Where the wind comes sweeping down the lane...

Well everyone, I'm back in good old OKC. I'm glad to be back, actually, more so than usual. I think this is partly because I've been gone for six months, and partly because I desperately need a break from school after going through winter and spring semesters without much of a break. My dog Mila was so excited to see me when I came home! Sometimes I worry that she'll forget how I am because I've been gone so long, but she knew me right away. She's still limping on her hurt paw, but this is not curbing her delights for rolling the grass, begging at the dinner table, or riding in the car, so she must be all right.

Apparently some lady at church today thought I was seventeen!!! That's only...four years off....When I'm quite a bit older I'll probably want to look younger, but not now. I mean, yes, I'm short, but still...I suppose this is just something I'll have to get used too. Sometimes I actually act mature (like when I discuss religion or parenting styles with my own parents) and sometimes I act very immature (like asking my dad to come kill a spider that crawled under my dresser because I heard that spiders crawl into people's mouths at night while they're sleeping-seriously, has anyone else heard this?), but I think that's just how I am. I found an old post from earlier this year where I discussed the movie Amelie, where the girl is incredibly unique but she finds an amazing boy that she gets along with great. I see people dating and getting married around me, but I think to myself, I don't really want to settle. I want to find someone who I really think is amazing-and to be honest, I want them to think I'm amazing. I think if I focus on doing what I'm supposed to (not in regards to dating, but life in general) it will all work out. I have faith that everything will work out.

I burned the roof of my mouth. That was kind of unfortunate.

My three main goals for the summer are:
-to finish that independant study class
-to get my permit and license (thus learning how to drive)
-finishing my scrapbook from freshman year (I am sooo close)

I will keep you all updated on the progress of those, in addition to all the lovely things I do in the coming weeks. Have an amazing summer, everyone!

Katie's Five!

The five tag

5 years ago:

Five years ago I was sixteen; looking back, I had a very perfect seeming life, though I remember lots of drama from that time in high school. I think that was around the time I started to consider BYU as my college of choice.

5 months ago:

I was in my 6th semester at BYU; I had finally decided on a major I would stick with (Marriage, Family, and Human Development), and started my preparation for my first social dance competition ever.

5 things on my to do list:
-complete my list of interview questions for my project
-put clean laundry away
-ask someone in religion class for five points on Zoroastrianism
-catch up on reading assignments for school (*note: this may not be possible)
-call back visiting teaching companion!!!

5 snacks I enjoy:
-pepperoni: straight from the bag
-twizzlers
-milk duds
-chocolate covered pretzels
-dove chocolates with those messages in them

5 things I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire:
-tithing
-pay off debts (student loans, mom and dad's house, etc.)
-hire financial advisor (so I can figure out taxes and investments)
-invest
-donate to the Church's Perpetual Education Fund: it's the coolest program. It gives money for young adults from poor backgrounds all over the world in the church to improve their education so they can support their families and their communities. Then when they can earn money they pay the fund back, and that money helps others!


5 bad habits:
-oversleeping
-being late
-not washing my dishes and leaving them in the sink
-leaving reading assignments undone
-forgetting to read my scriptures at night, or not leaving enough time to read very much

5 places I have lived:
-St.Anthony's hospital, when I was born-hey, I didn't leave until the next year :)
-our little house in the scary neighborhood in Pacific (I didn't know it was scary until much later)
-our beautiful other house in Pacific
-OKC, OK
-various apartments in Provo

5 Things most people don't know about me:
-when I was little I had an imaginary camel named "ota-ota"
-I always wanted to have red curly hair and violet eyes
-I have a fantasy story I'm working on and I'm up to 28 pages-woot!
-my favorite chore at home is dusting. If I visit you and I see a patch of dust, I'll probably wipe it off with my hand.
-Sarah and I call each other "eye twins" since we both have the blue eyes with a green ring around the pupil-though the shades are different.

One thing I discovered this week (discovered again, you might say) is that happiness takes a lot of work to keep consistently. That's okay though, I don't mind.
I am so excited to be going home in less than two weeks! I am sad to leave Provo for the time being (not so excited to be missing tests and projects), but I'll be back in a few months for fall semester. I have a feeling a lot of things will have happened with all my friends that will change things, but change is good. I am going to try and do fun things this summer, so I can upload pictures of the things I do instead of just talking about myself. At the very least are trips to St.Louis and Dallas, among other things.

