neglected

It's about to snow and I'm not sure how I feel about it, mostly because I don't feel as if I have sufficiently relished October. On the other hand, I remember the exact day it began to snow last year in Rexburg...October 9th. I had a soccer game. Key word is had. So we're slightly ahead of the curve this time.

I found this post from the olden days and laughed until I cried. Ellie you perfect Asian 7-year-old you.

I discovered Beach House. What in the what, why has nobody forced me to listen to them before now?

This postcard was basically written by me.

Work has been pretty lame this week, I don't know why. Gloomy weather just makes me want to stay in bed and read all day. I still have four unfinished books by my bed. That's what renewing your library books ten times is for, am I right?

I contemplated abandoning this blog because um, that's what I've been doing anyway, but if I officially abandoned it then I wouldn't feel obligated to post for the zero people that read this. Negative Nancy, go to sleep.

Oh btw I also started using Spotify (I know, so 2010). What can I say, I liked it when Pandora just made me a playlist and surprised me with good music. But now I can rotate some good tune-age whenever I want. Right now it's Desert Noises every live long day.

The election is in one week, gah. Remember when this happened? I'm glad it will be over because #1, election night gives me anxiety to the nth degree and #2, people will hopefully stop posting all of the political craziness on facespace. f'reallllllls, I don't know how much more mud slinging I can take. Brown is not my color when it's...dirt. Kbye.

FYI I also saw the new Bourne movie and I have decided that a bearded Jeremy Renner is an attractive Jeremy Renner indeed. Go see it please or I'll...have to think of a good threat later because srsly, I just took two advil and we all know what medicine does to me.

p.s. I'm only slightly embarrassed that half of my photobucket library is scruff.
up next: some more riveting blog posts, I swear. I don't have instagram but I will get you to comment!
p.p.s Star Wars 7 is happening. I don't know what to say except what in the junk. Do you remember the last 3 they made? DO YOU?!

when the universe speaks...

napoleon=the universe

the doll=me

I keep waking up in the middle of the night for no reason. Is this the universe's way of telling me I'm never going to figure out my life and therefore should deprive myself of sleep in order to figure out said life? I mean really, that sentence made no sense. None. Zilcho.

Conference was good. I cried through most of it. Buuut f'reals. I did. And I'm still crying about it. Is this the universe's way of telling me that every talk was "made for me" and if so I really need to shape up my life? Ack.

October is meandering on by, which I like, because it's my favorite month (don't know why this is suddenly a "blogger cliche," I'm preeeety sure it's a human cliche and therefore not a cliche at all). On the other hand, it means there's only two whole months left of 2012 and two whole months until I am no longer 22, and oh gash, that scares me for no reason. The universe is ignoring me on this one. I get no signals.

Stuff that kind of stresses me out right now: people who scream at me when I'm trying to help them get free money, people who swear at me when I'm trying to help them get free money, people who scream in general, the snail trail I found on my carpet...inside my room, my hair and its never ending need for cuttage, the byui alumni emails I keep receiving because they make me sad and also I'm not down with being called an "alumni" yet, and the presidential debates on TV. Sometimes I think I would rather drink a whole huge can of grape juice in 10 seconds than hear everyone talk argue about politics. For the love. Also, every techonlogical thing I own is broken: my car radio, my iPod, my camera, this computer (been in-viru-fected for a year). Hence the lack of pictures these last few months which actually have to do with me.

Stuff that only stresses me out a little because it affects the rest of my life: the GRE and why does such a test have to be the deciding factor of the rest of my life? also, all my TV shows are back on all at once and I honestly don't have time to watch any of them. So mebbe I will just have one TV show from now on, and it will be Arthur (yeash, the cartoon).

Stuff that doesn't stress me out but it should: the current state of my legs (I'm at the halfway point between "okay" and "sicknasty"), the fact that I still don't know what to be for Halloween, this book I am reading about death and heartbreak and oh gash it really shouldn't be read before bed but I do it and why am I not having nightmares? Also, my perpetual state of singlehood should probably stress me out as well, but it doesn't. It did when I was in Rexburg, though. Then again, Rexburg is the place where all of the diamond store advertisements go to make war on single women. I kid you not.

Well, this has been pretty weird. And I have a headache. Probably from venting all of that stuff onto you. Man, aren't I the best? Betcha can't wait until next time. Maybe I will throw a scruffy picture in just for good measure, so I don't lose all two of my followers (hi parents!).

beautiful person alert

the joys of (not) having a gall bladder

a picture of me back when i had a gall bladder (i.e. every day of my life up until july 23rd)

caleb's head is resting right about where my gall bladder used to be. awww. 

I'm still in a drug-induced haze, so we'll see how this blog even turns out. Here's the diet coke version (heh, I picked that up from my Spanish professor. But not anything Spanish-related...)

Starting last Monday, the 16th, I was going about my regular bidnez (work, exercise, eat, sleep, read, shower, blah blah). I had just eaten a loverly dinner of chicken and rice with broccoli. Normally I don't go into that much detail but it's important that you know what my last meal was before all this nonsense went down. Right in the middle of FHE, I felt a strange pain in my side, like I was being stabbed. Ugh! I've had weird stomach problems for who knows how long, but had never felt anything like this. I've been off of gluten, dairy, sugar, you know, the works. Nothing helped. My body refused to cooperate. I became a food snob, went on stupid diets, worked out like a crazy person. And yet, not too much changed.

So back to this epic stomachache. I took some medication and tried to lay down so the pain would leave, because I figured it was just a dumb stomachache. But it got worse, and then I couldn't breathe. What the junk?! This was not a regular stomachache. I asked my dad for a blessing, after which I promptly threw up three times. Awesome. I figured that would be all. Just to be safe, I called in sick the next day. For the next few days I didn't eat much besides saltines, applesauce, apple juice. Just fyi, saltines aren't food. They are simply the color beige plus a little salt on top. Not. Food. So of course I was starving, but everything else made my stomach hurt like hades.

