Conference Time!

This weekend marks the 180th Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It means President Monson, the prophet, and the Twelve Apostles, and other leaders of the church will speak to 14 million people in 5 different sessions. It takes place in Salt Lake, and therefore, I am going. Hooray!

General Conference weekend can be described as a LDS holiday, in joking terms. If you're employed in an LDS position, most likely you'll get work off (teachers at the MTC get that off and not 4th of July... haha), it is a time for families to gather together, and Temple Square in Salt Lake is teeming with members, from literally everywhere. Aside from the actual messages, which are so spiritually enriching and refining if you are willing to let them be so, being in and around the conference center and Temple Square is my favorite part. We always try to count how many people we know, but it really is inspiring to see so many people in one place that are all trying to do the right things with their lives. It is a good reminder that the world may be going to pot, but there are people who will not let their individual circumstances and standards go with it. Morality and integrity might never make it back alive on television, or in the news, but it will always remain in the hearts and homes of millions of people, Christians and non-Christians alike. There is still goodness in the world, and there is still hope.

Here's inside the conference center, where I'll be spending Sunday morning. You can be there too, if you want to watch any of the 4 broadcasted sessions: www.lds.org will broadcast them live and you can watch from the comfort (or privacy) of your own computer. :)

... I know that this is the work of the Lord. You haven't come these long distances for nothing. It is to feed your souls.


Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign Nov. 1974, p 113

Word of the day: raconteur \ra-kahn-TER\, noun;  a person who excels in telling anecdotes.

So Long Sweet Summer.

Okay so technically the summer holiday has been over for a month. But I've been busy, a'ight?

Busy with what? Well. I will tell you.

James and Taryn got married in Bountiful, Utah. Hooray! So much fun to have family gathered for the dinner in Salt Lake, and then to be in Bountiful for the sealing and reception.

The next day after the reception, I drove back to Colorado to finish painting murals (more details on my art blog) and miraculously pack all my belongings. I don't even know how that happened.


We had a Colorado reception on August 27th, so we were driving back to Utah on Saturday the 28th. I  moved into my new apartment that night and started school the next Monday.

And it has been a whirlwind ever since. 

I could go into all sorts of detail, but it sufficeth me to say that school is great. :)  Busy, but great.

And I also think that the Lost Boys are here at BYU. And by Lost Boys I mean all the dashingly handsome, tall, witty, intelligent, socially competent men that you wonder where they have existed all your life, and then you stumble upon them walking across campus, and then you never see them again. I'm positive they're figments of my imagination. What a cruel joke imagination can play.

But I love my new ward, and it is filled with great, great people, of both genders. So I'm not too concerned about the Lost Boys. (At least for right now. ;)

It does not surprise me that the only difference between Oblivious and Obvious is just two little letters, because more often than not, they are the same thing instead of being totally opposite. Case in point:

Our living room window faces the hoop of our basketball court. We often are sitting in our living room while some game or another takes place, and occasionally we'll get a ball to the window. It's part of life.

However. When certain specimens of the male variety want to gain certain attention from a female within our apartment, they think they're brilliant when they throw the ball against the window and win a glance from within.

They think we're oblivious. 

How obvious. 

Word of the Day: frabjous \FRAB-juhs\, adjective; 1.  wonderful, elegant, superb, or delicious.

"I want my Momma."

When all else is failing, this is what my nephew pleas.  In a rather somber and sad voice, he states, " I want my Momma."  And he usually gets his desired hug, and it reminds me about how much I love MY Momma.

Jeanie is what her family calls her, Jean is how the world knows her, and Mom to me and my siblings.  "Mom" here is synonymous with ...

Hero.
Amazing.
Gentle.
Funny.
Sweet.
Good cook.
Angelic.
Beautiful.
Strong.
Capable.
Epitome of all things good and right.

And my greatest friend, and probably the only person in the world who knows exactly what I'm like at my complete self, because she's the only one I trust to be that way around.  (I am a social chameleon... not that I change my views or opinions, but if someone is shy, I'll be shy with them.  If someone is loud, I'll support their personality.  It's just how I've learned to be friends and make people feel comfortable.  But more on this theory another day.)

Yes, she's made some mistakes, and I've learned that mistakes are okay to make.  In short, she's great, I love her, and look very much up to her, even though she fits so nicely under my arm. :)

The greatest treat about going to Florida for her family reunion was finding pictures of her as a child, because honestly, I had only ever seen her wedding photos and one from the third grade.  It was a tender experience for me to see my mom in her youth.

And isn't she just so CUTE?

Love your Mommas.  Watching my sister take care of her boys has made me realize just how much my mom did for me.  "Raising a child" can't seem to contain all the diapers, scrapes, kisses, meals, books, songs, toys, lessons, and love it takes to actually do the job.  Here's my ode to you, Mom.

Thanks for raising me, being my friend, example, and all the things I needed to become what I am today.  I've had a grand time living at home with you, sitting next to you in church and just being around my mom.  Because that is the greatest relationship I have on this earth, the one with my mother.

You're the best. :)



Word of the Day: incunabulum \in-kyoo-NAB-yuh-luhm\ , noun;  The earliest stages or first traces of anything.

