Highlights and Lowlights

I went to the Robinson Invitational Friday afternoon. I found myself a good spot infront of the polevaulting. I got to watch the end of the girls vault and a while later almost all of the guys. I had to leave early so I only saw the guys jump to 16' and apparently they jumped 17'. In between the polevaulting I was enthralled watching a lot of the races including the hurtles, 100m, 200m, 1500m, 5000m, etc. It brought back fond memories of HS, and I wished I was still polevaulting, and in shape, and most of all I wished I was still part of a team. Track and Field creates such a bond, and even if you don't know everyone on the team you still cheer for them, and they cheer for you.





I stepped on a bee on Friday while walking across my grass barefoot. I thought I had just stepped on a thorn until the pain started spreading from my toe through my foot. Looking at my foot there was no thorn, but there was a bee on the ground. I hopped into the house on one foot but no one knew what to do, I grabbed a bowl, hopped back outside and scooped some dirt into it. Back inside I filled the bowl with water and stuck my foot in. The pain eventually stopped spreading, though my toe still hurt, I took my foot out of the mud just in time to see a rolley polley on my foot, gross. Saturday night my toe area was really itchy. Sunday it was swollen, red and itchy. Scott took me to the store to get some "After Bite" it still itches occasionally, but it seems to be going down a little.

I went to the BYU vs UNM baseball game on Friday night. I hadn't made it to a game in about a month because of different things, work, friends, school, boy. Needless to say, I was glad to get back to that scene, to catch up with Kelly and to cheer for MY cougs. The game was stopped in the bottom of the 7th, because it was pooring. We were up 11 to 9, and I was hoping they'd call the game. They postponed it till Saturday morning, I didn't make it to the game, but we won 12 to 11.


The world is now accepting Mrs Alison Lalor. That's right, my dear Al Pal is now a married woman. I rode up to the reception in SL with Claire and Jordan. Ali looked gorgeous as ever and so happy. Scott looked estatic as well. I am so happy for them. They make a beautiful couple and I know they will continue to be great together.




Being in SL Saturday night meant I got to see Mr Alden Smith. He met us at the reception and we visited with friends for a bit then he and I jetted out early to meet one of his friends for dinner. The 3 of us just hung out, and I listened as the boys talked about music and movies. He gave me a ride all the way back to Provo, and we listened to good music and chatted the whole way ride "home".


Walking home from church on Sunday, in the rain, I saw a mother duck and at least 9 of her babies. They were adorable. They were running away from me so I couldn't get a great picture, but just trust me. I wanted to catch one and hold it close to me forever.

We had a 25 minute phone conversation yesterday. To some of you phone pros that might not seem very long, and its actually not, but it was a record for us, and I was glad we were able to talk very easily for that long. It would've/could've kept going, but Scott and friends came over, so Alden decided we should say goodbye. Talking to him is so great, but it does make me wish I could see him in person. But we're still working that out...

dandelion wine

i really need to start taking more pictures because my heart is joyed so much when i do. and maybe i should actually take pictures of the important people in my life too.



i love the focus of this photo. i wonder what people think of me when i'm squatting in the middle of the grass, in somebody else's yard, holding as still as i can to get my lovely macro shot, and then trying to hold the camera really still again while i switch it to regular, for the contrast.


sometimes when i take my camera out people look at me funny. i didn't want to draw too much attention, so this is the best i got. the line wrapped around to the west doors of the JSB and went all the way inbetween the ESC and whatever that other building is, just south of it. it made me really grateful that I was already finished with my tests.

