Road Trip.

Oh. My. WORD! My roommate, Nicole, and I just got back from the most treacherous journey of my life!!

But before I delve into my perils, I'll just give a brief word about where the road trip actually took place. We went to Provo just for the fun of it. It's a four hour drive, from here to there, and she didn't want to go it alone. I admit I was tempted to stay home -heaven knows I have enough homework -but I did something spontaneous (which really is NOT how I roll) and went with her.

The drive down was fun. We passed like seven temples! (And when you're the type of person who's dad let you memorize the names of all the temples and who happens to be the one driving through Utah at night -things can get a little dangerous.) "Oh look!" My roommate said after discovering a temple on my left. "No wait! Don't look!" She made me swear not even to glance in that direction. Needless to say, while driving through Utah, I had a ball! It made me very anxious to have my car. Who knows when I'll ever be in Utah again. During the drive my roommate looked at me suspiciously and asked, "You're not thinking of moving here are you?"

If I had been asked that question a week ago I would not even have hesitated. No. Why on earth would I move to Utah?? ...But now that I've actually driven through it and seen the temples, and the mountains, and the lake... I don't know the answer any more. I did give my roommate permission to hit me if ever I became a Utah-Wife, but that really is a small price for such a beautiful place.

Anyway, now I suppose you're just DYING to know what happened on our journey home. Well, I'll start at the beginning. I was visiting my newly-engaged friend when I got the phone call. It was one of my other roommates calling from our apartment. Apparently Rexburg had turned into an utter blizzard! Snow was coming down hard and fast and she informed me that she could barely see out our window. Rexburg was a complete white-out!

Well, the weather in Provo was fine. Nice and sunny and not a snow cloud in sight. We took our roommates worries to heart (we got several worried phone calls that evening) and made our way to Rexburg.

It took us seven hours to complete our four hour drive. The snow was coming down hard and my roommate's Corolla was lacking in four wheel drive. I could feel it every time the car started to fish-tail. To be honest, I was scared. My roommate is from California. These last four months are the only times she has ever driven in the snow. On the contrary side of things, I have driven in the snow (not that I would have been any better) but I also haven't driven a jot in the last for months.

It was dark and the only thing we could see were the bright snowflakes slamming into the windshield. I knew it was going to happen just before it did. I grabbed onto the chair and the door with either of my hands. Adrenaline gushed through my body and I couldn't help but to tense up. The car spun gracefully and I was shocked to see six pairs of yellow lights headed right toward us. Fortunately, the car continued to spin and it stopped -facing the same direction that we started in -when it hit a small drift in the snow.

My second thought -following shortly after: Oh my goodness -what just happened?? Was: How far off the road are we?? -I was terrified that the whole front of the car was still stuck in traffic and that the incoming cars were just going to run into us. Immediately after stopping, my roommate flipped on her emergency lights and there we waited.

Relief is refreshing. The cars drove by without any trouble. I sat there, all pumped and filled with adrenaline, not knowing what to do with myself. Strangely enough the only thing I could do was laugh. My body was shaking like crazy and I knew that if I panicked my roommate would panic too. So. I laughed.

Nicole called her mother and I remember her saying over and over again "I hate my life. I hate my life. I hate my life." That made me laugh even more. After trying to drive the car out of the drift, we climbed out of the car to see if the wheels were stuck. They were.(And despite the blizzard I was perfectly warm, thanks to the adrenaline.)

...And then our Knight in Shinning Armor showed up. He was wearing a red and black checkered jacket and slim glasses. (My roommate took the liberty of discovering the wedding band on his left hand.) He asked if we were okay and if he could help. My roommate and I stood out in the cold while he climbed into the car to get it un-stuck. I was worried at first that he'd just drive off with it, but he proved me wrong, fortunately. After that we had little trouble. We kept in his tracks all the way to Pocatello and made it to Rexburg by midnight. I sluffed work for the first time. I wasn't about to go to work three hours after getting home from being gone an entire weekend. So here I am blogging.... Now I think I'll get off and watch "Enchanted" without any further interruptions. (I love this movie!) -If I missed anything or if something doesn't make sense its because I'm being distracted by singing animals...