Do Mormons worship Joseph Smith?

I know I just posted about mormon.org.  But I just love the website so much!

What happens is I enter my membership number, and create a profile.  Everything I have written has come from my heart, and nothing has been altered by a third person.  All the people who answer questions are answering truthfully, because our answers get reviewed before they get published.  That's just to make sure no one starts talking about how the Good Samaritan was like a certain play in the latest football game. :)  There are no alterations made except what we ourselves change.

With that in mind, check out this website!  It is truly a great place to learn about this faith that causes so much joy in its members and so much controversy in the misinformed.


So back to the post title.  Do Mormons worship Joseph Smith?

If you want to know the answer to this question, many other questions often asked, and the part he played in the Church's restoration, check out :  http://www.mormon.org/joseph-smith/ .  It is an excellent explanation of who he is and what he did for us.

And, at the bottom of the page, you'll see this question answered about Joseph Smith by yours truly!  My brother and his fiance were looking over the website and happened to find my answer on this page.  Pretty neat.  I don't know how long it'll stay there, so be sure to check it out and see how I feel about it all.

Check out my profile!

I recently talked about my mormon.org profile. Well, I just found it. :) Check it out, among others. It's a pretty sweet website, if I say so myself.

Word of the Day: blithe \BLAYTH\, adjective; 1. Joyous or merry in disposition.

The Unnecessary Acquiring of Too Many Things

This is a tale I'm all too familiar with. I spent almost 7 consecutive hours going through my belongings today (because my poor car decided to put up a fight and cost me my power steering, a lot of fluid, and some very unhealthy noises on my way to work today. Good thing I didn't even really make it out of the neighborhood, and that a car place is in said "almost out o the neighborhood".) But only the belongings that were at college, and only the things at college that managed to make it home with me. (a pile still lurks beneath my sister's staircase.) And after all of that, I only managed to throw out one bag of trash, two boxes, and have one half-filled box of things to donate away.

Someday, I'd like to go through my section of the basement that contains the remainder of my possessions. Except it might take the rest of my life.

Moral(s ... because we like optional endings) of the story:

1. if you can't immediately imagine where you're going to keep it, DON'T BUY IT.

2. Don't be afraid of holding bon-fires.

3. sentimental objects are only sentimental if you remember about them.

4. Moving piles to different piles doesn't really change the volume of your piles.

Word of the Day: behemoth \bih-HEE-muth\ noun; 1. Any creature or thing of monstrous size or power

Time for a Facelift.

I am a Graphic Design major. It is time my blog reflects that somehow.

This pre-designed layout is not the solution. (Seems a bit silly to use a pre-designed one if you can design it yourself!) But it is a change, and I will continue to make changes until I am satisfied.

And isn't that an interesting theory? To know you need to make changes, and are willing to try lots of things out before you deem them satisfactory? Something I admire in politics is the recognition that there might be a better way to do things. I just wish that all adjustments were proposed and made with a 360 degree view, so that every aspect has been reviewed and given consideration. But I guess if politics worked that smoothly, we wouldn't be blogging about it. Carry on.

Some of the most respectable adults I know were my teachers. Shout out to them. Thanks for the education, for your sacrifice, and for your ability to teach. You've made a huge difference in my life, trust me.

But I found it very frustrating when a teacher was not careful about their political affiliation.

The bond between professor and pupil is tentative, as their education stands as the reward or sacrifice. (And I say "their", because I am not fool enough to think that teachers don't learn from their interactions with students.) How much does one trust another? Usually, not enough trust is placed on either end, and the bridge between them falls after several attempted crossings. Unfortunately, sometimes too much trust is placed on either or both ends, and that can end badly for either party.

But teachers "have" to be hilarious for them to have any level of student value. Students "have"to participate beyond homework and tests in order to be deemed worthy of a teacher's attention.

And the easiest way for teachers to get approval from their students (because that's how it works, right? The student rolls in on their chariot and waits to be dished an education?) is to say funny things, be pop-culturally up to date, and to share their personal feelings about certain things.

But I could not believe how often I heard a teacher dig against this political figure or that policy. Personal feelings on politicians or political parties IS banned in schools, I know it is. Because students would get them to break the rules all the time! Students WANT to know the details of their teachers, that's how they learn to trust them. I don't think I ever heard a teacher actually declare their political affiliation, but usually, you wouldn't need to ask. You could figure it out by how they talked about the news, or mentioned this financial whatever, or discussed the war in Iraq and Afganistan.

I know that my life and my views have been changed because of the influence of good teachers. I watched one teacher in particular purposely mold classroom conversations so all the students would start thinking one way, and then end the period by thinking completely the opposite, and then point out to them how easily their minds had been changed. He taught us to think for ourselves, to not let outside influences change our views unless we allowed them that privilege.

Unfortunately, that lesson didn't often stick past the classroom, but not at the fault of the students; more than one teacher was quick to make a political comment, and that would induce a discussion, and then the class usually went to pot because the loud-mouth know-it-all students would jump on their soapboxes while the teacher silently applauded, the few other students who couldn't take it try to make a comment (only to get shot down by inflated or outsourced statistics and "facts"), and the rest of us just sit back and watch or text or wonder if we were going to ever get back to discussing the woes of Ethan Frome or how to ever survive our chemistry lab.

