1/14/11

yesterday's happenings.

Last night, Zac and I were planning on going to my friend, Valeri's wedding reception. I woke up that morning feeling kinda sick, but I toughed it out. I decided that a wedding reception was a really good reason to get dressed up, so I did my hair like I've never done it before, and did ALL of my make up and went to work.
During work, I didn't even feel like talking, which is probably a bad thing where I work. I had a headache, a sore throat, a cough, and my legs ached like crazy.
Zac and I were planning on going to the reception right after I got home from work, but on my way home, I was feeling terrible, so I called him and told him that I didn't want to go.
Shortly after arriving to my apartment, Zac came over, and we made dinner. After cleaning up, I was exhausted and cuddled with him on the couch until I fell asleep. While I was half asleep, Zac got up, went into my bedroom and got my pillow and my blanket. He came out and put the pillow under my head, and the blanket over my shivering body, tucking me in, and took off my shoes. It was cute. I fell back asleep while he did homework.
When I woke up two hours later, Erica and Wes had already gotten there, and were talking to Zac. Then we helped Erica hang up her posters in the living room with the new push pins she bought. (Merry Christmas push pins!)
After that, Zac said, "Let's make orange rolls!" We've been planning on making orange rolls for a long time, but never got around to it, so I started. It was about 11:00 pm by this time.
Three hours later, at 2:00 am, after Wes and Zac left, I finished the orange rolls. I had no idea they were going to take that long, but they were delicious! Erica and I each ate one, and went to bed.

Tonight I'm going ice skating with Zac, Erica, Wes, Sarah, Luke and maybe Rachel. And I'm bringing my camera! Maybe we'll make a stop to our special spot. I can't tell you where it is, though. It's a secret.

1/12/11

cooking with zac.

Lately (for the past few months or so), Zac and I have been cooking together. It usually consists of (and I'm not trying to sound like I'm complaining) me cooking the meal while Zac plays with his phone or something. Occasionally he'll help me cook the chicken or grate the cheese.

On New Years day, we made Spinach Tortellini for dinner. It was to die for! Seriously. The best meal we've ever made. For dessert that night, I made my own version of peach cobbler, complete with homemade whipped cream with cinnamon in it. Also, very delicious.

Me and Zac on New Years day
Our peach cobbler


Last night, Zac blew me away. Instead of cooking for him, he cooked for me. It was his very first time cooking by himself. Other than asking me a few questions, and grating the cheese (I did that part), he did it alone. He made this delightful chicken salsa casserole. It was so good, I was licking the spatula when I cleaned up. It was fun to watch him cook, and cute to see how proud of himself he was.

Zac with his casserole

Me and Zac while eating dinner last night

1/10/11

new years resolutions.

Here I am, sitting at my uncomfortably small desk in my student housing apartment, eating my second bowl of leftover homemade chili that my boyfriend, Zac, and I made together a few nights ago (I ate a bowl of it for breakfast this morning). Hey, at least it's not Ramen, right? I'm thinking that I should post some of my New Years' Resolutions. Just so they're written down, ya know? I know it's probably a little bit late, and that's because I've been thinking about them for the past couple of weeks, even after New Years Day came and went.

Last night, Zac and I were thinking of things we both (together and individually) want to learn how to do. Then I got thinking, my my mind started to race, and I started making a list of fun things for us to do when we're bored, or when we're planning out our week. We got a pretty good list together, so I'll share some of it with you.

First off, here is the list of my New Years Resolutions. I thought about things I wanted to learn, things I wanted to do, and things I wanted to become.

Things I want to learn:
  1. How to cook foreign foods (Asian, Thai, etc.). I think I'm a pretty decent cook, but I tend to only stay in my comfort zone, which is pasta, chicken, hamburger, you know, the easy stuff. I want to learn how to cook meals that you wouldn't normally make everyday.
  2. How to do my hair. I almost always have my hair just down. I want to learn how to do cool things with it, and add some variety to my life! ...or my head.
  3. How to work my light meter. I got a sweet light meter for Christmas, and I know the gist of how it works, but I want to get really familiar with it so I can improve my photography.
  4. How to write better. I always read articles, blogs and books that are very nice and very captivating. I want to learn how to write like that.
  5. How to sew--at least the basics of sewing. When I was little, I hated this idea. Now I'm warming up to it, and I think it would be cool to whip up a little shirt or curtains or something.