Bangs.

I now have bangs. All of my roommates are convinced that these "new bangs" are giving me some kind of newly acquired confidence. In truth it's only because I now feel perfectly comfortable around them and I am finally able to let out my "true-self." ...They still threaten to chop off the bangs whenever I give them a hard time or get attitudy. They're worried about what my family will think. "They're not going to know what to do with her!" I'm not worried. ...So, I know this post is a little pointless, but I wanted to remember this monumental day: the day I acquired superpowers through bangs!

Woow!

Okay, as you are sitting here reading my blog, I want you to try something. Swing your right leg from your chair and rotate it clockwise. Got it? Okay, now take your right hand and rotate it COUNTER-clockwise.

My roommate just pointed out that this is IMPOSSIBLE! And it is quite hilarious to watch people try! You might have to look about the room and be sure that you are alone. ;)

Die Hard.

So..it's well past midnight. I have work in four hours. I'm practically dead on my feet. And I just stood in line for 30 minutes waiting for a movie. I've never done that before. Out in the cold... I mean, sure -I've waited in line for books, but never a movie.

So here I am now. Sitting in my apartment. With my roomies. Watching Twilight. I think I'm going to have to pull an all nighter. ...Good thing it's Saturday. Anyway. So, I've discovered (as I have time and time again) that when I'm tired I start spitting out all these random things. Like very stupid things. And I also start blabbing about nothing. Which is surprising because I typically have a lot to say about nothing... Jessica Stanley really, really bothers me...

So yeah, in line at Wal-Mart, I was "fortunate" enough to be standing in front of the silliest girls in all of Rexburg. Oh my goodness... High School. Die Hard. Giggling. Annoying... Anyway, I suppose if I was more awake I could have appreciated the vibe... On second thought, I don't think I would have. These girls were pretty annoying... The workers gave out candy, while we waited in line... People were on the roof. That was pretty weird... My roommate waited out it the card... I am really tired... I better end this before I end up zzzzzzzzz z z z z .......

Who is Better?

Your Opinion Please. Who, of all of Jane Austin's heroes, do you like the best? (Note: I did not include those of her works that have no been made into movies, and those I did include I picked the version I like the best.) You don't have to explain your reasons, I'm just curious. (And if I've missed one -please let me know!)

Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Darcy:


Persuasion's Captain Wentworth:


Northanger Abbey's Henry Tilney:


Sense and Sensibility's Edward Ferrars:


Emma's George Knightly:


Mansfield Park's Edmund Bertram:

You've Had A Busy Day?

Yesterday... Lemmie tell ya. I went to work, went to school, literally ran to and from my orthodontist for my appointment, went to counseling, then came home, worked on homework, took an hour nap, went and saw cadavers with my cousin (!!!!!!), went back home, was locked OUT of my apartment, (I forgot my key AND my cell phone!!), waited, went and ate dinner at Hogi Yogi (I was THAT hungry), came back, waited some more, until finally about an hour and a half later my roommates showed up, I took a shower (the cadavers are the foulest thing I have EVER smelt!!), called in for work because I had WAY to much homework and I knew I'd be dead tired (usually I just ignore the tiredness, but I thought I'd be up really really late finishing my homework, turns out I wasn't -not any more than usual- but anyway. It was nice to have the day off. I'll work on my off day to make up for it. No biggie.) After that I finished my homework and then tried sleeping. I don't know what it is, but lately (even if I'm DEAD tired -pun intended) I can't fall asleep. My mind keeps spinning and I can never just stop and concentrate on falling asleep...)

