zion’s!!!! Woo!!

40.Learn how to play the gee-tar, even if it is just one chord progression

41.Participate in a sport at BYU-Iderho

42.Be an EFY counselor, if I get in

43.Chill in the Spori more often

44.Go to more cultural events/concerts/and such

45.Don’t spend too much time on the 2^nd floor of the library…psyche. Find new places to study on campus

46.Invite people over for deener

47.Watch the classics (start with the ones dad has told me to, then branch out…I’ve got a list, ya know)

48.Shop more at the D.I.There are too many good treasures there to pass up!

49.Start doin’ that food blog thang.

50.Learn to swim laps…maybe I’ll take a class during the summer?

51.Speaking of classes, I want to do at least spinning/yoga…maybe both!

52.Stop going to bed so flipping late! Try to get to bed before 12am most nights.

53.Visit with Bishop Crams!

54.Write poetry, at least 3x a week; read from my poetry book

55.Re-vamp my wardrobe.

something crazy with my hairstyle (I think this will get checked off constantly)

57.Eat something I’ve never eaten before

58.Try mate (that Argentenian drinky-drink)

59.Speak Spanish with RM's

60.Write more thank-you notes to my parents

61.Drink two Nalgenes a day

62.Buy at least 5 new CD’s (I can use these as rewards for working out or good grades or something)—I already have them planned in my brain: Mumford and Sons, Phoenix, Blind Pilot, Gregory Alan Isakov, Josh Ritter

63.Start Jillian again after I get back from Mexico

64.Go to temple at least 3x a month when I return

65.Have a spontaneous adventure one night or day…probably night

66.Run another race besides the Ragnar (10k, 5k, whatev)àget down to 9-minute mile, maybe 8:30????

67.Start training for Ogden Marathon in 2012

68.Call people more, like grandparents, friends, family, etc.

69.Shred some ivory in the Snow Building for fun

70.Memorize more scriptures

71.Read conference talks every Sunday

72.Go to Yellowstone with Tessa Perry

73.Go camping, maybe up Af Canyon! Speaking of AF Canyon, I wanna go up there and build a fire with friends.

74.Alpine Loop in the fall!! Yes please!

75.Budget my money better and save, save, save

76.Learn to love the classes that don’t have anything to do with my major/minor (a.k.a. foundations…)

77.Go to a sports game…probably basketball

78.Play soccer!! I just love playing this sport, honestly, but I kinda stink at it.

79.Go to conference in the conference center!

80.Make friends in the ward

81.Make a mixed CD for a member of the opposite sex and give it to whoever it is in my regular craszy fashion

82.Get rid of some of my junk that I just don’t need any more. I need to simplify, simplify, simplify.

83.Start saving my favorite quotes (not the funny ones, I’ve got plenty of those…haha)

84.Give presents to my family this year. I will make sure I can afford it this time! Give more thoughtful presents, too…

86.Buy a new pair of red flats

87.Wear pigtails more often

88.Stop spending so much moolah on food, esp. ice cream and fro-yo. Oh dear.

89.Small acts of service each day!

90.100% Visiting Teaching all year!!!!!

91.SMILE even if I don’t want to.

92.Learn how to make those awesome headbands TP wears for myself.

93.Take time out for myself

94.Avoid sitting in front of my computadora so much

95.Take lots of photos with my new camera

97.Acquire new T-shirts via racing

98.Index 1,000 names by September, you bet I will!

99.I know I just said I was gonna get rid of some of my clothes, but I also need to re-vamp my exercise wardrobe. I have no shorts

100.Do an alphabet scavenger hunt

101. Spend as much time outside as possible

sorry the numbers are messed up...i copied and pasted this from word. silly word!

About the random change of my blog (again): I like blogs a lot, so naturally, I blog stalk people...a lot. And I get jealous of other people's blogs and their coolness. So I'm always trying to re-do mine, make it more me, and not as much fluff. Always trying out different templates and fonts. Forgive me while I go through this annoying phase.

"i don't like to cook. but i'm good at cooking sandwiches."

i know it's probably not fair for me,

of all people, to say this.

but i can't wait for summer.