Take me the way I am

Do you know me? I'm curious. I'm going to list off some random things about me, to entertain myself.

-I love listening to distant sounds of trains at night. I heard them at both houses in St.Louis, and I hear them in Provo too. Listening to them when I'm in bed falling asleep is very soothing to me.
-I love little kid things like playgrounds, bubbles, and jump rope.
-The bathrooms in the restaurant "City Bites" are the freakiest things EVER. I'm not kidding.
-My favorite coin is the dime.
-I grew up in a town called Pacific, even though it's nowhere near the ocean. (the trains, people)
-I love Billy Joel's music.
-I love lace on clothes. I also love shirts or dresses that tie in the back. And ribbons.
-I try so hard to find flats that don't hurt my feet, but they don't exist. My feet are a tad on the narrow side.
-My favorite big word to use is facetious.
-Orange is my least favorite color.
-Any boy, from high school on, that I had a crush on for more than a month, has a poem written about him somewhere.
-...I have a hard time writing happy poetry.
-my favorite flowers are alstroemerias, but I also like daffodils, morning glories, cherry blossoms, gardenias, and lilacs.
-I can smell things randomly that others can't, like blood and metal.
-I realized I only feel short around tall people.
-I actually can't stand cinnamon toothpaste, but they use it on me everytime I go to the dentist. I let them because it keeps me from swallowing, which I have a tendency to do.
-I like some country music. I adore Taylor Swift.
-I'm definitely a traditional romantic.
-I have a bad habit of speaking aloud when thinking about something.
-I love sudoku. It makes me feel intelligent.
-I am never buying an mp3 player not from apple again. It's not worth it.
-I strongly dislike most condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayonaise, relish, etc.) and unfortunately I have the worst luck with getting my food orders messed up because of this.
-I have convered at least three people to eating grapes and chocolate pudding together.
-I don't like wearing pullover sweatshirts because they mess up my hair.
-When I'm at home, you can always tell if the cash in the dryer is mine becuase no one else's is folded into fourths.
-I have this weird obsession with going through my stuff and purging what I don't use. It's oddly satisfying.
-I thought the new concentrated detergent bottles were genius. They're much easier to carry to the laundry room.
-I like sparkly things.

Okay, I hope that was at least mildly interesting to someone besides me. I didn't put any crazy things down because....well, I don't do very interesting things, like skydive.

I got a 91 on a multiple choice portion of my adolescent development test!!! That's the first time I've done really well in a class for my major in a while, so it made me really happy. And my roommate Rachel bought me a jump rope! I can't wait to start using it :)
Only 3 1/2 weeks left of spring term at BYU, and then I'm off to Oklahoma City for the summer! Hopefully these entries will be more frequent and exciting when I actually do something besides study.

Have a great week!

And so it goes...

I think I overthink things. Well, anyone who knows me isn't surprised by that. But I've thought so much in the past week that periodically I have to shut my thinking down and do something to block it out-solitaire, reading, anything. I discovered one good thing though-I still love my adolescent development class! The things I learn are amazing-and you learn things that would actually help teenagers. I love it! So maybe I can work with some kind of program with adolescents when I get a "real" job-that'd be cool, I think. And I really want to make a difference in the world-make it better.

I got an email from one of my friends serving a religious mission in Chile and he says that the people there do nothing for the people that are homeless and begging, but they'll do anything for dogs. I love dogs, but I still think maybe we should care about people first. Or hey, how about BOTH? What a novel idea!

I like listening to music. It does a lot for me: suits my current mood, cheers me up, helps me vent frustration....I think there's a song out there for almost anything.

Two songs that I like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktUSIJEiOug

This one is Alicia Keys' new video "No One". It's not the coolest video ever, but the singing is amazing. One thing I love about her is that you feel that all the emotion in her singing is real. You really believe not only what she's saying, but you believe that she believes it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfp9wDrNWrY

I haven't actually seen that much of American Idol this season, but I've seen David Archuleta a few times and I like his voice. I really liked this performance because I LOVE Billy Joel, and I always thought "And so it goes" was a really pretty song. I'm not saying this is better than the original, but I liked it.

