(Stagnant) Reading List

Did you forget about this?  Because it probably looks like I have.  I have not forgotten about my reading...I've simply set it aside for a bit during the semester.  Perhaps Thanksgiving and Christmas will be good opportunities to finish what I started.


East of Eden by John Steinbeck
The Survivor's Club by Lisa Gardner
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis
Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt
Middlemarch by George Elliot
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordin
The Danger by Dick Francis
Laddie, a True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter
Merchant of Death by D. J. MacHale
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall


(Right now I'm at 50%.  10 down, 10 to go!)

"Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You"

I'm not sure why exactly it's good advice to do something everyday that scares you, but I've heard that adage many times.  Yesterday I did something that scares me so much, I probably don't need to do anything else scary for two months.

I donated blood.

{shudder}

I actually really hate to donate blood, but I have a lifetime goal of five gallons (I'm almost to one) and a Day Zero goal of 6 times in one year (the maximum number possible).  Every time I've donated since I made my Day Zero list, I've told myself 'This is it.  I'm starting.  One down, five to go.  Schedule an appointment in two months.' And every time I get too scared and don't schedule appointment number 2.

Yesterday was the worst donation experience I've ever had.  The girl who was my phlebotomist was still in training (ouch!).  I'll spare you the gruesome details.  Because it did get pretty gruesome...

Because yesterday was so bad, I have come to the conclusion that it probably doesn't get much worse than that.  And since I lived through it, I might as well officially start my 6-times goal.

So in two months, when I'm due for another scary experience, remind me that it's time to donate again!

(Free cookies are the best part)

Wishing Update

Morning wish came true :)

Wished again tonight.  I'll keep you posted.....

Fun Dates, etc.

I refuse to begin this post with the customary apology to my mother for the following reasons: a) it might lead to the impression that my mother is some kind of blog-demanding-Nazi, and b) I already apologized to her on the phone today. 

I also refuse to make excuses for not updating. Although if I did, it would look like this: 

List of lame excuses for not blogging:

*I'm boring
*I never take pictures, so even if I weren't boring, my posts would be without pictures
*Suzy's blog is so much better than mine; there's really no way I can compete

Today is 11.11.2011. Isn't that a fun date? But you'd probably already realized/heard/been texted/seen 5 million status updates on facebook. Sorry for being the 5,000,001. Except I had to blog about today, because today at 11:11 a.m., I took a break from studying personal finance with Jared and made a wish (a la my Day Zero Project list). And then I kissed the clock on my cell phone. And then Jared had a coronary because apparently cleaning a hospital for a living makes you some kind of germaphobe....something about how many hands had touched my phone....what a wimp. I will not be telling you what I wished for. I am also fully intending to wish again tonight. After all, how often do you get this kind of potent wishing power?

11.11.11 is not the only fun date that's been happening around here though.... (this is the part where pictures would be really cool....and yet are absent...)

 Fun dates of late:
*Highway to Hale 5K run
*Habitat for Humanity
*Tucanos
*Alpine Loop fall leaves viewing
*Vocal Point concert at Snake River High School
*Civil Engineering dinner at The Skyroom
*Numerous study dates

 And tonight.....Ikea date. I'm very exited :) 

*To address those questions you are now asking yourself: Yes, all with one boy. Yes, we're dating. Yes, he is very cute.

#87: Go to an Event Where I Can Wear a Fancy Dress

On Saturday I got to cross another task off my list....wear a fancy dress.  The day didn't start out very fancy though.  Bright and early (actually, not so bright but definitely early) I woke up and went with Logan Black to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity at one of the houses they're currently renovating in Orem.  Our job involved crawling around under the floor in the house to patch a hole in the foundation.  It was a tight and grimy squeeze.

And after crawling around under there on our stomachs, we were pretty filthy...

After Habitat, we changed the oil in Logan's truck, getting even dirtier.  Like I said, a pretty far cry from a fancy dress...

