can we talk about how it's september already?

don't be sad, scarecrow, it's almost October! yess!

GUYS. I completely and utterly remember April..and I remember those two graduation ceremonies which were kind of excruciatingly long, and I remember being starving, and also not wanting my picture taken but not being a great position to avoid that.

My ability to form sentences has greatly diminished since I got that diploma in the mail (classy, right?).

Anyway, the point is, the summer has evaporated along with all of the other moisture in Utah. And it's all gone up in flames now...also like Utah.

Sometimes I get sad about summer ending, but not this year. This summer was a tough one. Plus, it was super-stinking hot. I'm not a fan of heat. I'll take rainyness and even a little snow over a scorching day. Then I can wear Mr. Yellow Hat anytime I don't feel like doing my hair (everyday, btw).

Now it's officially time to wear boots and scarves, and I did my duty and wore both today. Okay, so it wasn't that smart considering the temperature climbs to about 80 degrees by midday. That's how September is. I'm impatient for October 11 months out of the year. Or maybe I'm just impatient to stop shaving my legs...such is life!

Tessa Matthews asked me to give her the haps. So Mrs. Matthews, here ya go:

Ellie came into my room yesterday with one goal in mind: to get money from me. If only my cash flow was as abundant as the number of tweets about Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Oops, did I say that out loud? So back to Ellie. She came into my room and said, "Hey Kenzie, I really need some money. And if you don't give me some I'm gonna be really mad." This girl knows how to fundraise. There's a reason so many people bought girl scout cookies from her this summer, and it's not because of her cuteness. Ok, well maybe a little bit. Observe:

My job is kind of hilarious. I'm getting pretty good at it now. The first week was stressful up the heeeeezy because I got a huge caseload and oh man it was way overdue and fjskljf;sajf;a but I got it figured out now. Mostly. And people seriously crack me up with the things they demand of me. For example:

"Hi, I was just wondering where my check is?"
"What check? You mean for disability?" Ha..oh man. Then I have to tell them their "check" ain't comin' for at least 18 months. Sorry charlie.

Oh and my favorite one:

"Hey, how come Social Security is sending me paperwork? I thought you were supposed to fill it all out." "Um, no I can't fill it out. Only you know yourself and what you do every day. You have to fill it out."
"What did I even hire you for then? What do you even do all day?" *Facepalm* TIMES A THOUSAND.

And then sometimes, the clients get all TMI up in my grill and I cannot handle it. So I try really hard not to react while I'm on the phone with them, but as soon as I hang up I have to bust a gut. They think that me, being their case manager, must know every single detail of their disability. And I mean every. detail. Sometimes they send me photos. At which point I must poke my mind's eye out.

Today is September 12th. So now it will be less than a month until I see this wonderful person otra vez:

Can I get a holllllllla?! Yes I am pretty excited. I'm even trying to speak gangster. Which comes not-naturally to me. Because I am 100% Caucasian. The End.

and now, I have compiled a photographic list of reasons I miss Rexburg right now:

the building on the hilltop.

the view from my room.

Willie Wednesdays (on Thursdays)

el taco bus

Reesey, my favorite reading center student ever of all time

enough snow to make an actual couch, ahh yeah

friends like this

how can you not love her?

homestretch (or way too many parenthetical statements)

I feel like this right now.

here i am, just sittin' on my bed, with a bunch of my crap all over the place.

(word to my mother: it's going to be organized and packed by the time you arrive)

I have exactly 3 finals left to take, all tomorrow. I was shooting for straight A's but senioritis is brutal and leaves no survivors...

(hence the graduation ceremony this friday at 5:45, be there or be a square)

I'll settle for a few B's this time around.

I am so very sleepy. But this perpetual sleepiness is about to end, I think.

And a bunch of other things, too.