(Okay, so I am making some HUGE generalizations, but there were several instances in my high school career that fell into this category, and it has annoyed me forever.)

I'm not saying that we shouldn't discuss politics in school. I rather think it is brilliant and crucial to our society to have open discussions where all opinions can be addressed and viewed. But that is just the problem; the students who make the biggest stink about politics never let other students share their opinions without ensnaring them into a biased debate. Why should we share our feelings if we know we're going to fight all attempts at getting shot down? And what is more frustrating is when teachers do the same thing! I remember a specific incident where a student and faculty member were openly discussing (IN class, mind you) the faults of this and that person. And then the student was permitted to show an insulting comical clip about the President. That is not okay.

I don't care what affiliation my teachers are. I just want an unbiased education. Sometimes it doesn't matter who is right and who is wrong. Sometimes all that matters is being able to communicate ideas. If we could all do that successfully ... I can't even imagine how changed this world would be.

I hope that the public education system can get a facelift, and do some very hard thinking about how they pick and train their educators. Teachers would do us a world of good to remember that their position is a position of incredible influence, and of all things to influence, it should be HOW students think, not what students think.

Word of the Day: nitid \NIT-id\, adjective; 1. Bright, lustrous.

Paying homage to the Textbook King

Yes, I know that summer is still pleasantly shining down outside. There are still butterflies and happy birds and buzzing bees and blooming flowers. There are still clouds in the sky, and the occasional rainbow. Yes, there is still happiness in the world.

But it is AWFUL hard to remember these happy things when I look at my fall booklist. Make like Cornwall and gouge out these peepers, because I will be happy not seeing my credit card make the tearful journey to the gallows.

This coming fall marks my first truly academic semester. I've managed to spread a few GEs over five semesters, taking lots of (very enjoyable) religion classes and necessary art classes. But now I must look General Education in the face, and shake it by the throat.

(Either I've got some violence problems, or the scholar within is slowly reemerging.) (Speaking of scholars ... have you seen this yet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ArIj236UHs

I'm proud to say I have indeed, visited this fabled library. More than once, in fact.)

The one nice change is that yes, I will be spending a high dollar on textbooks, but at least there will always be the next semester's student! I look forward to pawning my books off to fellow, financially depraved education seekers like myself.

And, a nice change will be my art classes. From here on out, they're almost all computer-oriented, so for now, no cost! wooooot. Try getting a refund for used art paper, 2/3rds empty tubes of paint, roughed up drawing boards ... you get the idea.

Indeed, we pay high dollar for our education. And what if we all aimed to give that price in return to someone else who needed it? I suppose that's why we gain an education in the first place, to share what we've learned and make a mark on the world. It just depends what kind of mark you want to make.

One of my roommate's professors during the first week of school said "The thing we pay for the most and use the least is education." Or something like that. It was written in marker on a piece of notebook paper and tacked to our kitchen wall for the rest of the semester, a good reminder to wisely spend only 3 hours lazing around together instead of 4.

And isn't it an interesting observation! We have an incredible opportunity (and arguably, right) to receive higher education. I wish we could see our brains develop as we learn or study something new, or get it finally ingrained and can explain the concept. I think if we could see physical evidence in our intellectual development, we not hesitate investments of time and energy, or even the money. (What does this say about our value of appearances? Nothing good.)

So instead of wailing and gnashing my teeth at this monarchy, I will remember to appreciate the opportunity it is to be a part of the education kingdom, and invest all my efforts to get every darn dollar out of those books. Because if I'm paying for them, they better do me some good.

(And who cares if your book has all the binding? Hello, half.com.)

Word of the day: garner \GAHR-ner\ , verb; 1 a. to gather into storage. b. to deposit as if into a granary. 2 a. to acquire by effort: earn b. accumulate, collect.

Yep, I'm a Mormon.

I remember a conversation I had with a friend in high school that went similar to this:

friend: "yeah, isn't (person) Mormon?"

me: "Yes, (person) is. I am too, you know."

friend: "You are!? I had no idea. You don't seem like ... well, ..."

me: "I don't seem like a Mormon?"

friend: "I just didn't expect you to be Mormon."

This conversation made me realize there are a LOT of misconceptions about my faith.

(Someone else once told me I didn't believe in Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, his pastor forgot to mention that my church is officially The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

And I realize talking to LDS members (we like to use that nickname instead of "Mormon") can be scary, or "dangerous" of getting sucked into the waters of baptism. Sometimes, all you want is an answer to a question, but get a lot more than you asked for. (We just want to share what we have, remember that. We're a proselyting church because we don't want to keep what we have to ourselves.)

That is why mormon.org is such a great solution!

Check it out. There are endless answers to endless questions that you've always wondered. And there are members (including yours truly) that have created profiles where you can read their stories and why they're LDS and whatever else they want to tell the world. You can chat with missionaries online if you wanna, or get a free Book of Mormon in the mail. No strings attached! It's great, and you find me fully supporting it.