On Friday morning, I was at work for one hour and started to feel pukey again. "I knew I shouldn't have eaten that toast!" Word to my homefries: if a piece of toast is upsetting your stomach, you've got problems.  I couldn't sit without being in excruciating pain. Guess what, I sit all day long at work. So I decided to go home yet again and see if I could sleep it off. The pain steadily got worse. We went to urgent care, and the doctor there said I wasn't showing any "classic symptoms" for any one thing. Earlier in the week I had googled my symptoms and had a hunch it was something to do with my gall bladder. He told me it might be that but my blood test wouldn't come back 'til Monday. I took some more medicine and went to sleep. Then when I woke up I did a really dumb thing and ate some food, which induced yet another painful episode.

Cue some more throwing up, more pain, and prayers that it would just be over. When the doctor asks you what your pain is on a scale from 1-10, and you say "ten," that's a sign...to go to the hospital. I didn't know this. I thought I could endure it, but Saturday was the straw that broke this redheaded camel's back (whoa, weird image, am I right?). When I got to the E.R., I was in a weird state. I was in so much pain that it was almost like an out of body experience...I can't really explain it, but I knew I was in trouble. They asked me my pain level, and I think I mumbled "eight," but I didn't want them panicking on me. Hello, McFrenzy, this is the E.R. People get paid to go into panic mode here. Again, the pain was distorting everything.

I remember them putting me on a hospital bed and sticking me with an I.V. Usually I don't like getting poked with needles but by this point it felt like I was getting hugged by a Care Bear compared to the pain in my stomach. Then the most glorious thing ever happened! They gave me pain medication (apparently ten times stronger than morphine, boo-ya). I don't condone drugs, people, but after the pain I'd experienced, it was celestial. Ok, maybe I shouldn't compare pain medication to the celestial kingdom...but GUYS. I will always remember that moment when the pain went away. I know I did embarrassing things and I know I was reduced to a cavewoman (in terms of my speech), but I couldn't feel the pain anymore! YESSS!

For the next few days, I sat in my hospital bed and waited patiently for the doctor to say they would take out my gall bladder, which they did! On Monday morning they told me I was going in for surgery. The last thing I remember was them saying, "Okay, we're going to give you some Valium first..." which made me dizzy, but not totally asleep, and then they said, "We're putting this oxygen mask on your face, okay?" BAM. Lights out.

Other things to note: hospital gowns are never, ever flattering on anybody; chicken broth can be the best meal in the world when you haven't eaten for three days; popsicles are great for sore throats; the cooking channel and the food network are sadistic things to watch when you can't eat anything; you shouldn't invite your friends to come visit you because they'll laugh at everything you do (drugs=bad); if you start to feel any pain the nurse will inject you with that 10x stronger than morphine stuff (drugs=good); scars can be cool; people are actually very good; Priesthood blessings are the bee's knees; God really does answer your prayers but it's His timing that counts; showering with an I.V. is awkward; drugs make your dreams even more psycho; remote-controlled beds are overrated; fireworks are only fun if you can see them, otherwise they are really scary; getting an ultrasound when you're heavily medicated is like being in the Willy Wonka movie from the 60's.

Thus concludes the life of my crazy gall bladder. May you rest in peace.

it's a brain barf

her face=how i feel about spray tans

"I thought it would be cool to have dinner in a prison...because love really does take no prisoners." (a la the bachelorette) I don't think you even know what you are saying. Like, why. I'm pretty sure that girl has never seen Prison Break, because if she had, she would've never thought dinner could be romantic in such a place.

I slept for 10 hours last night (ha!) and I'm feelin' a nap coming on right now. Something's wrong with my body clock. I'm giving you zz's so leave me alone!!!

I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in this country and maybe in this hemisphere that has never listened to a One Direction song, and I never will. The end, amen.

I've been wanting to watch Clueless for six months now. I don't even know.

Everything I planned for in my future went to pot...everything. So, now I am looking for another job and/or a way out of the country in case that doesn't work out. China? Maybe so, maybe so. My life! *facepalm* times ten

I've been looking at guitar straps foreverz on Etsy and all of them are like sixty buckaroos. You do realize that it's basically a belt, right? Why are you charging so much moolah for a belt?! I can't even.

Also, I'm having trouble completing my sentences. Not sure if this is a symptom of graduating from college, but...there are half-sentences scattered all over this post.

Teaching yourself an instrument is so haaaaaaaaaaard. I spent 20 minutes trying to understand tabs. Which shouldn't take that long but I'm used to reading sheet music. Therefore, tabs are like learning another language to me.

I'm hungry. Brb, gonna go get a snack.

Guess which snack I got. Old popcorn. Do you know how tasty old popcorn is on a scale from one to pumpkin? Like a negative five. That's how hungry I am.

I found another blog dedicated to scruffiness and it basically ruined my life. I realized that the last 3.5 years of my life were severely scruff-deprived, which is okay because I understand the reasoning behind it. However, now I can be around scruff again, and that is a very good thing. If you are confused, here. Sha-bam.

Also, sometimes I eat old old maids. What is wrong with me?!

A bunch of people told me John Carter was good, including my movie-expert parents, whose opinion I trust, and then I saw it and was utterly con-fuzled. It's a good thing my friend Hayden was there to explain what was happening because you GUYS. It was the most facepalming movie ever of all time. Maybe it was just late at night and I was enhungered. Salty movie popcorn does nothing for my hungry tummy most of the time (aka basically always).

Also, the main girl in it was wearing probably a roll of toilet paper during the entire thing. Observe:

Nevermind, it was more like half of a roll of toilet paper. The point is, I could not take her seriously in that "outfit."

Me and Hill decided we would go up the canyon randomly after Institute, just because it's a canyon and it's closeby and why not. Well we couldn't find any decent trails, it was getting dark, we had no fire, no s'mores, and no boy scouts with us, so we went to Orange Leaf in the end. Ha! So much for spontaneity.

Today I realized there are only three days out of every week that I really like. Saturday=Costco samples. Sunday=duh, always awesome. Tuesday=soccer. And that is basically my life these days. Oh and looking at scruff blogs. What?

I'm gonna go find some employment now. Bye.

yes, that is a marf he is wearing.


"I'm gonna be the best dang woman I can be."
word to the bachelorette: marry him.

le brain barf

does anyone else feel weird about the new Anne Hathaway?

