in my bed, eating saltines

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feist//The Circle Married the Line

Cake//Love You Madly

Grouplove//Tongue Tied

Bloc Party//Plans

Gotye//Eyes Wide Open

Dove//Sky Starts Falling

Radiohead//Gagging Order

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hiddles

For Tessa. An early wedding present. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

me, blog? what now?

SUMMAH TO-DOS

listen to more bright eyes, passion pit, and bon iver

hike timp, f'realz

write a letter and throw it into the ocean, in a bottle(!)... or be brave and send it

go to disneyland/party with magical characters

learn 5 songs on the guitar

stargaze legitimately (with a blankie and everything, in a wide open space that is not my backyard which is right next to a busy road which ruins the ambiance)

eat more tacos

play soccer

get more freckles (this is already coming to pass)

run some mo'

climb a tree

go see at least one movie at the scera shell (outside)

go camping up the canyon by ma house

swim in a pool

eat lots of fro-yo (to balance out the running of course)

finish the Book of Mormon!

read a huge book (I started Anna Karenina and oh my gash...I finished 3 other books while I was attempting to read it. Tolstoy is no joke.)

prepare myself mentally for Chelsea Ann Bedke's homecoming in the fall. ACK.

spontaneous DP's wherever I go (dance parties, duh)

bike rides up the heezy

okay, so who wants to join in this mischevious random fun? anybody is welcome to come. except mosquitoes, they are definitely not invited.

where i'm going, where i've been

We're coming up on that time of year...the one where I start making long lists of things ter-do. Today I was telling a friend that I may or may not be at a very important event in her life sometime in 2012. But it's hard to tell because my life takes me to very unexpected places. And she said "that's incredibly true." Yeah. See for yourself.

tehuacan, mexico.

an oft-used storage closet (for once the name "sardines" is appropriate for this game)

trees in the jungle. barefoot.

six flags...mexico...rollercoasters. psyche.

very slanted alleyways in taxco, mexico. it's like italy (ish).

on top of very famous, very old pyramids. obviously enthralled.

inside of very scary, very ghetto "hotel rooms," underground, on the outskirts of mexico city.

inside of classrooms, teaching hooligans like this.

the zocalo.

in front of interesting foods, like mole.

this little house for 3 months.

behind the church, playing futbol every thursday.

in a boat, by the beach somewhere in mexico, with some crocodiles nearby.

the rigby idaho tv museum. what? we paid for this?

the very last Harry Potter premiere. sniffle.

the ragnar.

still can't believe i did that.

the taco bus, some five jillion times. (ok, this isn't that surprising)

some lovely summery bike rides.

and other pretty places in Utah which are kind of hidden.

Do you remember how I had a feeling that 2011 was going to be really awesome? Well, it was. And I know the same thing about 2012. I'm already seeing some interesting stuff in my crystal ball...

• florence+the machine. I'm late to this party, but I came nonetheless.
• graduate school, huh?
• EFY counselor, perhaps, perhaps
• many weddings, many weddings
• south america por la primera vez. ohhh yeah.
• graduation-station!
• new music! aha! this will never change
• a concert. dang right
• an adventure to Zion's
• missionaries coming home (a.k.a. Chelsea Ann Bedke and Courtney Gopp)
• mucho happiness

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR, FRIENDS!

thanks for all who read this blog, stumble upon it by googling very weird things, and those who comment. I love all of you. Except for the creepstaches.

inevitably, the sun is going to shine through

even the sun finds a way.

I've had a lot on my mind lately, and a lot of it hasn't been encouraging. I know I'm one of those people that's black or white--if I'm happy, I'm really happy, and if I'm sad, I'm really sad. Most of the time, I'm on the brighter side of things. Perhaps it's the weather...I really miss October and autumny-ness. It never lasts long enough where I choose to live. And lately I have been in a shlump, if you will. I feel like a good strike of lightning would cure me, or something to that effect. The thing with life is, you can't wait for stupendous things to happen--you have to make them happen yourself.

I've been reading in my old journals to help me make sense of things. I re-read my journal a lot, because the truth is, most of the hard stuff doesn't make a lot of sense until it's in your rear view mirror. I think it's pretty silly of me to think that one day I'm going to be able to "get it"--that I'll get a trial and be able to say, "Okay, I know exactly what I'm supposed to learn from this." It seems that one of the biggest lessons I have been needing to learn from trials is that I can't do it alone. I can't figure life out by myself; and when I try, I do a really bang-up job. The other half of this crazy equation is that I often feel like I can't figure out what the Lord wants me to do. I sometimes think I have it figured out, and then I'm surprised yet again. I'm constantly being turned around. So right now the trick is being in tune and then putting one foot in front of the other, even if it doesn't make any sense. That's basically the story of my life. And probably all of our lives...