Word of the Day: Pervasive \per-VAY-siv\, adj; 1. Having the quality or tendency to permeate.

Florida, the Sunshine State

In the last year, I've walked three different coasts of the U.S.

The beach in Galveston, Texas, was not particularly enthralling ... Although, there were some cool paintings on this type of cliff that ran along the beach. We only stopped long enough to walk around and take pictures, but I don't think we were too disappointed missing out on the murky water and stinky fish.

The West Coast ... a fabled, popularized phrase and dream that most people use to glaze over the reality of the dark sand and frigid waters. But it was pretty nice, I'll admit it. Great for nature-lovers, appreciators of beauty, and die-hard WC natives. The Oregon Coast does hold a special place in my heart, it was rather captivating.

And I've just returned from Florida two days ago. There's a reason people put up with the massive insects and arachnids (Have you ever seen a Banana Spider? EW) and getting boiled alive in humidity. And it is the beaches.

Beautiful white sands are endless in your eyes and mostly warm waves make your eyes burn with salt. We had SO much fun getting pushed around by the waves, joking about shark attacks, only to be surprised by a school of jumping fish right around us. "Why are they doing that?" asked one of my cousins to her dad. "Well ... that means there's a bigger fish around somewhere." We all got a little nervous and backed up, only to miss seeing three dolphins up close as they followed the school of fish.

(This is my cousin Andrew.)

The following is also somewhere around Florida ... and yes, those would be sharks and people in the same location.

I got waaay too much sun, as my peeling nose and forehead can attest, but it was definitely a great time spent on that Florida beach. (Crescent Beach, in case you are wondering.)

Some of the other wildlife we saw (or didn't see) were alligators.

Yes indeed, this is THE gator of University of Florida. I do have a small amount of allegiance to UF. My Grandpa Tillman taught there years ago, and though I might have grown out of my UF t-shirts, I still sometimes cheer for them.

This was the only black widow I saw on my grandparents' back porch, but probably one of 10 large spiders seen in one night. I CANNOT do large arachnids. I cannot.

(This was probably a leg-span of at least 2.5 inches ... I didn't really want to measure too closely.)

Anyway, we had a family reunion in Gainesville, more accurately, Alachua. My grandparents own farmland, and so we had a grand time wandering their tree-farm and swimming in my uncle's pool, which is also on the property. The Itchatucknee River, a natural lazy river, is a tradition that is definitely loved and looked forward to, as you sit on a tube and float down a crystal clear river.

Boiled peanuts. I love them. People back west think they're weird, or nasty, or just plain wrong. And I admit, if I hadn't eaten them before, I would think there is something odd about eating a very wet, slimy and mushy peanut. But there is something so satisfying about opening a shell and finding four plumped peanuts jammed together, perfect for the taking. mmmm. And I plan on broadening a few horizons when I get back to Provo ... watch out!

Needless to say, it was a great family reunion ... and this photo is still missing 20 people.

Word of the Day: undercast \UHN-der-kast\, noun; Something viewed from above through another medium, as of clouds viewed through an airplane.

Red, White, and Blue on a birthday cake

That is a line from one of my favorite songs, Sam's Town (Live from Abbey Road, acoustic version) by The Killers. (I am a partial fan of The Killers. some stuff I really like, some stuff I really don't. But different post for different day.)

"my brother he was born, on the Fourth of July, and that's all."

With Lady Liberty's birthday just on the horizon, I figure it is time for a little bit of patriotic jargon.

(And I know at least 2 people with their birthdays on the same as Her Lady, Miss United States of America. Happy Birthdays tomorrow to you both, Katja and Anderson! (And I know one just the day prior, birthday shout out to you today, Ms. Megan Hatch.))

It is amazing what a large impact those three colors grouped together have. I'm not talking about the dollar section at Target, where everything from really cheapo foam patriotic hats and junk to semi-acceptable picnic plates are sold (though I know the section well, and usually am a few dollars less when I leave that section). I'm talking about the REAL deal.

Seeing the United States flag thrashing majestically through a hot summer wind. Having those delicious berry/jello/cream dessert things at a 4th picnic along with your hamburger and cold cherry 7UP. Seeing anyone in an Army, Naval, Marine, or AirForce uniform. Seeing old ladies with their Kohl's t-shirts that say "God Bless America" walk around the grocery store. Somehow, through a mysterious force, any of those things manage to make me choke a little and pause to realize how lucky I am to live in the United States of America.

Sure, this nation has made lots of mistakes, and I don't downplay those in the least, and I am sorrowful for the millions affected by war, whether the families of recently downed soldiers or the retired army veterans that are gently shuffled from retirement center to retirement center.

My own grandfather (most recently turned 94) fought in World War II, on the islands of Lady and Okinawa, among others. His stories were great ones, now getting clouded over with time and age, and I regret to say I have not kept track of his stories as well as I should. There is an infinite wisdom shared, as well as gained, while listening to a veteran discuss things of horror, things of bravery, things of sacrifice, and things of love for one's family and country.