Smiling

Things that make me smile:

• Going running again. Even though I am out of shape and can't run very fast or far. I went last Saturday and again yesterday. Hopefully I can get into the habit and get back in shape.
• A cute old man crossing guard. I passed him on my way running south and then north again. I may run that way in the future just to see him again.
• Finishing a final in less than 30 minutes. I've now finished two of the three finals I've taken in about 25 minutes each, and I felt good about both of them.
• Being told that I'm "hotter than Hitler". Sorry, no explanation can be given on blogger. But what a compliment, bah.
• Getting slightly sunburned. This means that its finally sunny outside. And that I sat outside for about 2 hours yesterday, first reading "Charlotte und Wilbur" (Charlotte's Web auf Deutsch), then I fell asleep for about 15 minutes, then I chatted with Al Pal.
• Remembering Brother Rossell. That sweet old man is one of my favorites. He gave me my PB, and I always wanted to be sealed by him. It doesn't look like that'll happen, but just thinking about him makes me happy. Everytime I'd see him at church he'd tell me that I reminded him more and more of Grandma G, in my looks and actions. Now that is a compliment.
• Getting 9 hours of sleep a night. It doesn't happen too often, and sometimes I worry why my body feels like it needs so much sleep, but if I can get it I might as well take it, right?
• Receiving two letters from my favorite missionary. He's my best friend. Reading that he is being a great missionary and he is happy, and also, he loves me.
• Going grocery shopping with Anthony and Jana, hearing their excited comments and enjoying their company. But also, getting food again. It'd been about a month since I'd gone grocery shopping and I was in dire need of restocking my shelves.
• Being made fun of for wearing a Rocket Summer shirt. Especially cause the sleeve is signed.
• Learning that two friends are moving into my ward for the summer. Also combining with another ward for the summer. I'm excited to meet new people.
• Going to the new Cannon Center with Elise. Having dinner bought for us by her freshman friend. Looking like freshman again as we didn't know where to get trays, and once we did we didn't know where to start because we were so overwhelmed by the choices. Stuffing our faces with food that was actually decent (especially compared to when we lived in the dorms) and eating enough to make us explode. Also on our way back to the car a couple boys offered to buy us dinner, I'd love to take them up on that another day...
• Starting new classes next week. I love learning, and I'm especially excited to have a class with Anthony.
• Watching this video. Thank you Kaylie Jean Hancock. This absolutely made my day.
• Getting told by a certain boy that I can get him to smile. Though he will claim that I can't get him to "when [I] try to tickle [him]." He keeps trying to pretend his not ticklish though actually he's very ticklish. Especially his feet and lowest ribs. Tickling him and getting him to react, and seeing that adorable smile of his too, I can't help but grin.

Things that make me not smile:

• Walking around the Provo Cemetary and seeing that one family had 7 children die on the same day they were born. They had 13 children total.
• Losing my dearest roommate. I'm thrilled for her to move into her new place, and to take this next step in life. But I really loved my Aliface and my room is lonely now.
• Two more final exams. One is scheduled for tomorrow and the other can be taken whenever. Probably today if I can ever get myself to study.
• Not having a good summer job yet. I promise I'm qualified!
• Remembering Brother Rossell. He's stopped eating the past couple days, he probably won't be here much longer.
• Being made fun of for wearing my (sweet) Rocket Summer shirt.
• Starting new classes next week. I'll be taking a humanities class which will probably be killer, but hopefully I'll get great grades since I won't have much else to do.
• Watching this video (above). It made me cry. Maybe they were just tears of joy (actually probably mostly), but it really made me miss my beautiful Austria.

this is rad.

"... the answer is that the air in the vocal tract acts like the air in an organ pipe, or in a bottle. When you give it a tap it will vibrate. If you open your mouth and make a glottal stop, and flick a finger against your neck just to the side and below your jaw, you will hear a note, just as you would if you tapped a bottle. If you tilt your head slightly backward so that the skin of the neck is stretched while you tap, you may be able to hear this sound somewhat better"

Just try it. I never knew it was possible. But seriously its amazing. You make a glottal stop by producing the word uh-oh. and its the "-" in between. And then just flick your neck under your chin. If you move your tongue around to make the different vowel sounds it changes the pitch slightly.

I've been doing it for like 5 minutes now. I probably have a huge red mark on my neck. Totally worth it.

a roller coaster

that's how i've been feeling lately.
still. life is wunderbar.
i just wish i had MORE TIME.






finals end a week from today. then what? what's next?

Happy Easter

Today has been a great day so far...