But that night we went to BYU Homecoming at the Riverwoods.  And it was really fun to get all dressed up :)

Book Review(s)

Yesterday I read "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli per the recommendation of my delightful friend Rachel.  I think I liked it?  The moral of the story was really good; it's all about being yourself and putting other people first.  It left me feeling a little sad and unsettled though.  For that reason I give it 3.5 stars.  I always prefer books with happy endings.

Today I read "The Horse and His Boy" by C. S. Lewis per the recommendation of my friend Kevin.  It's one of the Chronicles of Narnia.  I read most of them when I was in sixth grade, but I'd never read that one before.  He actually recommended that I re-read the entire series, and I probably will over the course of the summer, but for my 20 books list he specifically told me to read this one.  It was a good, fast, easy read.  C. S. Lewis's writing is fun to read and I enjoyed this book.  4 stars.

Incidentally, I am currently faced with a dilemma: I have an Amazon.com gift card and I have no idea what to get with it.  I am wide open to suggestions; feel free to comment.

Crossword Queen!

So I guess I'm not really the "Crossword Queen" per se...I only just finished my first ever New York Times crossword puzzle today...but I have grand plans to become amazingly talented at crosswords someday.

I am incredibly proud of today's triumph and hope to have many more similar triumphs in the future!

{Yes.  It is a Monday crossword.  Yes.  Those are the easiest ones.   Yes.  I have been trying to finish a crossword for....ages....and only just succeeded for the first time today.
Please stop raining on my parade.}

Summer Reading List

One of my Day Zero goals is to read 20 books recommended by 20 friends.  I rounded up my list of recommendations and am beginning to cross them off the list.  Here it is (no particular order):


East of Eden by John Steinbeck
The Survivor's Club by Lisa Gardner
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis
Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
*My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt
Middlemarch by George Elliot
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordin
*The Danger by Dick Francis
Laddie, a True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter
Merchant of Death by D. J. MacHale
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall

I read the books with stars this past week.  I am currently working on 'East of Eden.'  I will do my best to note my progress as the summer wears on.

Another of my Day Zero goals is to read 52 books in 52 weeks, so if I didn't ask you (or even if I did) and you have a book recommendation for me, please post a comment!

Skydiving

Wednesday this week was my last ever day of undergraduate classes.  What a cool feeling.

Thursday this week I jumped out of an airplane and fell 13,000 feet back to the ground.  Also a cool feeling.

Seth's roommate Hudson and his girlfriend Eve decided to go skydiving last week, and they invited us to come.  I kept it a secret from my roommates, and especially from my parents.  I couldn't imagine my mom loving the idea of me skydiving.  

So we got up early on Thursday and drove to Tooele (aka: the middle of nowhere....)  We watched an orientation video that convinced us all that we were going to die.  Then we had to read over and sign these horrendous contracts in which we agreed our families/heirs wouldn't sue them when we died or were dismembered.  Then we got all strapped in to our harnesses and climbed aboard the airplane (which was held together by duct tape....true story.)  And then we jumped.

Seth and Me, prior to jumping

Seth had his phone in a pocket on the front of his shirt, and he got some awesome video on the way down.  Check it out!

Chopsticks

On Friday I learned how to eat with chopsticks when Seth took me to dinner at a Chinese restaurant.  I was very bad at it.  I decided it's hard to feel dainty and lady-like while using them.  Perhaps that comes with more experience?  Seth kept laughing at me, but in my defense he had a lot of practice during the two years he lived in Taiwan.

Regardless of my lack of skill, I am crossing this goal off the list.  Especially since the wording of the goal was only to 'learn to use them properly,' not 'learn to use them with grace, elegance and poise.'

Soaking Wet

I am not really a fan of getting wet.  When Suzy organized an intramural 'inner tube water polo' team, I opted to 'coach' rather than play.  It was a lot of fun going to the games and watching the team improve.  I'm sure they owe all their success to my abilities as a motivational speaker and my water polo strategical prowess.  I really do have a gift.

Team picture before one of their last games.

On the night of the last game, I was also able to cross a goal off the Day Zero list: jump into a body of water fully clothed.  Although I would be lying if I said I enjoyed the experience, it's always good to do hard or unpleasant things, right?  My roommate Annie jumped in with me for moral support.

