oh murgatroyd

Do you know what is amazing? Driving in the car to work with the sun shining and country music blaring out of the radio. It makes me feel like it's finally summertime, and guys, that is my favorite time of the year. The smell of fresh cut grass, sun warmed hay, shorts, tanks & flip flops, swimming, camping, biking, being outside....I could go on and on and on...and on. But in all seriousness, summer is where it's at.

There are just some moments in life, like this morning, where the perfect song is coming through my speakers, the weather is glorious, and I just could not be in a better mood. I have to tell you that I am feeling so much better. About life. About the future. About myself. Not only do I feel a lot less anxious, but I just feel...happier. And happier is usually paired with brainless acts such as belting out all the words as loud as I can and car dancing like the champ that I am. Get your shimmy on, please! It's a good thing my windows are so tinted...talk about embarrassing.

Yesterday I came home from work in a really weird mood. A good mood, but a weird one. This mood, you guys! This mood possessed me to clean! Clean all of the things! I picked up my clothes that have been dead on my floor since my Houston trip and I finally (finally!) put them all away (mostly). (I'm running out of drawers and closet space...) (First world problems.) And then after that I cleaned the bathroom. The counter, the sink, the toilet, the floor. I picked up the living room as much as I could and vacuumed. I opened windows to let in fresh air! My sister did the dishes and I cleaned the counters in the kitchen. We put groceries away. Good gravy you guys, I couldn't be stopped! And then we watched the season finale of Duck Dynasty because you guys! Duck Dynasty! !!!!

And heavens to Murgatroyd, I'm paying for it today. All that scrubbing! My shoulders are tired. And protesting loudly...especially when it comes to getting dressed or anything that involves lifting my arms above my head. Silly shoulder muscles.

(Also, I have no idea why I said heavens to Murgatroyd except that I was thinking about that phrase this morning but I couldn't place where I knew it from so I looked it up. Snagglepuss, you crazy cat you.)

I just can't explain how nice it is to be myself. There is something to be said for period of loneliness though, where you are just a bit lost and have no idea what to do about any parts of anything. I have been learning that this is something a lot of people experience, and it's slightly necessary maybe. In order to appreciate what you have? Perhaps? Whatever the reason that caused me to shove everyone out of my life while I dealt with things and stuff and feelings about things and stuff, it's nice to have the confidence to now face those obstacles head on. I may not know exactly where I am going, but I definitely am not as scared or anxious about it as I was a couple short weeks ago. I know that no matter what happens God has my back and I'll be okay with whatever circumstances the future brings. Just watch me.

Not everything in my life is perfect, and actually there is a lot of stuff left to hurdle over. It may involve playing chicken on the railroad tracks, but I'll come out on top. And better for it, too. Life is one crazy adventure after another, and heavens to Murgatroyd (!!) I'm gonna work it like it's my job.

Also? Purple hair. Check it out. I'm cool.

she is the sweetest. like, seriously.

also? she drives now! ah!!

lots of talk about beauty lately. i love dove though. 

and i also like this typeface.

dad broke out the remote controlled camaro. the pups were terrified.

it was hilarious.

what a week. i'm super glad tomorrow is friday!

on being myself

I think it is important to note that I am strongly introverted. Opening myself up wide for everyone to see is not generally my idea of a good time and if I happen to be surrounded with a plethora of people I will always take some time to find an uninhabited room where I can hang out by myself. It's not that I don't enjoy company, it's just that company is exhausting and sooner or later I'll have to recharge my batteries by escaping your endless supply of jokes and stories.

Operating this way makes it difficult for me to feel like I can trust people with all the things that go on in my head and my heart. At small group, I found myself rarely talking or communicating because I didn't feel a deep sense of connection to the people I was surrounded with. Also, I didn't really like them all that much because I never felt important or part of the group. Always an outsider, I felt like I was never on anyone's mind outside of our meeting time Monday nights. Which, to me, is very sad. Especially because my cousin and her husband were the ones hosting our small group anyway.

Our church doesn't put an emphasis on college and young adult aged people. We are low on the priority list. Our small group lasts for a couple of months and then goes on a long break. There is nothing offered for us, and every time I have tried to step up and say I wanted to be involved with leadership to set something up I have been shut down and rudely blown off. So when I heard about another church who had a really good college program I jumped on that bandwagon like there was no tomorrow.

