I Got A New Way To Walk...

My Daily Walking Path................................................................My Pedometer

Yeeeyah!


By-the-by,if the title of this post didn't make you think of your childhood Sesame-Street-watching days, you have not been sufficiently cultured and should therefore dedicate a moment to watching one of these: (The pig one is classic! Gotta love Old MacDonald's Scottish accent!)

There's nothing quite like seeing celebrities on Sesame Street!

Athletic

It's taken me 21.75 years to play a sport,

to attempt athleticism,

and it feels good,

real good!

(for full effect say like Nacho Libre)

Next stop...

Elijah

You may recognize this handsome face from my AIDA post, he played Radames.

This is my cousin Elijah, soon to be Elder, when he embarks on a two year mission for the LDS church. It was fun shooting these pictures for him. I tried to make him laugh to get a natural smile, but he ended up making me laugh instead. Thanks Lige, you're awesome!

Words of Wisdom

*the following scenarios may or may not have happened to me personally.

Never allow a young man to blindfold you on a first date

even if he seems to be a safe and trustworthy individual.

Never follow a strange woman through a secret door,

up a staircase, into a strange room just to get a $18 Prada bag,

Especially if she intends to lock the door behind her.

Never model for an "up-and-coming photographer"

whose business card information is scribbled on the back of someone else's business card.

Never follow a librarian into their office to answer a "question"

when they have a knife sitting precariously on their desk.

Consider yourself warned,

And just to be safe, you may want to invest in some brass knuckles and/or pepper spray.

Sound Effects

Today, as I was riding into school with Dad, I learned something that made me smile to myself. We were driving down the hill toward the temple, Dad was doing a brilliant impression of the truck's noisy motor...and it hit me, that's where I got it!

I make car sounds when I drive, just like Dad

...and suddenly I appreciate that weird quirk so much more!

Happy Birthday Daddy-O!

You're still young and hip to me!

{Madre and Dad on a my brother-in-law's motorcycle last Summer}

Utah, Uncomfortable, Umbrella, & "Ugh!"

Is lime jello and cottage cheese salad a Utah thing?

What's worse?

Being uncomfortable and looking good

or

Being comfortable and looking unkempt

Is it just me or is there something strangely addicting about writing on a whiteboard?

Today, I took a nap in my car with an open umbrella over my head

to hide my paranoid, sleeping-self from potential weirdos walking by

I can't sleep in public.

Feet:

Pretty sure that after the age of 10 they are just gross

Have you ever caught someone thinking about something funny or happy, and smiling to themselves? I love those people. They make life more enjoyable!

A noun that should never be used as a verb:

n. goo = v. gooing

Gross! Leave it to brothers to make you realize these things

In a world of growing technology (and movies about robots taking over the world)

I have a growing fear that my future children will never know the joy of:

receiving a handwritten letter from a friend in the mail,

flipping through the pages of a gripping novel,

or even

regular face-to-face interaction with friends.

A computer screen is not a worthy substitute for the tangible benefit of human interaction and the beauty of forming emotional attachments.

Have you ever rolled down your car windows and blasted opera while driving?

You should!

Today a random young man said a friendly "hello" to me as we passed on the crosswalk,

It made my day! Thank you nice young man.

One Year

a t-ribute

to a year of:

smiles

happiness

soul searching

spiritual growth

dreams come true

strengthened ambition

finding the meaning of life

side-splitting laughter

learning selflessness

abundant culture

wishes granted

ropes broken

good eatin'

love +

To the best year of my life so far...

and countless more on the horizon.

Cheers!

(clinking goblets)

Thanks for the memories

Saturday Is A Special Day

...not only is it the day we get ready for Sunday,

but it's the day I get ready for Monday

aka

back to school

Since Summer is practically over the finish line, I figure I better end the "Summer" of my blog:

Without further adieu, here is my last post of this wonderful Summer.

It's been great! Thank you for sharing it with me!

. . .

Remember when I went to Jackson Hole with my student ward? Well here's a picture of my lovely carpool at the Bar-J Wranglers. Yeehaa! We had some great times!

Last night (also with my student ward and some other wards) we had a Barn Dance. It was blast and such a good workout. I now know every line dance ever created! Seriously!