Well, I guess that's about all for yesterday. Mostly I just wanted to gross you out about the cadavers. For those of you don't know, a cadaver is a dead body. "Cadaver" is usually used as a more formal term for a body being used in medical training or research. Which is what my cousin was doing; studying the different muscles in the body. (Yuck!) I didn't post a picture of it (not that I took any. I didn't) to further gross you out, but I was afraid that not all of my audience could handle it. But trust me. It is MUCH worse when you see them in person. I seriously thought I was going to lose my lunch. I just kept telling myself how utterly embarrassing that would be to both myself and my cousin. So I held it in. But if you want to see a picture of one, just click here. So anyway, that was my day...

Inkheart.

I had the opportunity this week to go and watch the movie Inkheart (it was my first date for the semester!) Inkheart was directed by Iain Softley and stars Brendan Fraser and Lord of the Rings' Andy Serkis (aka Gollum). I find it interesting that Cornelia Funke wrote the book with Brendan Fraser in mind for the lead roll and here he is actually play it! Isn't that cool? Anyway, the movie was good. I really liked it. It's PG and I believe it only has two cuss words (just in case you were worried).

Inkheart is a story about a Father who, when he reads books aloud, makes the characters come to life. Upon reading aloud something from the book leaves the pages on which it was written and enters our world, while something from our world enters into that of the book. The graphics, in my opinion, were excellently done. In regard for its age group it was very well done. Grade wise I think I'd give it a B+. My favorite quote is when the villain (Gollum) says: "Why would we ever want to go back when your world is so accommodating with your telephones and your guns and what's that sticky stuff called ...oh yes, duct tape. I just love duct tape!"

5 Things I've learned about myself during my college experience:

#1. I love to cook. In fact, my whole apartment does. (You should see our sink!) My favorite thing to bake is probably banana bread with chocolate chips. All of my roommates like it. Actually, they complain that I'm making them gain weight, but that's the same thing as a compliment right? And I've found I like pasta best. I like the noodles.

#2. Speaking of food -when it comes to breakfast, cereal really isn't my thing. I love it, don't get me wrong. I've just noticed that I'd much rather have a few pancakes than a simple bowl of cereal. ...I don't know why. Maybe it's because it's cold up here and cold cereal isn't really what I'm hungry for anymore.

#3. I very nearly HATE snow. It's like a road trip. If it lasts for a few hours and then it's done, I'm okay. But if it lasts for days and weeks, or three whole months I get very sick. In fact, to be honest, the smell of snow (or snow exposed to cars and whatever other yucky stuff is in the air) makes me car-sick. I have no idea why, it just does. I do NOT like the smell of snow.

#4. (This isn't to say that this is the only place, but) -One of the first places I gain weight is in my face. I'm getting chubby cheeks. I really gotta stop snacking! Oh and that reminds me, with the exception of only one, I'm taller than all of my roommates -and I'm not even that tall!

#5. I already knew this, but I never really knew how far I could take it... I love to ask questions. My roommates will tell you that. Mostly I like those "personality test-questions" that give me an idea about how a person will act or react in certain situations. It also lets me see (on a small scale) how a person thinks. I have no problem asking questions to friends, cousins, or family members and even with my roommates it was way easy. I have discovered that I will also, when put in that situation, ask people that I don't even know, those same deep past-seeking questions. I don't know. I just thought that was kind of interesting. I mean like, if someone I didn't know came up to me and started asking random questions about me I'd get a little wigged out. Wouldn't you? Hmmm...I wonder if I wig people out. ...Yeesh.

Comment if you dare!

So, I thought I could get away with just randomly commenting on this post -on other people's blogs -without having to lift a finger. I was wrong. I failed to read the fine print at the bottom that says YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TOO! ...Just know that when it comes to me and creativity -I'm a FAILURE! So, comment if you dare!