Immediately I felt loved and accepted and important. I started off sitting by myself in one of the back rows. Three guys came up and introduced themselves to me and one girl made me come sit with her and her friends. After worship was over I spotted someone I knew from my previous small group and I moved to sit by him. I liked the familiarity of being next to a person who already knew me, so I was actually able to relax and enjoy the sermon.

And let me just tell you about this boy for a second, okay? Because, you guys, he amazes me.

First it should be noted that I'm not someone who assumes that I hold any sort of importance to people. I can blend in with the walls and just skate around without causing any wakes with my motions. So when this boy told me something last night it caught me completely off guard.

Back story:
I've only spoken to him a handful of times. One of those times was after I found out some really bad news about my dad right before I had to leave for small group. I brought it up as a prayer request and then spent probably a half hour afterwards crying while conversing with this boy. His words were exactly what I needed to hear and I'm convinced it was God speaking through him. He told me I was worth it and to never let any person tell me that I wasn't worth it or that I wasn't important or that I wasn't loved or forgiven. Because I am. I was a little embarrassed by how I was acting and feeling, but those words were so comforting. I kept apologizing for my tears, but I couldn't stop them from coming. He was a great sport about it though, so kudos to him for being a champ.

Fast forward to last night and this same boy told me something that caught me completely off guard.

Like, you could have knocked me over with a feather probably.

I don't remember his exact words, although I wish I could, but it was along the lines of how my openness about how I'm feeling is inspiring to him.

Inspiring? My openness? What? This boy.

That night at small group, I was lost and uncomfortable and in a moment of sobbing desperation for someone to help me, I confided some feelings to this guy. It was a rare moment, but obviously the impact it produced was one I could have never imagined. In that moment when he said he'd felt inspired, I was reminded how absolutely important it is to be yourself and to be honest and authentic with everyone because you never know how your actions and words are going to affect them.

A couple of months ago I was wondering if God was even real. What did I really believe? How could there be some being out there who created everything in the universe and still loved me and wanted a relationship with me? How could I be so screwed up and terrible and yet this being wanted to wash me in His grace and set me free? It just seemed impossible, and yet being raised in the family I was, I knew deep down that He had to be real. But still, doubt.

So I prayed that God would somehow make me aware that not only was He there, but also that He cared deeply about me. I was so tired of feeling miserable and not feeling like myself. I was tired of feeling hopeless and overwhelmed with my life. And then, you guys, this church. These people. Not just this boy, but there is also a group of girls who are genuinely happy to see me show up on Thursday nights. One girl in particular who, the more I converse with, the more I realize it's like meeting myself as someone else. We have so much in common it's incredible, and I am so thankful that God has placed her in my life.

I came home from church last night feeling refreshed and happy and the most like myself I've felt in really long time. And can I just tell you, dudes, it is so good to have me back.

Spring Break 2012

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I didn't want spring break to be over. Ever. 

As Of Lately

Just in case you were wondering what I've been doing lately, here are some pictures to help.

I colored my hair purple. I have been enjoying the snow. I've been making art like it's my job (because, well, it kind of is. you know.) My brain is nine ways from Sunday all the time because I have bazillion things to do, but honestly, I'm glad that this is how life is right now.

SVI decided he was done and since I'm so busy I don't have a ton of time to dwell on that. I'm sad that it's over because we had a great relationship. I miss him and I miss all the fun things we used to do, but because of this I have time to devote to other things in my life right now that maybe I wouldn't have been so quick to get involved with, yes? yes. and it's great.

I'm excited about life. And it's about time, too. I'm almost done with school and I'm going to be transitioning into the "real world" and I can't wait to see where God will take me or who I'm going to be lucky enough to meet. I think this is where life will start to get fun - all the possibilities and opportunities. I can do whatever I want and go wherever I want and but isn't that just terribly exciting to think about? Nothing is written in stone and that's exactly how I want it.

Mawage, Mawage, is wot bwings us togeva today

This girl and I, we go way back. We've had our ups and downs. We've been best friends and we've been on the non-speaking of the terms too. But I can't help to love her. I am myself around her. We can talk about anything, share secrets, confess wrongs, and without even talking sometimes we just know. We have not been super close since I moved away to go to college, but I love spending time with her.

And also, she just got married.

That's right. Married.

I was so excited for her when she got engaged and I counted down the days until she tied the knot with her wonderful fiance on 11/11/11 like the cool kid that she is.

