Dear,

It snowed again today.
It really shouldn't have.
But, a part of me thought it was beautiful.
Snow on the yellow, pink, and red tulips.
I dance-wiped the snow off my car.
Sang a couple sad songs.
I hope my neighbors didn't hear.
But, they probably did.
They watch out for me.
I haven't been sleeping well.
I can't tell if it's the snow, or school, or you.
It will catch back up sometime.
That's all.

P.S. I love you.

A Big Ball of String

Aw. Look at my adorable family. 

This is Easter Sunday. 

Every Easter we have this glorious tradition to find our Easter Egg Baskets.

Not your ordinary hide-and-seek for us. Oh no. We come upstairs to a house full of different colored YARN! Blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, red....you get the jist. All mixed and jumbled together so we can hardly walk. We all line up in the same spot and grab our end of the colored yarn assigned to us then race to roll up our yarn the fastest and find our Easter egg basket first. (I win every year, of course).

This is us at the start line.

We're OFF

I am on a roll. 

And TA-DU! I am FIRST to find my basket!

 This is all great fun. But every year I am left with a extremely large ball of yarn. As you can imagine, this yarn adds up over the years, as this is an annual event. This year I found myself left with balls and balls of yarn.

What is a girl supposed to do with A MEGA BALL OF YARN?

Well...I considered just crocheting my own prom dress. What a novel idea?!

But...Alas! Prom is over.

So I had to figure something else to do.

Then I remembered this wonderful book from my childhood:

Have any of you read this book? Well goodie. Cause it's fantastic!
There's this boy who gets a little sick and uses his big ball of string to live his life entirely from his bed.

Oh, yes.

THIS is what I am going to do with my yarn:

It shouldn't be too hard.

And no worries, I've already got a good start.

But as I am attempting this new lifestyle, there are a few things I should let the public know:

1) If you come over to my house, don't be alarmed if the door opens to greet you and I'm not there. Just follow the yarn to my room if you need to speak to me.
2) I always enjoy new movies and books. It is after all my 8/12ths and 19 days birthday.
3) Food is also welcome. I particularly enjoy creamy broccoli soup from Kneaders.
4) I might not be at school for the next couple days. Goodbye AP reviewing!
5) There's a slight possibility that the cold in my head will be gone on weekends. So calling to play is acceptable.

The Last Dance

Alright,

THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

...more like the moment I'VE been waiting for...but I'll just assume you all are equally excited.

PROM!

Lone Peak High School: Senior Prom 2011: So Close.

Everything was perfect:

The Dress

The final product! Skills right? And no, it didn't rip into pieces at the dance. 

The Flowers

DAISIES. I love Daisies! Christian's boutonniere was even specially made by my cousin Tatum! 

The Hair and Make-Up

I can thank my best friend for these two. 

And last but definitely not least...

The Date

Isn't he handsome?

I've been trying to figure out how to write this post for days. But...there are just no words. 

Want to hear a slightly more revealing confession that my normal confessions usually are?......Alright: It's been my secret dream to wear a yellow dress and go with Christian to Prom since I was still an awkward pre-(sweatshirt-wearing-braces-smelly-thirteen-year-old)teen. It really has. 

I loved prom. My last high school dance ever and with one of my best friends. It was just wonderful. Hopefully the pictures describe it better than I can.

I'll give a couple highlights:

Climbing a tree by a RAGING RIVER.

Watching the gorillas at the zoo.

Telling funny stories in the car.

Wearing my favorite color with my favorite hair with my favorite boy (dream date huh?)

Taking fun pictures

Eating Asian cuisine and playing the Animal Alphabet game.

Being serenaded with a "remixed" version of I'll Be Seeing You. :)

Walking down the stairs, meeting my date to escort me in the middle.

Being at the STUNNING Capitol Building.

Waltzing.

Finally getting rid of my 4 inch heels so I could REALLY dance.

Bustin' out in the elevator.

Laughing at the hilarious party favors.

Going up to my favorite spot and dancing overlooking all of Utah Valley.

Spending time with someone I care for.

It couldn't have been better.

Thank YOU.

The Queen of Willy Nilly

I've had another adventure in my painting class recently. We started our watercolor unit. I was slightly apprehensive about this because I've never watercolored before unless you count those awesome coloring/paint childrens books where you paint water on them and...Wah-lah! Color appears. Yes, that is my only experience with watercolor. And I kind of had this great vibe going of "being an artist" (most people in that class are seniors who need a fine arts credit and don't know squat about music/drama/expression/art/emotion.....you know). I shamefully admit I was afraid of losing the "artist" rep. Also, afraid of dissapointing myself with my lack of skills. I just...like doing something well.