But I couldn't believe what a huge relief it was to cross back onto the beautiful land of this country. My subconscious suddenly released a hidden worry I had carried with me all the while in Canada. There's nothing wrong with Canada, it's a great place. But my roots are my nation, and I didn't realize just how much I loved it until I saw the US flag flower garden upon approaching the Canada/US border.

I think we forget just how HUGE the United States actually is. The farthest I travel in my circle of life here at home is about 45 minutes away. Everything I need is within 30 miles of my house. I regularly see the same 100-200 people, who themselves are wrapped up in their own cycles, and that's life. But there are 309 million people who call themselves US citizens, spanned over 3.79 million square miles. And however much some people love and some people hate it, we ARE the real deal. You and I and the old man up the street and that ruddy group of teens smoking around the corner and the kindly woman at the grocery store make up the Red, White, and Blue. We represent the American Flag.

What a responsibility! What a charge! And I believe most of the time, we do quite nicely. But that's my own opinion.

Francis Scott Key's 1814 birth of our national anthem is probably being sung at every public gathering this weekend. But how many times with the 4th verse be sung?

Oh! Thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and war's desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!

I hope we will not be foolish enough to ignore a Divine hand in our freedoms, or even try to knock it out of the way as we're blindly flailing about. I get tired of the church vs. state business, because it was the freedom of religion that drove the patriots from England's shores.

Edward Fuller left England on the Mayflower with his small family, and died the first winter at Plymouth rock. Not much of a life, eh? He was probably very poor in England, fed up with whatever persecutions were going on, made large sacrifices to get his family on that ship, and then died, before he could truly enjoy the blessings of freedom.

8 generations later, I am fully enjoying (and usually taking for granted) those freedoms that my great-grandfather valiantly sacrificed and eventually died for. I didn't know him. But I am grateful for Edward Fuller, and I am grateful for his grit. And I will be doing what I can to honor his sacrifice, as well as thank my Lord that he arrived safely on these blessed shores.

God Bless America.

Word of the Day: Antaean \an-TEE-un\, adjective; 1. Mammoth. 2. To have superhuman strength.

why hello there.

Alright, alright, I realize that it has been 19 days (nineteen days! Wow.) since my last post. My apologies.

I made it home to Provo, huzzah! What a wonderful, wonderful thing it was to see my brother to pick me up, and to spend three nights with my sister Julie. I realized that the Vancouver trip was the longest I'd ever been away from ANY of my family. And now I have real empathy for home-sickness. :)

Flying home was quite a feat; I had to decide what was worthy to bring home from the assorted possessions that hadn't made the first cut going back to CO when my mom helped me move out of my apartment. One particularly funny moment was when Julie was helping me weigh my suitcase (Southwest flies two checked bags for free, up to 50 lbs each. Of course that's the way I'm going to go.) and I had to heave the bag off the scale fast enough for her to be able to see the weight before it quickly disappeared. She was kneeling on the ground and with a great heave and "ugggh" I hoisted the bag off the floor, and she yelled (because why would you speak softly in such an intense situation?) "SIXTY-SEVEN!" and then we both crumpled into laughter because my bag was 17 lbs too heavy and the whole situation was indeed rather humorous, with her on the floor and me hefting my bag around.

But I finally made it! I'm FINALLY home. In my home town. We've lived in this house for 13 years, which is amazing. I get to share our unfinished basement with my parents for the time being, as my brother-in-law, sister, and their two sons are living with us while he does an internship for his MBA. It's great to have such a full house! And who doesn't love waking up to the inquiry of a 2.5 year old, "Is Carrie waking up?"

So, with what have I been filling my days, you ask? I will tell you.

I am lucky enough, blessed enough, whatever you want to call it, to have gotten summer employment. But not just any job. Pretty much a dream job. A treasured teacher from high school hired me on to paint murals in his kids' bedrooms. I know, right? The hours are totally up to me, as long as I'm getting the work done, and I'm doing something that I LOVE (I usually don't even notice that I've skipped lunch until it is almost time to leave), I get to hang out/get entertained by his lively kids, and I have wonderful employers. It really is the experience and opportunity of a lifetime, thus far. It is so ironic because I usually tell people I don't like painting, but I guess that's usually a lie. Because I've found that I do.

Besides painting, I get to play with my nephews. Today we celebrated my nephew JJ's half-birthday, because his birthday falls on the day after Christmas. He's getting rather smart, pushing every possible button (he opens the garage door for Grandpa every day when he gets home from work) and stringing together quite intelligent phrases. Here's a conversation I had with him today.

(I was laying outside on a blanket in the shade, reading a book, and look over to see JJ smiling at me through the screen door.)

"Hi JJ!"

"Hi Carrie..."

"How are you doing?"

"I am doing well. Carrie doesn't have her shoes on."

(awkward pause) "Well, I don't need my shoes since I'm on the blanket."

(he opens the door) "I want to sit with Carrie on the blanket."

"Go get your shoes then."

"Does Carrie want to go get my shoes for me?"

"I don't know where your shoes are."

So he comes out regardless of his shoes, and we sit on the blanket together and laugh and have a grand little time. I love that little guy.

