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.

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

Where A Kid Can Be a Kid

Oh man.

Oh man, oh man, oh man.

I am eighteen (and 1/2...remember my half birthday last week?!) years old. According to the 26th amendment, I can vote. I can also buy dry ice. And run away to Vegas and get married without my parents permission if I really wanted to.

Yes, I am an adult.

Yes, I am going to college in a few short months.

Today I taught piano to a boy I've been teaching for FIVE YEARS. I love him and his little brother and sister whom I also teach. They call me "Miss Shelby". Every day when I leave their house I hear in unison "THANK YOU MISS SHELBY!". They were inspiration for my blog. They don't necessarily practice as much as they should, and they sometimes fight about who has to have their lesson first. But, today before I left their house, their mother stopped and asked me if I was going to be teaching piano next year or not.

My blood froze and I got all these knots in my stomach and tried REALLY hard to not let all the emotions welling up inside of me get past my chest. If they did, the tears would come.

I'm not teaching piano next year. I've been avoiding that realization for months and months. But, I'm leaving! to the far away town of Rexburg, Idaho. How in the world can I continue to teach the boy I have seen every week for five years?

I looked at him and could tell he was thinking the same thing. He didn't hug me or say anything, but I could tell he was feeling the same emotion I was. The girl with her curly blonde hair almost came and hugged me as she stopped bouncing around to listen to our adult conversation. I could feel all three of them and the love they had for me and I for them.

How can I leave?

I  won't have a job. Teaching piano is out. Unless I start all over and get students up in college-aged-people populated Rexburg. I'm not so sure that will work out. And what about my nannying job? What about Blake, Andrew, and Carter? Who I sing songs to and feed and I see them every week as well. I won't be able to take care of them a gazillion miles away....

I can't tickle Carter and wink at him and see him laugh and laugh...

Where will I get any income? 

How will I pay for school?

I don't even have a car!

AH

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHH AH AH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
(this is my slightly hyperventilating and then puking it up in words on the computer)








No, I am not sad. I am really happy. Just especially sentimental.





Where did these feelings emerge? Well...it's been a long time coming. But, it hit me at

Spring Fling!


Oh how much fun I had. My secret longing of not being an adult showed through by taking my date to Chuck-E-Cheese. Don't look so incredulous! It was great! I used to love Chuck-E-Cheese.

In fact, when I was 7 years old I had my birthday party there, then immediately scrapbooked it the next day with the heading "A Beary Fun Party" (bears creepily encircled the page).

Spring Fling happens to be the last girl's choice dance I will ever attend. So, naturally, I decided to live up my highschool childhood and go to Chuck-E-Cheese one last time. As a kid. NOT an adult.

After all, there motto is "Where a kid can be a kid".
I admit, I was seduced. 
That is exactly what I was looking for. 

I put coins in my eyes

I competed to get the most tickets (273. Nice huh?)

I ate disgusting greasy and kid-sized pizza.....

....and cake(hand delivered by Chuck-E himself)....

....as I watched the creepy mechanical entertainment provided (they have gone modern. Chuck-E was singing his own version of Bieber's "Baby". Did you know he says 'baby' 55 times in that song? I digress...)

My date and I even got to take a personal picture with Chuck-E!

Oh! OH! I got to ride the up-and-down car next to Chuck-E and get our black-and-white photo printed!

Cade did too! (My shrinking charm didn't work out so well...)

That's better...

Aren't we all beautiful? And definitely Kids. We are so kids. 

I had A BLAST. It couldn't have been a more fun last-girls-choice-dance-ever dance. Cade was the perfect date and I enjoyed every second of it.


I do admit though....there were moments of nostalgia....where I couldn't help taking a small sentimental journey throughout high school and the 30+ dances I have attended.

I am going to miss high school dances. I know they don't really matter, but I looked forward to them a lot.

When I got home and had spent the entire day being a kid at Chuck-E-Cheese, I realized I'm not a little kid anymore. Maybe at heart, but still: I have a lot of responsibility coming my way.

Sad moment.

But I have tons to look forward to as well. And what about being a kid with MY kids?! That can happen right?

Life is good.

I am happy.

And very grateful right now.

Even though I have Senioritis pretty bad and it's hard to go to school and I just waste my time writing on this wonderful blog of mine.

Guess what?! ITS SPRING. Just the thought is like a ball of sun entering into my stomach and filling my whole body with HAPPINESS! 

I love the Spring.

Life is forever going to be full of happiness. Even if I do have responsibility and I'm leaving away from home and becoming an adult.

It's just another stage! Where I can be a child at heart and love the new and different things that come my way.