Like...

studying in the library (did that for the last time today)

or tutoring in the reading center (finished that on friday)

or working out in the Hart Building (I don't even remember...)

or using that dadgum oven that burns everything (successfully made some dutch babies on saturday and that was it)

or grocery shopping at overpriced places

(eating the last week of school is straight up ridiculous, btw)

or not doing my hair because i just plain do not have time

or devotionals (last one was last tuesday)

yeah, this is what the end feels like.

it feels like fall 2008 was 10 years ago.

and I know now, without any doubt in my mind,

that it's time to go.

so go I shall!

the next time I write on this, I will be a BYU-Idaho Alumni.

(I feel too young to have that license plate cover thing, just sayin')

Weird.

oh yeah, and I don't think I can use the "college" tag anymore after this.

I'll have to make one just for grad school. *shudder*

here we go again

the last thing I took a picture of in Mexico as my bus pulled away.

It was almost one year ago that I was getting ready to leave Mexico. And when I say "getting ready," I don't mean emotionally or mentally. Because honestly, nothing could have prepared me for the last day I had with my students, or with my roommates. Nothing could have prepared me for that moment when I pulled out of the bus station, (feeling like crapola, by the way) and my heart literally hurting. It was like it was being punched.

I remember looking out the window as we drove out of the city, at this wonderful place I had no idea I'd grow to love so much. But mostly it was the people I knew I would miss. I saw the part of the city we'd gotten lost in my first week. I saw the centro, where we walked almost every day and got stared at by who knows how many people. I saw the bakery where we got goodies every night. The last thing I saw of Tehuacan was the crummy old swimming pool. Yeah, it was run-down and broken, but I still have it in my mind as the last thing I saw of that place. I tried to imagine coming back someday. Basically, goodbyes really stink.

And now I'm 12 days away from leaving another place I've grown so used to. I didn't realize it until this semester, but Rexburg is my home. It has been for 3 and a half years, and I know it very well. I know where the best food is (if you don't know what I'm thinking of you haven't been reading this blog for long enough). I know the best places to ride your bike. I know the best place to study in the library (yes, the exact cubicle). I know which park is the prettiest in autumn. I know the people who work in the baptistry at the Rexburg Temple.

But something I have come to know better than all these places is myself. I wasn't supposed to come to this school, you know. At least, not according to my plan. But Heavenly Father worked His magic and I ended up here anyway. I remember at freshman orientation they kept telling us we weren't here by accident. I wanted to believe it! And now I don't just believe that's true; I know it. I can't imagine the person I'd be if I hadn't come here.

Where would I be without having ever met Courtie or Chelsea-boo? I don't want to know.

What funny stories would I tell about Fall 2009 if I hadn't been a night custodian?

What inappropriate things would I be unaware of if I hadn't been the only girl in a Spanish class full of boys countless times (no really...sometimes I wonder)?

How lame would the college experience have been without getting lost a million times, making the time capsule, eating the G's Dairy platter with 3 other girls, having a dance party while doing dishes, stealing a piece of the hammock (that's another story), sleeping under the stars at Badger Creek, eating lime freezes in Driggs (not to mention being served by the girl who really wanted us to know who her ex-boyfriend was. Sarah, if you're reading this I hope you're laughing), jumping off the dunes for no good reason, ambushing those boys with water balloons. I mean really, where would I be?

Anyhow, I'm glad I ended up where I did. And now it's the end. Time for a new adventure. Deep breath. Here I go.

and now a trip down memory lane (a.k.a picture overload) here's a song to listen to while you scroll. man, I'm weird. everything has to have a soundtrack.

our very first concert in the Hart Building as little freshman...awww.

p.s. Rachie (the redhead) is married now and Courtie is on a mission.

still one of the best apartments of all time. ahh, good ol' 601.

I can't even remember why we went to the mall that night...but we did. And then we found a children's toy and the rest is history.

this was very late at night. a car-dance-party shortly followed.

the infamous hammock. so many good things happened there. Except for that time Liz shouted an inappropriate (and also funny) thing to passerby. And also when I fell out because we got too much momentum. Or when Chels made this face.

also at the mall. some music came on, and we started "dancing."

first and last bonfire.

one night an awesome lightning storm was happening by the temple, so we drove over there to watch. and then we got really smart and ran out into the open field to take pictures. during a lightning storm. in other words, I should be dead in this picture.