Indeed, I was outside reading a book. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, to be exact. I decided that I wanted to read all 7 before I go to Florida for a family reunion, so I've been hammering them out this last week. I don't care what anyone says, I still love reading Harry Potter. Maybe that's because I grew up with him. But I'm cramming them in so I can have a remainder of a summer to read other works of literature (To Kill a Mockingbird, summertime classic) as well as do those things all return-students need to do, like go through all their stuff and watch movies and other summertime things.

One crazy thing we did was paint our dining room and living room in one night. We started at about 7 PM and wrapped up around 2 AM. It was actually a lot of fun, despite being hot, sweaty work (our AC conveniently broke the same day).

My family and I (partly out of joke) started the "James and Taryn's Wedding is Only Eight Weeks Away!" Fitness Challenge today. Everyone sets their own parameters, but has to do it 6x a week, and the winner at the end gets a book paid for by the losers. Whether it sticks or not, who cares, our treadmill is getting his exercise. :)

I know this was a massive blog post, but hey, I like to ramble, especially at night when I know I'm supposed to be sleeping.

I'm in love with my summer. It is going wonderfully.

Until the next late-night urge to blog, may you eat lots of ice cream, enjoy the summer breeze, and wiggle your toes in the grass.

Word of the Day: yen \YEN\ , noun; 1. A desire or craving; yearn.

Miss Oula, Montana.

Hannah Montana's got nothing on Missoula.

Well, that's a really biased opinion, because quite frankly, what does Hannah Montana have on anyone?

Missoula is not too shabby. But the real gem is simply Montana. I loved driving through it!

We stopped at some little city in Idaho that I can't remember the name, and kept driving. I kinda passed out afterwards so I don't have much commentary on the day.

But I have decided that I need to live somewhere mountainous and with lush forests within an hour drive. I love the mountains. End of story.

Tomorrow we hit the road at 6 AM and head into Yellowstone! We've heard rumors that it is snowing there right now, so our two-night trip might get cut into one night camping, one night hotel. It'll be an adventure either way.

But that means that my next blog post could be from the comforts of Provo, UT. It is sad to see the end, indeed. I've made some great friends. But oh how I praise the day where I can do laundry for free, eat good, healthy, free food, and sleep in my own bed. :)

This is our little place in Ucluelet, BC. The owners were really generous and fun people, and apparently the entire town knew them and approved of where we were staying. The girls stayed in this house and the rest of the group stayed in cabins down a little ways.

The drive from Ucluelet to Vancouver was magical, I thought. I half expected a velociraptor to jump out at attack our vans.

We stopped at a grove of redwoods in between Vancouver and the US border for a little road-trip break. That has been the nicest thing about this trip; everyone appreciates an opportunity to get out and investigate cool nature formations or take some photographs. If you look closely, I'm in both photos.

As I said before, I loved Washington country. It was stunning! And so much like home for me. I was happily taking shots of the scenery and then looked at my camera, and I completely did not see this giant gnome until it was in my camera. I laughed out loud with surprise and woke some people up, but man. What a great, giant gnome.

Welcome to Vancouver!

This is Priscilla's project, where she blends into the environment. We spend some time doing this the first day, and it was actually a lot of fun seeing what we could pull off.

The market was awesome, I wish I could have spent more time there. I wish there was something like that closer to home, because it is such a fun atmosphere.

This old man was pretty funny with his accordion, and the other old man had just ripped off a giant piece of his hot dog and thrown it to that sea gull.

More photos to come, I've got to go to a class meeting right now.

Word of the Day: ambuscade \AM-buh--skayd\, noun; 1. A trap where concealed persons lie in wait to attack by surprise. also: the persons so concealed or their position.

When? At Chee. Duh.

Right now, I'm sitting on the most glorious carpeted floor in the lovely Motel 8 of Wenatchee, WA. Sure, some of you crinkle your nose at the sound of "motel", but let me tell you. It is NOTHING compared to where we were staying in Vancouver. And this motel feels pretty new, so I have no complaints whatsoever. :)

We left Vancouver this morning at 8 AM, made one last pit-stop in a Petro-Canada gas station and spent all our Canadian money on canadian candy bars. I saved a toony for memento sake, because those are actually pretty cool coins. But then we headed toward the US border. Woo!

We had wondered if we were going to get in trouble for our various fruits throughout the 4, 12-passenger vans, but decided to see what happened. Well, we got to the border, and we all had to pile out of the vans, leave all our possessions, and wait out the inspection. We took up the entire processing queue, so after a while one of the attendants asked us to stand against the wall so the other travelers could get processed. As usual, such a large group attracts the attention of everyone around us, so we made some small talk with the (safer-looking) people waiting for their inspection as well. One family had been there for an hour, so ... we were kind of worried.

But alas, we only had to wait about 15 minutes. They gave us a little public schpeal about which fruits and vegetables are not allowed across the border, gave us a wave, and we were on our way. Back into the country!

