in my bed, eating saltines

Has a sadder blog title ever been penned? I feel like a slug, therefore, I am. Some people think spending all day in your jammies is fun. But I dislike it. I feel all grodie and un-put-together and...well, sluggish. I think something's wrong with my gall bladder. TMI? Welp, you came to this blog knowing what I titled this post, so, sha-bam.

Here's that huge-mongo post I've been thinking about forever. And now, in the order I "previewed" each item....(drumroll please)

I'm skipping #1 for now because it needs a blog post all its own. NEXT!

#2: I haven't puked today. Yet.

#3: Recently I have discovered the beauty of Amazon MP3's. For real, why did I ever buy anything from iTunes? Did you know that some of the best albums ever made are 3 dollars on Amazon.com? DID YOU?! Okay, well, I just want you guys to know that I now have The Black Keys, Passion Pit, 2 Shins albums, Death Cab for Cutie, and a Bon Iver EP--and I spent 12 bucks on all that music. That's six albums, btw. Run along to amazon.com now.

Oh, and here's some music you should listen to right now. Kaitlyn and Scotty, this is for youuu!

Feist//The Circle Married the Line

Cake//Love You Madly

Grouplove//Tongue Tied

Bloc Party//Plans

Gotye//Eyes Wide Open

Dove//Sky Starts Falling

Radiohead//Gagging Order

oops..I got carried away again. Always happens with music. Doink!

#4: So here's the lowdown on my life. I got a jobbity-job. What? Anywho, I work in a sort-of call center. I say "sort of" because I'm on the phone but it's not a sales job or anything. People call me and I help them qualify for disability because they got rejected. And usually they give me their life story, and 110% of the time it's really sad and it makes me ten times more grateful. I feel like I have nothing to complain about now. Also, now I have moolah. Which means I can go to South America next year (CAN I GET AN AMEN). And I can actually buy some of that stuff on my stylin' pinboard. However, I shant forget Michael Scott's wise words on the subject:

Oh yeah...and after much thought, I decided not to move to Provorem this fall. I'll save some money (South America/Europe/grad school). And I won't hafta move! Moving is to me as Satan is to God. Was that sacrilege? Welp, I hate it.

#5: So during lunch I go outside and lay in the grass and eat and read a book. And I'm trying to squeeze in some more freckles before the summer ends, but I'm also technically not allowed in the sun for very long. Boo. I need someone to invent spray-on freckles.

#6: Some pictures for your enjoyment. Okay, let's face it, they're for me to stare at (because I'm the only one who read this blog anymore). And for Tori. :)

I dunno who this is and I don't even care. 

Hiddles

For Tessa. An early wedding present. 

#7: A couple of weeks ago I was meandering over on this blog (everyone meanders on this blog, so I'm not being original here). And she was having an AWESOME giveaway, which I did not win, but now I can probably most likely save money for one of these babies:

eeeeeeeeeek. If you see me cruising on this thang on one of my midnight bike rides, again, do not hit me, because I'll cry if you mess up my bike. Mess up my head, whatever. But not the bike!

#8: Ikey gets home from college this week, and he'll bring his car with him. The first adventure I will take this car on....this concert festival right hurrr. Come play with me if you want. Oh yeah, and the reason I get his car is because he's getting married. To Anna!

They're pretty cool together. August 4th, 2012, kiddos.

#9: Left to do on this summah to-do list: hike Timp, learn those songs on the geetar (slackerface), climb a tree, scera shell outdoor movie, finish the Book of Mormon (almost done!), and read a huge book. I kinda wanna scratch that last one because Anna Karenina is super hard to follow. In the meantime, I've read like 10 not-huge books. 

#10: And with that list being done-did, summer is ending. Usually this makes me kind of sad, but when I say "usually," I mean "not really," because  fall time is the best time. You all know it's true. First of all, pumpkin. Second of all, scarves/boots/orange sunsets/Halloween. Third of all, pumpkin. 

Yay for Fall! (also, CB Scent is getting home in October. Best timing ever.)

eleven things

There's this little ditty going around the blog universe, and I figured...why the heck not?

the rules

1) post these rules (check)

2) post 11 random things about yourself (check-check)

3) answer the questions of the person who tagged you

4) create 11 new questions for whoever you tag (that's everybody reading this, p.s.)

eleven things you probably didn't know about me

1) I go through "phases" when it comes to music artists, meaning I'll listen to all of a certain musician's stuff on repeat. Summer 2008: The Beatles. Summer 2011: Mumford and Sons. Last fall: Bon Iver. Recently: Florence+the Machine. They can last for days, weeks, or months.

