I am the Duckie, coo coo Ka choo.

Do you ever have those days when you just feel like you'll never get the boy (or girl)? Like you are the most awkward person on the planet? Like you can't say anything right? Like you are Duckie from Pretty in Pink?

Life is good! I have so much to be grateful for! I don't mean to be negative...but I cannot escape my Duckiness. Maybe one day I will find someone great who wants a Duckie...

Some similarities Duckie and I have:

1. We are perpetually awkward

2. We have amazing clothes and accessories

3. We have brown hair

4. We fall hard for the people we love

5. We like music

5. We ride our bikes (or cars) past the house of people we like

6. We freak out

7. We sometimes say too much
Other than that, my amazing sister dyed my hair!

Etiquette and snakes.

I just wanted to make a list of etiquette pet peeves. I know it's whiny, but I've simply got to get this out. All of these are complaints based on actual behavior exhibited by other people. I know I'm not perfect and I don't act perfectly, but come on people!
At the movies it is rude to:

1. Have conversations on your phone during the movie, or even worse, have three conversations on your phone. I'm not talking texts here people- an actual conversation.

2. Kick my seat.

3. Have conversations with your seat neighbor the whole time- on top of it all, conversations that don't even have to do with the movie!

4. Leave your trash everywhere.

5. Bring babies- unless they're showing Baby Einstein for some reason, get a babysitter.

6. Bring your children to mature movies. I saw 4 year old kids at the last Pirates movie and 8 year old at The Dark Knight! Are you kidding me! I was once at a movie and it said something sexual, the little girl behind me had to ask her mom what it meant. The movies are not the place to have the sex talk with your kids.

7. Douse yourself in perfume or cologne pre-flick, or on the other hand, forget to bathe.

At church do not:
1.Eat in the chapel.

2. Talk uber loud next to the chapel when people are in sacrament meeting.

3. Talk through sacrament, Sunday school or priesthood and RS. If you're conversation is so important go in the hallway! Some people go to church because they want to hear the lessons and learn something. We're not 14, we're in singles ward, if you don't want to go to church stay at home.

4. Storimonies, thankamonies, travelmonies, talkamonies- any sort of monie that isn't a testimony.

5. Socialize in the chapel after sacrament meeting, go in the hallway.

6. Leave or enter sacrament meeting in the middle of some one's talk or musical number- wait until speakers switch, a congregational hymn, after the sacrament (certainly not during) or before/after.

That's all. Sorry, I don't think this even applies to anyone who reads my blog, but I just had to get it out!
Other than that I was organizing my closet and I found my brothers HUGE king snake under a box. It was alive and it's been missing for 6 months. I don't even want to think about it.

Insecurity/Heart Tribute

Do you ever have those days where everything just seems poopy? Well I guess everything didn't seem poopy today, but it wasn't all sunshine and unicorns either. I blame the cold! It's too cold for me! The funny part is that it's only 30 degrees here, and I'm going to apply for a graduate program in northern Utah- it's a lot colder up there!!!
I guess I wasn't terribly grumpy earlier today, but later I got grumpy and then it was down hill from there. I mean, I went hot tubbing with my swell friends, but mentally I was not having it. I felt awkward and insecure. I had really negative thought processes, like, "this person is only my friend for this reason or that, they don't actually like me..." I hate those kind of thoughts! I'm sure my friends actually like me...I just hate the idea of being some sort of charity project....Insecurity!So that was poopy, here is something fabulous!

HEART!!!

I love Heart! I want to learn all of their songs! Those Wilson sister's are rockin', kick butt, hott women!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LLaeRUsWr0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBqU8FOE0uk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQcQnDFhjxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7FjuaVTRPU&feature=related

Grateful December Ramblings

Hayley and some guy at the temple nativity
So I just feel so grateful lately! I was talking to Khiah, one of my best friends, and she was all, "you're so lucky!" Well Khiah, you're right, I am. I have so much to be thankful for! I wanted it to snow so bad, I missed Virginia and I missed those cold winters in Main Hall. So I prayed for snow, and look at Saint George now, it's covered in snow! My prayers have been answered in beautiful, eerie, quiet, clean snow. Here are some pictures of my cul-de-sac, home and the St. George temple:

It snowed a whole ton! And it stuck! Yay!