It's all perspective, right? 

Essentially:

Anywhere,

is a place 

where a kid can be a kid. 

A little excited. Just a little.

So....tomorrow is Valentines Day!

No, I did not just realize this.

I have been aware of that fact for weeks...If not months. Or having that fact subconsciously on my mind ever since Christmas ended.

I LOVE Valentines day.

I prefer to enjoy the holiday of love rather than having a cynical attitude about being single or wearing black to mourn our un-relationshipness. NO. Love is grand.

Plus, it's probably the most entertaining holiday as watching people dress up in pink and turn into giddy fools is really quite enjoyable.

In my excitement this week--I have come to a horrible realization.



My mother never taught me not to play with my food.



Actually....she probably did. But I must not have learned the concept so well.

My week of preparation started with making Valentines Cookies for my friends.

I learned something:

NEVER trust a new recipe and the "Yeild" quantity.

I made cookies Thursday. For 5 HOURS. Yes. The recipe said it would only make 2 dozen. Little did I know, 2 dozen means FIVE HUNDRED COOKIES (ok.....more like 150....but that's a lot). AH! I am completely and utterly exhausted. But--I look forward to tomorrow when I can give my five hundred cookies to random strangers and also my friends and brighten up their day with the gift of love.

Then my week also consisted of the Sweethearts dance. I went with my friend Kent.

"My heart is yours if you come to the V-dance with me"

Awwwww

Obviously I said YES.

The night consisted of going up the canyon to make tin foil dinners. This was slightly disastrous and we ended up going back to the house to finish cooking them. Kent and I decided to dress up in Valentines crazy outfits. Those were interesting. But hey, dancing in them was prety fun. The dance was CANDYLAND themed! AH. I asked the principle if I could take home the decorations but he said I probably couldn't. Disappointed.

But the dance went well.

Again: I went a little overboard with the whole Valentines theme.

I present my tin foil dinner:

Yes, those are potatoes and carrots and onions and beef and barbecue spices. Mmm.

My tin foil dinner magically turned into...... A CONVERSATION HEART!

My tin foil dinner burning in the fire of love. Symbolic? I think yes.

Sweethearts was a blast. Thanks Kent :)


Today is Sunday. Every Sunday for the past ten years or so, my family has pancakes and eggs. It is a wonderful tradition. Half the time we invite families or missionaries over to share too. Today was our pancake dinner: VALENTINE EDITION.

I went all out.

Bananas?

Strawberries?

Pink Pancakes?

The table

My delicious final product. Perfect.

My family really loves Valentines Day. Asia made TONS of hearts and taped them all over the house about three weeks ago. They make me happy.

Sorry for the huge Heart-Attack in this post. I went a little overboard. But no worries! The side-effects are definitely good ones: you may experience giddiniess, gratitude, love, affection, admiration, appreciation, excitement, etc. Don't feel the need to report them to your doctor, Love is natural, folks.

Enjoy it.

Love,

Shelby

Puttin' On The Ritz (08)

Day 08: What you wore today.
(OK...I just looked up the thirty day requirements and realized I was making my own stuff up. Yesterday was supposed to be my BEST friend...but I forgot. And today is supposed to be "a moment". But- I don't have a moment I particularly want to share and I have to make the "what you wore today" semi-interesting so, you will just have to bare with me and be OK with my wacko ways.)

Plus, this is actually about what I wore yesterday...

Anywho!

It was Preference!

And GUESS WHAT?!

I LOVE DANCES.

They are the joy of my High School existence really.

And Preference is always the most fun too.

This year: Winter Ball.

Mmhmm.

Really, this magical night started two months ago when I ran into lunch, interrupted Knowledge Bowl, turned off the lights, stood in front of the overhead projector, did a little shimmy and screamed at the top of my voice "CHRIS DAYLEY WILL YOU GO TO PREFERENCE WITH ME?!". (A special thanks to Kendra Knudsen and Anna Lewis for being the two other lovely contestants and for Mr. Birrell for allowing me to disrupt his class.)

He obviously said yes.

The day consisted of a delightful breakfast, a decked out 15 passenger van with lights and lamps and sparkling cider, flowers, dinner, jazz, Classical 89/Jazz after dark/Saturday Night Show Tunes all-in-one, dancing, jumping, singing, chatting, picture-taking, awkward/seductive food eating, magical piano that plays on it's own, the lantern fixing my camera, chewing like I had a secret, the shed, cold, ice, gangsta-ness, interpretive dancing, new friends, and lots of laughter.

It was magical. Thank you, Chris :)

Day 08: COMPLETED