Zelda and I drove back home on Thursday night in preparation for Ariel's Big Day. Her ceremony started at one in the afternoon and her reception was at three. I have never, ever, ever had as much fun at a wedding reception as I had at hers. Everything was beautiful, her music was fantastic and I decided to let go of my inhibitions and dance my life away with my friends. It was perfect for her and I could not have been happier for my friend.

And all the while I was busy being really happy, I couldn't help but be a little jealous too. I remember when it seemed that everyone I graduated with was getting married and popping out kiddos and I wanted to be a part of that. Not so much the babies movement, but the weddings. I dreamed about my dress and mooned over pictures of wedding decor. I was a total girl about it. I wanted it to happen to me.

I'm not quite so wedding-feverish anymore, understandably, but still. I am a girl, after all. I can't help but wonder when will it be my turn? All of you right now are saying to me, "Natalie, girl, please. Slow down. You have the rest of your life!" And to you I say, calm down. I'm not sitting here pining my heart away at the thought of getting married, but I'm just curious. When? How come it hasn't happened yet? But someday it will, I know. God's got this great guy lined up for me somewhere and I'll meet him someday and it will all be perfect. I know.

Somebody-very-important isn't looking to get married right away, and right now neither am I. The whole thing with PC made me approach this new relationship completely different. And even though my heart strings were tugged on a little bit this last weekend, I don't think I want to get married tomorrow, you know? I'm in a hurry and also not even a little bit rushed at the exact same time.

But it's always fun to "what if" the situation, yes? Yes.

It's a beautiful night, we're looking for something dumb to do. Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you. Is it that look in your eyes? Or is it this dancing juice? Who cares, baby! I think I wanna marry you. 

Who I Am Today

Lately I have been thinking about what it was like for me when I was still a lowly little college freshmen. I remember walking up the big hill at 8:15 in the morning on my way to my first ever university class. It was English 101 with one of the funniest and most inappropriate professors I've ever had. It smelled like the first day of school - you know what I mean. Brand new backpacks, crispy lined paper, pencil shavings and lattes. The sidewalks and hallways were crowded so that one felt as though they were a salmon trying to swim upstream.

It was awesome. 

I didn't feel like I belonged there. At the ripe old age of 17, I felt as though all these people could sense that I was so naive. Fresh meat. Easy to take advantage of. I remember this overwhelming feeling of despair. I had just finished 13 years of public schooling, having been enrolled since the age of five, and I was completely unprepared to spend four more years with piles of never ending homework followed by exams I had no will power to study for. 

Making new friends doesn't exactly come easily to me since I'm not really a people person, but I lived with my friends from high school and our hall became really close. They made it easier to bear the homework load and helped me overcome that feeling of failure when I bombed an exam. Or two. Our bonds were so strong that I'm still friends with many of the people I lived with that fateful freshmen year. 

But now, here I am, in my senior year of study. It's my last fall semester in Moscow. My life has done a 180 degree flip. I find myself flopping between emotions of impatience to be finished and longing for this to never be over. I am quickly approaching the idea of the "adult" world, and it makes me both nervous and excited although I can't honestly tell you which feeling is more prominent. 

I used to spend my nights wishing that I could be anywhere but here, and now I find myself wondering where exactly will I end up once this is all over? College has been a unique experience. I have grown up and grown out and grown in. The future is a scary mistress. She makes you wonder where you will end up and if you will still talk to your friends. She makes you question your decisions and think about what you want out of life. And that frightens me. 

Honestly, I don't know what I want in life. I'm in school to be a teacher, and while I love art and I have a passion towards working with others in a creative context, I don't think it's something I want to do for the rest of my life. 

The horror stories of those especially wonderful students makes me question whether or not this is the right profession for me. I'm not looking forward to dealing with those tough cases, but I've heard that if you crack them it's the most rewarding experience. And that is kind of exciting. Which I suppose means that I shouldn't really be too worried about this decision, but you know. It goes through my mind in cycles. 

But what I really want out of life is just to feel like I've lived it. My dad has classified me as the rebel child. I pretty much just do what I want, when I want, how I want to. My favorite song is "Wild One" by Faith Hill, because when I was little I wanted to be that girl. I have a nose piercing. I want a tattoo someday. I make mistakes. Lots and lots of mistakes. I mean to say, that I am practically a professional mistake maker. I probably deserve some kind of award even for being so fantastic at regretful decision making. 