I miss all of these peeps. This is the original Willie Wednesday Crew, minus Sarah Bedke. We carried on the tradition (Sarah Willie and I) after all of these people left, and now Willie's gone and it's solo yo. Soon I shall be gone too. Oh how things change.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: don't hate on the Skintimate.

seriously.

did you know this was one of the best nights of my life? I thought the picture would make it obvious, but just in case you were wondering...

this was the best costume ever of all time. and someone actually thought I was a bunch of balloons (which I was, literally, but Halloween is all 'bout the imagination, dude)

I would really like to know how much frozen yogurt I have consumed while living here. Then again, maybe I don't...

Dear Chelsea, I miss you a lot. You come home in September. Crazy. I hope we can switch identities again like we did in this picture. Sincerely, Kenzie

Word to my family coming to visit in a week: we are GOING to G's Dairy Delights. You have no choice in the matter.

This was the first of many "Friday Night Freeze Outs."

Some people ice skate, but we ice stumbled. It was still fun.

I like this picture a lot because it pretty much explains how I feel about homework in general.

Also, Tessa should really get this framed. I still can't believe we paid $2 to go inside the Rigby TV Museum. Wait...yes I can.

Another really excellent set of roommates. Miss you all!

(p.s. two of the girls in this piksha are married and one is engaged. boo-ya!)

Dear Courtney, you get home really soon as well. Promise that we'll go on a road trip and get lost like old times? Love, Kenzie

my love for the taco bus has no bounds. and apparently the same goes for my friends. I have good friends.

mom, you could've used this on my grad announcement.

seriously.

what would college be without the yellow hat (and awkward mirror shots)?

like I said, taco bus=my true love

what a good parting shot.

sometimes...

sometimes I feel like this is the environment I live in.

sometimes I'm tempted to eat something with peanut butter on it for every single meal. and sometimes I give in to that temptation. no shame.

sometimes I smile at perfect strangers just to see what they will do. since I live in Rexburg, this game isn't too exciting, because most everyone smiles back. but some people wink. and then the game ends.

sometimes I stumble on a song I love and I can't stop listening to it. like this one.

sometimes I daydream about April 6th and sometimes I have nightmares about it. Mixed emotions up in herrrrre.

sometimes I have too many thoughts and feelings to be contained in this little brain of mine, so I write them all out in letters which I never send. I have multiple "unsendables" on my hard drive, yo. And that is where they shall stay.

sometimes I wish I could forget about school for a long time and become a bona fide musician. and sometimes I use "bona fide" in sentences even though it sounds funny.

sometimes I surprise myself by how much I bake. I mean for realz, who makes homemade tortillas and homemade pizza crust in one day? Who would do that? Not 2008 freshman Kenzie. But 2012 Senior Kenzie is apparently very self-sufficient. Or just a food snob to the extreme.

(p.s. the tortillas were delicious. recipe here.)

sometimes I watch 15 minutes of The Final Rose before I feel nauseous and have to leave the room before I slap the TV (because I can't actually slap the people on the TV, even though I wish that were possible sometimes).

sometimes I have dance parties in my room, by myself. with the blinds open. ya....

sometimes I wonder what my future self would say to my present self right now. like, "kenzie, stop worrying about everything. it's all going to turn out ok." I'm pretty sure that's what she would say.

sometimes I can't sleep at night so I start thinking about Mexico. And I can't really believe it's almost been a full year since I left that place. What a day that was.

sometimes I don't really care about the movies that are out these days (p.s. I've now seen The Vow and Gone so you don't have to). But can I just say, I am excited to the 1,000th power for this Friday at 12am. To see Peeta The Hunger Games.

so tell me..what would your "sometimes" list consist of?

{inspired by this lovely lady}

p.s. totally changed the blog name. but changing the URL is too messy. /the end/

I guess I need to rename this blog thang

perhaps I'll rename it "that's so mckenzie"

Lately, I've had a lot of people tell me emphatically that I am not a redhead and therefore should not have named my blog thus.

