Mission blog

So... I'm going on a mission!  Check out my mission blog here ----> linkety link link

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

It's a well-known fact that I only write on this blog when I'm avoiding something important.  Usually it's finals or homework, but today it's not.  You know why???

Because I'm GRADUATING!  And that means that the final I took this morning was my final final of my undergraduate career.  To be honest, I am a little sad inside.  I've loved my time in college and I can't wait to start back up again with graduate school.  But there are other things that must transpire first.  We'll talk about those things later.

But for now, since I'm practicing avoidance behavior (avoiding packing and cleaning my apartment before I move out), let's do a blog post!  Since it's Thursday, I'll do an Awkward and Awesome post.

AWKWARD:

• Slipping and almost falling flat on my back while coming home from the testing center today.  What did I slip on?  A plum, of course.
• Me muttering to myself (literally out loud) and writing in the air with my finger while taking my Chinese exam today.  It helps me remember the tones, ok?!?
• People seeing my completely empty fridge.  A girl in my apartment complex needed to store some wedding food in my fridge, so she came over and there was a liiiiiiittle awkward moment when I opened the fridge door and it was absolutely empty inside except for a few bottles of jam and mustard.  I'm not starving and I'm not poor, I PROMISE.  I'm just moving out of my house!
• Cleaning my former roommate's bedroom and finding an old Cafe Rio cup half-filled with... something.  She moved out several weeks ago.  Eeew.
• My cap and gown.  The little hat is so weird!  And just like in high school, the tassel keeps getting stuck in my eyelashes.
• The guy distributing caps and gowns and free alumni t-shirts.  "So what size are you?" He looks me up and down and says, "Wait, I think I know......"  That's not creepy at all, sir.  I ALWAYS appreciate it when complete strangers overtly make assessments of my body.  Thankssomuch!

AWESOME:

• I'm graduating!  That's kind of awesome!
• The fact that when people say, "Wow, you're graduating!  So what are you going to do next?" I can say, "I'm going to Disneyland!"  Because I AM going to Disneyland!
• I totally quit my job last week.  I am free.  So free.  So happy.  So glad to be rid of orange hats and angry strangers yelling at me on the phone.
• While this week has been the busiest of my life, it has been one of the best because I've had a chance to hang out with some of my very best friends.  My friends are the Nutella on my crepe of life.
• Vanilla coffee creamer + almond milk.  WowwWWwwwW.
• This photographer and her awesome projects. (Clickety click the link and seeeeee.)
• Pretty much a lot of things are awesome right now.  Good job for being awesome, life!

I heart Google calendar.

Sometimes I feel a little surprised when I realize that my life doesn't feel as orderly as it looks here, so neatly arranged in colorful boxes.  Oh well.

I love this.

Today's bright spot

Today was long.

I had a midterm at 8 this morning.  It was my Chinese 101 speaking midterm and I was beyond nervous.  I was so nervous I woke up quite sick.  Thankfully, the midterm went very well, and I even had extra time to finish my homework for my next class.

After class I went to work.  I was recently promoted/demoted/reassigned/misplaced into a new position at my work.  Switching jobs is always extremely tough for me.  Today was baptism by fire at work.  I was super stressed out, enough so that my supervisor kept trying to feed me cookies to calm me down.

Somehow that was not helpful for me.

I ended up staying at work for 2 extra hours just trying to finish everything up.  And somehow the extra $18.00 for my efforts does not seem at all worth it.

When I got home I was prepared to head straight for the books, because I have to take my Chinese 101 written midterm tomorrow at 8. I'm not ready for the test.  And by the time I got home, I wasn't even ready to study for the test because I was so drained.

But, thank goodness, a dear friend of mine called right as I was about to lose my mind.  We talked for less than 15 minutes.  It was a short conversation, but it was a real conversation.  It amazes me how that one conversation, no matter how short, was the best part of my day.  I feel better about that conversation than I do about the extra cash I made or the good grade I got on my midterm.  This proves the point that life has been trying to teach me for a while now: successful relationships are the only successes that really count in the long term.  I am so glad this is the case, because I'd rather occupy myself with cultivating healthy, fulfilling relationships with friends, family, God, and myself than worry about anything else.  Moments like that phone conversation can bring meaning to an otherwise dismal day.

By the way, you should watch this.

Summer '11. It has begun.

Summer. Hug it. Love it. Kiss it. Hold it close and cherish it, because it's finally HERE. *crazy dance*

This summer is going to be interesting for me. It's already been one of many goodbyes, and I know more goodbyes are waiting in the near future. I'll be saying goodbye to a lot of friends, to my ward here in Provo, to my undergraduate career, etc. All of this goodbye-ing has made me realize that TIME really is precious, as cheesy as that sounds, and I don't want to let any time go to waste, no matter where I'm at in life.