2) I bake my own bread, pizza dough, pita, tortillas, and make my own yogurt. I'll never go back to the store bought stuff. I think the only processed food I own is Triscuits. What a rebel.

3) I hate dirty feet. Even if I'm camping, I've gotta have some baby wipes with me to keep those feetsies clean. I know I inherited this from my mother.

4) I think it's attractive when the opposite sex isn't afraid to use big words or correct grammar.

5) I have never broken a bone but I have gotten lots of weird injuries because I'm a klutz and a glutton for punishment. I have scars from a snowboarding collision, slipping on ice, falling during a race, falling on tide pools, giving a meat slicer a handshake, and slamming my car trunk door onto my hand.

6) I talk to people in other cars while I'm driving. And when I say "talk" I don't mean "Hey, how's it going?" More like, "Hey, why are you going so slow maybe you should get in the slow lane thanks!" Yeah, more like that.

7) I wouldn't mind living in Mexico or another country down south. Wouldn't mind at all.

8) I'm from Utah, but in my heart, I'll always be a Pacific Northwest girl.

9) I keep every letter/note/card that I receive.

10) I love old movies like nobody's bidnez, and most of my celebrity crushes are dead

(*cough* Marlon Brando)

11) I can play four instruments and am learning how to play a fifth!

questions Brandilyn asked

1. what did you have for dinner last night? A green smoothie.

2. what celebrity would literally bring you to tears if you saw them in person? Marlon Brando, because he's dead, so I'd probably cry out of joy/fear at seeing a ghost.

3. do you like your handwriting? I sure do!

4. how would your dad describe you? He would say, "Oh Kenz. You're something else." At least, that's what he's said to me in the past.

5. what's the last book you read? the last book you loved? Last book I read: Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. Last book I loved: Old Man & the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

6. how many pairs of shoes do you own? I'm going to say 20...

7. how often do you shave your legs? armpits? Legs: hahaha. I don't even know. Arms: at least three times a week. That was kind of fun to answer.

8. what do you order when you go to mcdonald's? (if you tell me you don't go to mcd's i will call you a LIAR!) Okay, call me a liar, but I do not remember the last time I went to Mickey D's. If I ever had to eat there, I'd probably get an egg McMuffin.

9. what's your earliest memory? watching Mr. Roger's Neighborhood on the TV when I was three.

10. have you ever won anything? what? I've won some writing contests/scholarship moolah. Does that count?

11. what is your worst habit? your best habit?

Worst habit: listening to music almost all the time. Best habit: eating healthy.

11 questions for whoever reads this:

1) If you had to live in the mountains or by the ocean, which one would you pick? Why?

2) What is the funniest movie you've ever seen?

3) Taco Time or Taco Bell (if you say "taco bus" I will love you forevah)?

4) If you could be really talented at something, what would it be and why?

5) Tommy Boy or Zoolander?

6) What is your favorite thing about summertime?

7) Favorite Beatles song (if you don't have one...that's a little sad)?

8) If you had to read/re-read one book for the rest of your life (excluding the scriptures, cuz that's a no-brainer), which one would you choose?

9) How do you feel about ugly sweater parties?

10) When was the last time you wrote a letter?

11) What is the best thing you have ever eaten?

Ready, set, go!

so chin up, and we'll drown slower

from here

I knew when I woke up this morning--actually long before I woke up--that this week was going to be one from the place down under. And I'm not talking about Australia. So instead of thinking about that, I decided to make a happy list.

1. the smell of old books. I smelled not one but three yellow-paged books today. I'm sure everybody on the 2nd floor was confused. They just don't undastan!
2. buying one of these beauties at last. This Saturday is gonna be like Christmas! No foolin'.
3. autumny music like this and this and this (p.s. no clue why there's a hockey player picture on that middle video. just listen to the music, kids).
4. the smattering of new freckles which has recently taken up residence on my forehead. um, helllooo, I haven't been in Mexican sunshine for six (?!) months now. What are you doing up there?
5. finally getting to wear my boots and sweaters and corduroy skirts. p.s. corduroy is a weird word.
   
6. indexing like I usually do on Sundays and putting down the occupation of a 3-year old as "scholar." Back in the olden days, it didn't matter how old you were--if you were in school, you were a scholar. Check. Yes.
7. the sound of leaves crunching beneath my bike tires. also, that cool autumn breeze on my face doesn't hurt either. basically, the only bad thing about bike rides in the fall is all of the bugs I have to swallow. Ick.
8. mailing not one but two letters this past week. And one of them was very obese...dear Amy, I hope you have warmed up your eyes for this one.
9. writing notes on gum wrappers. this used to be a cb scent and mcfrenzy tradition. I try to pretend she's still here sometimes.
10. letting my roommate cut my hair--it was gratis, guys. and not only was it zero dollah, it was also snazzy. My head feels lighter. Hopefully it's not because my brain is melting from all of this schooling...
11. finding old quotes from the chilluns in my journals.