Life is hard sometimes, but I have hope that it is all worth it! There was an amazing BYU devotional this week about having faith in Christ, and it struck a chord with me. I know that He is mindful of all of us, and I know that life has good times as well as bad.
I hope everyone has a peaceful, happy week. I love you all, my wonderful friends!

Chocolate Cake and Laughing Roommates

For those who think I should be working a paper right now, don't even tell me you haven't gotten on facebook in the past two days, when you're supposed to be studying for finals.




School and Life have been great lately. Unfortunately, most good things don't end up on this blog because I'm having too much fun to get on my computer. My major is changing names, from being a degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development to a School of Family Life Degree. I don't know yet whether my class schedule will change, but hopefully not too much since I'm already in the program.

I'm really excited to be staying at BYU for spring term! Utah is so cold when I'm here, but it'll actually be warm for once! I'm taking some cool classes in the spring, like country western social dance! I try to take fun classes at BYU because honestly, when am I again going to have an opportunity in my life to take dance classes? Or Asian humanities? Or badminton (I'm hoping to take it in the fall)? I figure I should take these opportunities when I have them. And my dad says you should never rush into the work force, because you're going to be there forever anyway.

It's a good thing I love my major, because if I never get married I'm going to be living in my friend's basement since there is no money in my chosen field.





By the way, sometimes I'm sarcastic on here because I think I'm funny, but even if I do complain, my life pretty much rocks. I have so many things to be grateful for, but I'll try not to fill this with things you don't care about.





All I'll leave you with are three words:

My Favorite Flowers!

Have a great week, everyone!

Walking

I've been thinking about walking lately. When I was younger, I would always look at the ground while I walked everywhere. My "self-esteem" (my professors all hate that phrase) wasn't that great at the time, neither was my confidence. Then when I started working, both shot up, and one day walking across the quiet park in the morning, I decided then that I would never look at the ground again, at least for that reason.

Sometimes I do now, but the two main reasons are either the sun is right in my eyes, or I'm unhappy about something. Lately though, there's been a third cause: I'm thinking. About what? I have no idea. It's usually something random, sometimes important, sometimes not. So if you see me walking along with a concentrated look, it is genius at work! :)

On another note, I first heard Gavin Degraw's new single, "I'm in Love with a Girl" yesterday, and I LOVE IT. I seriously cannot stop watching the video. The only reason I haven't bought the single is because I'm debating buying the CD when it comes out in May. If you liked Gavin's old music, you'll probably like this.

Dance Sport!

BYU hosted a National Amateur Dance Competition this weekend, and it was so amazing. I loved watching everyone from the professionals to the six-year olds who were amazing at swing. Even more than watching, I loved dancing! I entered with the beginning Dance 180 social dance students, dancing the cha cha. My partner and I just wanted to have fun, but we never dreamed we'd be called back four times! Even though we didn't make it to the semi-finals, being in the top 64 out of 240 couples was pretty amazing for us.

Oh, I think they do

I get frustrated frequently by what I feel I should be. Countless people around me tell me I shouldn't care what other people think, but if I act like that, I'm really only doing it to please them, and in that case I'm still looking at others to decide what I should do!

So to be me, and have people like it, is a strange experience. It's kind of fun.

I learned in my MFHD 210 Child Development class that teenage boys are more likely to think they're invinicble and teenage girls are more likely to perform to an imaginary audience. So, it makes sense to me that I am concerned about what people will think. I'm trying to not care, but it's a hard feeling to get rid of.

I have a class that I've missed rather often lately, but I decided to go to today, and it was cancelled!!!! Why did it have to be today? Oh well. Now I have extra time, so I can do useful things like write in this blog.

I love my dance class. It makes me feel talented. And girls get to be spun around all the time, and that's my favorite part. I got a 91 on my fox trot test!!!! I was so proud of myself. I certainly am not doing that well in my major classes, so it was nice to do really well for a change.
In the not too distant future I'm going to be competing in Dance Sport with the cha cha! I'll post pictures up here when that happens, because I'm really excited.