The first five people to leave a comment on this post will receive something made by me. However, there are some limitations:

1. I make no guarantee that you will like what I make. (which means that you may HATE it!)
2. What I create will be JUST for you. (The best thing ever! ...even though you might hate it.)
3. It will be done this year -by December 31, 2009. (Or unless I get engaged or married or something and my life turns upside down I give myself the right to an extra four months.)
4. You have no clue what it's going to be - cards, cardboard automobiles, bows, shoes, a leash for you kids, a bag, frames, hate mail (jk) or a little invention of my own (to who knows what!). I may even fail at baking something and mail it to you. Who knows? Ha! -Not you!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. It may blow your mind!

Here's the catch, if you choose to do this, you MUST post this on your blog and be ready to make something for five people too. This WILL be fun! When you receive the fantabulous item that I make you, you MUST post a picture of it on your blog. (Even if its a tub of burnt cookies!)

Shopping for a Husband.

-Don't get confused! I am not actually in the market for a husband just yet. I simply found this joke and thought it was worth the read. Here you go:

A store that sells husbands has just opened where a woman may go to choose a husband from among many men. The store is composed of 6 floors, and the men increase in positive attributes as the shopper ascends the flights.

There is, however, a catch. As you open the door to any floor you may choose a man from that floor, but if you go up a floor, you cannot go back down except to exit the building.

So a woman goes to the shopping center to find a husband.

On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1 - These men have jobs.

The woman reads the sign and says to herself, "Well, that's better than my last boyfriend, but I wonder what's further up?" So up she goes.

The second floor sign reads:

Floor 2 - These men have jobs and love kids.

The woman remarks to herself, "That's great, but I wonder what's further up?" And up she goes again.

The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love kids and are extremely good looking.

"Hmmm, better" she says. "But I wonder what's upstairs?"

The fourth floor sign reads:

Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love kids, are extremely good looking and help with the housework.

"Wow!" exclaims the woman, "very tempting. BUT, there must be more further up!" And again she heads up another flight.

The fifth floor sign reads:

Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love kids, are extremely good looking, help with the housework and have a strong romantic streak.

"Oh, mercy me! But just think... what must be awaiting me further on?" So up to the sixth floor she goes.

The sixth floor sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 6,875,953,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.

Only at BYU.

Book Review.

Okay, so. ;) For my communications class we have to do this whoppin' big group project. Each group was to come up with a topic on which to find a book, read about it, and then prepare a speech about how it has to do with communication and then give it to the class. I'm not sure why, but one of my group members, upon getting together, immediately suggested the topic of Depression. My initial thought was: Depression!? Are you kidding? I'm gonna end up being depressed by the time this is over! ...At first it was hard to get use to the idea, but as time went on and I told myself that there was just no getting around this and things got better.

I am actually now excited about the topic. That night I surfed the internet trying to find a good book on which to read about. Since this is BYUI and we have the sense of spirituality in class I thought it would be appropriate to find a book about depression that was perhaps written by a member of the Church or that had some spiritual essence to it. Well, once I decided what it was I want the book just sort of appeared. I found it on amazon (my all-time-favorite book-buying site!), bought it and read it.

Once the books were read we were to -as a side assignment -write a book review on it (in the format of a New York Times Book Review -which isn't as easy as it was in second grade). And as of yet, I do not know what score I got, but that shouldn't matter too much. At least, I hope it doesn't. If it's an F, I'll tell you and that way you wont take what I have to say into account.

Well, here is my book review. I know this review might be long and boring, but I really do recommend this book to anyone who knows of someone who has depression or who has it themselves. It is an excellent read!

My Review:

Curled on the floor in a corner of her bedroom, sat a thirty-seven year old woman. She had noticed a change in her that left her feeling trapped. From the corner she tried to escape the everyday pressures of life, searching for a place of quiet inside herself that would allow her to stop thinking or responding, telling herself the whole time: “I can’t do this.” Two years later she was diagnosed with having major depression. This woman’s name is Meghan Decker. Meghan teamed up with a woman by the name of Betsy Chatlin and wrote the book Reaching For Hope with the desire that it would inspire women, such as herself, who suffer from depression to seek out the help they need to gain hope that depression is not incurable.