Things I want to do:

  1. Travel out of state. The ideal would be to go on a road trip to Washington state, but really, I just want to get out of Utah for a while with a few friends, or even my boyfriend. Even more than that, I want to get out of the country, but I'm afraid I'm probably pushing my luck with that one.
  2. Grow in my education, and get my Associates degree. I'm seriously just one semester away... if I don't screw it up.
  3. Read lots and lots of books. Maybe near the start of summer I'll come up with a book list and see if I can finish it by the end of summer, but I just want to read!
  4. Take more pictures. You'd think that, since I love photography so much, this wouldn't be an issue. But lately I've neglected to take my camera to many places where I should've. I regret not having so many pictures.
  5. Broaden my appreciation and education of the arts: films, photos, music, plays, even people. Specifically, from the early 1900's. I love that era.
  6. Buy a ton of Chinese Wish Lanterns and set them off every now and then. Ever since I saw Tangled, I've wanted to have a surplus of those Chinese Wish Lanterns on-hand for special occasions. :)
  7. Blog more. It helps me think, and it will help me learn to write better.

Things I want to become:

  1. A better singer. I don't want to be amazing, I just want to be better. I'll have to try and do this without a voice teacher, because "I am running low on cash flow." (Zac will appreciate that one) Really though, I just need to save my money.
  2. More creative. I think that sometimes I'm afraid to do things outside of my own little bubble. But this year I want to take risks and try new things, and expand who I am.
  3. More outgoing. I've come a long way from what I used to be, which was painfully shy. I'm more outgoing, less awkward. But I want to be even more outgoing, because I've always watched those people who weren't afraid to be themselves, and I've always admired that.
  4. A better photographer. I want to learn new tricks, and go out and shoot more, so I can learn things I never would've about photography. I want to excel in my knowledge and my quality of photos. I also want to start doing photography projects.
  5. A service-oriented person. I want to serve! It makes me so happy, and I've slacked off big time lately. My mom taught me the joys of serving, and I want to start it back up again.

So that's that. Every time I complete each of these, I will blog about, and you, my friends, will get to see how I am doing on each of them. So stay tuned throughout the year!

In other news, for those of you who are wondering how I'm doing and what I've been up to, here's the scoop. I've been doing good. School started up, and, like I said, I will have my Associates degree by the end of this semester (April) if I pass all my classes, which I'm sure I can do. I've got all the fun ones: Biology, Oceanography, Humanities and Philosophy. Sweet. I've been spending all my free time with my dear boyfriend. We like to cook together, hang out with friends and family, talk and read scriptures (I know, cute, huh?). Last night, Zac and I went to his parents' house. We had an early dinner, and then Zac's parents left soon after for Park City, where they are staying in a $1500-a-night hotel for free. After they left, Whitney (Zac's sister), JT (Whitney's boyfriend), Sophie (Zac's other, younger sister), Zac and I all hung out and talked, ate leftover ice cream cake from Cold Stone (oh my gosh), and did homework (well, I did, anyway). Later, Whitney made German pancakes, which turned out super delicious. After we finished up our yummy treats, the five of us went outside and lit off a Chinese Wish Lantern (as seen on Tangled) in the cold night air, and watched it float above the pond by their house. It was magical. Later, I told Zac that I was going to buy a surplus of those things, and I plan to soon. It was a pretty fantastic night, but I have no pictures. I am sorry. Remember my goal of being better of that? I will be.

Tonight Zac and I have plans of going to the mall, reading scriptures and coloring in my coloring book I got for Christmas. Lately, Zac and I have been planning out our whole week of fun things to do that keep us busy and let us get to know each other better. This week's schedule includes: figuring out my light meter, teaching Zac everything I know about photography, Zac teaching me about something called "virtual machine," going to Valeri's wedding reception, and ice skating. I highly recommend the idea of planning out your week to anyone, especially those of you who are dating someone. It makes life more fun, and you have more to look forward to when you're bored in class.

I've gotta go pick up my boyfriend from work, because he likes to miss the shuttle. :) Bye, friends!

1/9/11

a few of my favorite things.

I like a lot of things, but my favorites are these...