That's not to say I don't make a plethora of good decisions though. Because I am also pretty fantastic at that as well. I just know myself, and I have to get lost a few times before I get it right. But I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though I started out this whole college journey throwing a huge temper tantrum and dragging my little feet through the mud, I'm actually glad I'm here. I'm glad it happened. I'm sad it's coming to an end, and a little part of me is definitely going to miss my college years. 

I don't think they are necessarily the best years of my life, but I know they definitely played a heavy hand in defining me as the lovely person I am today. If it weren't for all those bumps in the road along the way, I'd never fully appreciate exactly what it is I have right now. 

this one has a lot of pictures

Some of you may have noticed how I was conspicuously absent from blogworld this weekend...no? You didn't? Well, I suppose I'll just tell you where I was anyway, seeing as how you're just brimming with curiosity and all...

I went back home this weekend for the first time since the semester ended. It was for a momentous occasion, even! How special is that? It was a once in a lifetime event! You see, I have this brother. He's kind of cool and stuff. Sometimes. (I don't want to boost his ego too much, even though I don't really think he reads my blog...)

Anyway, this brother dude that I have decided that this year would be his last year of high school and he hopped on board the graduation train for class of 2011. Him and all 282 of his friends.

(he's the tall one in the middle, in case you forgot)

And while I was home I got to do lots of things! Fun filled things! The kinds of things that you can't do in M-town because there are no people here (usually) that are my friends! 

First off, I got my hair done by the amazing and talented Ariel, who I've known since high school. It's been a couple years since I spent any amount of time with her, and well, I missed her bunches. And she did a fab job on my hair. And also, I'm super bummed that I didn't get a picture of us together, so this one will have to do: 

You can't really see my hair, but you can totally see the awesome helmet that I found at Target. I tried to get PC to try on a completely lame head protector with me, but the best I could do was make him take my picture. You're welcome. 

In addition to being photographed with amazing head wear, I also got sit in (but not ride in! how rude!) my dad's new addition to our family. We call it Bumble Bee. Bumble, say hi to everyone, everyone say hi to Bumble:

(PC sitting in the driver's seat) 

Oh yeah, and I hung out with PC and our friend Pengowen, who had the most awesome shirt ever:

So there you have it. The most awesome weekend in the history of weekends in the month of June in the year 2011. Yes. Please. 

The Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs and Jesus

Let's talk about Easter. There's a fun side to Easter, a commercial side to Easter, and a religious side to Easter. It's a pretty complicated holiday, to be sure.

I mean, we have the Easter bunny - which I've heard that the bunny was a fertility sign from a pagan holiday that merged with the celebration of the resurrection of Christ when Constantine up and got Christian all over the Roman Empire. But when you're little you have no idea about that stuff - the Easter Bunny brings you everybody's favorite Easter baskets! Candy! Toys! Fake green paper strips to imitate grass and get all over the house and in corners you didn't even know existed! And candy!

And I mean people, let's not forget the famed Easter egg hunts! I remember that was the thing I used to be the most excited about when I was little - I mean yeah, okay, church in the morning in a highly uncomfortable dress and tights! (Tights I tell you! Oh the horror! How my legs loathed being encased by suffocating white thin socks that went all the way up to my waist! It was torture.) But even though we heard the message about the wonderful thing that Jesus did for us, I was still super stoked about those plastic eggs filled with sweets waiting to be found in our house. Coloring the hard boiled eggs was almost just as fun.

I remember being so disappointed when my parents decided to quit hiding the eggs for us to find. I was mad at them for taking away all the fun. I felt like they were just being too lazy to hide the Easter eggs, and to an extent that was true. I mean, they'd been doing it for a long time when they finally decided to stop, but I still felt like it was unfair. I felt like The DP and The Mechanic got shafted because when I was their age I still got Easter egg hunts.

The Keeper and I took it upon ourselves to hide the Easter eggs for the little kids. That didn't last very long, but it made me feel better. And then my aunt and uncle moved across the state line from us, about a half hour away, and they held grand Easter egg hunts. Not only were there eggs filled with candy, but also with coins. And I just couldn't get over that. Those crazy kids also hid a "Golden Egg" filled with a 20 dollar bill - and you can guess that's what the real competition was about. We each wanted it equally as bad as the others and every year we set out on a mission to find that silly egg and claim the prize for our wallets!