So. I've decided that this summer is going to be one of pushing myself. I've long been the type of person who is AFRAID of doing things that I'm not good at, or that I've never tried before. I've recognized lately that this isn't how I want to live my life. I need to get over myself and see that OF COURSE I'm not going to be perfect at everything I try. I don't HAVE to be perfect. So I'm not going to let that fear of not being perfect hold me back from having good experiences. This summer will involve a lot of stretching and straining for my personality, my spirit, my body, and my mind. I'm excited!

So. One thing that I've been afraid of for a long time is BUYING NEW CLOTHES. I'm always nervous to try out new fashions, or even to try on clothes at all because I get frustrated really easily when I feel like I don't look "cute enough." I feel like I've been in a clothing rut for a good... 5 years. It's time to change that. So... to motivate me to try new things in the fashion department, I am entering an outfit contest being put on by my very dear friend Kailee at An Outfit a Day Keeps the Fashion Police Away.  <--Click the links to see Kailee's adorable awesomeness!!  Yaaaay contest!  CLICK THE BUTTON!

 

 I won't lie, this is going to be challenging for me.  If you click the button, you'll see that the theme is going to require lots of creativity, especially for someone like me who tends to wear the same colors (black, blue, grey, and other neutrals) allllll the time.  I'll keep you updated on what I enter.  And YOU should all enter too!  You can win a gift card to Forever 21!  Doooo it, you know you wanna!

Success story

I would just like to announce that it has been TWO WEEKS since I have bitten my nails. I feel... like a champion. And this proves that I do have SOME willpower. I'm taking this as a good sign for my future.

**commence victory dancing**

TRY THIS TRY THIS TRY THIS NOW

CLICK HERE AND FIND JOY.

Hero of the day

The current status of things

Here's what's been playing on repeat for the past two weeks:



Here's what's starting next week:

Le French Open!!

My new job!

Here's where I should be:

Here's where I will inevitably end up instead:

This was taken my freshman year,
when I made my bed every day and
cared way too much about how my backside looked in those jeans

Saving lives

Here we go, a blog update!  (You're welcome.)

So, I saved 3 lives today.  No big deal.

I never get nervous about donating blood.  NEVER.
(Lies.)

Today I donated blood.  Usually this is noooo problemo for me.  No throwing up, no passing out, no collapsed veins, no bruising, nada.  Today was mostly ok, except I was so dehydrated that I had to sit in the little snack area for half an hour after I donated because I was a liiiiiiitle out of it.  The nice phlebotomists and ladies who hand out treats kept trying to talk to me, but I was a teensy bit dazed and confused, so they made me sip juice and recline until I was acting like a relatively normal human being.  While I was acting pretty weird and staring off into space/dropping my chin to my chest/blinking slowwwwwly, I am proud to say that I am still maintaining my perfect record of never passing out or crying during the blood donation process.  Booyah.  I will be back to donate again in 8 weeks.  And YOU should donate too! (If you find yourself able to do so.)

Expiration, schhhmexpiration

So... remember how I was really excited to get my grown-up, SIDEWAYS driver's license? ....That dream has been postponed. I went to the Driver's License Division to renew my license, but they REJECTED me (only AFTER my mom and I had waited in line for 40 minutes) because my license doesn't actually expire until my next birthday, since I didn't get the license until over 6 months after my 16th birthday. Uncool.
Such is life. I'm ok with waiting. It's worth saving the $18 bucks they would have charged me to get a sideways-facing license without renewing it. Bright side: I still got to go home to hang out with my fam, even though my original reason for returning home didn't turn out right. In the meantime, I will just deal with the driver's license that makes me look like a minor.

The blue border represents my melancholic emotions toward the Utah DLD

21

So... Today is my 21st birthday.

WHAT?!?

I remember being 10 and thinking that I would never make it to age 21. That's so OLD. I remember thinking a similar thing at age 16. And 17 and 18 and 19 and 20. But now I'm 21 and I still feel like I'm 14 in a lot of ways. And in a lot of other ways, I feel like I'm 30 (which is also NOT OLD... or so I hear). All of this growing up business is very time-warpish. I'm not sure how to deal with it.

In other news, I forgot to renew my driver's license. Ooooooooops. I NEVER THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD COME! I get to have a SIDEWAYS-FACING driver's license!

Awkward and Awesome Thursday #2

It's THURSDAY!!! (pssst, that means tomorrow is Fridayyy!) Let the awkward awesomeness begin.

AWKWARD:

• Making eye contact with my professor when she was talking to someone else, and then having her ignore my presence. This is to be expected, as I am but a lowly undergrad. It's ok. But still awkward.
• Making a bracelet and having my OCD kick in. The bracelet is too small for me, but I COULDN'T add more beads because that would throw off the visual balance. Perfectionism is awkward sometimes. That's just the truth. (Actually, come to think of it, I could have just added TWO beads and kept it even. Shoot. Oh well, what's done is done.... But it's still gonna bug me.)
  
