the joys of blogging…

So, I’m super-chatty today (and yesterday). It’s not like I have anything really important to share…but I just keep thinking of things I want to post about why I love blogging:

1. I love that blogging makes me think about taking pictures. I spent 5 years in AZ and have very few pictures to show for it.

2. I think blogging actually helps me do more fun stuff because I want to have fun stuff to write about. Now, that might sound silly, but it’s true. I read my friends’ blogs and see all the things they’re doing and think, “I want to do that stuff”. I know, strange, but that’s how a lot of the things I’ve done in my life have happened…not because I wanted to blog about them, but I wanted an interesting life so that I would have interesting things to talk about…and, well, blogging makes it so that I can talk about whatever I want all the time and people can read about it or not. Oh, that should be number 4.

3. I love that I can blog about things and get them out there without feeling liking I’m boring someone or forcing someone to listen to another one of my stories.

4. I think those are all of my thoughts for now…oh, one more thing. I love that blogging makes me a real person. Yes, a little strange because of course I’m a real person, but as one who often wants to please people, or be what people want me to be, blogging shows who I really am. As I have no particular audience, I have no one I am aiming to please. Like sometimes I wish I were less materialistic, so I act less materialistic than I might otherwise…and I’m not pretending, just putting my best foot forward, which we all do at times, so don’t judge me. The truth is, I’m more materialistic than I would like to be. Is that something I want to change? Yes, but it is what it is right now. I like things and I like money to do things. Not in the way that I want to be better than anyone or have more than anyone (I am happy to share), but in the way that I enjoy the benefits of having things and doing things. Which brings me to 6.

5. For those of you who know me, when I do get to a point where I’m dating someone seriously, just make sure that he has my blog address (not before it’s serious because I may want to blog about him and that could be awkward) and that he reads it, even if it’s boring at times because A) that way he will know what he’s getting into (having said that, I think I’m doing a much better job lately at just being me and not worrying about pleasing people because I’ve seen first hand just how scary that can be) and B) if I’m dating someone seriously, he should want to read all about me.

6. Last thought…sometimes I really do talk to much. Thank goodness for blogging.

good apples…

This is an email that I received from my sister-in-law, Shelley. She likes to forward things along. I try not to be a “forwarder”, but I thought this was cute…I hesitate to share, not because it’s inappropriate (although she has sent me some really funny ones that I won’t be posting here…if you want them, email me), but because I don’t necessarily feel like I’m an apple waiting to be picked…so take it for what it is. Here’s to all the good apples and the apple harvesters who know that the best apples are at the top of the tree.

“Women are like apples on trees. The best ones are at the top of the tree.

Most men don’t want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they sometimes take the apples from the ground that aren’t as good, but easy.

The apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they’re amazing. They just have to wait for the right man to come along, the one who is brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.”

There was a part about men being like a fine wine, but I try not to be a hater, so I’ll go ahead and leave that out. I like men. I know some great ones. I know some not so great ones, as well. But the same goes for the women I know, as well.

In any case…I enjoyed this little email and thought I’d share.

diva dilemmas….

And I’m not saying that in the “I’m an amazing singer” kind of way, but more in the “I refuse to give up the mic” kind of way. Continuing in the new tradition that I have created of making every weekend worth being single, we had a party last night at the OL. “We” being the roomies, although it’s more of a Sarah and Richard thing…I just provided the location. Anyway, it was a theme party (I would put the invite on, but it has my address, and, well, you can never be too careful…which makes me sad because Richard did a great job with it) and “Hitch” was the theme (we like movie themes). The best part is, we never got to watching the movie and here’s why: We were singing (and DDRing…but I didn’t get any pics of that). Richard brought his karaoke machine…well, not a machine really, just microphones with chips inside that plug right into the t.v. (can I just reiterate that I love technology?), and we rocked the house. The last party…themed “Nacho” and we did watch the movie…I had no voice and was unable to participate in the karaoke portion of the evening. Well, I made up for it last night. Thank goodness there were fewer people than expected because it could have been ugly, except that we were all missing Jennifer and Sungti…the Hsu’s need to come back from Taiwan.

I would try and explain all of the fun that went on, but it’s one of those “you had to be there” things. Seriously, though, I am in love with Richard’s 2,000 songs and I think he should let me borrow them. I let him borrow movies.
And while, as mentioned, I was quite the diva, that only happened later on. I tried to share in the beginning, but as the night wore on and fatigue set in, I just couldn’t control myself. Another reason not to hang out when tired…it only leads to trouble. Oh, and did I mention that we combined Moods with karaoke for a bit? It was fantastic…too difficult to do for a long period, but definitely good for a few laughs. So, last night was fabulous (although I am EXHAUSTED and I have, once again, done nothing productive over the weekend) and what I realized, upon further reflection which always happens as I am extremely introspective, is that I am finally back to me. Not just back to me, but better. This is the person I have always wanted to be. No, not the Diva part…but the fun, carefree, semi-spaz who can enjoy people and laugh at herself. I really like me and that is a wonderful feeling!P.S. In case you were wondering…Richard really stole the show. (Literally…he wasn’t sharing either…but I guess he can’t really steal it since the karaoke does belong to him.) And I don’t think Richard reads my blog, but just in case…Richard, we could all tell that you wanted to want to share. 😉

Aqualung and Pete Yorn…my life is good!