Soaking wet and glad that goal is done :)

Festival of Colors!

Today I crossed another goal of the list:  attend Festival of Colors.

The festival is celebrated at the nearby Hare Krishna Temple to welcome spring.  Mostly it just consists of a bajillion college students showing up and throwing colored chalk at each other.

I went with Seth, Suzy, Natalie, Brynn, Katie, Laura, and their friend Jessica. We ran into Daniel and Ashlee and some of their friends too.

This is us before:

And this is us after:

I have never been so dirty in my life. Getting clean was a bit of an ordeal, and I think my scalp will just be orange for a while, but it sure was a lot of fun!

The 100 Best Experiences of My Life

For my DayZero Project, I made the goal to make a list of the 100 best experiences of my life.  While compiling this list, I tried to stay away from sweeping generalizations such as 'hanging out with my sisters,' etc., although I broke the rule a few times.  For the most part, every one of these brief summaries recalls a specific memory that I have.

It took a while to make the entire list, and my mom helped me with some of the brainstorming.  It was a good reminder of what a good life I've had.  I highly suggest it!

The 100 Best Experiences of my Life

(in no particular order)

1. Walking down the south bank of the Thames on my last night in London
2. Test-driving boats with Mom and Dad the day in fifth grade that I stayed home sick from school
3. Taking PDBio 205 my first semester of college and falling in love with physiology
4. Staying up until the wee hours of the morning taking pictures with roommates on Mobi the laptop

5. Going to Macaroni Grill with the Domestic Goddesses
6. Hiking to the Y for the first time
7. Seeing the Nike Winged Victory at the Louvre
8. Running a half marathon
9. Deciding to share my skittles with the guy sitting next to me in genetics
10. Ripping up the old linoleum on the kitchen floor of the house on Shilling and then getting to go to Arctic Circle for dinner that night as the stain on the kitchen floor dried
11. Going to the beach in Spain

12. Revisiting the same little crepe stand in Paris three times to order delicious crepes in “broken” (understatement) French
13. Being born to such great parents
14. Reading the entire Nancy Drew series over the summer between third and fourth grade while watering the trees
15. Reading my scriptures one summer morning and feeling my prayers be answered
16. Reading my name on the list of girls who made the softball team my freshman year of high school
17. Performing Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 the best I ever have on a Steinway Concert Grand in front of an audience of 1000 people

18. Participating in the Junior Miss Program
19. Meeting Andrakay, who in a moment understood my humor and sarcasm better than almost anyone, and who will always and forever have better hair than me….
20. Finishing my last ever organic chemistry final
21. Buying my first journal
22. Making pasta for the very first time
23. Hitting two home runs in one softball game
24. Hanging out with Daniel when he first moved out to Provo after his mission

25. Going to the Library of Congress with my family
26. Walking around the Lake District in England
27. Doing my Christmas shopping on Oxford Street
28. Singing loudly and off key in the car with the windows down on the way to softball practice with Suzy
29. Going dress shopping for Junior Miss with my mom
30. Climbing to the top of approximately 400 stairs at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to look out over the whole city