It was an interesting feeling, to be back on homeland soil. Canada doesn't look any different, and the people don't really act different (except I did notice they are WAY more pedestrian friendly. They have huge street signs signaling a public crosswalk, and if you get within two feet of that crosswalk, all the cars stop well in advance. It was pretty impressive, I have to say. New Yorkers (or Utah drivers, for that matter) could learn a thing or two in that department.), but there is something about being home that is so satisfying. It is nice to know I belong somewhere.

We drove Highway 2 through beautiful Washington forests and countryside. I actually fell in love with the drive, because it was very similar to the I-70 drive through the Rocky Mountains, but more lush and closer to the road. The forest just towers over the road and you feel so minute in these majestic forests ... absolutely beautiful. I could live in there.

We didn't stop in Leavenworth, which I kind of regret now, because it was the craziest little place I've ever passed through. The entire place is a Bavarian village, and all the buildings, font, and colors were the same germanesque theme. Even the Safeway sign was in the same font as the town. It was crazy.

Wenatchee feels like a smaller version of Aurora, so it has been nice to be here for the afternoon. I think we all were pretty tired of the clothes we have been wearing for the last month, because as soon as we dropped our luggage, a good chunk of us headed to the Target just across the street. I got myself a cheap bathing suit and some shorts to go with, and courtesy $6 from Target for a mistake they made 3 Christmases ago, it was even cheaper. Hooray!

A quick jump into the pool, a discounted meal at the Denny's because we were staying at the hotel, and a relaxing evening collaging has made a wonderful stay here in the supposed Apple Capital of the Nation. Or something like that. :)

and you would think that because I have great internet, I'd be able to upload pictures. But, yet again... no cigar. I promise, a huge upload will happen as soon as I can stand it.

Word of the day: ruth \ROOTH\, noun; 1. Compassion or pity for another. 2. Sorrow or misgivings about one's own mideeds or flaws.

Fancouver!

Is my favorite version of Vancouver that I’ve seen thus far. And it has only been two days.

This city is definitely interesting. The air is really clean, most of the buildings are made of glass, and there are people everywhere running, walking, biking, yogaing, ultimate fribseeing, rowing, ... it’s a really healthy city. I haven’t seen very many overweight people at all, actually. At least compared to other places I’ve been. And it was HOT yesterday with my jacket and jeans, I was in a t-shirt and loving the sun. It was great.

We’ve spent some time working on other students’ art projects, so that’s been helpful for them and we still got to see this city. I would like to see a comparison between pre-olympic vancouver and now, because a lot of the area is nice and had to have come from the olympics this last winter.

There is a fantastic market we attended this morning, and I liked it better than Pike’s Market in Seattle because there was so much space to move. That is definitely one thing I’ve noticed; we Americans know how to cram into space. It got crowded at the market around lunch, but for the most part it was really easy to maneuver and get around people.

This afternoon we went to the Vancouver Art Gallery, and that was really interesting. The featured exhibit was one based on the evolution of women in society, and there were, among others, lots of Degas pieces. Good art man, good art.

Then a friend and I just toured the city some more, walked a LOT, and came back to our hostel. It is definitely an interesting hostel. Well they’ve all been interesting, let’s be honest, but this one has 1 womens bathroom for an entire floor. That is two toilets and one shower. Talk about stressful. But you make do and don’t breathe in the air, because only the mormons follow the rules about not smoking in the rooms. ;)

Tonight we’re going to watch the glorious sunset (I’ll never get tired of it) and then pack up to head out early tomorrow morning. Tonight is my last night in another country. I keep forgetting that I’m in a different country.

I guess you do what you can, eh? :)

I was planning on posting some pictures, but the internet is being uber flaky, and it is taking forever to upload photos. Maybe I'll do that late tonight when there is less traffic, but right now I gotta blast to the skybus!

Word of the day: Occidental \ok-si-DEN-tl\ adjective; 1. Western. 2. (Usually initial capital letter) of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the Occident or its natives and inhabitants.

And maybe the next time I have good internet I'll post lost of photos. But that might not be until PROVO. wooo

adios.

Super Sunday!

I wrote the following post last Sunday, but couldn't get it to post. So please imagine reading this on the sunday previous. :)

Today was awesome. Let me tell you about it.

Every first Sunday of the month is designated as a Fast Sunday, where the members go without two meals and dedicate their time and energy to coming closer to God and donating the money they would have spent on those two meals to the church, who in turn give the money to local families that need it. Since we’re on the road and not in a specific ward, we’ve got no where to give that money, but we still took the time to fast and had our Sacrament Meeting in our little house. It was an awesome, awesome experience; the spirit was very strong in a very intimate setting, and I won’t be forgetting my experience anytime soon.

Today I visited the Ucluelet Aquarium, and I have no idea why I didn’t take my camera! It is the pride and joy of this little town, and surprisingly enough, it was actually quite impressive. It was about the size of a U-haul truck bed, and the tanks were fairly small, but the fee was only 5 dollars and the staff were incredibly knowledgeable. They catch everything locally in the spring and let it go in the fall. Sea Cucumbers are the weirdest things. They’re massive, squishy, stretchable blobs that use their muscles to get away from sea stars that will eat them. But they were bright purple and orange a red, about a foot long. The octopus was sleeping in the corner, the crabs were all over the place, the sea stars could move two meters a minute, and the little hermit crab made me think of Jaws. I touched one in his honor. (Ask my father.) It was really awesome. I like sea creatures, as creepy and slimy as they are.

