Engagement Humor

She stares are her ring all day and during class when the lights go out Phyllis yells:

"Can we not turn the lights out? I can't see my ring sparkle in the dark".

The Big Moment!

This was the biggest moment of my week! This was the moment that I was waiting for. It took me a 36 minute drive at 90 miles an hour on the Freeway from Salt Lake City to Provo and almost ran over some BYU students to make it home in time to see this moment!

Additional note: Is it odd to anyone how much squealing comes with a moment like this and how it bothers no girl that is surrounded by the scream, that is screaming, or being screamed at?

A True Understanding of the Economy

Lisa: If I had a penny for every time someone said that...

Chase: A PENNY?! There's inflation, you should ask for a nickel.

A Cougar Day!

So today was interesting, it was my first morning in Utah, I woke up excited to see what Utah had to offer. But it also turns out that Phyllis has school on this lovely Monday morning and so, Phyllis and I went to school at BYU. We walked up what they call the 300 steps and up the hill even farther and it was not a pretty sight the both of us huffing and puffing up the hill, not to mention, just for Phyllis's fill of Irony for the day, I wore my Cal gear. Scarf and Sweatshirt made its appearance on the campus of BYU on the first day of school. We went to a building called Joseph F. Smith Building, acronym(ed) JFSB.... but apparently the maintenance crew have nicknamed it, JFSOB because off all the windows that the building is covered in. Good lesson learned. It apparently is also called the Mommy Major building because it houses the family life major. Which I think is cute. After class we met up with Phyllis's main man, Chandler and we made it down the hill (also known as Rape Hill at night), but during the day its "The Hill", and we walked by the duck pond so I could see what they call the "Jesus Ducks".

So apparently "the duck pond" is well known, and during the winter season, the pond freezes over in certain parts and so the ducks walk upon the water while some ducks sit on the frozen pond and others like in this situation, just swim in the non frozen water. This photo documents the "Jesus Duck", amongst the regular floating/ swimming ducks.

After our little trip down duck pond lane, I got a chance to go shopping in Utah at a store called Macy's and that was one interesting trip.

This place was not a Costco or Whole Sale store, this was your everyday grocery store, but with a Utah twist. They have great sales. Ones that you would never want to pass up, if I wanted to work on food storage, I would come out to Utah, because I can get everything I need for cheap and stock up by the plenty. We purchased five 12-packs of soda for under $2 a package after the sales, and if we used coupons and other deals, I am sure we could of stocked up on amazing soup deals for food storage.

Things are also larger in Utah. This soup can for instance that Phyllis is modeling for us, is not any soup can, its an extra large family size soup can. This is just so much larger than I expected and it was a pretty good deal if I ever needed this many cans of processed condensed soup. Or a serving the size of my head. After our little shopping adventure buying soda and chips and other junk food periphenalia, we headed to lunch at this great place called: GURU's. It was quite the interesting place with their very California-esqu decor and healthy green for you foods. I almost wish there was a little place like this in Berkeley, and then it dawned on me that there are places like this all over berkeley, just not combined to make this awesome place.

Their sweet potato fries are amazing. I had the fish tacos (which remind me never to eat seafood in a place where there is no touching sea), and Phyllis had the teriyaki bowl ( a little reminder of home).

This was the sight I saw after lunch, heading back to the apartment. This is a sight I wouldn't mind seeing everyday on my way to school or work. What a great first day in Utah!

Hello Utah!

So I decided kind of last minute, kind of not, that I would visit many friends in Utah. Along with that was the fact that my best friend Kia was returning from her mission and going to school at UVU, and another of my friends is going to get engaged very soon. But also because after seeing Amy for the first time in 3 years, it made me really miss the friends that are so far apart and sometimes, the best moments in life don't come to you... you have to make them yourself. So Sunday morning I jumped in the car and drove to Utah.

The weather started off foggy... which wasn't making me any more willing to drive to Utah. It was just gross outside and I was not in anyway excited about this. But then the sun opened up and this was a beautiful sight.

Snow covered mountains. I ended up stopping midway through the drive for a 2 hour nap and then I continued on with my travels and drove the remaining 8 hours of the 14 hour drive to Utah. Once I arrived I was welcomed by some loving friends:

Phyllis and Chandler were awake at 11pm and waiting for me to arrive. And proudly they have all 4 feet on the ground. The day was pretty uneventful and the night was just a pretty straight shot to bed. So far... I have not seen much of Utah. Except the inside of Phyllis's apartment and something called Rape Hill at BYU?

Reflecting....

Since Christmas was a disaster, I thought I should at least make sure New Years Eve was more than just me sitting alone in my bed reading a book. So I thought I would at least reflect on the year before, even though its quite cliche.

This year was a roller coaster of a year. I celebrated a lot of firsts... really cried my heart out over some painful moments and memories, and really felt the feeling of completely being alone. I also played a sick game of chicken with my Faith, which I think hurt me more than anyone. And I also learned to open myself more. To be free with who I am and less closed off with the real me. As a writer, as a creative person and as an actress... its very easy to be yourself in a different persona. I can share all the secrets about myself, and divulge all of my deepest darkest fears and feelings without feeling threatened to doing so and getting hurt because in some sick way, my mind feels like I am not really divulging anything. But I am trying to give up method acting, give up hiding who I am behind a persona and just accept myself and everyone else's acceptance of me. Its one thing when people accept you, its another when you accept that they accept you. I spoke with a friend about this, who really felt sometimes that she settled for her husband because he was the first person to accept her for who she was, and all that she was... and she wondered sometimes, if she was less scared to share who she really was to other men... would she be married to another man... possibly someone better than her husband.

I learned a lot this past year, and with age came wisdom, faith and acceptance. I truly felt alone and independent for the first time this year. I went home hunting on my own, found a place, moved it and am paying for it every month. All on my own. No cosigner, no recommendation, it was all on my own. I am proud, I mean, I have done this with college applications and dorms and stuff, but I felt like I got some help when doing that, I had some outside influence, this time, its all me. I chose where I wanted to live, and nobody could stop me.

I went to my first real college sports game... or better yet, my first Cal game. It was amazing. I also went to Basketball and that was fun. It was a new experience.

This year was a big growing up year. I learned to gamble for the first time... I am not repeating that mistake over. I did Las Vegas and learned its only fun if you have money to blow and a lot smaller sense of your moral worth or self respect.

So lets just say, 2009 worked with more travels, more adventures, a deeper detour with faith, a harder lesson learned with faith... a deeper understanding of why I do the things I do and a stack of new experiences that will be moments to repeat and moments that are just not worth remembering.