31. Watching ‘Les Miserables’ at the Queen’s Theater in London
32. Getting an A on my anatomy final…and not just any A…a 97%
33. Forging a forever friendship with Caitlin while army crawling in a formal through the upper balconies of an auditorium
34. Finding out that my little sister "Holly" was actually a little brother "Jared," and watching him grow up to be such a good kid
35. Finding a beautiful pair of green high heels hiding in a far corner of a shoe store…in exactly the right size
36. Writing and sending a ‘Christmas card’ from Penrose 85
37. Finally getting strapped into my seat on the Top Thrill Dragster after 2 hours of waiting in line
38. Eating Thai food for the first time
39. Going to a wedding dress fitting with Shauntelle
40. Eating Chinese food with Sandee on the grass in front of our dumpy little apartment one summer night
41. Eating an éclair at Borough Market
42. Going to the Nauvoo temple with all of my cousins when I was fourteen
43. Drinking my first cup of cocoa made with a cocomotion
44. Dissecting my first chick embryo
45. Dipping my French fries in my raspberry milkshake at Rupe's for the first time
46. Canning peaches in the kitchen with Mom and the girls
47. Calling my dad to tell him that I changed a flat tire in the dark, in the rain, on the shoulder of the freeway (He was very proud)
48. Buying my very first bottle of fingernail polish (navy blue with sparkles)
49. ‘Helping’ my dad nail the boards of the main floor into the floor joists
50. Getting my first pedicure
51. Missing class to go home and surprise Haley for her birthday
52. Getting rocked to sleep as a small child by my dad
53. Discovering the utility and wonder of an eyelash curler
54. Cutting my roommate Annie’s hair on the fly
55. Going to California with my family for a few days last summer
56. Doing homework on a bench at Kensington Gardens
57. Picking out Christmas tree ornaments for my mom at Harrods
58. Getting my passport stamped for the first time
59. Eating chocolate from Hotel Chocolat for the first time
60. Discovering that they give free samples at See’s Candies in the mall
61. Walking through Westminster Abbey
62. Visiting Butchart Gardens with my family
63. Playing Rumikub and eating brownies on Sunday evenings
64. Eating chocolate-dipped raspberries with AshLyn (Gray) Petersen
65. Having a ground-breaking ceremony the day we started building our house
66. Making my first purchase on Portobello Road
67. Hitting a change-up in the district championship game against Bear Lake
68. Going to the midnight premier of Harry Potter 6 dressed as ‘Professor Trelawny’

69. Seeing ‘Wicked’ in London
70. Standing next to the stage at the Globe Theatre during a performance of ‘As You Like It’
71. Holding my baby sister Haley for the first time and being excited that her hair has the same weird cowlick in the front that mine has
72. Opening Christmas presents in the dark the year the power was out on Christmas morning
73. Helping mom make (and eat) funnel cakes
74. Getting surprised by so many friends on my thirteenth birthday after spending the entire seventh grade year feeling like I didn’t have any friends
75. Going to Tucanos with my family to celebrate Daniel’s Brazilian mission call
76. Seeing my GRE score and knowing that I never had to take it again
77. Hanging out in Las Vegas with Mom, Suzy and Haley
78. Watching Jared’s state play-off football game on the internet with Suzy at my apartment
79. Finishing my gigantic paper chain the night before school started
80. Watching 'Bandslam' with Suzy and making 'I can't drive stick, I'll drive stick' jokes for the next five days
81. Eating hot dog relish for the first time
82. Walking to Grandma Harper’s house after school to decorate cookies to take to my first grade class
83. Going to the wedding receptions of my friends and knowing that they’ve married good guys in the right place
84. Posing for the infamous Domestic Goddess photo that started it all

85. Going to Anderson Ranch Reservoir for the day with my family
86. Getting a 5 on my AP Art portfolio
87. Listening to Shania Twain at full volume while cleaning my room with Haley and Suzy
88. Climbing in Mr. Coles’s classroom window with Rachel after getting back from lunch late, trying to avoid the ‘hall sweep’
89. Watching Suzy participate in State Junior Miss
90. Standing in two hemispheres at the same time
91. Painting the walls of my bedroom blue
92. Throwing a girl out at home from center field with no cut-off
93. Discovering the recipe for the best chocolate cake in the world
94. Having a water fight in my kitchen
95. Swimming an entire lap in an Olympic-sized pool using correct technique (breathing, etc.) without stopping
96. Getting an education at Brigham Young University
97. Watching ‘Waking Ned Divine’ with my family for the first time
98. Feeding an entire Elders Quorum brownies laced with methylene blue
99. Driving to and from Blackfoot with Grandma Smith
100. Sneaking off to go snorkeling in the middle of the night with Sandee and Shauntelle

Vegetable Lasagna

Tonight it was my turn to make dinner.  Suzy requested that I make spinach pasta a few weeks ago, so tonight I did.  I made vegetable lasagna completely from scratch!  I'd never made lasagna before tonight, except for the kind from the freezer section of the grocery store.  It was really fun...although time consuming.