I just watched the trailer for Les Miserables, p.s. didn't even know that movie existed until now. Also, not sure how I feel about Anne Hathaway singing. I just...yeah. And she's Catwoman? I'm confused on a number of levels.

I need a real job after EFY. I've decided Costco will suffice. Somebody hook me up with them asap. For reals. Can you imagine living in sample heaven 40 hours a week? Ha...okay. But seriously. I need a real job.

Another thing I need: a place to live in Provorem. Everyone has a different opinion about where to live there. Ack! It's too much information. Also, there are way too many places to live. How am I supposed to narrow it down? Gee willicker's. Did you know that is also the name of a restaurant in Eugene, Oregon? But I think they turned it into a pub or something....

Trying to find yellow, semi-cheap, cute, oh and did I mention yellow shoes, is really difficult. All in the name of love.

It's sad that I spent a lot of my day doing that aforementioned activity. But I also read The Kite Runner, which I haven't done in years. Ah! All the emotions! I just cannot...I literally cannot.

I finally got reunited with my bff Lizzy. In Disneyland. What? Yeah, best reunion ever. The only problem was it was a little too short for my liking.

I have learned the return date for Hermana Chelsea Ann Bedke. It is October 9th. You can bet I will be at the SLC airport on that day with a huge embarrassing sign and a Snickers bar. Ready to make a scene.

I'm homesick for Rexburg. It has finally hit me. Oh dear.

I think Instagram is taking over the internet. I don't know how I feel about it...I mean, it's cool and everything. But I think maybe we rely on technology too much to make connections. I like the good old-fashioned, face-to-face stuff. Getting off my soapbox now.

The worst part of a sunburn is the peeling phase. Although I can't really complain about this burn. Because a year ago, I was recovering from the worst sunburn of all time. The tanlines from that particular burn didn't fade for six months. Six months. Sunblock: not just for decoration.

That didn't make sense. I just wanted to use that line from The Santa Claus. I don't know either.

Okay so, let's recap: Anne Hathaway is singing now and I think this is kind of weird, I need a real job, preferably at Costco, I need a place to live, I need yellow shoes and it's taking over my life and it shouldn't be taking over my life even though my life is pretty unexciting right now, except for last week when we went to Disneyland and I saw Lizzy again and her hubs Mark, I'm tackling Chelsea with love when she gets off the plane in October, I kind of miss Rexburg, I don't have a smartphone so maybe that's why I think Instagram is overrated sometimes, I'm peeling like a snake, and I have random lines from The Santa Clause stuck in my head.

Sounds like a brain barf to me.

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

a basic glossary, in case you can't understand me.

some people shouldn't be allowed in front of cameras after 12am.

The other night some of my old friends from freshman year came over while I was bakin' up the heezy. I made muffins and bread, and gave it all to them, because I really can't take it when people say they "finally broke down and ate a package of Ramen." Uh-uh, not around me you won't. So anyway, I was popping the muffins out of the muffin tin and some of the crusty part got stuck. I said, "Do you want the little crumb-ditties, too?" He looked at me and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot about Kenzie Slang."

Huh? Kenzie Slang? Are you saying I have my own language or something?

Well, then I thought about it some more. And I came to the conclusion that yes, I do have my own slang. In case you were bored, here is an itty-bitty list. Now whenever you are around me you don't have to whip out google translate if I say one of these terms (and even if you did whip out google translate, it would not be able to help you. It once told a roommate in Mexico that "pastel" meant "crayon" instead of "cake," and that is a funny story for another blog post).

crumb-ditties: also known as the "corners" when it comes to baked goods.

ditty: just a thing. I dunno, I use it interchangeably for all sorts of things. Usually when I'm talking about a conversation or a song or something. Yeah, that wasn't vague at all.

redonkulus: otherwise known as "ridiculous"--go watch Bolt and you will undastan

pure awesomeness: used when talking about a favorite song, book, or person (Justin Vernon/Marlon Brando/the inventor of peanut butter)

celestial deliciousness: used to describe something insanely tasty which I have consumed, i.e. food from the taco bus or yogurtland

to the "nth" power: usually for emphasis, like "I was craving a popsicle to the 10th power" or "I needed a nap to the 100th power."

ya dig?: simply means "are you with me?" but not in a rude way. more like, "we're friends so I think you should agree with me."

the fuzz: my mom thinks this one is hilarious...it just means "the cops." So I guess she thinks cops are funny? Oh well. 

heck to the no manches: I'm so cool I combined slang terms from two different languages. "Heck no" is Utah slang, and "no manches" is Mexican slang. They both mean the same thing. But when I combined them, it was like an atomic explosion of slang. What?

what the mess/junk: I have been saying "what the junk" since the tender age of 14, until someone told me it was weird, so I stopped, and then that same friend who told me I had my own language started saying it, and I felt validated.

"the club cannot handle me right now": I am tired of these people I am surrounded by. A.K.A. get me outta here. 

tight like unto a dish: this was stolen from the Book of Ether. I can only say it around fellow Mormons, otherwise I get really weird stares instead of laughter. Use it in a sentence, you ask? "Me and Chelsea Bedke are tight like unto a dish." Bam.

creepstache: a creeper, weirdo, or scary person who lurks in dark alleyways and is also inebriated. this does not imply that all people with mustaches are creepy...but I bet when most of you imagine a creeper, you're thinking of a guy with some kind of facial hair, am I right?

oh my lanta: "oh my gosh" or "oh my goodness" equivalent

oh shnap: "oh snap" with an "h" thrown in. Do I really have to explain these anymore?

oh my gash: I noticed that it's funnier when people pronounce "gosh" with a weird, drawn-out accent, like "gash." So I do it on purpose. Ummm...and that's all. Yep.

whatev: back in the day, me and Chels were fluent in "abreev." And this is one of those words that has not yet faded away from that time in my life (other words I sometimes use from this era are "def" and "totes")

what the crepe? I was tired of saying "crap," so I started saying "crepe" because it almost sounds the same but it conjures up images of a tasty breakfast instead of...well, yeah. The other stuff.

noodles! same thing as "shoot!" or "dangit!"

up the heezy: a lot of something, yo

"brain barf": regular readers of this blog know that a brain barf is just my regular writing style, i.e. I write whatever the junk is coming into my head at the time, and it is a big fat mess. Kind of like the back of the car that one summer we went really fast down that windy road and Ike had eaten too many Cocoa Puffs....

sha-bam: when I write something cool and I expect you to respond with "whoa" or "duh," I stick this at the end, kind of like a kick in the sentence's pants. It's like an exclamation point...without the exclamation point.

coolioso: "cool" with "ioso" at the end, hence making it sound Spanish when it fact it is just McFrenzy Slang.

