my name is Earl

This Isnt Everything You Are - Snow Patrol

2012-01-28T22:46:00.000-08:00

The new Snow Patrol album is so good, so many inspiring messages. Namely, this one.

"Dont keel over now, theres joy not far from here. This isnt everything you are."

T minus 100 hours

2011-11-04T13:31:00.001-07:00

November 8th will be a great day in my life. Why? Three words, Modern Warfare Three. I remember two years ago when Modern Warfare 2 came out, and I'm hoping this year is just as memorable. In less than 100 hours I will be with my team at Gamestop for the midnight release. Goodbye social life!
THE TEAM:
uTx Flossy (me)
uTx Porky
uTx Bandit
uTx Skate
uTx Fobsterz
uTx West

We we we so excited!

My Halloween Was Like...

2011-11-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

this:

dressed up like a butterfly
went to a party for a bunch of 14 year olds (on accident)
handed out candy
watched Dylan Dog: Dead of night (pretty good)
was terrorized by someone banging on our widows for an hour
had a sleepover with all my roommates...in one bed (because we were scared)
lost my wallet somewhere along the way

Memorable? Yes. In a good way? No. I sure hope I find my wallet today.

So I Suck at Blogging

2011-10-26T01:04:00.000-07:00

The only reason I am blogging right now is because I had a day off today and I slept ALL day. Until about 6pm to be exact, and Im just going to blame it on me being sick. Now its 1:11am and I cant sleep. Thats when I usually get all my blogging done, so here I am!

I think I pegged my 3 greatest interests in life:

Music
Food
Fashion

Here are some FAVORITES:

MUSIC

I basically listen to music 8-9 hours a day so Im going to need A LOT of it to keep me busy.

album of the year: Angles - The Strokes

song on the radio: Keep Your Head Up - Andy Grammer

movie soundtrack: 500 Days of Summer

music video: We Used to Wait - Arcade Fire

artist I love to hate: Chris Brown

music to dance to: Super Bass - Nicki Minaj

music to jog to: The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

FOOD

meal at 1am: Mtn. Dew Slurpee, 4 soft chicken tacos, and macho nachos from Del Taco

food to eat on a date: Italian

food to make on a date: pizza

snacks: string cheese, pretzels with Nutella, grapes

vegetables: spinach, brussel sprouts, broccoli, corn

way to cook a potato: mashed and topped with garlic butter

dessert to cook: cupcakes

dessert to eat: cheesecake

FASHION

pair of jeans: black Levi Strauss

nail polish: Essie brand, any color

clothing store: Forever 21

fashion mag: InStyle

fashion icons: Emma Stone, Emma Watson, Heidi Klum

color to wear: dark blue

season to dress for: fall fall fall

For some reason I am obsessed with styles that are "in", but not hipster. I think wearing what everyone else is wearing is stupid (hair feathers, nerd glasses, etc.) and I go for the looks that are coming back into style. Im all about being comfortable and not looking average, and I love when I can throw together an outfit that people havent seen before.

I dont know how to conclude this post so Im just gonna say,

goodnighty!

Cream Puffs with Vanilla Cream Filling

2011-09-28T01:24:00.000-07:00

Yummy.

Cream Puff Shells:

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup water

1 1/2 sticks butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

6 eggs

In a medium saucepan, bring to boil the milk, water, butter and salt. When boiling, add flour and cook for about 3 minutes or until the dough rolls easily into a ball and DOES NOT stick to the sides of the pan. Take off heat and let cool for 5 minutes. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs into the dough mixture ONE EGG AT A TIME. This is very important. Be sure to mix the dough very well between eggs. The mixture will be thick and springy after ALL EGGS are mixed in. Spoon onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with wax paper. Bake at 425degrees for about 15 minutes. When they are golden brown, turn off the oven and be sure to poke a hole in the top of each cream puff shell with a tooth pick. Leave the puffs in the oven with the door cracked open for about 20-30 minutes to cool. This step is very important. You poke a hole to let the steam out of the middle and keep the puffs from deflating and becoming soggy. You will want to pull the shells out of the oven when they are nice and crispy.

