So here it is, the post where I finally talk about how I spent Christmas break.
Long story short, plane tickets were outrageously expensive, so I stayed here. I had no roommates at home, but there were a couple of people from the ward who I hung out with pretty much every night, and then I stayed with Bradalie on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. Besides the part where the spices or peppers or something in the roast made me sick (Vomiting and awful stomach cramps the way I get when I eat jalapeños . . . It's a really sad food allergy to have since I like spicy food so much.), I had a really good time. I worked a lot the week after Christmas, and one by one the roommates returned. Now we're all back and getting back into the school routine.
The interesting thing about my break, though, is that several weeks before, I had been dreading it. Completely. Everything about the thought of staying here and not being with my parents and all of my siblings just sounded awful to me. Especially since I haven't been home since Christmas 2008, I absolutely hated to even think about what it would be like. I even found myself thinking that I would prefer for school to keep going.
A lot of people may not have known how scared I was, since I put on my brave face whenever I talked about it. It happened countless times. Someone would ask when I'd be finishing finals and going home, I'd casually mention that I was staying here, and instantly there was this look of . . . what was it? Shock? Pity? Something else? A combination, probably. Some of my friends looked downright horrified. And most people didn't always know what to say after that. So to ease their discomfort and to make sure no one worried about me too much I quickly spurted out my plans for staying with my brother and sister-in-law, working a lot, making sure I stayed busy, etc. You know, I brushed it aside, just laughed it off like it was no big deal.
Well the truth is that it kind of was a big deal for me. This was the first Christmas I've ever spent away from home, and I am still a big baby I guess. And I'm willing to admit it. I put on my brave face for everyone else, but just a short phone conversation with my baby brother or my sister or my parents usually concluded in tears because I missed them so much. I thought I was doomed to misery in longing for home the entire break. I thought Christmas would be depressing. Admittedly it was somewhat easier knowing that I would be making a quick trip home in just a couple of weeks (I'm going home the 14th through the 18th! I can't wait.), but I still wasn't expecting to be so completely happy.
See, funnily enough, I think this turned out to be one of the best Christmases I've ever had.
Christmas Eve, I went to Bradalie's place (that's Brad & Natalie's celebrity name, for those of you who haven't figured that out) and had the dinner that I still think was very nice despite the sickness that would later ensue, played a bunch of games that I lost, and watched movies and wrapped presents until 1 in the morning. We woke up, dilly-dallied, watched my family open presents via gmail video chat (which was probably the highlight of my day. I loved it so much!) and then opened ours.
Now, I don't know if it was the magic in sharing Brad & Natalie's first Christmas together with them, knowing that I'd be home in a couple of weeks, the technology that let me see my family, or the Play-Doh Jazlyn gave me, but I just could not help but be happy that day.
Truthfully though, I can tell you exactly what it was. I was happy because I felt my Savior's love and the comfort of knowing that He was looking out for my family and me. Perhaps I had reason enough to feel sorry for myself or be sad or homesick or whatever, but that didn't seem to matter so much when I remembered that I can never actually be alone. He was born so that He could take upon Himself our sorrows and heartaches. He knows exactly how I felt when I realized that going home at Christmas wasn't an option. He knows how badly I wanted to cry when I heard my siblings' fun plans for the break and knew I couldn't be a part of them.
But you know what else He knows? This is my favorite thing. He also shares in our joys and triumphs. He was just as happy as I was (maybe even happier?) when I found out I'd be coming home for a weekend this month. And when I was sitting on Bradalie's couch watching my family open their presents, He felt the same happiness and love that I felt. I know that is true. I know He lives. I know He loves me. And I know that He, more than anything or anyone else we could ever encounter in this world, is the purest source of light, of love, of true joy. He is my loving older brother, and the way through which I can return and live with our Father in Heaven. I know my Savior lives, and I love Him. I know that He is the reason I can be happy every day. Even when there are plenty of excuses to be sad, there will never be a real reason for sadness as long as I still know this. So I am grateful to Jesus the Christ, my Lord and Savior, for being with me, for lifting and comforting me, in this time (and countless others) when I could not find it in myself to be happy on my own. So, though it is written a little bit late, Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
BPC
Every year BYU holds its Business Plan Competition in which young entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas and get funding to get their ideas for new businesses off the ground.
Based on a dream I had last night, I think I've decided to enter myself.
You see, in my dream, I was with a few of my girl friends and we decided to go to a spa. Mani, pedi, facial, massage, awkward waxes, the whole shazam.
(ha! It wasn't until the second re-reading that I caught that and realized why it sounded funny. Because it's supposed to say "the whole shebang," that's why. I just had to leave it though.)
I have actually never been to a spa in real life (I have never gotten around to getting a professional pedicure even though I really want to!), and the anxiety I felt in my dream indicated that I had not done so in Dreamland either. Needless to say, I felt most nervous for the waxing and massage.