Betsy Chatlin received her degree at Brigham Young University and has since worked in private practice, family counseling, LDS Family Services, and mental health and social services. She is currently licensed to practice as a clinical social worker in three different states: Michigan, Utah, and Virginia. Betsy Chatlin specializes in helping women who are suffering from depression and has dealt with hundreds of different cases. Meghan Decker also received her degree from Brigham Young University and now lives in Portage, Michigan.

Meghan, using her own experiences, describes depression as a descent into prison, an open chest wound, the incarceration of a body seemingly wrenched from its spirit, an isolation chamber opposite of all that is beautiful and good, one’s own personal Gethsemane. In Reaching for Hope we are taught the definition of depression as well as its characteristics, symptoms, triggers, and most importantly how one can recover from this awful abyss of pain.

Reaching for Hope offers much needed information and support for those who suffer from depression as well as for those who associate with people who have depression. Written from a uniquely LDS point of view, this informative and inspirational book offers important clinical information for dealing with the disease, the symptoms that come with it, and suggestions for finding ways to heal.

Depression is a brain illness. The despair of depression is often unfathomable to those who have not experienced it. Depression isolates us from one another, and the severity of the pain is very different from the usual emotion of sadness. In a recent study cited in U.S. News and World Report, the World Health Organization ranked depression as the number one health problem for women and projects that by the year 2020 it will become the number two health problem (the first being heart disease) for people in general.

In this book, Decker and Chatlin list off and describe many different ways that this brain-illness of depression can be helped. Talk Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and finding a personal therapist can each help with treating depression. This book testifies that communication, whether it is personal meditation within one’s self or “healthy talk” with a therapist, it is the key to overcoming depression.

“Talk therapy” is a powerful tool used to derail depressive thinking. Cognitive distortions, self-loathing, negative self-talk, and negative perceptions may all be confronted, managed, and even done away with through the power of right thinking and self-talk. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that aims to influence dysfunctional emotions, behaviors and cognitions through a goal-oriented, system procedure. Finding a personal therapist, according to Chatlin, is one of the best things to do when it comes to the healing process of depression.

As a therapist, Chatlin has had many experiences in dealing with women who have found it best to simply lay everything out on the table. Chatlin puts it this way: “These women spew their pain out as if vomiting the words, sensing that this verbal cleansing might give them relief. They are right: it does.” This is why “talk therapy” is so beneficial. People intuitively know what will help them.

Reaching for Hope is filled with numerous case studies where real women have made it through the long hard sufferings of depression. Depression is not an easy thing. Depression is something that has to be worked at. Both Chaltin and Decker believe that one of the best ways to work through the ugliness of depression is to communicate. One client said it best as she gave her personal account of taking those first steps in recovering from depression: “I still have my work cut out for me. I know I have a long way to go yet, but because I’m not going it alone anymore; I know I’ll be able to make it.”

The Carriage House.

Every Wednesday we have an outlandish, crazy, cruel thing called "Clean Checks." This is when two women -kind of like Sister Missionaries, only they just walk in without invitation, scan the house, open random things in the kitchen and bathrooms, open up the bedroom doors to see if the beds are made, and then judge us, mark it on a piece of paper, set it on the counter, and leave. (..okay, so they're so totally NOT like Sister Missionaries.) If our score is high for the whole semester, we get a pizza party. If its low... then no pizza. And so, being a fan of pizza I strive every Wednesday morning to live the life of a perfectionist with a bad case of OCD.

Of this sad, stressful ordeal of Clean Checks, this is what a few of my roommates think of it: "Clean Checks? -I hate them." "Surround sucks. It's good though to help us to remember to keep things in order." (BTW: Surround are the walls around the tub. They've been stained and so there is no way in the world to get them white again. That's what gives us a 98% EVERY time.) But as much as we don't like them, we are well on our way to a pizza party.