"confession session": whenever I need to confess a bunch of things, I do it on the world wide web and slap this title on it. Fastest way to get people to know all my secrets, hands down.

"I'll karate-chop so-and-so's face": just another way to say "I'm going to beat that person up," but not literally. Just in my mind...

tuneage: music that I listen to that just so happens to be splendid.

yerp: yes, yeah, siiiii

yesh: see "yerp"

chyeah: see "yerp" or "yesh"

amazeballs: yeah I debated even putting this on here, but I say it. I should probably stop. All it means is "amazing."

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.

okay, ew

I'm gonna use this blog for something I rarely use it for: venting. You may or may not enjoy it.

1) those commericals on TLC about weird addictions. seriously, gag me with a spoon. so sick. why are they on public tv? I'm still gagging.

2) soggy sweet potato fries. Red Robin, c'mon, if I'm gonna pay you 79 cents to be a little bit healthier, you better make those fries CRISPY. As in, I should hear a "crunch" when they enter my mouth.

3) two pairs of acid wash jeans spotted on campus this week....on both boys and girls. ack.

4) rags. I am a paper-towel kind of a girl. And the rags in our sink multiply like rabbits. I don't even bother using them...if I see one sitting there looking all moldy-like, I just carry it back to the washer asap. I guess I'm a rag supremacist.

5) when people eat foods together that should not be eaten together. I guess this is just the foodie in me or something, but f'real, you can't eat graham crackers and canned corn for lunch! what?!

6) please, for the love of all that is good and right in this world, stop wearing holey sweats to the grocery store. Holey in all the wrong places, too. I think that you're confusing the produce aisle with...your bed.

7) when your hair is so thick that you have to blow-dry it for so long that you start to break a sweat and then your hair sticks to your neck and your shirt sticks to your back and it's like, why did I even shower after that workout? There was no need.

8) that thing when people hock a loogie (thanks dad) in their mouth and then...and then...they...they swallow it. {kid history reference} And the worst thing is, we all know it, because we heard them hock the lugie, and then nothing happened afterwards!

9) sorry for that last one, it was pretty dang gross. but while we're on the subject, can all of the boys at this school please stop spitting everywhere? kthanksbye. (I realize that this pretty much contradicts the last thing I said, but hey, there are bathroom sinks and kleenex and other things. am I right?)

10) THIS

confesh sesh

there is beauty in this confession session. am I right or am I right?

1) I said "confesh sesh." Meaning I spoke in abreev. Do you want to know the last time I spoke in abreev? Well, chances are it was probably when Chelsea B. was still around. She and I were flu in that lang.

2) Since I went grocery shopping on Tuesday, I have eaten one and a half of my avocadoes...and oh yeah, I bought five. Five avocadoes. FIVE. Ok...so we're good here, right?

3) This week has been yet another one of staying up wayyy past a reasonable hour. And by the way, I've always wondered what that phrase meant. How can an hour be reasonable? Does it think rationally and make decisive arguments? I've been in Rhetoric classes for wayyyyyyyyy too long.

4) Because of my insane load of homework, I have had to learn to let some assignments go....and that is something I have never done. It's pretty weird. You know what else I've had to let go of? My Friday nights. Goodbye, lazy weekend. Until we meet again!

5) Last night I had a dream that everybody (well not in the whole world...but a lot of us) was in this giant warehouse and there was a huge blizzard happening outside. Then, dad wanted me and Ike to go drive around in it. I woke up right before that really bad decision went down. Why do I always dream about apocalyptic things?

6) I have more freckles now than ever before. Or maybe I'm just noticing them because my skin...is finally clear! I have waited to say that since I was pubescent. Also, I've always wanted to use pubescent in a sentence. Two birds, one stone, people.

7) When it snows, I get really excited, because then I get to let the snow land on my hair. And puddle-jump. Because so far, the snow this winter has not consistently stayed snow. So much for Rexburg being a "dinosaur" in the wintertime.

8) I straightened my hair not once, not twice, but three times this week! This is cool because I haven't straightened it for awhile. I've been wearing...um...fish-tail pigtails to class. Whoa..two animals in one braid. I'm so weird!

9) When I can't fall asleep, I make up recipes. Sheep-counting does nothing for my taste buds, okay? Why count when I can create?!

10) Ever since Isaac uttered the words "taco bus" on Tuesday, I've been thinking about it. Ever. Since. I may or may not have a problem. And the problem is that the taco bus is not parked in my apartment's parking lot.

11) Today I got really excited for spring for the following reasons: short-sleeved shirts, running outside, leg-freckles, and all things lemon. Are you excited now? Oh yeah...and GRADUATION.

12) I've been listening to this dude a lot lately. Take my advice and do the same.

13) I think oranges are the yummiest fruit in the winter time. Cold, juicy oranges. Mmm. This confession session has been mostly about food. Which I think is a confession in and of itself.

mature or immature?

I have one more sleep until I am free of this chilly place which has been autumn-less since the end of October. I've been looking at people's pictures who live in Utah and noticing how there are still leaves on the ground. I'm only a little bit peeved about that.

In other news, today I was in the library (how very original) and I started to make this list of my characteristics...because I'm conceited and stuff. Har-har. No, but really I was just trying to discern if I was mature or not. Because a lot of people tell me I'm "mature" for my age, but I don't think they really know me...