  • Old houses. I love Utah Valley, because there are a lot of old houses almost everywhere you drive (especially Lehi, American Fork and Provo). I like the little, old ones that were built in the 1920's, 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. I love the detail and the designs. I think they are GORGEOUS, and I think they have so much more class that the newer houses are lacking badly.
  • Antiques. Whether it be furniture, jewelery, or clothing, I love it all. Like houses, I just think older things (1920's to 1950's) have much more style and class. It's aesthetically pleasing to me.
  • Skirts. I love wearing skirts, but I haven't had the chance to wear them much lately because of the cold weather. I also love tights.
  • Flowers. I LOVE flowers. Any kind, any color. I just love them. I love receiving them, I love looking at them. They're pretty, and they smell fantastic.
  • Old movies. Ya know, the black and white ones with no scandalous scenes or crude language. Especially Audrey Hepburn films. She's wonderful, and I love her acting. She's classy, too, and I like that.
  • Good music. Not the stuff they play on the radios, but the good stuff that not a lot of people know about. For example: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Broken Social Scene, M83 and OK Go. I also love oldies, like The Turtles (I've been on a Turtles rush lately. I can't get enough of them!), The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Carly Simon, and The Carpenters. I love classic music that doesn't go out of style.
  • Colors. I love bright and vibrant colors. When I was in high school, I liked neon colors. I've settled down a bit since then, but I still love colors.
  • Clothes. If someone gave me a million dollars, I'd probably buy clothes (and probably some camera equipment, too). I just love them. I LOVE dressing up.
  • Photography. What can I say? It's my major. I adore it. I love everything about photography. Cameras (especially vintage cameras!), being in the darkroom (for fun, not necessarily when it's for a class), editing. I just love it. I hope to get better.
  • Kids. Aww, I love them. Especially my niece and nephew who are about a year and a half old. They're adorable, and it makes me excited to have my own.
  • Food and cooking. It's a wonder why I'm decently skinny. I eat so much. I get excited about food. Like a school girl gets excited about her secret crush. And cooking! Ah, I love it. I can't explain it, I just love it.
  • Big cities. I like walking around in them. In August my family went to San Francisco, and we walked around downtown all day, and I LOVED it! I was snapping pictures every 5 seconds, and enjoying life. I also really like downtown Salt Lake City, and even downtown Provo.
  • Thunder storms. I love watching the rain fall as the lightning strikes and the thunder booms while cuddled up in a blanket on the porch. I also love the smell of rain.
  • Reading. I didn't start liking it until a few years ago, when I decided to read for fun. Now, when I have spare time, it's all I ever do.
  • Writing. I'm not good by any means, but I love to write. It helps me think and get things out of my head.
  • Chartreuse. The most beautiful color, I think. Well, by itself, anyway.
  • Long, serious talks. I'm not too close with a lot of people. Maybe only 2 or 3. But I love talking to the people I am close with. A lot. It's like a drug to me. I can never get enough of it.
  • The Beach. This sounds weird coming from a girl who grew up and still lives in Utah, but I love the beach. Not the typical surfing beach where tons of people lie out and tan or play in the water, but empty beaches, where the weather is a little colder (but not too cold), and it's cloudy and there are lots of logs, rocks and plants scattered everywhere.
  • The DI. I love what you can find there. I love searching for cool things, and seeing what you find. I also love Target. That's probably my all-time favorite store.
  • Temple Square. Ah, what's not to love about it? This is one of the only places I actually like in the winter. It's also gorgeous in the summer. It's probably my favorite place to be.
  • Surprises. Even though I'll ask you a million questions about them, I LOVE surprises. Probably more than a lot of things on this list. Whether they be big or small, I love being surprised any day.

1/4/11

songs + memories.

I stole this idea from my best friend, Emily. It's a list of all the songs that remind me of certain things that I love and miss.

"Mandy" by Barry Manilow
This past semester, my roommate, Erica, and I have cooked together a few times, and whenever we do, I always bring out my laptop, pull up iTunes and play songs to cook to. I always seemed to play this one everytime, and sing my heart out to it. It reminds me of cooking, vegetarian style, with Erica.

"Wouldn't It Be Nice" by The Beach Boys
Summer! This song reminds me only of summer. The warm weather and the sun shining down on me all day. Driving in my car with my window rolled down while this song was playing on my radio. It makes me happy, because I miss the summer, especially in this 20 degree weather.

"Hey Jude" by The Beatles
Last summer, while I was working with Nate, he was in a bad mood for some reason. This song came on, and I sung obnoxiously loud and out of tune to it, while looking at him the whole time. Eventually, he started to laugh, and wasn't in a bad mood anymore. This song reminds me of all the fun times I had with Nate-dawg.

"Re: Stacks" by Bon Iver
This is one of Zac's favorite songs, and we always listen to it when we're driving in the car. It reminds me of the serious side of Zac, when he has a straight (but not grumpy) face, and you can tell that his mind is racing a million miles an hour. It's the cutest thing ever.

"Merry Christmas Baby" by Brighten
Christmas, duh! This song is probably my favorite Christmas song out there. I listen to it a lot during the Holidays, and even in the summer, just because I love Christmas so much.

"You're So Vain" by Carly Simon & "Rainy Days and Mondays" by The Carpenters
These songs remind me of my dad, just because he's almost always listening to them, whether we be driving somewhere in the car, or if it's playing through the speakers in our house. These oldies just remind me of my dad.

"Believe" by Cher
One day this past semester, Erica, Rachel, Zac and I were driving in my car around campus, and this song came on. We all started to do background voices for it, and Erica's was the funniest: "Do you believe? 'Cause I believe! Tell me if you believe, 'cause I don't know if you believe or not!"