Anyway, moving right along. I am now going to take this post and give you a virtual tour of my apartment. Hold tight!

Outside.

Our Full Fridge.

Our Full Shelves.

The Oh So Popular Kitchen!

The Sink! -I felt it would be best to show you the "real" sink. (Actually, from the norm, this is pretty clean!)

The Dining Room (aka: The Kitchen) which is currently full of girls.

The Living Room, and the couch on which I now sit.

Our Cable TV where I saw Jason break up with Melissa in front of hundreds of people!

The Bathroom. Usually it's pretty dirty. I swear, I have NEVER seen so many curling irons and straighteners!

And my room! -or bed, whichever.

And that concludes our Carriage House Tour!

Chocolate Milk.

I might be crazy, but hey -at least it's saving someone's life.

I donated blood for the forth time yesterday (or fifth. I don't remember). Typically I get really lightheaded, experience the strange sensation of being dreadfully cold, and then sometimes I see huge black clouds. Yesterday however, I experienced none of those. I think, probably, the worst feeling I had was when my finger was pricked. That was weird. I felt woozy and very faint. And when the needle went in of course.

I went with my cousin, Stephen, (who couldn't give blood because his pulse was WAY over. The norm is in the 60's and 70's. You can't donate if you're 100 or over. Stephen was 130. Yeah. Wow. So, because of that, he had to wait a whole day.) Anyway. As the needle was going in, I was watching Stephen and he was watching the needle. Before I even realized that the needle was going in Stephen started chanting: "Look at it! Look at it!" And so I came back with: "No! No! -oooo!" ..and that's when the needle went in. Other than the pain in that, I was good through the whole ordeal. No lightheadedness. No cold sensation. I was great! I think all those other times are finally paying off.

I did get to witness something though. I was sitting there just watching the nurses with the other students and one of them just immediately stopped what she was doing, her eyes got really big, and she darted forward to catch this girl. A lot of nurses did. The girl was wearing purple. I looked in time to see the nurses catch her just before she hit the ground. She was so pale. I had a chance to talk with her a bit at the refreshment table. It was her first time. She had no idea what was happening.

Anyway, I went with Stephen today and was with him when he donated. (His pulse was 90 this time.) I think he did pretty good. We weren't there for very long. He did feel a bit queasy at first, but was fine at the end. Well, yeah. I guess that's about it...

Missing Missouri.

Okay, I was in the living room this evening working on homework and my one of my roommates looks up from her laptop and says "Oh. I found this song and I thought of you." So we heard it, and I think I have a new favorite song!

The song is called Missing Missouri by Sara Evans. And for my mother's sake (and anyone else who likes to read lyrics to country songs) here are the lyrics. And even though I don't have a husband or children yet, I still really like the song.

I love my life, love my husband
Without those kid's, man I ain't nothing
I love my fans, love my band
Love my little Tennessee piece of land
Sometimes my life can get so hectic
Out of the blue when I least expect it
Somewhere between the hubbub and the drama
I get to thinking bout mama and

[CHORUS]
I'm caught up in missing Missouri
'Cause I wanna be with my family
Instead of stuck out on this road I'm on
Every time my bus wheels hit the bootheel
There's no limelight and I'm alright
'Cause I'm almost home
Where they love me, where they know me
Where they show me back in Missouri

The road just ain't no place for whiners
It's motels, truck stops, all night diners
Hoping that your song'll sell
And having to smile when it ain't doing well
So when everything just gets to much
And I feel like I'm giving up
I close my eyes and say a little prayer
And its like I'm there and

[CHORUS]

[Bridge:]
Late summer nights sneaking out the window
Me and the girls driving down the back roads
Tobacco fields and bumblebees
And the cardinals playing on TV

[Chorus till fade]

I LOVE it! I never really imagined that I'd miss my Missouri, but I do. I really do. And, I guess I should have seen it, but I miss my family more, and I miss them more than I ever thought I would.