• I (usually) can't get through church meetings without laughing at some point. Just don't sit by me if you're funny.
• I jump on the furniture in our apartment regularly.
• I love coloring and doodling. It's not unusual for my class notes to have graffiti all over the margins.
• I have dance parties in the kitchen, in my room, in the library. All by myself.
• I still get the urge to prank people (it's the 17-year old inside of me, ok?!)
• I read Junie B. Jones
• I was a bunch of grapes for Halloween, I mean c'mon.
• I throw books when I get too into them.
• I air-drum when I go running with music.
• I bob my head when I'm jamming while studying...in public.
• I drink milk straight from the jug.
• I laugh during Twilight. Is it supposed to be for real? So I'm supposed to believe that waking up after your wedding night covered in bruises is love? Girl please.
• I felt more like one of the children than a person of authority in Mexico. Those kids saw right through me.
• I play my harmonica for unsuspecting strangers in public.
• If there's a shopping cart nearby, you can bet I'll use it for a quick getaway.
• I wore a shower cap to Broulim's....'nuff said.
• I make designs with my chocolate chips in my pancakes.
• I cross my eyes at people.

So...maybe not so mature after all.

See for yourself.

this was awhile ago, but I've worn worse things on my head recently (*cough* shower cap)

although we were at an ancient historical site, I still somehow found a tree to climb.

I'm a college student. Obviously.

and this is what college students do for fun.

look, I'm climbing another tree!

halloweenie

it's my favorite holiday for a reason....

and that reason is, I can act like myself and nobody suspects a thing.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

snacks + music

Sometimes I have to do things to keep my brains from melting.

Things like riding my bike up and down the hill by my apartment.

Things like having mini dance-parties by myself, to get the blood flowing. Yes, by myself. I just admitted to that, who knows why?

Or sometimes I get on this blog and write something partly coherent. But mostly not. Make sense? Didn't think so.

This week I've noticed a pattern...when I get distracted and can't go on any longer, I start listening to a certain artist, and snack on a particular snack. For example...

monday imagine dragons+triscuits

tuesday phoenix+almonds

wednesday death cab for cutie+jamba juice

thursday bon iver+carrots/peanut butter

What does this say about these particular artists? Well maybe Imagine Dragons music makes me want to dance, and that makes me really hungry, and that calls for fiber. Hence the Triscuits. Phoenix is a French band...and French people like almonds, right? I'm starting to get in way too deep, here. Death Cab for Cutie is hipster music at its finest, and smoothies, well, I mean...what else can I say? Bon Iver never gets old, and neither does peanut butter. It goes with everything. So does Justin Vernon.

And that, my friends, was a brain meltdown on paper. Er...a blog.

funny stuff etc.

(disclaimer: this is longish so I have inserted funny pictures from my tumblr to ensure you keep reading 'til the end. okay then)

Right now I am feeling a little craaazy because maybe I just got back from running and the endorphins are coursing through my vessels. Although it feels more like 7Up at the moment. Many times in my life I have done stupid-ish things after a run because I felt invincible. Then, hours, weeks, months, or years later, I facepalmed my stupidity. Join me!

• (I'm pretty sure everyone's heard this story, but I think it's chilarious. I'm not sure which word I just combined with hilarious...I'll get back to you on that.) ANYWHO. Once after a particularly rough x-country practice, me and the Lizard were told by our coach to go home and eat a big plate of pasta with broccoli. You don't understand how much we did not want broccoli. Or pasta. We inhaled pasta most of the time. So what did we do? Just had her mom drive us down the road to Carl's Jr., where we both inhaled 2 burgers...each. One of the proudest moments of my life.
• Once I called up a friend to help me with a really embarrassing assignment after I ran 3 miles. It was one of the most embarrassing things I ever had to do for 20 points and an A. But worth it in the end. If you want more of this story, you can ask me.
  
• There was this one time I ran a 10k and accidentally ran an extra mile...so actually the crazy thing happened during my run. But oh well.
• Then there was the Ragnar. I'm not even gonna talk about all the locomotive stuff from that race. But let me just say that I ran my first leg, sat in a car, ate too many bananas and larabars, slept on a sleeping bag in an unfinished basement on a cement floor, then ran up a hill in the dark at 12:30am when I really shouldn't have been running. But I did it. Crazysauce.
• I remember one run in high school which I did on a summery night. Naturally, I was pretty hot after the run was over, so I simply jumped into the half-full kiddie pool in our backyard. In my running clothes. My dad came outside and gave me the weirdest look, and then went back in. Psh. He didn't know what he was missing!
  

As you can see, endorphins make me do pretty nutso things. But in the end they end up being really good things...so I guess what I'm trying to say is run instead of doing drugs. It's a natural high, and the consequences are a jillion times better.

So maybe this blog will end up being a good thing later down the road...because right now, as I'm writing it...it just feels like some half-crazed idea spawned by another run. Excuses, excuses.

Another funny thing I'd like to share is the google searches people have done to happen upon this blog. P.S. I love saying "happen upon." It makes me feel British, almost (if that wasn't stereotypical, I don't know what is). Here is a sampling:

redhead nerds
the truth about gingers
(a British person totally did this one, who else says "gingers" instead of "redheads"!!!!)
ugly coveralls (wait, it gets better)
bob dylan can't sing
wearing those overalls (again with the overalls...)
pigtails redhead
fat redhead nerds (watch it)
redheads are my weakness (oh really...)
barf meaning (this one kills me!)
go back to mexico (I will, someday)
Thanks to google my blog is being read by people in Sweden, The Netherlands, India, Brazil, France, Israel, Ukraine, Russia, Mexico, Argentina, and Punjab (that was the barf one...haha). Please make yourself known, lurkers!

And last but definitely not least, I'd like to introduce my dear friend Tessa. She and I have the greatest conversations. Here's a little taste of what I get every day on my phone.

me: "We found a rattlesnake and my uncle shot it three times. Ick."
TP: "I've never seen anything get shot besides the air."

TP: "Once again I think it's a for my own entertainment crush."
me: "Oh you mean like ____ and ____ and ___ were?"
TP: "Yeah....uh..."

Me: "We just went to Macey's and ate ice cream and talked about relationship problems."
TP: "Oh dear. Well a club should be made called dating drags."