Aren't these things weird? They had probably 20 or more of them. And they're squishy. really, really squishy. It was weird, man.



An orange Sea Pen. Yes, this is an animal, not some tacky plastic aquarium object. These were my favorite because they were so bizarre.

And some of them are tasty too! We had a sushi rolling party tonight, and I rolled my first ever sushi. The first one was vegetarian, and a disaster ... I ended up eating a lot of it in a big mess with my fingers. But the next one had cooked salmon in it, and it didn’t look too bad. I liked it. (Aren’t you proud of me, Mom?) And then we had tempura, which proves the point that anything covered in a tasty batter and fried, is going to taste good. No wonder fish and chips this week have been great, and sweet potatoes, mushrooms, broccoli ... other sushi ...

A lot of food already. And then! Because today was Priscilla’s birthday, we had brownies and ice cream. That was lovely. I’m always good for ice cream.

And then!

Michelle made Samoan pancakes, and those were covered in Nutella and raspberry jam. Incredible. And have you had a nutella-filled strawberry? treat yourself tonight. amazing.

I am on the verge of liking seafood. I at least don’t turn my nose at it anymore, which is progress enough. And this whole time I’ve wanted to sail a ship or be a pirate, with all the coastal stuff around here. Oh the sea! Being such a land-lubbard my self, no wonder I am fascinated by the sounds of the ocean.

I ATE SO MUCH FOOD. and it was awesome. :) And I got a change to talk with a guy that works here and does surf lessons from the Netherlands. He’s 18 and set his heart on traveling, and we had a good time talking about our lives. And I remembered that I’m in Canada. hah.

We watched a slideshow of our best nature photography and of pictures from the trip, that was a lot fun. It was just great today, which was great timing because I was beginning to look forward a LOT towards my return destination.

Last night we had a bonfire on the beach, and that was beautiful. I’ve always wanted to do that, and now I have. This trip is just knocking off goals left and right.

The countdown begins. Less than 7 days on this venture of mine. I’ll do my best to make it worth my while!

Word of the Day: Fathom \FATH-uhm\, verb; 1. To penetrate the truth of; comprehend; understand. 2. To measure the depth of water by means of a sounding line; sound. noun: 1. A unit of length equal to six feet (1.8 meters): used chiefly in nautical measurements.

P.S. a shout out to my brother, as today (June 7th) is his birthday, and he’s taking the LSAT today. Good luck bro, you’ll be awesome. And happy birthday.

U got a Clue? Let.

This is the service I get in Canada. I laughed. :) Shout out to rogers hall, I guess.

Victoria was actually rather uninteresting, in my opinion. It felt very ... organized and compartmentalized for tourists. If that makes any sense. I didn't really have any luck with photography during our stay.

This is their Parliament building. Notice the art students behind the bush in the bottom right, learning how to use a 4x5 camera.

Victoria was our half-way point of our trip, I think everyone got hit with a wave of exhaustion. Everyone had their moment of shame during our two days there, so we are very happy to be out of that city and in this chill, relaxed area. Victoria was very tourist-centered, and our hostel was also a lounge/bar/cafe. Joe Ostraff put it best when he said, "That hostel was hostile." It was totally safe and clean, but just not comfortable. It felt like a major tourist city, without any real purpose to living there. I'm glad to be out of it.

Ucluelet has been a great change of pace. We're in Surfers Inn, and the owners also line up wetsuit/surf board rentals, and lessons. I haven't decided if I want to spend the money yet or not ... :)

This town has the same square mileage as 3 BYU campuses. We've walked around and checked it out; it is definitely small town, but very beautiful with some character. The ocean is just out the window, and there are fishermen and surfers here and there. This is the first place I've seen young people (besides Seattle ... but they were mostly inebriated.) which also has been refreshing. I'll be happy to be back on campus again with thousands of people my age.

Today we went on a nature hike along the coast, and Michelle, Laura and I explored the rocks. It felt like we were crossing over Mordor, and I was just expecting some slimy creature to crawl out of a hole. It was beautiful and adventurous, and I suggest good-natured exploring for any adult. It is an amazing stress-reliever to feel like a kid.

We went to a city about 30 kilometers from here ( I know, I've already converted to the metric system. But I usually forget and don't think about how 80 km/h is very different than 80 mph. :) and it was a cute town as well. This place is just covered with podunkness.

On the art front, Joe is having everyone in my class gather collage material that appeals to them, and then give it to me to collage with. I'm really excited to see what people give me, and what I can create.

This house we're staying in is so cute. There are several rooms with bunk beds and a kitchen, fireplace, and wrap around bench in the living room that fits probably 12-15 people comfortably. I like the cabin feeling, it makes me excited to go home to Colorado and take advantage of the nature there.

So far so good! I have to admit, I'll be ready to see my family again, and have a different choice of wardrobe. And eat real food. But things are still great.

Word of the day: ... same as the post previous.