"Counting Your Worries" by The Continentals
When I was 17, I dated Erik. He was a drummer, just like me. He went through a lot of bands, and ended up staying in this one (before going on his mission, where he is currently serving). This band is amazing; I cannot even begin to describe how happy they make me feel when I listen to their music. This song reminds me of going to their shows, and other shows of our band friends, like Dream Balloons with Bradley, Peter, Trevor, Adam, Josh, Emily, Erica and the rest of the gang. Shows at Kilby Court, Open Mic Nights in Trevor's garage and basement shows in many houses. Afterwards, we'd always go to Denny's (which was often past midnight) and order good food and talk. These times were the highlight of my three years in High School. I miss them.

"Let's Make Out" by Does It Offend You, Yeah?
This song reminds me of all the weird things I do. One time, when Emily, Erica and I were all still 20 years old, we went to a Stake Dance. When we left, we blasted this music and drove around the parking lot. Then we saw 3 little teenaged boys, and I stopped the car right by them and gave them my creeper smile while this music played through my radio. It got them excited, and I drove off.

"The Final Countdown" by Europe
Being heroic and saving the day while driving in Emily's car.

"Where Were You" by Every Avenue
One time, Emily and I dressed up in Emily's clothes she wore in High School (I'm not sure why she still has them), and made a music video to this song. It was hilarious.

"All Around Me" by Flyleaf
When I was taking drum lessons, my teacher, Sneez, let me be in a band with other students. The only song I really knew how to play on the drums was this one, and so we played it. Three weeks later, I quit the band and drum lessons.

"What She Came For" by Franz Ferdinand
During Spring Break of 2009, I drove down to St. George and spent a few days with my friend, Celeste. We rode the tram, went to the DI, hiked the Red Rocks and made rainbow cake. It was a blast! On the last day, right before I left for home, we made an awesome music video to this song that consisted of us dressed up really pretty being really stupid and riduculous. It was awesome.

"Sort Of" by Ingrid Michaelson
My sister, Sara, is a very talented pianist and singer. In the summer, she got the sheet music for this song, and would always play it on the piano and sing it. I loved it, and had it stuck in my head all the time. It was the best.

"Can't Help Falling in Love" by Ingrid Michaelson
Don't laugh, but this song reminds me of what my first dance with my husband will be like. I am a daydreamer, mostly of my future wedding, and ever since I've heard this song, I've wanted it to be the song that my husband and I share our first dance to.

"So Close/So Alive" by Just Surrender
One of my foster kids, Levi, LOVED this song, and would listen to it on my iPod nonstop when I had him. It reminds me of him, and how funny he is.

"Numb" by Linkin Park
Even though I hate this band, this song, and a few others remind me of when Emily, Erica and I were driving home from an Open Mic Night one night, and this song was plaiying, and we rolled down the windows, blasted the music and sung crazy backup words to it (like we did when we sang to Cher). I remember laughing so hard I could barely sing.

"Steps in My Fade" by Love You Long Time
In the summer of 2009, Emily and I were EFY counselors together. We'd carpool there and back everyday, and everyday we'd listen to this song and sing to it. We had a goal that, by the end of the week, we'd have the whole thing memorized. We accomplished our goal much sooner. That song made us so crazy, which is good, because EFY counelors are supposed to be crazy.

"The Sun and The Moon" by Mae
On our first date, Zac and I went to Sundance and rode the ski lifts. On our way home down the canyon, we listened to this song. A month after we had been officially dating, we went up to Squaw Peak and talked. On the way up, we also listened to this song. Zac calls it "our song," and I'd have to agree with him.

"Black Holes and Revelation" by Muse
Last summer, my foster kid, Dakota, and I were talking about music we both liked. We couldn't agree on any songs until this song came on my iPod. He said, "I love this song!" I was like, "No way! So do I!" Now everytime I work with him, we listen to this song.

"White Knuckles" by OK Go
A few weeks ago, I went to the OK Go concert with Kim and Zac. Kim and I got to meet the band, which was awesome. When they finally came out to play, I was blown away with how spectacular they are! This song reminds me of being happy in the presense of good music, and taking tons and tons of pictures.

"Unconditional Love" by Plain White T's
When I was in High School, I was homeschooled, and in a homeschool choir. After our two classes at the public High School, Daniel and I would drive up to Salt Lake City and attend choir there. On the way home, Sara and Rachel would ride with us. In the car, Daniel had a set list of songs he would always listen to. This is the song I remember him listening to most. It reminds me of homeschool, namely choir and LFG, with my siblings.

"Buddy Holly" by Weezer
Back in October, Zac, Erica, Wes, Rachel and I were driving to Thanksgiving Point to go to a corn maze. On the way there, all we listened to was Weezer. We all decided that, if we could only listen to one band for the rest of our lives, Weezer would be it. Then we all sung along with every Weezer song that played.