My neice Lucy,
my snowman, "Ice Snowwalker," and yours truely!

The shepherds from the nativity had snow on their heads and I thought it was funny!

Someone made a snowman!

The St. George, Utah temple

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

The temple in the snow

I love that there are colorful blossoms amidst the snow!
Welcome to southern Utah!

Purple morning glories in the snow

More Holiness to the Lord

The House of the Lord

I love how the temple looked against the sky

On another note, I was listening to a song on a CD that I've listened to oodles of times before- The Boy Least Likely To, "I'm glad I hitched my apple wagon to your star". As I said I've listened to it before, but I guess I just never listened to the lyrics before- an odd thing because I always notice lyrics. So anyway, the lyrics really hit me.

Here they are:

"I was young and I was stupid I had just turned seventeen,I took my hits on a dumb road trip to Nashville Tennessee,I packed my antihistamines and Tupperware drums,a harmonica and a box guitar,in a canvas covered wagon stuff with apples and with guns.We quietly slipped across the border into Arkansas,But still we couldn't find what it was we were looking for,So we trucked on down to try our luck along the Rio Grande,But I couldn't help but notice how,The little things that used to make us happy made us sad.But still I'm glad I hitched my apple wagon to your star,I never would've got here if I'd followed my heart,I didn't think much of it till I took it apart,I'm glad I hitched my apple wagon to your star.We never ever made it down to Nashville in the end,And no one ever signed our stupid country disco band,However hard we tried it never seemed to be enough,We never did get famous,Still it made us kind of happy and it kept me off of drugs.And now I'm glad I hitched my apple wagon to your star,I never would've got here if I'd followed my heart,I didn't think much of it til I took it apart,I'm glad I hitched my apple wagon to your star.But still I'm glad I hitched my apple wagon to your star,I'm happy if you're happy but it breaks my heart,I didn't even notice it til it fell apart,I'm glad I hitched my apple wagon to your star.

So it got me thinking about God. So many times in life I think I know what I need or what I thought would make me happy. After time and thought I always realize that my desires are nothing compared to what God actually gives me. If I had my ways all along I'd be a teen bride with Aaron Vleming and we'd have a whole herd of kids already! Sick. I'm glad I hitched my life wagon to my Heavenly Father's star! I'm glad I didn't follow my heart. So yeah, it's a happy song. It's a good song and it true, think about it!

Art and such

As requested, and also just for funsies, I'm going to post some of the art I made this semester. I haven't done much and most of it isn't what I would consider master piece quality...but here we go!



















Here are some portraits from the beginning of the semester. While I am no Ingres, I do think I have improved.






This is Muffin Cat. The best cat in the world. In real life it looks a lot less angry, and a lot more happy. Del Parson said, "it just makes me happy when I look at it." I just did it as a joke, and for the love of muffin cat!

KING OF MUFFINS!







I put Muffin Cat in the trunk while it was still wet and a box of water bottles slid on it! At first I was stressed, but in the end I love it! What a happy accident!






This girl always looked angry, no matter who drew her, or how many times any of us drew her, she looked super mad! And she moved a lot!

This girl was really pretty in her own way, she was sweet and still.

This was the first man I drew, and boy (haha..) it was challenging! His jaw looked so square so I would draw him angular, then that would look unnatural and I would try and "fix" it...and so on and so on.

This is some girls mom, she was really nice.

Poor Khiah, I totally whacked out her eyes! Don't worry Khiah, I will draw you again and it will be so much better I'm sure!











Kelsie in the red coat, I must say I do love this photograph, but the drawing could be better...I did it in like 5 minutes.

Katie, Katie, Katie...I didn't like this at all before, but it has grown on me. I can however do a lot better and I shall!

I love this picture of Josh! It's a great likeness and I think my mom should hang it in our hallway or something! This is him making a funny face last Christmas!

This girl was so cute. Del said he thought this drawing was great, but I think the right side of her face doesn't match the left- it's a bit whacked out!

I think this drawing is much more successful, but whatev....

This painting has many layers and technically has been in the making since last spring....I finished it off with the black for my cousin Aaron who requested an abstract giraffe. Yes, it's a giraffe.