Before I offer up photographic evidence that proves them all wrong, I'll just ask you for some ideas in the comments section. And nothing cheesy like "the life and times of mckenzie-girl." Heck to the no. There are already 1,000 blogs with a title almost exactly like that one.

I digress...

Last week I was a vegetable and quarantined myself in my room for most of those 7 days. Being sick is no fun. I hope this is all the sickness I get for the year. P.S. my journal entries from that time period are going to be a great case against drugs someday. F'real.

A little bit of randomness floating in my daylight-savings-ized brain (yep, I just verbed that word. And verbed the word "verb." I'm just that cool. Or I've been in school for far too long...)

• There are 20-something days of school left. Twenty. I can hardly believe it's real! I feel like I need to get out and do all my favorite things in Rexburg before those 20 days are up. And maybe finally climb R Mountain?? Who's with me?
• Today I taught my student from Japan what "swagger" means. I really am gonna miss this job.
• Spring is finally here. Meaning I wore a skirt to class today. Without tights. And my sweet shades which everyone thinks are expensive Ray Bans, but really they were a buck, just fyi.
• My freckles have begun to show up again, and I broke out my Chacos at last, so here comes the zig-zag tan. I have been waiting to see those two things since I returned from Mexico a year ago (?!). No foolin'.
• I applied for a job in Provo today, and started looking for housing, and pretty soon I'm gonna look for someplace I can take GRE prep classes. It's really happening...ahh! I still scratch my head and ask Heavenly Father if He's sure. Because I'm really not. Six months from now I know I'll be glad I listened to Him.
• I recently figured out that I like wearing scarves...right in time for all the snow to melt and the sun to make me all sweaty-like. Too bad.
• Even though I love writing letters (to the 50th power), there's nothing like seeing an envelope in the mailbox with my name on it. Especially from someone who didn't get one from me in the first place.
• I've taught a bunch of people my "super-secret" superhero handshake this semester. I'm trying to spread it like that Kony Video. I'll probably fail, but...at least I tried, right?
• I made lasagna and cheesecake and bread sticks for the first time evah on Sunday and fed it to 7 hungry people. I'm pretty sure feeding people is my new favorite hobby.
• I made summer plans that include grilled cheese sandwiches+picnics, bike rides up the heezy, eating contests, and learning new languages. Did I mention these plans were made with my 7-year old sister? Oh okay then.
• I found out Bon Iver is coming to SLC in May! Best news of my life. Well, okay, not the best, but still pretty amazeballs.

What's going on wit you people? Do tell. I feel like we haven't talked in forevers. It might be because you never comment. Or it might be because I was under the influence of Sudafed last week. Your pick.

word to my melting cranium

dear brain,

I'm sorry I've been neglecting you lately. I know, I know. You thought all of this reading and analyzing and typing would get you far, but you were wrong. I was a bad owner for putting you through all of it. But guess what, soon it will be over. And then you will probably be glad that I put you in a metaphorical vice and squeezed until you almost exploded. You'll get a break, soon, little brain.

I'll keep feeding you blueberries every day because I know they are your favorite.

And pretty soon I will let you enjoy a book you actually want to read. I will let you savor all of the delicious words and get to know the characters a little bit. I might even make you so mad that you send a signal to my hands, and then my hands will throw the book. It's happened before, but only when you got really into it.

I'll let you get crazy-high on endorphins when I start running outside again. You will love what the sun and the running uphill does to you. Sometimes you complain to me about it, but then after we've gone a few miles you get really excited and you don't want to stop. Soon, my little cabeza. Soon.

I will probably go on bike rides, too, and you'll love feeling the breeze and hearing the sounds of spring. You like sending signals to my bare feet when they touch the grass or the cement. Shoes kind of dull the senses sometimes. Soon enough, we'll take care of that.

When June comes along, you will have to work hard again, but your right side will be the one working overtime. That side always worked hardest anyhow. You will have to find ways to entertain teenagers. The last time you did that was in 2009. I wish you luck.