This is where willy nilly comes in. Because I have this horrible weakness. I just said I like doing things well. And I do! I love doing things well. But, I like doing things well....without practicing. Or without working at a gruelling pace. I am impatient with myself. I just. Like it done. And done well. And done quickly.

Effieciency is key.

That is my motto.

So, my dear friend, MacCoy, was observing me in my first attempt at watercoloring. I think he has mixed emotions of loving watching me in class and hoping I will do something terribly wrong.

After fretting about the room for half the class looking for a good reference, I decided on this Monet piece:

Good choice, ya?

So I set to work and by the end of the class, I realized I could watercolor too if I tried! Amazing. I always get these epiphanys.

This is what I came up with:

Ok... so it doesn't look quite like Monet's picture. (also it's just a bad picture. Picture of a picture, if you catch my drift) But, that's to be expected! It's watercolor. And I was just adding my own artistic flare. Expression! Emotion!

MacCoy, there and then, dubbed me as "The Queen of Willy Nilly".

I secretly really like the title. I might even start wearing a crown. Or just pretend people are bowing at me in the halls of Lone Peak as I walk by. Or maybe they will start walking ten feet behing me and at lunch time I will hear the mob of students yell

"Long live Queen Willy Nilly!"

"Hail to the Queen!"

If I have a glazed look in my eye when you come to socialize next lunch period--you now know why.

After I was crowned The Queen of Willy Nilly by MacCoy, I decided it was best if I knew what willy nilly meant. Because....I didn't. Well, not really.

wil·ly-nil·ly [wil-ee-nil-ee]
–adverb


1. in a disorganized or unplanned manner; sloppily; haphazardly.
2. whether one wishes to or not; willingly or unwillingly: He'll have to do it willy-nilly.


–adjective


3. shilly-shallying; vacillating.
4. disorganized, unplanned; sloppy: willy-nilly work.


....

.........

...

Is that supposed to be a good thing?!?!?!?! I still can't decide. I guess it has it's pros and cons.

For instance, I taught piano today. My students are not willy nilly students. They are precise and when they practice they are wonderful! But when they don't...(like today *cough cough*) they can't really play. And don't improve. Which is completely normal.

For most people.

I never practice piano. It's such a horrid, wretched, habit of mine. If I practiced I could do SO MUCH MORE. SO MUCH.

Every once in a while I will sit and play for a couple hours. Just sight read some classical pieces or go through my old stuff from a few years ago. It's always great fun. And I always forget that I am decent at the piano. I realize if I worked at it I could play so many things! After all, there are tons of beautiful masterpieces I've never laid eyes on.

I definitely have the potential.

But my potential often times stays at the potential level. Or is really bipolar and grows to incredible heights soon after dying back down to just potential.

Potential is much better when it's not potential anymore.

Which is why being The Queen of Willy Nilly might not be the greatest thing.

Where is my decidation? Where is my gruelling work ethic? Where is my devotion?

I know I have all those things. I DO. They just.....hide sometimes.

Enough of this. I am going to develop my talents better. It's a commandment! What's the use of them wasting away underneath floorboards and in the dirt waiting for my master to return home? Nope. Not I. Just you wait. This is my goal to practice. To expand my horizons.

From now on, I will spend more time on my talents.




....just....let me finish my AP Lit Terms studying first....




....and perhaps....I can keep The Queen of Willy Nilly title?.......

Two Tidbits

When temple workers greet us with:

"Our regulars are back!"

and say goodbye with:

"It was nice to see you again"

You know you're doing something right.



Also,



Taking a nap with a baby  >  Taking a nap with a bunch of dogs


My week at The Dog House is OVER

A Day in the Life of Cinderella

So this week I am once again at The Dog House.

I arrive first day of Spring Break looking forward to all of the balls and magical events I could attend.

But no. I am thwarted!

Three pages of chores. 12 point font.

Dishes.

Laundry. (taking a picture and balancing laundry on my head was extremely difficult)

Mopping.

Glass cleaning.

Also, toilet scrubbing, shower/bath cleaning, mirror washing, garbage collecting, dog feeding, dog playing, fish feeding, dusting, container cleaning, fridge organizing, microwave cleaning, and any other minuscule chore you can come up with.

No worries though. I just whistled while I worked, sang a happy tune, a happy working song, whatever you want to call it; and they went by decently fast.