A bit of light reading:

• "The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner" by Liz Edmunds
• "Winning By Losing" by Jillian Michaels
• "Master Your Metabolism" by Jillian Michaels
• "Believing Christ" by Stephen E. Robinson
• "Teachings of Joseph Smith"
• "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis
• "In Praise of Stay-At-Home Moms" by Dr. Laura Schlessinger
• "Gospel Principles"
• "The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen" by Syrie James
• "Goose Girl" by Shannon Hale
• "The Book of Mormon" translated by Joseph Smith
• "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Yep, this is the mountain of great literature that I'm currently hiking over. Any other awesome recommendations? Leave me a comment!

Well folks, I've got my school bag packed, my laptop charged, my pencils sharpened, my schedule printed, my clothing laundered (weird word) and...

...I'm feeling inquisitive!

So Monday,ready or nothere I come!
"I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday."~Abraham Lincoln~

2nd Place

That's right folks!

Thanks to you and your 168 votes

I received 2nd place in the Project Boo - Summer Video Contest.

I love my awesome "F"s:

Friends,

Family,

Followers,

& Fans!

Many thanks!

All The World's A Stage

...And all the men and women merely players"*

~ As You Like It ~ William Shakespeare ~

Yes, I'm back from yet another awesome experience in Southern Utah at the Shakespearean Festival. It was a long drive, which I spent editing photos, reading and taking pictures of this wild fire that we passed. Scary!

Yes, that orangy-red bright spot is the sun. Freaky stuff! Listen to Smokey the Bear, he knows what he's talking about. Unfortunately, I believe this was just a natural disaster.

We went straight to the Greenshow when we got there to set out our blankets. The Greenshow is basically a pre-show, to the play of the evening, that involves acting, singing, dancing and humor.

Oh my, if you go the Utah Shakespearean Festival, get a creamcheese tart! Actors and actresses with well-practiced British or Irish accents sell them to the crowds. They are delectable!

{The young man doing the cool, dancy jump on the left reminded me so much of the Weasley twins in the Harry Potter movies. Can you see it?}

After the Greenshow (and buying another tart, raspberry this time) we found our seats in the outdoor theatre, built to look and feel like the original Globe Theatre in London. The play was Comedy of Errors, Shakespeare's first comedy. It was hilarious! The actors and actresses did such a great job! Read the synopsis here. I may or may not have formed an attraction with Quinn Mattfeld (click it, you know you want to), who played Antipholus of Syracuse. He's a master of comedy and made the audience roar with laughter...not to mention, I just found him frankly dreamy. Such a fun night! Honestly, put it on your list of things to do before you die. You won't regret it!

{Illustration by Philip W. Hermansen}

The next day: gotta love complimentary breakfasts eh?

Abbey Inn, where we have stayed nearly every year since I was 11 or 12. Yes, we've been coming for almost 10 years now! It's no four star hotel, but the memories made here far exceed that rating. Good times with Abbey!

Then, Madre and I dropped Dad off at Dixie State College for some meeting he had and we went to...(betcha can't guess)...the mall. We went to Barnes and Noble and then Madre's favorite clothing store ever, Coldwater Creek.

After shopping, we went back to DSC to hear Dad give a presentation to the faculty on IT Security. That was the first time, in all of these business trips, that I had ever heard one of Dad's presentations. I am so proud of him, he's worked hard and come such a long way for his family...and he loves it, which always helps.

After Dad's presentation we went back to Cedar City to see the musical, The Secret Garden (where we purchased more tarts). They did a wonderful job, synopsis here! The beautiful music gets to me every time, the message is so hopeful. I can't say that the musical as a whole is on my top 10 favorites, but there are absolutely some tear-jerking moments as characters learn beautiful lessons from their loves ones who have passed on.

{Illustration by Philip W. Hermansen}

On our way home we stopped at the hospital to visit Grandpa Hess. His heart has been giving him a hard time, poor guy. He's 94 years-old and misses Grandma a lot. She's been gone for about 10 years now. My heart aches for him when he speaks about her or shows us, once again, her beautiful picture. It makes me grateful to know that their love is eternal and that they will meet again, someday, in God's timing. My uncle (his doctor) says that he should be back home by week's end.