I'm going to make some new playlists just for you, with all of the best tuneage I've collected during the winter months. I will let you listen to them whenever you want. You will probably send signals to my mouth and turn it into a smile.

There are only four weeks left. I think you can stand it. You've endured pretty crazy things before. What's 4 more weeks of an undergraduate education? You can do it.

Sincerely,

McKenzie

sometimes I want to cry, but I do my homework instead.

man-oh-man I wish studying was still this fun.

Most people like Fridays. Fridays are free days; at 5pm you get to bust out of the doors singing a song about how much you love life. And that should mean something even if you are in college and taking 12 flippin' credits of English. Twelve. Credits. Of. English. Twelve. Doce. A dozen. As in, a dozen eggs, or six omelettes, which I wouldn't have time to make even if I wanted to. Ya dig?

Every time I tell someone I'm taking English 495 and English 450 at the same time, they give me this weird look like, "Did you just break out of the local women's correctional facility?" or "Have you been drinking eggnog shots lately?" or "You suck at telling jokes." And then I have to go, "Yeah...hahaha that was dumb. But seriously. I'm taking both of them."

For the record, I did not have a choice. I couldn't register for either one until this semester. Then there's the other two English classes I am in, which require a minimum of one paper a week. And then Spanish class, which I tried to make my "fun class" because it's the only one I don't have to write papers for. But then we had a test with ten essay questions. So never mind about that.

This is the first semester where I will not go home a single time because the weekends are strictly homework time. It's okay though, because as soon as April 6th rolls around, I will finally have a summer to myself, without daydreaming about doing summery things while being held hostage by the library. What a blessed thing it shall be!

A few random bits:

• the letter-writing thing is going swell. That's what Sundays-after-church are for: baking bread and writing letters. If you want a letter from me, leave me a comment saying so.
• I'm thinking about doing an FAQ page, but in order to do that I need questions. And in order to have questions all of you lurkers have to come out of hiding and actually ask me stuff. And that means...DUN-DUN-DUN...leaving a comment.
• I just made chocolate-chip blondies with garbanzo beans in them. Because I really wanted to eat a lot of them without feeling guilty. Now I just feel like I shamed those chocolate chips. I guess I'm the kind of girl who likes her desserts to actually have butter, cream, eggs, etc in them. /end rant
• This week has been the week of double-napping. That should describe the entire week for you.
• I got a glorious package this week from Forever21 (my favorite store, btw). I forgot how awesome new clothes are.
• Reconnecting with old friends is bombtastic.

Thus ends a very random post, mostly about homework and comments and garbanzo beans. Man I am weird.

seventh circle of ____ (insert insanely hot place here)

This week. has been. insane. you can. probably tell. because. I am. splitting up my sentences. like a. robot.

The other night, when I was laying in my bed and trying to induce sleep, which shouldn't have been hard because I was riding on five hours, I realized that this week has been like finals week. And so was last week...and the week before. And then I had this scary thought: what if the rest of the semester is like this? What if by the time I leave Rexburg I can't wait to get out of here?

That's kind of sad, you know. Because I always liked it here. It's been my home for about 4 years, and now I'm supposed to move to another city? A place I haven't lived in since I was a toddler and don't really know anything about? Um, whose idea was this again? Anyway, all of these thoughts like to creep into my head right when I'm trying to fall asleep. And then the vicious cycle repeats itself: try to make it through the day without a nap, fail, take a 20 minute nap, walk around like a zombie, try to do homework, 20 pages of reading puts me to sleep, wake up, mckenzie as a zombie: the sequel, is it midnight yet? Ok I'll sleep...oh wait, I have so many things to worry about. Nevermind.

So far the only cures for this intense senioritis have been the following things:

• smoothies for breakfast...like, everyday. Normally I don't do this, especially in the wintertime, but it's basically spring here anyway. And blueberries are my comfort food. Amen and amen. Also, I've been going through avocadoes at an alarming rate lately. I regret nothing.
• listening to classical music very loudly.
• taking at least 2-3 hours on fridays just for myself. Then, after work ends at 4pm, the homework marathon begins again.
• naps. I used to shun them because they made me wired at night, but now I consider them an absolute necessity. Funny what 12 credits of English will do to your REM cycle.
• having meaningful conversations with people every day, to remind me that school is not everything.
• opening my window at night to let some cool air in. This fools me into thinking it's summertime and that I'm hot and need my window open. But then again, when it is summertime for real, I won't be here (*happy dance*).