Anyway, we were all kind of lying there at the spa, "relaxing," likely with cucumber-covered eyes, as we waited for the masseuses to come in. Next thing I know, I bolt upright as the doors fly open and I hear this . . . chanting.
Take a chance, take a chance, take a take a chance chance.
Three ladies in white scrubs (and pink afros) prance in, singing along with the annoyingly delightful song from Mamma Mia. Turns out, they're a musical spa! The rhythm of the massage, of the wax strips being ripped off, of the pumice stone on my feet, all of it was choreographed perfectly to the singing and dancing of these kind of freaky spa people.
I remember just cracking up through the entire spa session and afterward praising their services to my family because I "had never truly recognized the highly relaxing and invigorating nature of laughing one's head off." (Direct quotation from Dream Katelyn right there, y'all. No lie.)
So my idea for a business is essentially that at each of these musical spas there would be a playlist of songs for each customer to choose from, and the staff would then perform a choreographed spa treatment routine to whichever song the customer chooses. The Vegas branch would be likely to attract customers who like to gamble, so they could even ask for an improv routine to a song they bring from home.
I would call it "Harmonispa."
The mission? To provide therapeutic beautification services in a lighthearted manner that uplifts the soul through the divine gifts of music and laughter.
And to create job opportunities for fine arts majors.
As the enterprise grows and develops, each location could specialize in a specific genre. For example, the one I went to in my dream would likely be called a Theatrispa, as it featured music from a musical theater production. For classical music lovers, we'd have the Symphonispa. There could be Spalternative, TechnoSpa, Hip-Spap, Spariachi, Spapera, Ska Spa, and my personal favorite, Spa Capella.
*I'm still working on names for spas that would specialize in the Motown, country, and rock genres. Suggestions are appreciated.
So there you have it, my idea for next year's Business Plan Competition. I even have catchy theme music to play as I pitch it. I'll just tell them to "Take a chance on me," and they won't be disappointed.
Based on a dream I had last night, I think I've decided to enter myself.
You see, in my dream, I was with a few of my girl friends and we decided to go to a spa. Mani, pedi, facial, massage, awkward waxes, the whole shazam.
(ha! It wasn't until the second re-reading that I caught that and realized why it sounded funny. Because it's supposed to say "the whole shebang," that's why. I just had to leave it though.)
I have actually never been to a spa in real life (I have never gotten around to getting a professional pedicure even though I really want to!), and the anxiety I felt in my dream indicated that I had not done so in Dreamland either. Needless to say, I felt most nervous for the waxing and massage.
Anyway, we were all kind of lying there at the spa, "relaxing," likely with cucumber-covered eyes, as we waited for the masseuses to come in. Next thing I know, I bolt upright as the doors fly open and I hear this . . . chanting.
Take a chance, take a chance, take a take a chance chance.
Three ladies in white scrubs (and pink afros) prance in, singing along with the annoyingly delightful song from Mamma Mia. Turns out, they're a musical spa! The rhythm of the massage, of the wax strips being ripped off, of the pumice stone on my feet, all of it was choreographed perfectly to the singing and dancing of these kind of freaky spa people.
I remember just cracking up through the entire spa session and afterward praising their services to my family because I "had never truly recognized the highly relaxing and invigorating nature of laughing one's head off." (Direct quotation from Dream Katelyn right there, y'all. No lie.)
So my idea for a business is essentially that at each of these musical spas there would be a playlist of songs for each customer to choose from, and the staff would then perform a choreographed spa treatment routine to whichever song the customer chooses. The Vegas branch would be likely to attract customers who like to gamble, so they could even ask for an improv routine to a song they bring from home.
I would call it "Harmonispa."
The mission? To provide therapeutic beautification services in a lighthearted manner that uplifts the soul through the divine gifts of music and laughter.
And to create job opportunities for fine arts majors.
As the enterprise grows and develops, each location could specialize in a specific genre. For example, the one I went to in my dream would likely be called a Theatrispa, as it featured music from a musical theater production. For classical music lovers, we'd have the Symphonispa. There could be Spalternative, TechnoSpa, Hip-Spap, Spariachi, Spapera, Ska Spa, and my personal favorite, Spa Capella.
*I'm still working on names for spas that would specialize in the Motown, country, and rock genres. Suggestions are appreciated.
So there you have it, my idea for next year's Business Plan Competition. I even have catchy theme music to play as I pitch it. I'll just tell them to "Take a chance on me," and they won't be disappointed.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Graffiti
There's a graffiti application on facebook that I like to play around with when I have free time. Also when I do not actually have free time but feel like procrastinating moderately important things.
Here are just a few of the drawings I've done, mostly for my sister, over the past couple of years.