TP: "I can't believe I forgot about that! [a funny incident which cannot be shared on the www]
me: how'd you forget a gem like that?!
tp: I don't know but it was funny when I got reminded.
Me: I have a funny bank. I make deposits into it regularly. Then I remember it later and withdraw.

me: Why'd she have to get pregnant?
tp: rude
me: I can't wait until you're pregnant and then when you can't hang out with me as much anymore I'll just say you're rude.
tp: haha and i'll do the same to you.
me: thanks! Glad we could be there for each other.

me: When you kiss someone it should be right after you eat ice cream or something sweet like that.
tp: Mm or chocolate! Not ice cream...it makes your lips cold and then they feel like they're kissing a dead person. Which is super funny when it isn't one of your first kisses with them.
me: maybe I should just say I'm allergic...but that would be a horrible lie because ice cream is my favorite food. boys and ice cream, that is.


tp [while watching sound of music]: The weeeee! scene just happened. So good. Along with the one right after, favorite things. Remind me to say weeee after my next first kiss.

me: hahhaha ok...if i"m there I'll remind you. Which might be awkward.

tp: I just changed another diaper...
me: Oh I remember those days!
tp: oh the joys of poop.
yeah....that happened.

tp: I just swam...swam is a loose term because I don't remember the last time I put my head under water.
me: That's the traditional way...otherwise it's called drowning.
tp: ahha that's quite true. By head up I just meant not in water...ever...
me: true.

this journaling bidnez is starting to get out of control

Some people's journals are probably going to be LEGIT as far as the angels are concerned. They will quote those things up and down because they'll be really spiritual and inspirational. And mine, well...I just don't know what they will do with mine. "Hey Kenzie, thanks for your contribution, but we won't be needing your crazy stories for another million years."

At least you guys read them.

March 10th, 2010

Tonight I closed with the lovely Dee. If you want to know how busy we were, just know that Dee fell asleep a grand total of three times during our shift. Quizno's is to me as molasses is to winter.

March 15th, 2010

Sometimes I think Heavenly Father looks down at me from heaven and slaps his hand to his forehad, saying 'Oh Kenz...' He loves me--I have no doubt about that--but I bet there are times when He would just like to let me struggle in my own silly weaknesses, because I got myself in the mess in the first place. But I know it's also because of that love that He eventually pulls me out of the stormy seas which I'm in (because I capsized the boat) and asks, "What did you learn?"

April 6th, 2010

Today at the pool a chubby kid with a water gun kept squirting kids with it, including Cal. Ellie drove him away every time he came near. Caleb said, "Well he was super rude." Ha!

July 4th, 2010

Tonight when Caleb hugged mom goodnight he held on for a really long time. She said, "Okay, Cal.." to get him to let go. He said, "I just can't stop loving you!!"

August 2nd, 2010

TP, Kristine and I decided to go up to the grassy part where people were playing Frisbee. I got the brilliant idea to roll down the hill...which was fun 'til I stopped rolling, and then I was just nauseated. I used to have hill-rolling skills...when I was five. We went back to observing the Frisbee game after that along with some crazy-shaped clouds. Tessa and I always see the most random objects in the sky, but that's the fun part. We tried to get Grant to join in--he actually wasn't bad--but he thought his manatee cloud wasn't legit enough. I can't believe I'm actually writing in my journal about a manatee cloud.

August 29th, 2010

Today Ellie said, "Kenzie, I want you to get married now!" Me: "Why?" Ellie: "Because I want you to be a mom!"

September 4th, 2010

Mom wanted to go to the Sundance Outlet Store [while we were in Sugar House], and so Chels, myself, Ellie and Cal sat on the sidewalk by the road and played the alphabet game. Caleb helped Chelsea cheat; whenever she needed a letter, he'd just draw it on his Magna-Doodle. Honestly?! Pretty sure Ellie and Cal are the number one fans in Chelsea's Fan Club.

March 30th, 2011

Today Alejandro and Angelica were talking about math. [Remember these are ten-year-olds]

Alejandro: Math is very easy.

Angelica: For you? For me, no is easy.

Alejandro: Well, I am very intelligent.

April 5th, 2011

Is it weird that I just washed my feet with shampoo because my soap ran out and I don't wanna open a new one five days before I leave?

Is it weird that I wrote Chelsea a brain barf today for her letter?

Is it weird that the people I enjoy speaking Spanish with the most are children?

Is it weird that Alejandro answered every question I asked today with "poop"? Nah...he's a 10-year-old boy. Not strange at all.

Is it weird that I am counting down the number of times I have to use our shower? (down to four more!)

Is it weird that I wrote a journal entry composed entirely of rhetorical questions?

May 17th, 2011

I reserve the right...

...to eat smoothies-in-a-bowl for breakfast. And to lick my lips when I do it, because it's ta-sty.

...to run on treadmills even when the weather's nice because everyone needs a little ESPN classic.

...to play the piano as loud as I can to drown out the voice majors doing drills.

...to file for a teacher I don't even know just so I can hear him rant about politics for an hour and a half. Funny.

...to shower at night so I can wake up with wavy hair.

...to wear my brown boots like everyone else at this school wears TOMS--every stinkin' day.

...to listen to a Phoenix album 3x in one day.

...to eat garlic with dinner every night since the semester started. Twilight fans stay away!

...to want to hike, fish, climb, and camp all summer instead of school. Sometimes you don't get everything you want.

February 9th, 2011

I am really white (mom calls it “fair-skinned” to make me feel better). So when I sat out on the beach for 5 hours on Saturday, I got myself a lovely sunburn. That night I was having trouble walking because I was in so much pain. Hold on, is this a sunburn or is it a tumor?! Well, now my left thigh is swelling up pretty big, turning purple, and yeah, it kinda feels like a tumor. Final conclusion: sun poisoning is bad. I prefer being fair-skinned to being burned and super freckly and my face falling off because it is peeling. Gross.

June 20th, 2010

When I arrived at the airport, Chels and Niki were waiting there with a banner! I sure did miss those girls…obviously they missed me too because I was only gone for 2 ½ days. People standing there waiting probably thought I was coming back from a long vacation or something. Nah, it was just a three day thing. No big.