I know that about a week after I leave Rexburg for good, it's going to hit me how much I miss it. And I know that that feeling is going to return when I move to Provo and don't know hardly anyone. Or where the best food is (please tell me there is a taco bus there. please.). Or where the park is that everybody likes to hang out at during the summertime. Or the best frozen yogurt place. Or the best place for shredding the ivory really loud. Or the best field for playing soccer. Or the cheapest place to see a movie on the weekend.

But guess what...that's one of the best parts of moving. And also the scariest. So bring it, April 6th. I'm ready for you to come anytime now!

surefire cure-alls for whatever ails you

(be it senioritis, winter blues, or a bad case of the mondays)

write a letter.

watch the office, preferably an old episode.

eat an avocado w/ toast.

listen to some vernon.

list of happiness (gasp!)

Did you just choke on something you were eating? Sorry! It's been awhile since I did a happy list...I know. And it's not even Monday, for cryin' out loud. That doesn't mean I can't make a happy list, though. Happiness is not limited to one day, young jedi. Make happy list for every day of the week, you can.

1) being in da mood to cook, and I mean seriously... it's like the Food Network up in hur, all day long. In the past month, I made: kale and white bean soup (two times, it was yummy), banana shakes up the wazoo, sweet potato muffins, pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip muffins (ok now inhale), homemade pizza, sixtygagillion loaves of bread, homemade yogurt like a pro (also two times), egg sandwiches, lemon salmon+roasted zucchini, chicken gyros with tzatziki sauce and homemade pita bread (*dead*)...that's all I feel like remembering right now. Would you like to hire me as your live-in cook? Okey-day! (you only get to offer me the job if you're Batman/Christian Bale, aight?)

2) being so zoned out in Spanish class today that when the boy behind me said "Okay McKenzie, let's trade seats" (so we could gather in our groups) I just stared at him for 10 full seconds. And then he said, "Uhhh" and I said "Oh!" And jumped up out of my seat really awkwardly. I'm surprised my head didn't hit the ceiling! Oh wait...no I'm not. I may have amazing reflexes, but I'm still five-two.

3) because of number one (plus good old-fashioned exercise, duh), my clothes. don't. fit. any. more. In a good way. But I'm too stubborn (or is it poor?) to buy new ones. So I just have to pretend that I like my pants to be super-baggy and stuff. There's nothing wrong with wanting to bring the 90's back.

4) re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird for my superheroes literature class. The first time I read it, I was ten years old...so it definitely made more sense to me this time around. It's still just as stupendous as it was back then. Oh, and the movie? If you haven't seen it, stop reading this and go watch it now. NOW.

5) using a thesaurus to find "stupendous" so I wouldn't have to use "awesome" again in that last paragraph. Oh yes I did.

6) the weather, which constantly fools me into thinking it's almost spring. I have gone lots of mornings without my coat because by the time I get home in the afternoon, it's really really nice (okay, probably 35-40 degrees, but still). In the meantime, I freeze my nalgas off. Lovely.

7) a lovely email from student records saying the following:

Mckenzie,

We have reviewed your graduation application and it looks like with the completion of your courses this semester you will be able to graduate this semester. I am forwarding your graduation application on to the Dept. Chair for his approval. Let us know if there is anything we can help you with or answer any graduation questions you might have.

BOOYAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't even care that they forgot to capitalize my K. That's how happy I am.

8) the hot pad I bought to make yogurt, which also doubles as a "make McKenzie fall asleep about ten times faster" tool. The only downside: I have a harder time waking up. I literally feel like I'm buried under ten quilts and man, it is just so niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice under there. I think it might also be making my dreams weirder (didn't know that was possible).