~~~
We are huge Arthur fans!
~~~
This one was for Jaz.
~~~
This is likely the one I'm most proud of. Well, this one and the next.
~~~
hehe
~~~
Absolutely Busalooey.
~~~
Here are just a few of the drawings I've done, mostly for my sister, over the past couple of years.
~~~
We are huge Arthur fans!
~~~
This one was for Jaz.
~~~
This is likely the one I'm most proud of. Well, this one and the next.
~~~
hehe
~~~
Absolutely Busalooey.
~~~
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Pattie Cake
Today is my roommate Amy's birthday and I made her a cake! In fact, I made up the recipe as well. Oh, how creative I am.
It started when I was in the creamery getting stuff to make a cake and decided I did not want to make any ordinary cake. I was on the phone with my sister and had asked her to look up recipes for me, when I spotted the Andes mints on the candy aisle. Oh, how I wanted to make an Andes cake! But all the recipes she found required mint extract, which I could not find at the store. Plus Andes mints are expensive and I am poor, so I decided I'd go with peppermint patties instead. We couldn't find a recipe for a peppermint pattie cake either. So I decided to be adventurous and make one up myself! Unfortunately I did not have any batteries and could not take a picture, but I want to share the recipe anyway. It's very rich, but absolutely delectable with a glass of cold milk. We've determined that it would probably be really good frozen too. Feel free to play around with it and let me know how it goes!
First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
You will need:
1 box devils food cake mix
2 12-ounce bags small peppermint patties
1 container vanilla frosting
3 packages mint hot chocolate mix
milk
For the cake:
Mix cake according to instructions on box.
Pour half of the batter into a greased 9x13 in. pan.
Place 1 layer of peppermint patties on top of the batter.
Pour and spread the rest of the cake batter on top of the peppermint pattie layer.
Place in oven, bake for approximately 30 minutes (follow the instructions on the cake mix, but be sure to watch it in case it needs more or less time).
For the frosting:
Mix vanilla frosting with the hot chocolate mix. This will require the help of a little bit of milk, so use your judgment to determine how much or how little milk to add depending on what texture you want.
Melt 6 to 8 peppermint patties in the microwave for thirty seconds, stir them into the frosting.
Let the cake cool enough to frost it, and enjoy! You can also decorate the cake with some of the leftover peppermint patties. Crumble or cut them up, or whatever suits your fancy.
Just don't eat too much at one time. This is one you will definitely want to share with others.
Let me know how it turns out!
It started when I was in the creamery getting stuff to make a cake and decided I did not want to make any ordinary cake. I was on the phone with my sister and had asked her to look up recipes for me, when I spotted the Andes mints on the candy aisle. Oh, how I wanted to make an Andes cake! But all the recipes she found required mint extract, which I could not find at the store. Plus Andes mints are expensive and I am poor, so I decided I'd go with peppermint patties instead. We couldn't find a recipe for a peppermint pattie cake either. So I decided to be adventurous and make one up myself! Unfortunately I did not have any batteries and could not take a picture, but I want to share the recipe anyway. It's very rich, but absolutely delectable with a glass of cold milk. We've determined that it would probably be really good frozen too. Feel free to play around with it and let me know how it goes!
First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
You will need:
1 box devils food cake mix
2 12-ounce bags small peppermint patties
1 container vanilla frosting
3 packages mint hot chocolate mix
milk
For the cake:
Mix cake according to instructions on box.
Pour half of the batter into a greased 9x13 in. pan.
Place 1 layer of peppermint patties on top of the batter.
Pour and spread the rest of the cake batter on top of the peppermint pattie layer.
Place in oven, bake for approximately 30 minutes (follow the instructions on the cake mix, but be sure to watch it in case it needs more or less time).
For the frosting:
Mix vanilla frosting with the hot chocolate mix. This will require the help of a little bit of milk, so use your judgment to determine how much or how little milk to add depending on what texture you want.
Melt 6 to 8 peppermint patties in the microwave for thirty seconds, stir them into the frosting.
Let the cake cool enough to frost it, and enjoy! You can also decorate the cake with some of the leftover peppermint patties. Crumble or cut them up, or whatever suits your fancy.
Just don't eat too much at one time. This is one you will definitely want to share with others.
Let me know how it turns out!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Everybody, everybody wants to love. Everybody, everybody wants to be loved.
Here's the thing. I'm not necessarily pleased with the state of my dating life (referring to its nonexistence), but I still find joy in the company of pleasant young men who are fun to talk with and be around. Especially this semester, I have learned to truly love my "just friends" relationships with guys. I say "especially this semester," because it is probably the first time I can honestly say that I probably wouldn't have time to date even if those opportunities were to arise. Therefore, the friendships I have formed and nurtured this semester have been fun, for the most part uplifting, and in general, a lot easier than many that I've had in the past.