Ellie: Why do we have Easter?
Mom: Because Jesus died and then got resurrected.
Ellie: So he got zapped?
Mom: Huh? Zapped?
Ellie: Yeah, zapped! Bippity-boppity-boo!

Gotta love Disney.

friday list: currently diggin'

Um. Guys. I accidentally started watching prison break. bad idea. because guess what, wentworth miller is the bee's knees. he's only a genius, trying to save his innocent brotha from the electric death. oh yeah, and he makes paper cranes on the side. what the junk? can my future husband please be really manly and yet make paper cranes on the side? thanks. awesome. (that was on the off-chance that my future husband reads this blog. hah.)

AND plus when you watch the show you learn all of this sweet prison lingo like "shank" (a homemade knife) "fish" (the MTC equivalent of "greenie"), and "bust your grapes" (not sure what this one means yet but it's kinda funny).

oh...and it also makes me really grateful that I'm not in prison. Which I won't be anytime soon, unless taking mexican chocolate across the border is illegal.

Sooooo you guys know I like lists, right? Right. I should probably go to some kind of rehab for it. What would we do at this rehab exactly? Maybe they would force me to write all of my separate thoughts into one giant paragraph. Ugh. That would be torturous. I hate huge, long, never ending paragraphs. {yet I am an English major. Analyze that please.}

Anyway. I have conjured up another list of awesomeness for you, to congratulate you on making it to Friday. Not only is it Friday, but according to my calculations, it is almost spring! For all of you who do not live in Mexico (I promise I'm sorry for you), especially in Rexburg, you're probably thinking, "Geesh, when is it gonna be sunny already?" Or, if you are a glass-half-full person like myself, you are thinking, "Geesh, when it is gonna be sunny already?!"

Oh wait.

Those sounded exactly the same.

Guess it needs to be spring already, huh. I'm pretty sure when I get back to the USA in less than a month, it will immediately start acting like spring. I'll bring the Mexican weather back with me for you guys. You're welcome!

On to the friday likey-list. Saying "likey" makes me feel like I'm 7 again, p.s.

1. books. i have a very small library here in mexico. it consists of spencer w. kimball's teachings (good book but not when I wanna just plop myself in bed and read all night long, ya know?), a runner's book, and "1001 pitfalls in spanish." i'm dying. i have a few gagillion things on my must-read list when i get home. guess what, i'll probably finish them in a month. guilty as charged.

2. polaroids. just look at these beauties.

ahhhh yeah. call me shallow.

3. places i would rather be, a.k.a. a photographic "happy place," for those days when I just need to get away. but don't have any monayyyy.

4. the D.I. is so cool. I literally cannot wait until I get to go visit one of these again. Is it weird to miss a thrift store that smells like old books and musty clothes? Yeh. But I am the epitome of weird, soooo. Yeah. No me importa.

5. getting up early!!!! Once upon a time I wrote a journal entry and it was all about how much I wanted to be a morning person. I was tired of being the one who slept in and missed the good pancakes (or the good earthquakes for that matter...urgh). Then a miracle happened. I got up early for scripture study and everything else about my day was better. Guess what? Russell M. Nelson agrees with me. It's for real, folks.

6. funny things my kids say/do

(this is benji in a wrestling belt he fashioned out of his notebook. classy)

today i asked them, "do you guys know what happened in japan today?"

benjamin: "Oh I know!!! A SUSHI! A SUSHI!"

me: you mean...a tsunami?

benji: ohh..yeah...a tsunami.

i think he and grandma bonnie would be friends.

alejandro, when he walked into class today: "Today I am happy, teacher."

me: "Cuz it's Friday?"

him: "No, teacher, cuz I live."

me: "Because you're alive?" [as you can see I have to correct them a lot]

him: "Yeah, because I'm alive."

Always a good reminder.

I read to them from James and the Giant Peach today. The pictures are a little bit...unique. I opened to this page to show them what James looked like. First words out of Alejandro's mouth: "Whoa, he's very ugly, teacher. Verrry ugly."

These girls aren't in my class, but one of them (on the leftie there) is famous for a few lines:

"Some people in the world think that Justin Bieber are gay, because Justin Bieber are gay."

or, a really sweet one that she uses when Teacher Kaitlyn exasperates her:

"Aww, teacher, you are so injustice!"

Dontcha mean unfair sweetheart? Yeahhh.

shout out to my fellow book lovers

Looksee what I found!

from here