That quotation right thur in the title is from one of my students, a certain Alejandro (don't start singing the song please. oh please).

It's Friday, dearies. And I haven't given you a happy list in a realllllllllly long time. Why not? So much happiness has occurred down south, why can't I just share it with you? Why do I have to be so selfish? I'm just assuming you are asking these questions, so I ask them for you.

Aren't I nice?

Apparently I'm also bipolar.

(Because I just called myself selfish and nice in three sentences.). <----for the record I hate doing that to parentheses. Why do we have to punctuate between them anyway? It's so ugly.

Ahem. I'm back now.

1.Planning my class schedule for next semester. Oh dudes, it is going to be so off the chain. And saying "off the chain" is kind of fun. I can talk like a gangster but I don't have to wear my pants on my shins. OR get my shins busted. Cool, huh?

2. Thursday Night Futbol brings joy to my heart, because not only do I usually not know what's going on (hello, soccer, a sport I haven't played in years), but when everyone is shouting commands while kicking the ball with insane force, I just have to stop and laugh. I have laughing attacks on the court. Everyone stares. It's great. Did I mention I also wear spandex? These boys wear jeans and BOOTS. Boots. Right in my thigh. Ow.

3. You've probably heard enough of my gushing on the subject of Mexican food. But lately I have discovered what amazing snack food Mexico possesses (whoa, check out the number of s's in that word!!!). Orange cookies that make you think you are eating an orange instead of a cookie...hmm, probably not a good thing. Trail mix with amaranth in it. Amaranth? Do I even know what it is? Nooo, but it's good. Then the cereal. There's this one cereal called Pasion (passion). Chocolate+almonds+flakes. I wish this blog was scratch-n-sniff sometimes.

4. Updated booklists. My booklist used to be 60 books long. Now it's...uh...longer. I'm too embarrassed to admit it. When I return from Mexico, I'm going to have a lot of reading material to go over. Yesss.

5. Warm fuzzies.

6. Wearing my shiny silver flats, which usually don't get weird looks. But in Mexico, you'd think I had hobbit feet the way people stare. Do you guys promise to stare at me like I'm an alien when I come back? Just for a week or so? Otherwise I just won't feel normal. Thanks.

7. Makin' macaroni con queso with the chilluns because 1, they've never had it before and 2, I can use that as a lesson, yes I can. ILP is the stuff.

8. Walking home from school and feeling like I am in American Fork or Rexburg. And you guys all thought I was going to get kidnapped. The closest I have ever come to being kidnapped was...oh wait...I haven't. Nevermind.

9. Speaking of feeling like I belong here (besides the fact that everyone stares), I also love waving to people I know as I walk home. Yep, this city is really that small. And I like how I'm friends with Mexicans. Sometimes I forget and I have to remind myself: I'm not actually Mexican. Ha.

10. When something really unexpected but really amazing happens to you and re-charges your excitement for life. You know?

P.S. Are you following Sister CB Scent yet? You betta!

doink

hmm i don't have much to say at this moment in time.

except for my stomach is killin me, and i didn't even touch the street tacos.

you should just go read this blog, okay? it's chelsea's missionary blog. she only has 3 followers. NOT. COOL. if you don't know chelsea, you should get to know her. read the letters she writes me for the next 18 months, ok?

ok.

p.s. i'm trying to follow the unspoken blog rule and post a picture for every post...even if it's completely random. that's my only explanation for the above photo. and doesn't it just make you crave doritos??

things i love on february the 14th, 2011

i love sharp corners, because i can run my back up against them and be relieved of this constant itching. sorry if that was too graphic for you. i seem to give away too much information too much.

i love daydreaming about coming home, and seeing everybody i love, and giving them lots of hugs. i also love daydreaming about comparing my tan arms to their white ones. you do know i'm tan now, right? it took a lot of pain, but it was (not) worth it.

i love teaching these children here in mexico. they are snotty, loud, obnoxious, disobedient, and sometimes mean (ex: i showed them my sunburned shoulder and they covered their eyes while making gagging noises. nice). they are also very funny, give spontaneous hugs, share their lunches with me, tell me stories with so much enthusiasm that they are literally out of breath, and throw cute smiles my way. i love them.

