hello world, this is your redhead speaking

I realized today that I haven't really posted mucho for a while. And videos don't really count. There's always a lot, lot, lot (emphasis on lot) swimming around in my brain and I thought I'd let it take a few laps, so here we go!

• Major decisions coming up in my life: mission or volunteer in South America (I'm leaning towards Chile for some reason) or study abroad or marriage (okay, forget that last one, I'm too young for this)
• Major events coming up in my month: interview to be an EFY counselor, get paid (yah, that's big, people), start training for a half-marathon in June, register for classes in my Junior year of college--hold on, let me contemplate that for a second--okay, I'm done.
• New places I've added to my "to-go list":

Paris, France (haha, ok this isn't new. I've ALWAYS wanted to go here)
Superstition Mountains, Arizona--they make me only a "little stitous," not superstitious :)

India. Remember the movie "The Little Princess"? 'Nuff said.
Ireland, duh.
Tahiti, ahhhhhh. Just say it over and over. You'll start to relax.
Finland. Tell me you don't want to go. Yeah....that's what I thought.
Oh Alaska. Someday, my friend. Some day.

• Just a smattering of the books on my booklist for this year (so far I've only got 22 on it, but trust me, it's going to get bigger):

• My goal of going to the temple weekly is getting easier and easier--it's hard because of this (see number four)--especially when I realize that the people I'm getting baptized for have been waiting for a looonnnngggg time. Try 1726. Yowza!
• Speaking of temples, I think I've decided on which one to get my endowments in (but I still haven't decided which one I'm getting married in, when the opportunity presents itself...don't get any ideas, people!)

• Half-marathons I am deciding between (cast your votes, people!): this one with dad or this one with the Iderhoans.
  

can't. wait.

I know, I know. Most of you don't watch LOST. And most of you are missing out! It's not too late...you can still watch the first 5 seasons before the next one starts. That is, if you prefer not sleeping, eating, exercising, reading, praying, LIVING for the next week. Or you could just Netflix it and watch the last season later. Because I'm telling you, you're gonna want to see this one!!

Can We Go? Pleeeassee?!

I think anyone and everyone should see this. With me. Right now. Er...soon. That is all.

Losers

Sorry, Brooke, this is a tad late!

My friend Brooke is holding a Biggest Loser Competition right now, for basically anybody that wants in. Personally, I think it's good motivation to lose weight and get in shape when other people are doin it with you. So who's in? Check out her blog for all of the details! Do it now! Cause the competition starts today!!!

p.s. Jillian Michaels will find you if you don't....

two decades-worth

Gee, that was fast.

From two to twenty in...well...I guess it was 18 years, but it feels a lot shorter than that.

Somebody told me the other day that I'd been alive for almost two decades now. All I can think of is the word OLD. In all caps.

Here's a sampling of my teeny bit of time on earth. And I'm speaking in eternal terms now, people. No snickering at the word 'teeny.'

Growing up with this guy.
Always been a little taller than me, but as soon as the big 1-2 hit, he shot up like a tree and I stayed down below, where the weather is a little chillier. He might have a Kentucky drawl now, but he's still the best big bro I could've asked for.






Being birthed/raised/loved/watched over by these people:

She's got the scar to prove it. He's got the grey hairs. So thanks. Even though those aren't even the right words, or enough words, or even the right combination of words. I love you anyway.








meeting this girl (ten years ago, one day ago)
Never thought I'd have a best friend, let alone one like you. Love ya, kid, inside and out. That includes all of the super-embarrassing stuff I've seen you do, and the humiliating stuff you've seen me do. Man, our story is just one big fat embarrassing moment, isn't it? Thanks for the list that keeps getting longer. :)








being the big sister of these sort-of-shorter-than-me chilluns


The oldest one I first saw as a chubby, crazy-haired Chinese boy. He's still Chinese, but he's also an uber-smart, very thoughtful, Country-legends avid listener (yep, you read that right). Who just got baptized. I'm proud, yeah. Then there's Ellie-Belly. I guess dressing up little girls is better than cats...and less hairy. But she's much more than that--Ellie is my super-scrunch buddy, a talented gymnast, and a very generous girl. You kids have taught me a lot, even in my owlish age.


being related to all of these people
The fact that we are linked eternally gives me the goosebumps. 'Nuff said.

getting to grow up in or near these beautiful sights
When I dream, I dream about being in one of these places.




being guided by these prophets

When I get to heaven, after I find my ancestors, I'm looking for the guy on the right. Then of course, I'm going to go see the one on the left. After that, I've got 14 others to meet.

hearing (mostly) good stuff come out of these things when I put my hands on them:



having reasons to put pen to paper, because these people did:










Wowza, that was a checkin' long post. Twenty years worth of stuff just spilled on out like an upside ketchup bottle! Thanks for making them count, erebody. :)

i shall imagine life by e. e. Cummings

i shall imagine life
is not worth dying,if
(and when)roses complain
their beauties are in vain

but though mankind persuades
itself that every weed's
a rose,roses(you feel
certain)will only smile

Blackout

Scene opens on a half-crazed redhead who is intensely studying for her science exam. She's looking a little ragged; after all, she still has to clean the vanity, hallway, and her bedroom, pack her car, and take two more finals, all before tomorrow afternoon. And she hasn't gotten much sleep. It's no wonder that when the next event happened, she just wanted to take a nap right there.

(Girl, studying, and thinking to herself): Man, I have so much to do. DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. Cleaning everyone's stuff off the vanity is going to be a pain. Translation occurs on the ribosome...or on the nucleus. Better check that again. As soon as I get home I'm going to load up my car. Einstein's special theory of relativity says...
(BAM! Lights flicker, then die in the Benson building)
Girl, thinking to herself: I'm too tired. I just want to lay down here for a second.
(Some girlish screams heard throughout the building. Emergency lights come on. Girl notices that not only are all of the lights in the building out, but the entire campus is pitch black. Somebody in one of the classrooms mentions a large power outage.)
Girl gets up, decides to go into class where her study group is being held. Waits for teacher....in the dark. Waits a little longer. No teacher.

Guy from her class [hopefully a freshman, or else there is no excuse for this] decides it would be smart to use his lighter. Guy decides it would be even smarter to drink hand sanitizer. Guy decides his best idea yet is to blow hand sanitizer from his mouth over his lighter to create a large streak of fire in the classroom. Girl decides it's time to go home and get started on her growing to-do list. Girl walks home in pitch blackness and wonders how she's going to get anything done without power. Girl gets to her apartment complex and starts thinking:
Girl: I wonder why there's a flashing strobe light in the parking lot. I wonder why people are spinning doghnuts in the parking lot. I wonder why there's really loud, headache-inducing music being played the night before finals. I wonder if my apartment is warm...

Girl gets to her apartment to find...well...darkness. One roommate is there, pacing because she has to write a paper but doesn't have internet. Roommate is very mad. Roommate is trying to get ahold of her grandparents, who live in town, and maybe have internet. Grandparents stuck at a concert in town. Grandparents can't get into parking lot because of strobe-light dance party/car show. Roommate gets madder. Girl retreats to bedroom. Girl uses cell phone for light, then her cell phone dies. Girl goes next door to play Skip-Bo because they have a flashlight and nothing better to do. Power comes back on for sixty seconds, enough for everyone to scatter back to their white glove/finals. As soon as girl plugs her phone into the wall, power dies again. Girl says a prayer and decides she's going to start cleaning anyway. Girl uses iPod for light and begins to scrub. And think about ribosomes.

Girl lives without power for three hours. Girl realizes that without light, we can't do much of anything. Girl sees the Christmas message in this.

Do you?