Another good ol' laugh- FAIL! cat. I like it's head but not the words...Muffin Cat trumps FAIL! cat.

This was the first painting I did this semester. I like the clouds and all, but I hate the water... When I drew this girl I was thinking of Bob Dylan.

This is a still like of some apples.

Adam with his awesome over sized clown glasses!

SUPER RAD! SUPER RAD!









So I was going to do a big ol' blog about when I went to the Aquabats show a while ago, but now I'm pretty much over it. It was super fun and the opening act, Yo Gabba Gabba was awesome too!
Here are the Aquabats and Yo Gabba Gabba together!

Peace out chicken scout!

Life on Mars?

Well it's like I said, I need to blog about myself.

Life has been great as of late. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I was quite sick for a couple weeks following my trip to Europe. I slowly and eventually felt better and better, and I can now happily report that I am about 98% good to go! I got a test on my stomach etc. and the doctor found nothing wrong with me. Apparently I just had some sort of virus and it's gone! Yay!

Here I am at the bottom of Notre Dame in Paris- There are a mondo load of stairs in that mother!
As annoying as the whole illness ordeal was, it has blessed me greatly! While I was ill (and traveling) I felt as though I had been separated from my life, like 2 months of 2008 disappeared. When I came out of my sick-coma I felt afresh and newly motivated to reinstate several good habits that had fallen by the wayside. I guess that's how life works. Sometimes we get so caught up in the nothing that we become stale, stagnant, and overly redundant.
Now I'm not saying that I have magically joined the gym and started working out, or that I haven't been watching my share of TV (see previous blog...), but I have made a few changes. With the re-introduction of a good habit or two, I have since been more grateful and all around chipper! I can only think of one brief cluster of time where I was sad since "the illness" passed (my professor seemed to be telling me I wasn't going to get a good grade, but he later said I would at least get a B so I felt better). That small nugget of Edward Cullen esq. EMO left like the rain in St. George and was soon replaced by the high that comes from flirting with a fresh crush on a tasty man!

One of my 2008 Valentines.
Life is short, life is long.
I have a few friends who are...Hmong.
So maybe I should wrap this up better somehow,
but I don't want to- I'm as lazy as a sow.

Documentaries Rule!

Just to clarify, this isn't a entertainment blog! I just have a lot of free time and there are a lot of noteworthy things on TV and in movies.

Today it's "Autism x6" on Discovery Health. I love Discovery and Discovery Health. Documentaries about unique people and disorders and situations fascinate me. Today I was channel surfing and I happened upon this one. Oh man! It is pulling on my heart strings, I keep crying as I watch it!

Two things to keep in mind:

1. I have a best friend/younger brother who is severely autistic. I love him to death, he is my life. My job is to take care of him.

2. "I'm a major weeper." Babies, kittens, visa Olympic commercials- brief thoughts of babies, car wrecks or diseased and old people- old people, poor people etc. etc. make me cry. I cried about 10 times watching The Incredibles and constantly watching Pollyanna.

So back to the special on the LDS family from Murray, Utah who have 6 paternal autistic children. They are amazing! I guess I don't have too much too say, I just urge everyone to watch it! As they speak about each of the children and the differences they exhibit, I see all of their behavior in my brother (and for the few that are higher functioning- Aspergers- I see my older brother!) I love my brother and know the spirit he brings into my life and as hard as it must be for the parents, I can also imagine the spirit that must fill their house! Woah, so- watch it.

Here are some of my other favorites:

http://health.discovery.com/tv/duggars/duggars.html
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/planet-earth/planet-earth.html
http://health.discovery.com/fansites/drg/how-not-to-die/how-not-to-die.html

http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/product/1001214/2532/1001210.html

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/player.html?channel=1805&category=4488&title=05468_00

http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/web/my-shocking-story/episode-guide/freak-show-family/

http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/web/my-shocking-story/previous-episodes/half-man-half-tree/

http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/web/my-shocking-story/previous-episodes/worlds-heaviest-man/

There are loads others, but I can't find the links.

Half Ton Mom, Half Ton Dad...just save your TV hours for late late night/early morning TLC or anytime Discovery, Discovery Health and National Geographic.

I am so excited to watch :

"Marathon Love"!

http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/web/my-shocking-story/episode-guide/treeman-the-cure/