9) when a boy I thought was cute actually dropped the h-bomb today ("let's hang out"), he became ten times less attractive. I was surprised at my reaction. I guess I really am maturing, huh. I wondered when that would happen.

10) automatic cure-all if you are having a bad day: make a happy list for yourself, eat a smoothie or something with pumpkin in it, take a walk/go for a run/just go outside, read from the Book of Mormon, smile at someone, smile at yourself, listen to a good dancing song. And dance to it. I mean really dance.

a human jukebox

Somebody told me I needed to update my blog. I know all of you (how many of you are there, like five?) are wondering where the heck I've been. I'm not in the social networking part of the internet anymore, which really hasn't affected my life too much. Except for the people-getting-engaged part. They act offended when I don't know...oops. Guess I'm prehistoric now or something. Anywho, that's why you don't know about my life too much anymore. I don't blog, I don't facebook..but I still use pinterest and tumblr! Yay!

Wow, this post is incredibly boring. I always think of funny/clever stuff I could blog about during the day, but then 9 o'clock hits and so does the procrastination monster. He tells me that I need to stop reading 20-page articles and answering endless busy-work questions. So I agree with him and attempt to write a blog post. Which fails... And then I'm more tired than I was before. Oh, the life of a college student. Soon I'll be an ex-college student, and that will be a wonderful day.

In the meantime, here's what I've been eating/listening to/thinking about. Maybe I'll start blogging for real after April 6th...

• double chocolate cheesecake=the reason I left Dan a really awful message last night. Sorry, dan-o. I really am. We all know what sugar does to me.
• the hush sound. I knew I liked them before, but then they were given to me by a certain individual on a mixed CD and apparently now I cannot stop listening to them. music is so weird that way. p.s. music in portuguese makes me laugh a little bit, just because I can't for the life of me understand it, and then I try to, and it's just...bad. Me trying to understand it...not the music. Ok, goodbye longwinded and pointless postscript.
• camping, I just need to go as soon as the snow melts. my desire to be outside is reflected here big time.
• mexico, always.
• ernest hemingway, why must your paragraphs be so long?
• estimate of how many pages of reading i have done in the last month: upwards of 5,000. It ain't pretty. And none of that is recreational reading, btw.
• I have probably made at least six loaves of bread this month alone. And the hippie references (toward me) are through the roof lately. That's what I get for growing my own yogurt and stuff.
• 50,000 recipes (ish) dreamed up in the margins of my notes.
• 1 lesson done did and taught in relief society.
• I haven't slipped on the ice yet, but I almost went down today in a lovely flailing motion.
• Songs learned on the guitar: one (that's two halves of a song actually)
• Awkward hugs given/received: a jillion. okay three in particular come to mind.
• I dusted off my Moleskine full of poems and poetic thoughts again, cuz my right brain needs a place to get away, just like me. It doesn't do well in 3-hour long classes all about how Obama writes his arguments.
• more freckles than I've had in awhile. rexburg=mexico? not even close. but in this regard, it is. and I guess the taco bus is a derivative of Mexico. Let's call it Mexico Lite.
• sharing my music taste with everybody who wants to know. hence the human jukebox...heheheh. get it? drum roll anybody?? kaitlyn, that was a shout-out to you.

• coincidences/serendipitous encounters...you don't even want to know what kind of mind games fate is playing with me right now. And for the record I know that coincidences and fate do not exist...I just like pretending they do so I don't get too frustrated with where they really come from. :)
• matching socks, and the lack thereof in my sock drawer. It's getting (slightly) embarrassing to be wearing half purple/half green. But I can dig it.
• Justin Vernon and his crazy genius. He seriously is the craziest guy ever. But holy smokes, his music...his MUSIC. Ack! Not fair, I tell you.

The long and short of it: I'm still the same ol' awkward, reddish-brownish headed, freckle-faced, music-obsessed, overthinking, right-brained fool who is trying to get through the last eight weeks of school. That's right, EIGHT WEEKS.

Ahhh, deep breath.