June 23rd, 2010

In Spanish class, we sang “Viva España” for our opening…um…hymn. I think I laughed through most of it because half of the guys were off-key, half of them couldn’t get the right rhythm, and then the rest of them were singing with the “cecea” (Spanish lisp—those darn RM’s from Barth-e-lona!). Levi said it was probably the worst we’ve ever sounded (accurate…). People walking by the classroom were staring at us like we were a pack of half-crazed wolves howling at the moon. That’s probably what it sounded like… ¡Ay caramba!

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

This morning Chelsea and myself woke up at 5:30 so we could do everyone’s clean check for them. All of the credit for the idea should got to Chelsea, because she is awesome and always thinks of such things. Anyway, it definitely started my day off right because 1, selfless service has a way of making everything in your life better, 2, getting up early is always bomb-diggity because I get to have a good scripture study, a slow breakfast, and a DP [dance party] all before I walk out the door!

sueños locos

sometimes I don't even understand myself.

The other night I dreamt Liz became my new conscience (think Jiminy Cricket), except she was a cockroach. I remember her turning into one of the yucky little buggers right in front of me. Except then she talked. Best friends turning into talking cockroaches? My dream mind is on some kind of drug that I'm not aware of....serious.

My English teacher once said that Samuel Coleridge (famous British poet) took some opium and fell asleep, which produced the famous poem "Kubla Kahn." Have you ever read it? Does it make any sense whatsoever? No manches (Mexico slang for "no flippin' way"). And that, my friends, is the power of drugs. Don't mess wit 'em.

My prof also said that we are probably capable of doing the same thing, only Mormon-Style. Por ejemplo--Benadryl: A Sonnet.

Now that stuff makes me crazy.

Then last night I dreamt that it was the 2nd coming (probably had something to do with what I wrote before I went to bed). But instead of hiding in bomb shelters and looting Broulim's, I was getting ready to perform in a pageant at the upper playing fields. Explain this to me please. #1, I have never been in a pageant and probably never will be in one. #2, people all over my dream were talking about how I had done so well in such-and-such-musical in high school. People, I never was in a musical. Oh and by the way, Isaac was pigging out on fast food (we're talkin' the Big Judd's Special times ten) because hey, the second coming was about to happen. Por que no?

Man oh man how I wish I could understand my dream mind! It's seriously insane. I bet my bottom dollah that psychologists would really get some textbook material out of it if they studied it for long enough. But...sorry...I'm not donating my body to science.

If my dream mind was a river, it would be a class 5.

If my dream mind was a race, it would be an Ironman on steroids.

If my dream mind was a candy, it would be Warheads & Sour Skittles washed down with Sprite.

If my dream mind was a food, it would be the hottest salsa ever invented on top of more salsa.

If my dream mind was a movie scene, it would be that one in Willy Wonka when they are going through the psychedelic tunnel and Gene Wilder has a mental breakdown.

If my dream mind was a song, it would be Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds+I am The Walrus (the craziest Beatles songs ever. And probably drug-induced).

If my dream mind was a natural disaster, it would be a freak lightning storm in the middle of December.

blurgh

sometimes, i get a little bit homesick.

i'm allowed to be homesick for little things. right?

my bathroom, for instance. last night, i had an incredible dream. in the dream, our family went to some cabin for a family reunion. there was a shower there. but folks, this wasn't just any shower.

it was like a giant room with nice tiles, and about a jillion shower heads. there was also a place to plug in your iPod so you could listen to music while you showered. and the speakers were legit. don't forget the shelf with sugar scrub, body wash, and salon shampoo. it was the best dream i've ever had. i wish i could go back to sleep now just to shower in that shower.

other random rants:

-chelsea sent me a package with a bottle in it. it was awesome and made me wanna cry and laugh at the same time. i just laughed. but i miss her really bad, and she's leaving me in no less than 11 days.

-my sheets will not stay on my bed no matter how hard i try. i feel like a slob with no sheets on my bed. major. slob.

-i have a pile of laundry the size of everest, and yet i cannot bring myself to take my chonies to the corner lavanderia. i also can't use the washing machine cuz it's full of bleach. maybe my students won't notice...as long as they don't get too close.

-i miss walking around barefoot. isn't that a weird thing to miss? yeah. but goodness gracious, i miss it so.

-iamtiredofcorntortillasokthanksbye.

-people keep using 'jimmer' as a verb. i'm not sure how this trend started exactly. i wonder what verb we could replace with my name! reading? eating chocolate? running in the rain? "I like reading, long walks on the beach, and McKenzie'ing." Mmm, on second thought, maybe not such a good idea.

now, more of the positives.

-i'm in 2nd nephi now and it is so so good. it's amazing how you can read a book over and over and learn new things every time.

-my hair is growing pretty long again. not sure if this is good or bad, because sometimes it makes me look like i just rolled out of bed...at 7 o'clock at night.

-i get to register for classes on wednesday!! woo! i am one of those people that actually loves school (when i told my students that their jaws literally dropped), so i planned my schedule a month ago. you wanna know what it is? i betcha don't. but i'mma tell you anyway. creative writing part deux (stoked=me), young adult literature (stoked to the 10th power=me), british lit (victorian and modern), spanish literature part deux (a leetle scared as usual=me), family foundations with "ol' phil" (that's grandma bonnie code for mom's old high school beau), and last but not least, private piano lessons!! wahoo!

-dinner is in an hour and a half. my tummy couldn't be happier.

finals week: a series in 8 parts

day 1: wednesday, december 8th (in library from 8-11:30 pm)

song that kicked us out: sweet home alabama

pieces of gum chewed: 1

other interesting tidbits from this evening in the library: gave away a mango, taught someone a secret handshake, stuck my feet up on the heater 'til my shoes started to smell burnt, changed my hairstyle twice, wrote 8 emails to Chelsea while she sat right behind me.

day 2: thursday, december 9th (up doing homework 'til 11pm)

today I fell asleep in class three times, took one 1-hr nap which felt like 5 minutes, and ate an ice cream cone to get me through the evening. I obviously haven't learned the basic formula...sugar+kenz=crazy/crash. Sigh.

day 3: friday, december 10th (stayed in library from 3:30-6pm)

My original plan was to stay in the library until my research paper was done. But the only spot open on the 2nd floor with a plug nearby was also right up against a brick wall. It was mildly claustrophobic.