"La la la la la la la"(me singing out the window)

Animals flocked and helped me (well...they really hindered me. But them flocking is Cinderella enough for me)

I sewed my own dress for the week's festivities.

Lily really likes my stomach for some reason.

When the fifteen hours of work is done...

It's pretty fun.

A Day With My Bike

Three teenagers; one car. Doesn't work out too well.

Yesterday, I found myself car-less, family-less, school-less, snow-less, and with a lot of places to go.

I woke up and while eating a bowl of delicious Honey Bunches of Oats I decided I was going to ride my bike. I took a hot tub, Got in a yellow sun dress, Filled my satchel (I finally figured out what a satchel is) with necessary items, and I was off.

Besides realizing it was sometimes uncomfortable riding a bike in a dress...and that my bum got really sore after a while, my bike ride was bliss.

I waved to all the construction workers.

I sang about Blue Skies and Daisy on her bicycle built for two.

The wind blew my hair back.

I laughed and told myself out loud how happy I was.

I bought my piano student some ice cream.

Showed up to their house out of breath and extremely happy.

Taught piano.

Heard a chorus of "Thank you Miss Shelby!" as I left.

Hopped back on my bike.

Decided to travel to Hannah's and surprise her!

She wasn't home.

I hung out at her house anyway.

Watched The Notebook as I finished the final touches on my prom dress.

Hopped back on my bike and rode home.

Sun smiling at me.

Nothin' but blue skies.

Then...Scott calls!

I play a good round of Don't Touch The Ground Tag at the castle park.

I wore a yellow shirt and some overalls.

Made a few new friends.

Kids are the greatest.

Cooled down with some Roxberry.

Enjoyed a night with the girls.

What could be better?

Man, my day was SO GOOD. I am pretty sure it's the Spring Break plague of bliss. Every Spring Break is filled with sunshine and happiness. Always.

Also... I am going to ride my bike more.

"Look to this day! For it is life, the very life of life. In its brief course lie all the varieties and realities of our existence: The bliss of growth; The glory of action; The splendor of beauty; For yesterday is already a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision; But today, well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this day" -The Sanskrit

My First Day of Spring Break

I receive a text.

"We need you. Come upstairs" -Taylor

I walk upstairs.

I look around.

Then I about had a heartattack.

An interesting start to my Spring Break.

No worries. They are wearing swimsuits.

But still.

My brothers: hilarious.

I Took The Risk

I made my own Prom Dress.

I am not a seamstress. AT ALL.

Hopefully it doesn't rip into shreds at the dance...

But it's wonderful! Vintage. Pale yellow. Tailored to ME. 

What's the down side?

AH!

I'm excited about it.

But too bad for you, you can't see it for another three weeks!

Be excited.

I mean, there's still the accessorizing. And the hair. And the make up.

I can't let you see it without the full affect.

Patience is a virtue. 

A Tale of Two Bunnies

Once upon a time there was a girl named Shelby.

She came home one night and
THIS:

Awaited her in the kitchen. 

To find out who the mysterious pursuer could be, she read swiftly through a clever poem (something about a bunny getting it's eggs stolen. She wasn't really sure what it said....she was too excited to open the eggs)

She opened the eggs and what to her wondering eyes did appear,

"Will You Go To Prom With Me?"

CHRISTIAN.

"REALLY?! ME?! NO WAY! WOOHOO! YIPEE! THAT WOULD BE SO MUCH FUN!"
(Most of the excitement coming from the Starburst ;)

The next day she thought long and hard how to answer. There's no way to top flowers, chocolate eggs, a stuffed bunny, and a witty poem.


Then it came to her.


She waited patiently at her door for her little sister to arrive. As soon as she did she gave her the biggest hug and asked her for the HUGEST favor.

This is what came of it:

Isn't she the best?

"I was Hoppin' you'd ask!" (Clever, I know)

Asia practicing her "hop". We found out hopping with lots of light Easter eggs doesn't turn out too well...

As Asia turned around and hopped out of sight....TA-DA! The answer: YES! (For some reason Asia thought this was the most ingenious thing to do)

(Asia had no knowledge these pictures were taken... Don't tell her please. I just HAD TO. I HAD TO! They are priceless. No offense meant. Let's just say the outfit was a tinsy winsy bit too small. As long as she didn't "hop" away too enthusiastically, I think it'll be alright) 

I can't wait

You And I

Let's get rich...

..and buy our parents' home in the South of France...

Let's get rich...

..and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance...

Let's get rich...

...and build our house on a mountain making everybody look like ants...

From way up there: You and I

You and I