1. I wasn't even tired when I woke up to get ready for church this morning
2. Ali went up to SL last night, which means I got to walk to church this morning. And home from church. And today is a beautiful day.
3. Of course I always have my camera with me, so I took a picture of a few blossoms on my way home from church. I haven't been taking pictures lately, and actually I've really missed it.
4. It is Easter. Though we should always remember the Lord and be grateful for Him. Especially on this day. He was resurrected on this day, that we may also be resurrected one day.
5. We went to G&Gs for dinner. They always feed us way too much, so our stomachs almost explode. Everyone that was in town came. Its always fun to be with family.
6. The "secret" is out. Though it was never really a secret. I was happy to report to family about it, except for the future harrasment I'll be recieving.
7. Scott trusts me. It makes me feel very loved and important. I'm glad I can be there for him, and know that he is there for me also.
8. Only 1 more day of classes. Which means everything is due. Which means after tomorrow even if its not all finished, it'll be too late and time to move on.

That's all for now. Peace. Love.

back to Europa --- this turned into a report of last September.

I really want to go back to Europe. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving my college experience. And, even with cool experiences like this... I'm sorry, Provo is just not as cool as Austria.


From my first day in Vienna, meeting Jillie at the airport, and then meeting Claire. We ate marvelous pizza that day, and drank our first Almdudlers.

The next day we met the rest of the group. We ordered our first pastries. And they were delicious. We checked into our hotel and were set free to explore the city. We found the rathaus. And the votivkirche (and we thought it was St. Stephen's). We got slightly lost, but knew the general direction back to our hotel and found it. We ate pizza a second day in a row.


We went on a quick tour of the city. I ate my first Austrian Doener. Then we met our host families. Jonathan was quiet and being shy, very unusual for him. Little did I know that as we got to know him he would running around the house naked. And dancing, and singing. And try to pull our pants off in turn.

We went to Bratislava. We went on that ridiculously long tour. And ate that disgusting "chicken of the sea" puffers. And other people had even more gross food. But we cleaned our pallets with ice cream. Walked to the castle. and sat. A group of us, just chilled at the castle, sitting on a wall, chatting, getting to know each other better. And loving "bike man" who walked by in his short shorts probably 12 and a half times.


We went to the danube and went paddle boating. Claire and I decided we would go sailing together some day. With our boys. Whoever that ends up being. It was a beautiful day and I should have jumped in the water. To have swam in the "Blue Danube".

We had stake conference. McKinlee and I got headphones with English translations. Jonathan was coloring and playing games. Acting as crazy as normal. We listened to the German in one ear and English in the other. We watched the end of a "feuerwehr" parade at the rathaus. We explored "our schloss". It was a beautiful view of the city. We went to the rathaus, met some friends and watched a video of the ballet of swan lake.


Then Trevor and I wanted to explore the city. We found a fountain. We bought lunch of yogurt and bread. We hopped on a random Ubahn and got off on a random stop. We found Schoenbrunn. We wandered the grounds for at least an hour and half. And only saw about 1/7 of the gardens.


Our whole group traveled to Melk. To the abbey there. It had the beautiful "beauty and the beast" library. We went on a 20 mile bike ride. Biking next to the donau. I ran into the man and then his bike was "kaputt" I told him I didn't speak German. I ate my first bratwurst. We found a little beach and I had to go into the freezing water. We ate the most delicious grapes straight of the wine. Trevor and Brad decided they were going to start drinking wine if it was that good. We ended the ride at a park. With that wonderful "trampoline". Our legs were broken and dead. At least mine were.


We had dinner with our family. The Schmidl's came. We met Danny, Astrid and Laurin.

We traveled to Mauthausen. It was a foggy day that set the perfect mood. We saw the gas chambers and the crematories. We went to the church at St. Florien. We sang in the catacombs. We ended the day in Hallstatt. The most beautiful little "dorf" I've seen to date.


We went on a tour of the salt mines. We rode down the slides. We hiked in the Alps. To a beautiful waterfall. It rained. We froze. I ate minestrone to warm my throat.