Things on my radar right now:

-"Hero/Heroine" Boys Like Girls
-"The Way I am" Ingrid Michaelson
-Anna the Bot: a really weird sweedish music video my roommmates and I like to watch
-blackberry yogurt-sadly, I haven't had it in a while because of my cold :(
-when I walk through the bookstore, I stop and look at the easter candy. They have these Dove truffles in a package, and I've picked it up and looked at it like three times. I might buy it sometime, but that might ruin things.
-I keep looking at where the clock used to be in the living room, even when I'm facing where the clock currently is.
-my favorite anime (of the moment, Tsubasa Chronicle) is no longer on You Tube with english subtitles, only in spanish!!! Is this worth learning spanish for?
-I like Thousand Paper Crane's song "February 14th".

I am me, and you are you

I've become a big fan lately of Regina Spektor's song On the Radio. It's kind of weird if you listen to it, but I've always thought her lyrics were very profound. Here's my favorite part:

"This is how it works:
You're young until you're not
You love until you don't
You try until you can't
You laugh until you cry
You cry until laugh
And everyone must breathe until their dying breath..."

I think those lyrics are amazing.

A friend told me lately that no one really says anything profound. We just think it is because we finally understand it. I think it's true. Still, I think we all need that push, that "inspiration", that drive. To me, this song is saying, "that's how it is." That's it. Certain things are how they are, and don't go away. We just have to change how we deal with them.

Why do musicals make you feel so happy?

Oh, you know...

It occured to me today that I haven't written at all this month, and perhaps I should have. Today in Sacrament Meeting (our main church meeting) people were speaking on time management and priorities, including my roommmate Jen. It makes me think. I don't think my intended priorities are necessarily bad, but maybe what I actually spend my time on is. If you think about it, your real priorites are what you spend time on, otherwise you wouldn't be doing them. So, you have to think, what have I been doing that isn't important, and what haven't I been doing that is?

So, I do a lot of pointless things, but I was thinking, maybe they aren't so bad. Yes, I'm on facebook a lot, but I'm also keeping in touch with my friends. And yes, maybe talking to my roommates at 2 in the morning means I get very little sleep, but I have great friendships with those girls. And as my dad pointed out, the story I've been working on "apparently" describes me very well, so I'm learning to understand myself and others while writing it. It also helps me to accept criticism.

I'm not saying that I should do those this obsessively, or that I should stop doing my homework, but I think I need to understand the concequences of the things I'm doing to figure out what I should be doing. Make sense?

Sometimes being happy is frightening, because you're afraid it will go away.

Favorite Section:

Today's selection of favorites will be: shoes

I really like shoes. My last two pairs of tennis shoes were the kind that have elastic criss-crossing straps instead of laces, and I love it. They're so easy to slip on! When those go out of style I'm going to be in trouble if I've forgotten how to tie my shoes.

We Love You, President Hinckley

For those who are unaware, our beloved Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley passed away Sunday night. He was also the head of the board of Trustees for BYU. I am grateful that he is able to be with his wife that he missed so much, but sad that I won't get to hear him speak in conference. His talks were always the highlight.

In an earlier post, I addressed the question of whether it is better to do good or be good. President Hinckley's answer is to do both.

"You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And the good that is in you must be spread to others."

-Gordon B. Hinckley, BYU Devotional, 1996 (before my time, of course)

On another note, I was walking on campus today when I saw several "wet paint" signs on a wall that had been recently painted. Why is it people always put the signs right on top of the wet paint? Don't the signs mess up the paint? It confuses me.

You're tied together with a smile, but you're coming undone

Something I've learned recently is that you don't have to have all the answers. Sometimes, I think people forget that.

In my very first MFHD class at BYU, in my family processes class, my professor said that someone didn't want to have a family if there were so many ways you could screw it all up. Dr. Day said, "You can mess it up, but it's better to go through life with a partner than to make mistakes doing it alone." (not a direct quote)

I don't think it means you're in trouble either way, but I do think he was saying that so much potential joy is worth some of the risks. Sometimes it isn't, but I think sometimes it is.

I think I need more culture in my life. Anyone want to see a play with me?

Princess Parking Only (All others will be toad)

Happy New Year, everyone!