So, after a few pieces of gum, a piece of string cheese, and exactly 1 page of my research paper, I booked it out of there before my brain melted onto the floor.

(the above photograph is supposed to show my claustrophobia. didn't really work)

day 4: saturday, december 11th

I tried to wake up at 8, I really did. But my body wouldn't allow it. So I slept until 9am (shocking, I know!). Our elders quorum made us breakfast (think lots of bacon and sausage), which was at noon. We tried to call it a brunch, but they said, "No, it's breakfast."

Alrighty then.

I have now progressed to page 5 of my research paper.

And I've only eaten 1 piece of gum.

Thank you, thank you.

The glasses are supposed to help me study,

or something like that.

day 5: monday, december 13th

(yeah, I skipped Sunday because it's the day of REST, a word which isn't really synonymous with finals week)

ran my final 1.5 miler for science class and beat my time by 1:15. I heard that the new track is supposed to make you run faster...pshh, it was all me!

Then I spent the entire rest of the day on the couch in the living room writing my research paper, finishing my shakespeare project, and starting my spanish project.

for some reason the lighting in this picture makes me look like I have highlights.

p.s. i feel kind of conceited for taking a picture of myself every day. that's all.

day 6: tuesday, december 14th

yes, i recognize that my hair is wavy-crazy in this photo, but what's more is my face. it must be day six of finals week...oh snap.

that there on the right is my lovely amiga Niki, who was studying for an English test with me when this was taken.

Interestingness of the day: I was fed by others for every single meal. Breakfast party in Shakespeare, lunch party at work for which i made the famous brownies, closing ward social with yet another free meal.

I could get used to this free food thing.

Also, I found a new favorite spot in the library (of course the last day I'm in there!)...the only problem is that it's right above a heater and it makes me sleepy.

day 7: wednesday, december 15th

I am quite disgusted with myself in this picture, but this is kind of like a day-in-the-life kind of thing, so I had to stay true to my school. What? Yeah, I dunno what I just said. Confession: I did not wash my hair today. Thus the hoodie.

As for schoolio, well, today was my last day of actual classes. I have exactly 2 tests left to take and 1 project to turn in.

Tomorrow I'm makin' pumpkin muffins for breakfast because I CAN.

And I still have pumpkin leftover...agh.

I have been sitting in this chair for 6 hours now. Six. Hours. I probably could've woven a basket in that amount of time! Think about it!

p.s. is it just me or are the entries for each day getting progressively longer???

oh dear.

day 8: judgment day (did project from 12-2, studied for science test from 2-5)

that's AIGHT, people, I did it! I finished my sixth semester at this place (technically it was my 5th, but I came in with an extra one, so cha).

I can't tell you the bliss I felt after walking out of the testing center at 6:15 PM this evening. What were you doing at 6:15? Did it feel that awesome?

It was like a 100-lb anvil had been lifted off of my head. That's right, it was on my head. But now I'm FREE! Next time I set foot in a classroom, I will be the teacher.

I'm guessing it will be just as hard as school, but in a different and equally amazing way.

now I'm going to have some pizza and watch a movie with my roommates.

p.s. Elder Bednar, Elder Nelson, and Pres. Eyring are in this city RIGHT NOW. With me!!!! Well, not with me with me, but you know what I mean!

PSYCHE!

i am the one who....

...who only eats french fries if they're burnt.

...who loves to ride her bike all over the place.

...who can't sleep in past 9 when I'm in school.

...who looks at this website regularly for inspiration.

...who has always lived within {at the most} 2 hours of a temple.

...who has red hair in the summer, brown hair in the winter.

...who sometimes listens to Yo-Yo Ma to go to sleep.

...who cooks without recipes (sometimes it works, other times not so much).

...who is afraid of car accidents, natural disasters, and big hairy spiders on the ceiling.

...who regularly listens to classic rock with that Yo-Yo Ma. Mm-hm.

...who is in a Spanish class full of return missionaries and sometimes doesn't have a clue what's going on.

...who normally wears a t-shirt and basketball shorts around the house.

...who shreds the ivory for Relief Society and recreation purposes.

...who also likes to shred--really shred--on snow.

...who isn't above drinking milk straight from the jug.

...who likes getting up early on Saturday morning when everyone else is asleep and making breakfast.

...who drives her car with the windows down and the music turned up really loud on road trips.

...who thinks that nothing is more beautiful than the entire stretch of coastline that runs along Highway 101.

...who wants to keep her freckles for-ev-er.

...who still watches Disney movies for my own entertainment.

...will take rain over snow any day.

...who really loves grocery shopping at Costco. Especially on Saturdays (you know why).

...whose eyes water when she's scared.

...who wants to learn to play the guitar someday really soon (Gabby if you're reading this, teach me!!)

...who currently knows one song on the harmonica, but can improvise if I really want.

...who thinks ice cream is the greatest invention since the wheel and the written word.

...who can easily get stuck in a book for hours and lose track of time...and the need to use the bathroom. Just kidding! Almost got you, huh?

...who should probably stop writing this post before you get bored. But I really like writing on this blog.

...who is an English major but still loves to learn about the body, history, languages, and music.

...who, like my madre, can't go to bed with dirty feet. Not in a tent, not in my apartment, not ever.

...who thinks Adam and Eve were onto something when they invented camping.

...who has been a pizza-saucer, a sandwich-builder, a late-night custodian, a tutor, a babysitter for 1-6 kids, and a full-time student.

...who would also try crab-fishing in the Arctic ocean, whitewater rafting in the Colorado River, cage-diving with sharks, and surfing the pipeline on the North Shore.

...whose hair, since birth, has been a little bit cuh-razy.

...who will put peanut butter/almond butter on almost anything (including carrots).

okay, seriously, I"ll stop now. I'm just avoiding homework.

peace, love, and hawaii.

{how's that for a parting shot?}