I was reading my friend’s blog the other day and she was talking about being a single, LDS woman with a career. (If you want to check it out, her blog link is over to the right–katie) and it made think a little bit about my life and where I’m at and how I feel about being 29 and single and a member of a church that is centered around families. And I have to tell you that I feel pretty good…great, actually. Not that I don’t want to get married…someday, but my life is so fun right now. Not that people who are married don’t have fun (they do…and Jennifer and Sungti are great examples because they are uber-cool married people), but I love that this last Thursday night, I could just go to a concert without worrying about a babysitter, if my husband would want to go with me, and if not, would he care that I was going, no one to ask for permission to go or spend the money on it. I guess, what I’m trying to say is, I just appreciate being able to do these things now. And, Utah is pretty cool if you just look for things to do besides going to a movie (not that I don’t love movies…but, there are things to do besides movies).

Moving on to my real subject…Thursday night I went with the roomies and Kelly (supercool friend of Sarah’s who just moved here from Chicago and also happens to work with the roomies–yes, I feel a little left out) up to Park City to see Aqualung and Pete Yorn at Suede and it was fabulous. I wish that one could adequately describe a live performance so that others could experience it, but it’s just not possible…so buy some tickets and go to a concert yourself.

Besides the music being amazing, we were at the very front, so we also had an amazing view. Our feet killed afterwards and we couldn’t hear very well for a bit, but it was totally worth it.

a million thoughts, a few moments…

You know when you have those days when you just have so many things you want to write about. Today (and yesterday) were days like that.

First, I loved my English class last night. I finally enjoyed poetry…not sonnets, I’ve always enjoyed that, but I finally got it, I finally understood what people fall in love with. It’s incredible. There are so many hidden meanings to discover. Last night reminded me of that first time I found a shiny, pink tile in our sandbox. The sandbox is often fun at face value, but when you discover the treasures hidden within, it becomes magical and every scoop becomes a sort of treasure hunt. If you don’t understand what I’m talking about, I will explain a little further. Growing up, we had a jungle gym in our yard that was in a huge sandbox. In the sandbox there were tiles, the largest being about 1″ x 1″ and when we discovered this (my little brother and I) it became our mission to find the tiles. Now that I’ve discovered poetry, I want to find the treasures within. The history of the authors, the words, the rhyme, the form, the sound…it’s all so deliberate and there is so much to be found within.

Next…My dad sent me flowers yesterday (a day early for Valentine’s Day) and they are beautiful. I know that flowers on Valentine’s Day may seem a bit cliche and foolish since we are buying into the marketing machine that has perpetuated the irrational spending on items that are normally half the cost, but I love them. I will always love getting flowers, especially lilies and roses and tulips and iris’. And it is so fun to have them on my desk at work. And I love Valentine’s Day, single or not. While I realize that is a contrived holiday, I love to watch people in love.

Third…Katie Melua’s version of “Just Like Heaven” and the XM version of Sting’s “Fields of Gold”. While I love the originals (The Cure did “Just Like Heaven” and I love The Cure), these two versions make me happy.

Fourth…I have decided to make a regular habit of volunteering at the Missionary Training Center on Wednesdays (when the French speaking missionaries do their time in the Training Resource Center). Today, of all days, I didn’t have time, but I had planned on it, so I didn’t take any homework with me to do on my lunch break. I knew that if I had, I wouldn’t have gone and I would have missed out on one of the best and most spiritual experiences that I have had in a long time. I will spare you the details (plus, while I do share so much about myself here, some things are too special to share on a public blog), but I will say that there is something so sweet about two 19-year-old boys who have decided to give two years of their lives to go out in the world and teach people about the thing that is most important to them, a thing that they hold so sacred, a thing that is so easily discarded or mocked. As I sat across from these two missionaries, humbled by their limited ability to speak a language they are just learning, I could feel of their desire to convey to me their feelings about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Last (at least that I am going to share because I need to get to bed)…and a little less important…I went to see “Music and Lyrics” tonight with the girls. It was so cute. And, with my dreams of cutting my own little album someday, I always enjoy a movie about music of any sort, even the silly, chick-flick kind. I definitely recommend it.