• Having student consultations in the hallway instead of in an office. I reaaaally hope everyone in the French department wanted to hear my conversation about Calvinism and Utopian thought, cuz they didn't really have any choice but to listen.
• The mini-fit of coughing I got every time I stepped out of a building today. Apparently it was cold enough for my esophagus to grow icicles.
• Spelling the word "sophisticated" wrong. The irony....
• Recognizing someone on campus, and almost saying hi to them, but then having to stop myself because I realized I only know them because I've facebook stalked their roommate. This is the digital age of awkwardness.

AWESOME:

• Watching a movie in class. Lemme hear ya say "NAP TIME!"
• Rocking out to the Jackson 5 at work because nobody can see you jammin' when you work in a basement at 5AM.
• Speaking of working, I have survived one whole week at my new job as an early-morning custodian. I am INVINCIBLE.
  
• Getting a compliment on my freckles. I was 18 before I started liking my freckles, and now I can't get enough of them. Call me vain, I don't care. :)
  
• SOY MILK. Yummo.
• Chinese New Year! 新年快乐, y'all. May the year of the rabbit be good to you.
  

That's all for today. It's almost my bedtime. Or, at least, I have decided it's almost my bedtime. It's ok to go to bed at 9, right? This sista is tuckered out!

Today today today

My title says "today" 3 times because I feel like I've been through about 72 hours worth of stuff today.

Good news:

I finally got a job! Hooray! I've been desperately looking for a job with more hours this semester, and I finally snagged one. I started today. The job hours are 4:30 AM to 8:00 AM. I clean the basement of a building on campus. GLAMOROUSSSS!!!!! Seriously though, I am so grateful for this job. I need it, like baaaaadddd do I need the money from this job. Work was a little tough today, since starting a new job is always hard, as is vacuuming at 4:30 AM.

Bad news:

My research grant was declined. :( Sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, and more sad. I applied for this research grant last year in hopes that I would get the grant and be able to work in a certain lab within my major. The grant was unfortunately my only chance of getting into this lab, so now that the grant is a no-no, I might not be able to work with the lab or the professor that I wanted to work with. Muy triste. I'm quite disappointed. I'm trying to look on the bright side though. I'm sure there's a good reason why I didn't get the grant. Maybe this will be a chance to search out other opportunities that will be awesome and amazing beyond my wildest dreams.

Other stuff:

I have had student consultations ALL day today and yesterday. I have never had this many students come to me for help on their papers! I'm actually loving it. I like getting the chance to help people find the solutions they need. The great thing is, they usually know the right answer--they just need someone to bounce their ideas off until the answer becomes clear. I feel like I'm doing mini therapy sessions with these students as they write their papers. :) NERD ALERT, JCroft. NERD ALERT.

Oh Jackson Emery....

Why is Jackson Emery married? WHY?!?


*le sigh*

At least I will get to gaze upon him at the BYU vs. SDSU game tomorrow!! Yeah babyyyy!! I stood in the freezing snow for an hour and a half this morning to get a wristband for entry into tomorrow's game, and I plan on standing in line for at least three more hours tomorrow to get into the Marriot Center. Worth it? YESSSSSSSS. WORTH IT.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

I read this great blog called The Daybook, where every Thursday is a day of awkwardness and awesomeness as lived by the author. Today I'm being a copycat and writing my own awkward and awesome moments from today. Enjoy!

AWKWARD:

• Running up the hill to class with a backpack on. Running uphill with a backpack=awkward lunging forward like a pre-humanoid with scoliosis. Running with a backpack in general=looking like a freshman. Oh the shame. I swear, I've been here for three years!
  
• Singing passionately to a song playing in the car while sitting in an empty parking lot, and then suddenly realizing that the parking lot is not, in fact, empty. Why helloooooooo, mustachioed man getting out of his car. Welcome to my private vocal concert of Taylor Swift songs.
• Eating free popcorn you scored at the housing fair on campus, and getting a huge piece stuck right between my front teeth. Like, a piece big enough that I could feel all of my orthodontic work being undone. Ouch.
• A relatively large pile of used *ahem* feminine hygiene products spilling out from a bag by the dumpster near my apartment complex. Eeeesh.
  
• Having nobody come to see me during my office hours. When nobody comes to see me, I feel suuuper awkward because it looks like I'm just a random student who decided to chill in a fancy office and read a book without permission. I'm supposed to be sitting in that office, I swear! Yeah, I'm talking to you, people who walk down the hall and give me disapproving looks.
• When someone forgets to flush. Seriously. Eeeeewwwww.
• People making incredibly racist comments in a class on cultural diversity. Ummmmm.... *everyone avoids making eye contact with others while the person rambles racistly on*

AWESOME:

• Getting free candy from my former apartment complex's booth at the housing fair. Why yes, I will take your candy, but I will never give you money ever again. Ha!
• Finishing homework with enough time left to blog.
• Banana + peanut butter. Love.
• Having a piano in my apartment. Every day = jam session!!!
• Waking up warm. I'm usually shivering in my little nightie when I wake up, but this morning was pleasantly cozy.
• Only having one class today. Booyah.
• A new job (possibly). Fingers crossed and crossed again on this one....

Overall, a decent Thursday. What were your awkwards and awesomes?