But now that I'm older, egg hunts are a little below me. I still miss them, but I don't feel like I'm missing out something fierce just because I don't participate in one. However, I feel like for me it's more about celebrating Jesus. And eating candy.

I mean, this holiday I feel like should be bigger than Christmas. Yes, Christmas is all fine and good and shouldn't be overlooked because it is a truly great thing to celebrate the birth of our Savior, but Easter! People, Easter is when we celebrate the reason that He was sent to us! His death on the cross and resurrection from the tomb three days later to save us from our sins! I feel like that message is somewhat lost.

The pastor today gave a good message about sinning and missing the mark but we are forgiven! And we are loved no matter what the circumstance, no matter how bad we mess up, or how low we think we've sunk, Jesus' love will always find us. But I feel like he just didn't really drive his message home, he would talk right up to the point and then stop short. I kept waiting for him to say "But He is RISEN! And we are FORGIVEN! Hallelujah! What a HAPPY DAY!" But he just never got that excited about it. I didn't feel like he really celebrated that awesome wonderful news.

Don't worry though, I got excited myself. Today was about celebration, and I celebrated by eating tootsie rolls and Reese's peanut butter eggs and treating myself to dinner tonight.

I'm not perfect, I don't try to be perfect, but I am forgiven and I am loved and my Savior has conquered the grave to live again! And what better news could you ask for?

Put The Spring In Spring Break Please

Oh but wait, that spring will come when I leave tomorrow on my trip to Arizona people! Arizona! Do you know what that means??

It means 80 DEGREE WEATHER!

I could not be more excited if I tried. Really.

I have been on spring break this week, and so far I have been having a total and complete blast. Saturday I spent on the snow covered slopes of Schweitzer mountain with my dad, The Keeper and The Mechanic. We tortured each other's souls and skied our hearts out.

I converted to skiing last year, after having been a dedicated boarder in the years prior. I hated to give it up, but because of my ankle, boarding was literally just too painful for me to continue with. Because I was a gymnast, I did a lot of tumbling and flying through the air. All that constant pounding on my joints took its toll, and now my ankle bones in my joint are very loose, which means that I don't have very much control of that joint and a lot of pressure aggravates it.

Snow boarding boots also don't offer a lot of ankle support, so I had to wrap my ankle with athletic tape and pop pain killers like a crack addict. All, really, to no avail. Dad got the bright idea that skiing might be easier for me because the boots offer more support, and well, since then I have been in ski boot bliss. I don't have to tape my ankle anymore, and my pain killer ration has gone way down.

And, as an added bonus, I no longer want to cry and stab myself in the foot anymore, so, well, crisis averted.

Plus, being able to enjoy a beautiful day like it was on Saturday is worth making the shift from boarding to skiing. I had a whole afternoon of snow ball fights, down hill races (which I always lose without fail) and boys. It was an adventure, and really, who doesn't love adventures?

Then yesterday and today I went...dress shopping! Can you just believe it? I am not a dress wearer, really. Dresses don't let you do cartwheels or sit criss cross applesauce on the floor or climb trees or ride bikes and really, it just wasn't my style.

But now that I'm getting older, I'm finding that dresses really might not be so bad after all. I have yet to really start incorporating this fashion statement in with my every day wear, but I'm not afraid to go look for some cute ones anymore. And also, having lost near 15 pounds really doesn't hurt one's ego when out in the grand department stores.

Beautiful right? And I look pretty good too, huh? Haha! But really, I spotted this dress from across the room and walked right up to it and picked out my size. I had a feeling it was probably going to be the dress I bought, but then I had to grab other dresses just for funzies. Because, hello people, what fun is dress shopping if you only try on one?

And holy wow, I just looked at that picture of me, and my calves! Behold their beefiness! I just can't believe it!

Amazing.

The DP got a dress the day before, kind of a shocker that our dresses are the same cut but different fabrics. I kind of like it that way though. Because we're going to be the cutest kids on the block, next to Grandma. And Grandma's only cuter because it's her party - you know how that is. She's adorable anyway, so we really have some stiff competition as it is - I mean, where do you think we got our good looks from anyway?

Check It Out

Enjoy the new blog layout. 

It's totally my favorite thing about today. 

And then, if you want, you should totally check this out. 

It's Back To High School For Me

So it's not really a secret that I'm going to school in oder to obtain a degree in art education. In order to become the awesome art teacher that I'm destined to be, I have to complete a 30 hour practicum in a classroom.