One thing I've found to be helpful is to look for patterns in our lives, just to get a "sneak-peek" as to where the Lord is leading us. One pattern I've noticed is friendship...I seem to make really awesome friends who change my life, and then bam, they get taken away from me. Por ejemplo: Liz, Chelsea, Courtney, Tessa. One of them is married, two are on missions, one is four hours away from me. I could do a whole post about boys and my bad timing in that area, but we've already discussed that this week. So maybe Heavenly Father is teaching me to love people as much as I can while I have them because I never know when they'll be gone. Or maybe he's teaching me how to be on my own...to love myself and be comfortable with myself.

So in the meantime, while I wait for that friend who I get to keep for forever, I've got a few things to check off my "to-do list."

• make the cookies from this blog and then initiate "random acts of cookies." holy hannah, yes.
• learn how to play the guitar, probably during winter semester because I know who to ask to teach me (that means you, dan).
• hike Timp. somebody, please, next summer, we must do this. anyone.
• run a half-marathon. amen and amen.
• read lots and lots of books on that booklist o'mine.
• venture down to south america.
• cut my hair. goodbye long locks.
• have another night of spontaneity with Tessaface. Let's find another random concert to go to, yes??
• stop worrying. it's hard, but I can do it.

what are you going to do to make life sweeter? divulge in the comments, yo.

go forth.

If you would like some more cool stuff to look at, go here. It's my tumblr, and it is where my right brain manifests itself. Word.

blurgh times a thousand

via

Oh, this week.

The things I could say.

But I'll save that for Friday...

Just know that there is another dig list coming up. And something about unicorns (as per my mother's request--and if it was anyone else requesting that particular subject I would make like a snake and attack. And that made no sense.). And funny pictures.

You don't wanna miss this.

For now I'm copying busybeelauren and lynsey with a summer to-do list. We've hit the six week mark now, and I couldn't be more ready for summah.

1. go to Zion's. Please someone take me...otherwise I'm gonna hitchike. And, well, I could do that, but I might come back a hippie and nobody would recognize me.
2. play soccer with Caleb and Ellie pretty much every day.
3. trampoline sleepovers (I copied Lyns)
4. adventures with Tessa and Allie (including but not limited to Target, Zupa's, the pitcher's mound, random music festivals we are bound to find, and other mischief)
5. somehow buy a guitar and then find a hipster to teach me how to play it.
6. initiate pancake saturdays at the Livingston casa.
7. fix my feet and run every day like I did in the olden days.
8. hike Timp or the Y. Or BOTH.
9. go fishing with dad at Tibble Fork Reservoir or Catherine Creek. Basically anyplace where there's fish. Yeah, dad, I'm seeerious.
10. craft with the madre. can we go to used bookstores too? and the D.I.? okay thanks. not even a question...
11. sticky shoe theater with ike! I don't even care which movie it is to be honest.
12. ride my bike to the library every week and get more books for that booklist o' mine.
13. make new mixed CDs to give away.
14. photo scavenger hunt.
15. bake homemade pizza with yummy toppings (aka mozzarella tomato and basil YUM)
16. i plan on going down mary pulley lane really fast...on a bike...or in a shopping cart. heh.
17. roll down the hill at "quail cove" or whatever they're calling the park across from the temple nowadays.
18. temple every thursday just like I do now!
19. cook dinner for the fam once a week at least. i have recipes to try!
20. hammock. i need to break it in.
21. somehow find a way to get to liz.
22. learn how to longboard.
23. stargazing.
24. CAMPING. a MUST.

phew...that list is huge! and let's be honest, it's probably going to get bigger as the weeks go by and I lose half of my hair from school. I don't know why but I am really not quite here this semester! Must. Get. Through.

adios amigos!

if the world really was ending tonight...

I would pick Oregon blackberries along the bike path until my fingers turned hypothermia blue.

I would go fishing at Catherine Creek with dad.

I would find Liz or she would find me, and we'd go hammocking.

I would heli-drop onto a mountain and board straight down it.

I would run the Ridgeline trail in Eugene in the early morning.

I would jump on the tramp with the Chineseans for hours.

I would go do baptisms in this temple with Ike.

I would camp in the woods by the ocean with Grandma and Grandpa Livingston.

I would garden with Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Ray.

I would sit on the pitcher's mound with Tessa and we'd read letters.

I would eat pumpkin pancakes + taco bus + mom's sunday dinner for my all of last meals.

I would climb Angel's Landing just for the view from the top.

I would shred the ivory in the practice rooms so loudly that you couldn't hear the voice majors practicing drills.

I would break into the MTC and give Chels another bottle-note.

I would read my favorite books while I sat in a tree.

I would go back to Mexico and play soccer with all of my estudiantes y amigos.

I would go on a long drive with mom and we'd talk about brilliant nothingness.

I would walk barefoot along the foamy pathways of Neptune Beach.

I would tell everyone I haven't told yet that I love them.

Yes, that means you.