We went to Salzburg. I checked my email and skyped with my parents. We went on a tour of the city, with the sweetest tour guide. We saw Mirabel gardens. We touched the gnomes. We saw a breath taking view of the city. We got wet at Hellbrunn. And saw a fish with a tumoresque bump. We drove to Dorfgastein.


We hiked in the Alps again. In the snow this time. I was wearing vans. It wasn't as cold as I expected, but it was 10x more beautiful. We watched Fritz's son play soccer. Melissa had a worm crawl IN her shoe. We cooked spaghetti. We played Mafia. We played MASH.


We went to a "Thanksgiving Day" Mass. We watched a parade. We ate our first Wiener Schnitzel.

We went on a "short walk" that turned into a hike straight up the mountain. To a cute little alm. I wore flats. We ate scrambled eggs, and a delicious cake thing and hot chocolate and strawberry jam. And I gagged eating goat cheese. And some uncooked pig fat/meat. We fed some rotten apples to some ponies. We rode a train back to Vienna. We moved onto Auf der Schottenring. Into our new house.


That's September for you. I'm not sure why I wrote that all out. When I started this blog post I was planning on just recording a few of my favorite experiences from the WHOLE 4 months. But looking through my pictures this is what came out. You don't have to read it. I guess if you are reading this part you already did. Just know its for me. And it wasn't a pointless post. I feel BETTER now. I'll probably write the other months sometime too....

PS

*We got mentioned on Newsweek. It's sad that the whole world is so happy to grab at any of the small mistakes we make and publish them. http://www.newsweek.com/id/192866

*The choir devotional was great today. They sang wonderfully.

*I just had one of the longest conversations in ASL of my life. Okay, so it wasn't THAT long, (like 45 minutes) but I couldn't rely on speech when I wanted to. Because he is Deaf. I'm used to signing with fellow ASL students and being able to mouth and talk if we HAD to. Ryan is so nice. Geniunely interested in my life. It was good.

*I ran into Tawny and McKinlee on campus today. I love Vienna friends. I love catching up. I want to play.

*I just planned away the next 20 months of my life. That's almost 2 years. I wanted to graduate next Aug. But there is 1 class that is only offered fall, and I can't take it this fall cause I need another class first. So, I'll probably be graduating, technically Dec 2010, but walking Aug '10. I declared myself a German minor while I was at it.

Good

I've got few complaints.
Besides the dooming fate of quickly approaching finals.
And a movie projects that isn't done. And is due on Friday.
And a thousand and two papers to write and rewrite for German.
And a final "research" project that is just being started. But is due on Monday. It will be good.
Besides not having a job yet, but needing to find one asap.

I won't be able to handle leaving here.

I still like my classes. Not as much as I did for the first 2.7 months. But they are still good.
I love my friends. Friends, I LOVE YOU.

I love my family. I have the best family.
A mother who worries about me incessantly. And would do anything to ensure my happiness.
A father who drives at least 1.5 hours to work. Plus 1.5 home. To provide for our family.
A brother and sister in law who take care of me. Even when I'm coughing up a lung.

The sun is shining today. Which automatically makes it a good day.
I only have 3 more days of classes. 2 reading days. 5 days of finals.

Its official.

Life is good.

Strep

I tested positive for strep throat today. 

It's better than mono at least. 

Right? 

I'm on antibiotics now. 

For the next 10 days. 

I won't be contagious anymore within 24 hours. 

I'm anxious for this pain in my throat to go away.

He was such a sweet heart and gave me a blessing last night. 

Anthony wasn't in Provo so he couldn't.

Later he even brought me his humidifier to help me breathe.

So I'd be able to sleep. 

I slept for 9 hours. 

Lovely. 

I missed all my classes today.

I guess with good reason.

I could've gotten them all sick.

It's very contagious. 

I think I jinxed myself cause last Friday I said it'd been so long since I was last sick.

Serves me right, I guess.

I'm not sure who got me sick.

But I apologize, in advance, if I get you.

It'll be over soon.

Gell?