Don't get me wrong; I have had my fair share of crushes and little flutters of hope that maybe something exciting could happen. But I haven't daydreamed or analyzed or let myself go crazy over too many things. Yes, it's happened occasionally, perhaps once a month or so, but even outside of the relationship realm, I have been working on looking at things objectively and letting go of things that really aren't a big deal. And I feel like I have been quite successful.
Truthfully, I feel like I have grown a lot these past few months because of that. Someday I will have a family of my own and there will be small conflicts and miscommunications that could get in the way of dealing with the things that are really important if I can't take a step back and evaluate the situation with an eternal perspective. It's a skill that is still going to take a lot more practice to hone it down to perfection, but I am happy for the opportunities I'm having to recognize this as a character trait I need to develop.
Anyway, that isn't really where I was going with this. So here goes.
Since I've tried to be more level-headed about boys, I've discovered something. Something I probably should have acknowledged a long time ago. In fact, they should teach it to us in school; that would have really helped me anyway.
You see, there are boys.
And there are girls.
Sure.
But mostly there are just humans. And we are all pretty much looking for the same things. We want success, happiness, friends, family, freedom, fun, and, for the sake of alliteration, french fries. But all in all, I would submit that the thing we want most is love (flove?). We want to love ourselves, we want to love others, and we want that love to be reciprocated. So why all this "boys are stupid" or "I hate girls" mess?
I mean, if I'm going around saying "I hate boys because they are so stupid" all the time, why would I ever expect any guy to want to take on the challenge of proving me wrong? People like happy people, and words like "hate" and "stupid" are not exactly happy words. The truth is, I do not think that boys are stupid at all. Sometimes they do stupid things, verdad. But since when do any of us live a life consisting of only smart or wise actions? I know I have certainly said and done my share of stupid things in regards to dating or . . . whatever.
Bottom line: Girl or boy, stupid or smart, we are constantly learning. Learning how to interact, communicate, interpret communication, etc. So what right would any of us have to expect perfect wisdom (and mind-reading abilities) from another, especially of the opposite sex, unless we, too, have gotten it all figured out? And I promise you that no matter what you think, you do not have it all figured out.
I just wish there were more understanding that calling boys stupid is just going to prime us to thinking that way about any male we meet that says or does something we don't like. I don't plan on husband bashing when I'm married, so why bash on men now?
Men, know that you are awesome!
. . . Then take me out on dates.
Don't get me wrong; I have had my fair share of crushes and little flutters of hope that maybe something exciting could happen. But I haven't daydreamed or analyzed or let myself go crazy over too many things. Yes, it's happened occasionally, perhaps once a month or so, but even outside of the relationship realm, I have been working on looking at things objectively and letting go of things that really aren't a big deal. And I feel like I have been quite successful.
Truthfully, I feel like I have grown a lot these past few months because of that. Someday I will have a family of my own and there will be small conflicts and miscommunications that could get in the way of dealing with the things that are really important if I can't take a step back and evaluate the situation with an eternal perspective. It's a skill that is still going to take a lot more practice to hone it down to perfection, but I am happy for the opportunities I'm having to recognize this as a character trait I need to develop.
Anyway, that isn't really where I was going with this. So here goes.
Since I've tried to be more level-headed about boys, I've discovered something. Something I probably should have acknowledged a long time ago. In fact, they should teach it to us in school; that would have really helped me anyway.
You see, there are boys.
And there are girls.
Sure.
But mostly there are just humans. And we are all pretty much looking for the same things. We want success, happiness, friends, family, freedom, fun, and, for the sake of alliteration, french fries. But all in all, I would submit that the thing we want most is love (flove?). We want to love ourselves, we want to love others, and we want that love to be reciprocated. So why all this "boys are stupid" or "I hate girls" mess?
I mean, if I'm going around saying "I hate boys because they are so stupid" all the time, why would I ever expect any guy to want to take on the challenge of proving me wrong? People like happy people, and words like "hate" and "stupid" are not exactly happy words. The truth is, I do not think that boys are stupid at all. Sometimes they do stupid things, verdad. But since when do any of us live a life consisting of only smart or wise actions? I know I have certainly said and done my share of stupid things in regards to dating or . . . whatever.
Bottom line: Girl or boy, stupid or smart, we are constantly learning. Learning how to interact, communicate, interpret communication, etc. So what right would any of us have to expect perfect wisdom (and mind-reading abilities) from another, especially of the opposite sex, unless we, too, have gotten it all figured out? And I promise you that no matter what you think, you do not have it all figured out.
I just wish there were more understanding that calling boys stupid is just going to prime us to thinking that way about any male we meet that says or does something we don't like. I don't plan on husband bashing when I'm married, so why bash on men now?
Men, know that you are awesome!
. . . Then take me out on dates.
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