Here are some pictures from the process:

Be on time? Check!

One of my Day Zero goals was to be on time to every class for three weeks.  This is something that I've really struggled with since coming to school.  I was raised by a mother who believes that if you aren't 15 minutes early,  you're late.  I think she views the fact that I didn't take this policy to heart as her greatest failure as a mother.  I felt guilty for not representing her well...but I guess not guilty enough because I didn't change.

So I made this goal: Be on time to every class.  And it sat on the Day Zero list unattempted for an entire semester.

Then I made a deal with a friend.  Every time I am late to school, work or church (for the record, I am not late to church...that is one area where my mom did succeed...) I owe him a quart of ice cream.  Effective for the entire semester.  Apparently that's what I needed.

We are now three weeks into the semester, and I have not been late to ANYTHING for the ENTIRE time.  So I am officially checking this goal off the list.

In my time of punctuality I have felt unexpectedly empowered.  I feel like I'm in more control of my life.  I also have lost that annoying nagging in the back of my mind, placed there purposefully by my mother, reminding me that it's rude to be late.

Mission accomplished.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Back in September I blogged about a paper chain I made to count down the days until my graduation.  It was so long back in September, but the semester flew by and the chain got shorter.

This is what it looked like then:

And THIS is what it looks like now:

Where did the days go?

Blogging for the Sake of Blogging

This month I made a goal to blog every day.  Today is the 31st and this is my 31st post, so I guess I made it.  I found pretty quickly that blogging for me is a lot more fun when I'm not doing it for the sake of blogging.

December was a good month.  Here's a recap:

*Finished the semester

*Took my finals

*Hung out with my old roommates

*Celebrated birthdays with Daniel, Jared and my dad

*Read books for fun

*Made lots of food, from pasta to carmel

*Decorated and then undecorated several trees

*Celebrated Christmas with both sides of my family

*Spent a LOT of time lounging

*Downloaded lots of new music

*Worked on two sewing projects

*Drank more milk that all of fall semester combined

*Crossed several things off my Day Zero list

December was a good month for me.  I'm also looking forward to January and my last first day of college.  Bring it on!

Painting!

Today I did lots and LOTS of painting.

It started in the laundry room. For Christmas the kids helped mom finish the laundry room. Part of the gift was new paint for the walls in a color of her choice, plus the promise that she wouldn't have to paint it herself. This morning Mom and I went to Home Depot and got the supplies. This afternoon Suzy, Haley and I painted. I really like the color she picked, and I really, really like how it looks on the walls.

I also knocked another task off my Day Zero list...or at least got it started. I made a goal to paint every fingernail a different color. I have to leave them like this for a week, even though it makes me feel a bit like a twelve-year-old. I thought Christmas break would be a good time to do this, since I own nearly every color of fingernail polish known to man, but pretty much all the crazy ones live in Idaho.

I was a little leery at first, especially since a week from now I'll be back in Provo and back in public. I kinda like the results though, even if they are tween-ish.

Incidentally, two of the colors that I used tonight I actually got for my twelfth birthday...

Pasta!

Today I made pasta from scratch!  It was lots of fun.  Santa Claus knew what he (she...thanks Mom) was doing when he picked my present this year :)

Here are a few pictures from my first pasta-making adventure.

50 Things I Like About Myself (Part 1)

For my Day Zero Project I made a goal to write a list of 50 things I like about myself.  I decided to check that one off tonight, except it ended up being a lot harder than I thought...  Don't get me wrong, I've got enough ego for myself, plus the next guy.  But it turns out that it's kind of hard to put into words what I like about myself.

So after thinking, I came up with this list.

I like my

1. Brown eyes
2. Long fingernail beds
3. Softball scar on my left knee
4. Long hair
5. Height
6. Eyelashes
7. Metabolism
8. Shoe size
9. Cheekbones
10. Attached earlobes

Since I never made the goal to do all 50 in one sitting, I think breaking it down is completely acceptable. I think I about covered the surface stuff, so I'm probably going to have to start digging a little deeper.