i love listening to my "s.a.d." playlist. it's got some good tunes on it. the one in heaviest rotation right now is this song, which you need to listen to. it's that good. bob dylan wrote it, so, uh, DUH.

i love walking to school each day and letting the sun turn my hair crazy colors. but not my back. please, sun, do not touch my back, not ever again. thank you. love, mckenzie.

i love valentine's day funfetti cake, and i love how us teachers have a tradition of making cake when we want to bond. cake=delicious. bonding=fun. delicious and fun. sounds like an idyllic Pillsbury Cake Mix commerical to me!

i love going to the corner store to get eggs (for aforementioned cake) and seeing the delicious mangoes on display. and then i love telling the proprietor (what? I don't know. I just don't know.) that mangoes are more delicious in mexico than they are in the united states (they are...to any mango lovers reading this, you don't know what you're missing). and then i love when she gives me 2 free mangoes just for saying that. mexicans are so generous with their mangoes.

i love wearing skirts and red beaded necklaces and headbands which hide my wonky bangs. remember when i got my bangs cut a month ago? and remember how i take fish oils? soooo what i'm trying to say is...I don't have those bangs anymore. headbands are awesome.

i love looking at pretty, inspiring, unadulterated awesomeness:

air guitar it, no questions asked

could you be any cuter, little boy who i don't know?

oh hey ireland, wassup, i think i need to visit you ASAP

l-o-v-e + sunsets, makes perfect sense

did you know that there was such a thing as boy bait?

well, now ya do. you're welcome.

there's a reason He saves the best for last.

(oh, here she goes with the food again. maybe she can't help it.)

i've been thinking about it a lot, and i think i decided what

the first thing i eat when i get back to the u.s. is:

one of these sandwiches.

p.s. i am getting married here. so if you are wanting to come to that

future wedding o'mine, be prepared to drive. to manti. ok? ok.

glad i got that cleared up.

now i'm feeling awkward for mentioning my future wedding

like a true BYU-Idahoan. psyche.

i also LOVE clean sheets, recently-shaven legs (haha shaven is such a funny word!), making valentines with lotsa glitter, when my hair air-dries kinda wavy and kinda awesome, talking to my family on skype cuz they're hilarious, emailing Bishop Cramer updates on Mexico, dental floss, carpet (i miss it more every day), baby pictures, japanese peanuts (they don't sell them in japan, only mexico. just forget the name and try to enjoy it someday, cuz it is SOOO good), cute-lookin' flats, running, running in spandex, chocolate+almonds, new freckles.

valentine's day is really a good holiday. i don't know why it gets so much flack. there i go again with that weird, meaningless word.

over and out!

-mcfrenzy-

so glad He gave us memories

so glad I can be myself with my bestos

so glad she's my bestest friend

so glad i'm out of the one-piece jumpsuit phase

so glad my parents take us to explore new places

so glad she got married and is still my Lizzy

so glad she was my roommate, so glad she's going on a mission (yeah, that girl..heheh)

so glad she will do silly things with me

so glad families are forevah

so glad we have such beautiful temples

so glad church museums let you dress up like this

so glad they are ours

so glad i know how to pose now

so glad BYU-Idaho gives us long weekends so I can visit

so glad I went to that high school and so glad I graduated ;)

so glad he returned with honor

so glad I made the best friends of my life in a little town called Rexburg

so glad He gives us four seasons, especially autumn

so glad He gives us killer sunsets every day from our back window

so glad my dad is the kinda guy he is

so glad I have freckles (and cute friends...haha)

so glad we went to EFY that year

so glad I lived by the Oregon Coast for half of my life

so glad they both got haircuts (and glad we had the furball for so long)

so glad she has good balance

so glad we have no inhibitions

so glad mom took this picture

so glad He led me to Mexico

so glad such games exist

so glad (some) reality TV exists so we can laugh at it

so glad I possess exactly zero holey-armpit-T's (sorry Elise)

so glad I lived with these people for most of 2010

so glad they make me laugh this hard for no reason

so glad I am me and no one else

so tell me, friends, why are you glad?