Catch Up

I haven't really been good at blogging lately so I have decided to give you an update on my life. I know, I know, I always promise to be better at blogging but alas I haven't been any better.  Erin's last two posts have inspired me to post something today and hopefully more in the future? I won't make any promises on when the next post will be though.  So here are so new things that have happened since the last time I blogged:

Top 5 New Things in my Life:
1. Colored Hair: I recently did a semi-permanent dye on my hair. I LOVE the color but I have too much hair for a normal application of hair dye. Right now I have some splotchy patches of hair that are not colored. I have another box of hair dye, I just need to get around to coloring it again.

My darker hair and a fantastic orange sweater I found for less than $3.00. 

2. Glasses: Yep, I have had to get glasses. I have had the worst migraines lately and I am trying to figure out the cause of them. Excedrin does wonders for me but it only masks the symptoms so I can temporarily feel better. I had my eyes checked and sure enough I have needed glasses. I am wearing them for the first time today! Some of the other things that might be triggering my migraines are sugar, TMJ, low-pressure weather, and stress. I sure do hope the glasses will help a little with this. It is amazing how many small things I have been missing out on before wearing these glasses!

New Glasses! I bought two pairs..a brown pair and a black one. 

3. Study Abroad:  I am going on a study abroad this summer to study art history in Italy! The program is a 4 weeks and then I will be doing some independent traveling to Switzerland, Paris and London after with some of the other students for about 10 days after the program ends.  68 more days until I leave!
Not like I am counting the days till then...

Cinque Terre, Italy (I will be staying a weekend here! AHH!)

4. Working a Lot for Study Abroad: I have been working at my regular job at school and I went back to my bakery job to help fund my trip. I also work four hours at a call center on Saturday's. EEK! Luckily, I am only taking one class right now or I would probably be going insane right now.

5. Boyfriend: I don't post a lot on here about my relationship status because, well, it has been pretty complicated the last couple years. With a long term relationship tragically ending about a year and a half ago, dating has been an interesting journey that I wasn't planning on ever having to take again.  I did date a guy last summer for a couple months and I was very grateful for that relationship. He treated me really well and was intellectually stimulating. We broke up before school started. I was pretty upset for a while but I am now grateful that he broke up with me for many reasons. I have gone on dates here and there since then. About a two months ago, I went on a date with one of my friends John who works as a freelance pianist. I was excited to go to Cafe Rio with him but honestly I was thinking it was just a friend date and nothing more than that. I was wrong. He is charming, genuine, loving, funny, and also extremely handsome, bonus! We went on a second date a couple weeks later and then shortly after that we decided to date exclusively. It has been an interesting journey dating him and I would have to say I have been happier than I have been in a really long time.  I usually am pretty happy anyways but he has brought a lot more joy in my life that I never knew I was missing. 

John and I at BYU's concerto night. 

Summer To Do List

Since the first official day of summer is only a few days away I thought I would share my summer to do list.  I started dating a pretty amazing guy and we came up with this list of things to do together. I have a small notebook that I carry around with me that I keep all of the ideas in.  

I love new experiences and learning new things. Who knew that I would actually enjoy going bug hunting? The world is a beautiful place and there are so many things to go and do.   Why would we want to settle for the typical dinner and a movie date when there are so many other things to do? What is on your list of things you want to do this summer?

Summer To Do List:

-Geode Hunting

-Visit the Great Salt Lake

-Star Gazing

-BYU Planetarium

-Visit the Salt Lake Temple

-Timpanogas Cave

-Ikea

-Make Homemade Paper

-Gold Leafing

-Photography/Editing

-Croquet Game

-Egg Yolk painting

-Comedy Night (listen to Brian Reagan, and Bill Cosby)

-Geo Cashing

-BYU Bean Museum

-Donate Plasma

-Hiking

-Tracy Aviary

-Aquariium

-Group Camping Trip 

Here are some of the things we have done recently (some were not on our original list but were fun experiences none the less):

-Fossil Hunting (which turned into rock collecting because we didn't find any fossils)

-Visit the BYU Art Museum 

-Listen to a whole Sigur Ros album 

-Spray Paint Art

-Picnic at the Park

-Feeding Ducks at the Park

-Watching the Sunset (multiple times)-Go to some Yard Sales

-Visit the Planetarium in Salt Lake

-Bug Hunting

-Going to the USA vs. Honduras Soccer game

-Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum

New Goals

Sometimes, it is time to make new goals.

It happens anytime life starts falling into a routine.

But usually, my goals tend to explode into wild dreams.  I just can't seem to tame them.

Such as:

My goal to travel.  New York, Paris, Tokyo...anywhere.  Get me out on the road! Or on a plane to somewhere new.  Ryan and I hope to go to Paris or Tokyo in a year or so.  Fingers crossed.  It would be amazing.  

My goal to graduate college.  Oh wow.  This one feels so far away.  With a full time job, it is hard to work a schedule in for school.  I hate it.  I checked classes for next semester.  Looks rather impossible.  I may have to work something else out.

My goal to one day (not in the nearest future, mind you), to be a mother.  Oh man, thanks to Primary, I have discovered that I have low patience.  Perhaps I need to start learning patience now.  Also, the thought to be a mother scares me.  I am not ready now. but it is a dream and a desire of mine.  Just not quite yet...But I should start learning motherly qualities in preparation for that day.

Caitlin's and my goal to update the blog more so.  We have been slacking.  And it is sad.

A goal to go through my wardrobe and create new clothes and outfits from the depths of my closet.  Who says one has to keep buying new things to keep things fresh? Besides, I am poor.  I have enough clothes that I never wear.  Wear 'em or lose 'em, I say.  Well, I try to tell myself.

Be more adventurous.  Stop being afraid to spread your wings and try new things.  There is always, always, ALWAYS room for growth in this area.

My goal to one day write a children's book.  That has been a goal of mine that I have had for years, but have since put on the back burner.  It is time to whip it back up and start writing again.  It has been so long, and I used to enjoy it so much.  

Actually...speaking of writing, I think I'm going to get off of this right now and begin writing again.  I need to.  What? I am writing, you say?  You're right.  But I'm still leaving you. 

Goodbye for now.

Women's Tears

Do you ever just want to cry? For no reason whatsoever? If you are male, you probably are thinking, "No way...Why would I do that?"  But if you are a girl, you are probably just nodding your head away in complete understanding.

My cousin posted this on Facebook.  I liked it.  Now I am sharing it with you:

A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she told him.
"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said, "When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world,

yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."

Update on Life

Hey Everyone!

Here are some quick updates on my life:

I have been trudging my way through my first week back at school (literally trudging, aka my sprained ankle). Actually, I am really excited about school starting! I love school! It has just been a little hard trying to get to my classes because of my leg. It is healing though and I will be looking forward to being able to walk normally again.

Part of my school expenses went towards purchasing a new laptop. I am super happy about this. I purchased a HP TrueVision HD Laptop. Even though it is not a Macbook (which I totally would love one day) it was well the money I spent on it. Which means....drum roll please...MORE BLOGGING!

I am still eating healthy and I love how I feel. I wish I can exercise more but with my leg I haven't been able to continue my normal workout routine. As soon as I can (Monday? Hopefully.) I will start it up again. Today was also supposed to be the day I would weigh myself but I want to use the same scale that I started weighing myself on so I will get the most accurate results. The problem is that the scale I use is at the rec center. I guess I will have to wait.

That is all I have time for now. TTFN.