I've heard some discrepencies as far as what matters. Some say it is what you do that matters, others say it is what you are that matters. Since I have no clue which one is better, I suppose I should work on both.

I think I understand people a lot less than I thought I did. I thought that people didn't notice things about me, but they did all along and just didn't say anything. Knowing that people do care makes me want to be a better person.

After several months, I have officially declared myself a Marriage, Family, and Human Development major. Hurray! I've been taking classes all along, but it was stil a shock to discover that I only have 6 classes for my major left after this semester. I love being at BYU, and to think of leaving after next year seems way too soon. But then, maybe all steps in our lives are managable. I used to imagine that college courses were really hard, but I'm not confused all the time. Classes are definitely dificult, but they are also manageable. Frequently, I love it. Perhaps having a career in a field I love could turn out the same way.

I used to think that the perfect love in movies was so difficult to find. I mean, how often does a couple that is so perfect find each other, and actually be compatible? And yet it happens. I've taken a number of marriage classes for my major, and I can say that not only was Sarah the most prepared person I've ever seen get married, but Sarah and Kevin are also so perfect for each other. Maybe it can happen after all.

BYU has a free movie theatre on campus that shows foreign films, so I was finally able to see an edited version of Amelie. That movie is amazing. It not only makes you want to fall in love but also convinces you that even if you're strange, there's someone strange (but cute) out there that's perfect for you.

I'd like to make some goals for the new year:

-I'm completely cutting off soda, for now
-eat healthier
-start doing my strength training exercises again
-go to class
-do my reading assignments
-verbalize my emotions instead of bottling them up
-see all the foreign films I can that look good at the international cinema
-start conditioning my hair
-cook real food more
-forgive others more and take offense less

With so many goals, surely something will get done.

Today's happy moments of the day:
-emails from missionaries
-friendly conversations with roommates
-amazing chocolate cake

I'll try to not burn the apartment down...

Life takes funny turns sometimes.

It's funny how sometimes you can feel really grown-up, and sometimes really immature.

We talked in my aging class about how you're an adult when your parents stop being "Santa Claus" and you finally give things back to people, even if your contributions are small. The idea that I can finally contribute makes me feel happy, in a serious way.

One person told me a lesson I taught on marriage had stuck with her, and another person asked me for relationship advice, and told me it was good advice.

I'm finally feeling maybe what I'm doing with my life, and my major, could be something good.

Another person I've looked up to for things my whole life asked me for something.

I think I like this Christmas present.

Let's Play Rachel's Game!

I like being happy.

Do you know what makes me happy? Here is a list of a few things:

-great ideas late at night that never come to pass

-purple pens

-sweaters

-cake

-chivalry

-roommates

-quotes that are imortalized seconds after being said

-new versions of "rock,paper, scissors"

-laughing

-cases of those small oranges

-fleece blankets

-watching movies when I should be studying

-quiet boys

-christmas songs

-hot chocolate

-phone calls

-caramel and cheese popcorn mixed

-crisp air

-walking in the snow

-cream soda

-Thousand Paper Cranes

-romance

-inside jokes

-other people's snacks

-sunday dinner

-writing stories

-scum (the game)

-missionary letters

Maybe simple things influence my happiness, but I think that's a good thing.

November

November is usually a very interesting month for me. Towards the end of it is Thanksgiving, so I am looking forward to going home for that. For some reason, Thanksgiving holiday is different than Christmas. Christmas is awesome (especially since it's more than a week long), but usually I'm taking finals right up until I leave so I feel less excited, plus I was home just a couple weeks ago.

Thanksgiving, I'm usually reaching the end of my tether, as far as school is concerned, so I'm much more excited to go. This year, though, I will be spending it in OKC for the first time with just my parents. Last year, at least Sarah and Grandma were there with me. I think if it had been like this two years ago, when I first came to college, I would have hated it. I would have been so desperate for my extended family I would have been miserable. This year, I think I'll be fine. I no longer hate Oklahoma the way I thought I would. Isn't it interesting the way life changes?

By the way, I don't really like turkey.

Or pie.

Or Macy's Thanksgiving parade.

I do like rolls, stuffing, and green bean casserole, though.

And my family.

And my dog.

Happy November, Everyone!

And may I say, Kevin is the funniest librarian I know.