While walking on the campus of DSC, I found a pillar of these pretty, marbley red rocks. Awesome no? Ok, maybe I'm weird, but some people would have this as their desktop wallpaper and you know it.

The Utah Shakespearean Festival rocks(pun intended, unfortunately)

One Last Time

...to pack

...to drive for hours

...to relax

...to bond without interruption

...to see the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Southern Utah

...to enjoy two work-free, carefree days

My favorite play of last year,

and I dare say of my life

"Cyrano de Bergerac"

by Edmond Rostand

{Brian Vaughn as "Cyrano de Bergerac" and Melinda Pfundstein as "Roxane"}

{Drew Shirley as "Christian de Neuvillette" in the Balcony Scene}

{Brian Vaughn is the crowning jewel of the Utah Shakespearean Festival. His performance was heart-melting, breath-taking and invigorating all at once. That was the first time I have ever cried at the sheer beauty of a character, his language and circumstance. Read it!}

...And then fall semester begins

I am ready for it

Bring it on!

Fuzzy in the Middle

Submerged in the decade of transitions and decisions,

summer break to another fall semester

university years to a career

singlehood to a marriage,

I find myself in one of my moods.

It isn't my Blah Mood:

Characterized by its ability to strip away my foundation of motivation and leave me sitting useless like a bump on a log.

It isn't my Soul Sista Mood:

In which I blast Beyonce throughout the house and belt at the top of my lungs because no one is home and its just plain invigorating.

It isn't my Sunday Mood:

When I find myself once again standing before the bigger picture which always seems to transform my stumbling blocks into stepping stones.

And it isn't my Merrr Mood:

When the flow of trafficking thoughts in my head collide in a terrible and indiscernible traffic jam, calmed only by prayer, stroking the keys of my piano and a late night "ventilation session".

No my friends, it seems to me that I am the Columbus of a brand new mood, which I see fit to name, my Fuzzy Mood, symptoms include:

• Hope in a glorious future
• A mild fetish with To-Do lists and goal setting
• An inability to articulate my thoughts (perhaps a branch off of my Merrr Mood)
• Discontentment with more first dates
• An overall thirst for change

It's not a bad mood, I am grateful that it lacks the "bump on a log"-ness of my Blah Mood. I am driven forward by my personal goals, I am excited for the future. Yet, like doing a puzzle, I feel that a piece is missing somewhere. I know that Heavenly Father is holding that piece and will place it in designated empty space when He knows I'm ready for it. I'm grateful for my relationship with Him that allows me patience and trust in His plan.

For now, I am neither here nor there,

I'm just passing time in self-improvement

Somewhere in between

...fuzzy in the middle.

Swirling Vortex of Death

You know the questions:

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

or

How many ____ does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

. . .

Try this one,

Question: How many times (in a two week span) of dropping your phone in the toilet does it take till you discover that you probably should stop putting it precariously in your pocket when you're anywhere near that swirling vortex of death?

Answer: At least twice, if I'm lucky

(that's not including the time I dropped it in Bear Lake)

Stupid...wet...ness!

May your days be merry and bright

And may all your pockets have zippers

Belts, Bands, Bugs & Because

I am wearing two belts today...

Really, I am. They're both black.

Is it possible to wear a headband and glasses...

without getting a headache?

Why is the word "subtle" pronounced "suddle"?

Is there a "d" in that word that I'm not aware of?

All I can say is, I am grateful that English is my first language.

FYI: Skinny jeans are not called by that name because they make you look skinny...

A common misconception!

They are, in fact, called Skinny Jeans because they are intended for skinny-legged people

Nevertheless, I still wear them

I do not know why God created mosquitos, do you?

That is my personal equivalent to the cliche question,

"Why is the sky blue?"

I figure someone (besides The Creator) knows the answer

Or at least assumes they know the answer.

The verb "twiddle" can only logically be used in one phrase, "Twiddle your thumbs"

Seems like a waste of an awesome word to me!

...this is the conclusion of my random ramblings

(my "randlings" if you will)

good day!