I would really like to teach high school students, but it took me a while to decide. At first I was thinking elementary school would be where it's at. My art teacher in elementary school really fostered my love of art. She never told me I did it wrong or bad, she was never mean, and I have to admit that it was a huge ego boost when my pieces of art were used as examples for all the other classes.

But then I thought about it some more and realized that even though in the elementary schools I could foster a love of art in students that may not otherwise be inclined to learn about it, high schoolers can do a lot more skill-wise. Sure there will be a few kids whose art still belongs in kindergarten, but generally high schoolers' motor skills are more developed. Which means I can attempt harder assignments that are difficult but very gratifying.

I completely ruled out middle school because that's where cliques form, puberty happens, and it's generally just an awkward stage of life. Students are going through that "who am I?" phase, teasing is horrid (especially among girls) and I'd really just rather not deal with it, honestly.

So, back to my practicum assignment. Like I said, I have 30 hours of in classroom hours to complete. This involves observing my mentor teacher (who is awesome!) and teaching one lesson plan.

I was assigned to the art teacher at the high school in town. So far I love it. The first class is Drawing, so I'm at home there because if I'm comfortable with any artistic expression, it happens in the form of drawing. Everything else for me has been awkward so far. But drawing? I can do that.

The second class is sculpture. It's a young class - mostly sophomores. And it's loud. And it's sculpture. And it's daunting to me. I don't know an incredible amount about sculpture, so I'm uncomfortable helping students with their projects, but I try.

But today I was thinking about my own high school experience. You see, I didn't really like high school. I loved being with my friends, and all of our extra curricular activities, but I would make myself sick in the mornings dreading going to school. I quit eating breakfast. Eventually I got over that, but I was so glad the day I graduated (thinking I would never have to go back! HA!)

However, I left high school thinking I was going to become a dietician, so I didn't take many art classes. I took a few art classes in middle school and I took two art classes my freshman year of high school. But even though I enjoyed drawing, I loathed the teacher. She was a dictator.

Actually we referred to her as a Nazi teacher.

You see, her classroom had. to. be. silent. Absolutely no talking, and if you did she would dock you points. We only did assignments she told us to do, and we only worked with graphite. There was one assignment that worked with Prisma colored pencils and turpentine, but that was it. Everything else was drawing pencils.

So being in this high school's art room is a totally different experience. We're allowed to talk. The students have an open assignment in which they can use any medium they choose and they have all year to work on it. I'm a little jealous of them, because I think if my art class had been that way I would have advanced in my high school career.

Also what this practicum has done for me so far is renewed my want to become a teacher. After the hard summer I had and all the drama with that one boy I was losing my motivation to be here. I just wanted to run away, leave, go and never come back. I was all ready to become a Simba and go find my own Timon and Pumba.

Except that now Prince and I are on good terms (even though we aren't dating) (which is actually fine at the moment, we're back to being friends. We laugh and joke and hang out and have fun, which is what we're supposed to do, right?) Anyway, my stress level has lowered and combined with the fun I'm having in the high school I'm ready to stick it out for a little while longer.

It's That One Day Again

Today is Valentine's Day. Some people love this holiday. Some people hate it. Some people don't even call it Valentine's Day - they just refer to it as S.A.D. (Singles Awareness Day). 

The argument against Valentine's Day is that why do you just dedicate this one day to loving that significant other? Shouldn't you just love them all the time, everyday? Well, yes, yes you should. 

The argument for Valentine's Day is that we are celebrating a priest named Valentine who secretly married couples when marriage was forbidden. But most people don't know that. They just think of Valentine's Day as the one day out of the year when it's perfectly acceptable to be mushy gushy love-y dove-y and have no one judge them.

Personally, I'm not a Valentine's Day fan. But this year Prince Charming and I exchanged small gifts. I got him a card and slippers because he's been complaining about not having any. And he loves them. He got me a hat to match my jacket and a Lights CD because I've been wanting it.

I got swept up in the spirit and Zelda and I painted our fingernails and toenails red and white with hearts on them. I didn't get a picture of her nails, but here's what mine look like and her's are just the inverse.

 

Happy Valentine's Day ♥

Everything Nice?

Okay, so I like to think of myself as having a good head on my shoulders, I'm pretty likable, I don't really try to be mean. I like to think I have some sort of tact so that I know how to gingerly approach some subjects and blatantly call out others when deemed appropriate.