Yes, I did just hit my head on the doorframe

Today is not my day

Is it yours?

If I can’t be happy

I’d like you to be

I’ve got bruises

And sleep in my eyes

Today has little hope

But just maybe,

If today is your day

Our day can coincide

And today can be a pretty good day

I don’t want to ruin your plans

But I want both of us to be happy

So, let’s make it our day

Will you share?


I often wonder, if today is not "my day", then whose is it? I have hope that even if it does not start out as being my day, it will be by the end.

Today, Little Brother, Life is Good

You know, sometimes life is boring and unhappy, and you forget that life can actually be quite good.

I AM SO HAPPY!

The last month has been absolutely insane (hence no entries) but quite wonderful. I have been having the time of my life.

1-Sarah's wedding shower. I put a lot of effort into helping plan it, and despite making three quiches and the very last minute and some minor problems, it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed being part of the "adult world" and being able to contribute to Sarah's wedding.

2-Sarah's rehearsal dinner. Despite stressing over my MOH toast, I had fun talking to my extended family. Everyone really enjoyed my toast, and it made me feel good. My favorite part was my cousin Mae seeing my bridesmaid bracelet (similar to her flower girl bracelet) and saying, "are you a flower girl too?" It was so cute!

3-Sarah's wedding was completely awesome. The entire day was great. I loved everything, from getting our hair done to waiting on the peaceful temple grounds to chilling on a bench with Kevin during pictures to getting lunch at Arby's in the car on the way to the reception to the strawberry cream hors d'oeuvres to talking to all our family friends to spending most of the reception dancing with my cousins. IT WAS AWESOME! I think it's a day we're all going to look back on as one the happiest moments in our lives.

4-Starting my 3rd year of college. Despite starting a week late, despite being behind, this year is already awesome. I have three fantastic roommates who always make me laugh and encourage me to be a better person. Our apartment is great, the ward is friendly, and I like my classes already. I am really getting into my major now (Marriage, Family, and Human Development) and I know now more than ever that this is what I want to do.

5-Homecoming! Despite being talked into it my my roommates, I'm really glad I went. Our whole apartment went together with a huge group of eight. What girl doesn't like to be treated like a princess?

With all these great things happening, who knows what the year will bring?

Why aren't my eyebrows singed?

From May to August, as long as I've been home this summer, I've broken two glasses and a glass jar. I think this is a new record for me. I would like to point out all three times I was barefoot, and still avoided major injury. I think that's pretty lucky, don't you?

I've been stressed before. I think in the past year I've been stressed 60% of the time. So I'm used to it. The fact that pretty much everyone around me is stressed too is what makes me insane. I personally can't wait for life to settle down. I love my family, and I think they are mainly what make me happy. My life though, is set by routines. I like having a schedule of classes every day. I like walking the same way to class each week. I like ordering my favorite sandwich and getting the same soda from the vending machines. Perhaps my life sounds boring, but I find comfort in the monotony's. When I am in a routine, my brain is free to think.

I have been reading the Anne of green gables books lately, and I think I would find her to be a "kindred spirit". The only thing is, She doesn't dream so much and I still do. Tell me, where can I find Gilbert?

Thinking of vending machines really makes me want a red a&w cream soda now.

I'll tell you when you're 25

This weekend, I went to see The Fray in concert! It was pretty much the coolest thing ever. They sang all the songs I wanted, and they were just as good live as they are on the cd. The special effects really cool too! They did this flashing red and black thing during the song "Little House". I wish I could repeat that every time I listen to the song.

I also had a great time visiting St. Louis (where the concert was) though I could have done without the 2 1/2 hour delay of my flight........or the twenty minutes we spent driving a mere mile and a half on the highway...but the rest was great. Normally when we go up to St. Louis, it's either the 8 hour car ride from OKC or the 3 hour flight from Salt Lake, and both are torture. Then we have 50 million people to eat with and talk to and things to do, so it was nice to avoid all that and just have a good time. I'll post the pics from the concert later...when I eventually get them developed.

I love fireworks. Maybe I'm patriotic, or maybe I just like shiny things. We saw some today and we'll see some tomorrow too.

Tell me, is it worth it to get up at 8am for pancakes?