But you know what I feel like I completely suck at?

Knowing what to do and say when someone is in a terrible and also when that someone is a person that you care about a lot and want to make their world full of sunshine, rainbows, happy unicorns and an endless supply of candy.

You know?

But when said person is in a crummy mood in which they intend to storm about the room and throw things, I feel like I lock up. I don't know what to say or how to say anything. I'm basically at a loss for words (shocking right?).

All I feel like I can do is pray. Pray that God tells me what to say to them, if words are needed at all. Pray that God will help them figure stuff out. Pray for peace. Pray for wisdom. Pray for their sanity. Pray for my sanity....

I know when I'm really angry and my world is filled with rainy, slushy, thunderstorm-y, thrash about the house like a wild animal who's idea of fun is to rip the upholstery on your couch to shreds, I probably just need a hug. Unless you're the person who dropped the bomb. Then I don't want you to touch me. I might shank you.

Unfortunately for this remedy, not everyone likes being touched when they're on the warpath. I know this. But that just makes it harder for me to help out when people I know are sunshine, rainbow and happy unicorn-less.

Asking 'are you okay' over and over is just going to be annoying. Asking 'how can I help you' doesn't always elicit a response. Sometimes I just get a grunt in return, if anything at all. If you're working with a talker, things are a little smoother. It's the silent but deadly ones you have to watch out for...

So how do YOU put the candy mountain back in someone's dreary existence? I'm curious. Really.

11 Reasons Why Today Is Full Of Awesome

1. I successfully completed my last final. And received a B on it.

2. My Lovely Aunt sent me 47 different Christmas songs. That. I. Love.

3. I am going on a date tonight.

4. I cleaned my room.

5. While I was cleaning someone took my chair that I had placed in the hallway while said cleaning was taking place.

6. I asked the janitor who just happened to be in the hallway if he had seen or done anything dealing with said missing chair.

7. The janitor had no news or ideas as to the where being of my chair. He replied with a voice similar to Bing Crosby. I could have talked to him all day - he was that nice.

8. My friendly janitor vaccuumed my dirty rug that I had just finished sweeping because my little dirt devil is practically older than I am and doesn't pick up anything.

9. I knocked on Zach's door and he found my chair for me.

10. I ate an awesome toasted turkey sandwich.

11. I am leaving Moscow tomorrow morning until January. :)

Happy Holly Jolly Christmastime

Well interwebs, I have completed my very last final of the semester. Which I received an 87.5% on, so who's to complain? This is the first semester of my college career where it appears I am passing all my classes. It's amazing.

I seriously forgot how good it felt to achieve good grades in school.

It. is. amazing. I don't care what other people say. I love getting As and Bs. *ahem* I guess that's to be expected though, but last year I was too content to just get a C in everything that I let my motivation for positive work output on the back burner and let my inner procrastinator shine through like the sun.

Not this year.

This year I was still able to procrastinate (because it's in my nature) but I got everything done that needed to be and I passed everything that was important. Which was mostly everything I did.

And now, this semester is all over. Completely finished, honey I have nothing left to do except pack up all my stuff I'll need over break. And I'm really happy about that. I'm really happy about a lot of things in my life actually.

I'm really happy that school is over for the semester.
I'm really happy that my Drawing 1 teacher (TheProf) is going to continue as my Design Processes 2 instructor.
I'm really happy that the Christmas season is upon us (although that doesn't go without the 'holy crap where did 2009 disappear to? that cheeky son of a gun).
I'm really happy that I'm going to see my SoCal familia in about a week-ish.
I'm really happy my mommy's little sister who just happens to be one of my favorite aunts sent me a whopping two CDs chalked full of good and awesome amazing Christmas music.
I'm really happy that all of my dreams that past few nights have somehow involved my father and in each dream he was always really happy and smiley.
I'm really happy Prince and I have been together for just a little over a year.
I'm really happy with the amount of people who follow (and comment) on my little bitty blog.
I'm really happy that I'm just really happy.
I'm really happy that I get to go on a date tonight with Prince Charming and we're dressing up for it. He even said he'll let me have steak tonight! mmmmmmmmmm
And I'm really happy that tomorrow morning I'm going home to Hayden so I don't have to sleep in the dorms until January.

Oh happiness, how good it is to finally know you again. The end of the semester can be so stressful.