Vanilla Cream Filling:

1 package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups whipped topping

Whisk together pudding mix and milk (you will want to use less milk than the directions call for just to make a thicker pudding). When pudding has set up, stir in whipped topping.

Assembly of Cream Puffs:

Using the holes you poked in the top of the shells, pipe in the vanilla cream filling with a pastry bag, or you can cut the puffs in half horizontally and spoon the filling into the middle. Top with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar.

Makes about 20 large cream puffs.

Gracie Bird

2011-09-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

I love her.

Green Scrambled Eggs

2011-09-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

Today at work I had to cook a large amount of scrambled eggs, and somewhere in my life I heard they will turn green if you're not careful. So, naturally, I Googled a solution. Did I find one? No! So I called my boss and asked him to tell me everything he knew about green scrambled eggs. I love being in the Google pool of information so I'm going to use this blog to post the solutions I tested and learned to be very helpful.

How to prevent green scrambled eggs:

Use liquid egg enriched with citric acid or whisk citric acid crystals into your eggs before you cook them. The citric acid works against discoloration (greens and grays).
Whisk sour cream into your eggs before cooking them.
Use stainless steel utensils and pans.
Don't hold cooked eggs for longer than an hour over a heat source, and keep them warm at about 140 degrees F.

This is the silliest blog post of my life.

Dear Blog,

2011-08-31T23:51:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my disappearance. I have been busy with this one project. It takes up ALL my time and it is so stressful! Also, it is very expensive and involves a lot of people. Are you ready for me to tell you what it is? Its called LIFE. Yes, I am dead serious. Of course I have time for twitter, that takes like 5 seconds out of my day and you my friend are seriously time consuming! So here are some things I have been "up to" lately:

buying shoes
writing missionaries
working my job
getting a root canal
listening to the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album
reading books (the Hunger Games series)
working my job
loving the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album
getting pedicures (my reward for all the hard stuff I do)
running
picking corn
playing with my (new) roommates
working my job
cooking dinner

And thats my life. I even forgot to take pictures! I dont know whats gotten into me, or what got out of me like the will to blog. I love to talk about my life, you bet, but I think writing letters and journaling has kind of taken place of blogging. Am I sad about it? No. Do I wish I was better at blogging? You bet! Is it something I can help? Definitely not.

So this book, the Hunger Games, I just read the entire first one in about 10 hours while doing other things like making cakeballs, trying non-alcoholic beer and making myself a delicious dinner of fresh corn from my garden, pork chops and cornflake potatoes. But back to the book, I had a hard time putting it down to eat and stuff. I doubt Im drawn to the book for reasons that other people are. What first hooked my attention was the relationship between Katniss and her little sister, Prim. I can honestly say I relate so well to Katniss, the way she protects her sister and fights hard to survive. Tell me if this is a cocky thing to say but I see a lot of myself in Katniss. The story has really great flow and its very exciting. I think the romance part is a little dry and could use a little more depth but like I said, I just see parallels between the way Katniss and I think and thats what kept me intrigued. Ill have to buy book number two on my way home from work tomorrow.

I also love when its fall and people come back from the summer still longing for a super-social life and therefore I see my friends in the months of August and September than any other months. This social longing will wear off once people realize they have to actually study and stuff but for now I LOVE the random people that show up at my house to hang out. Spontaneity, I think the world needs more of it.

As for writing letters to missionaries, there are a few and I miss them so much! Namely, my best friend Bryce. For some reason I have missed him a lot lately. He is such a great friend to me and we talked about anything and everything and we talked for hours! I have never been able to carry on conversation as well as we do with anyone else in the worlds. Hours seriously feel like minutes. I miss getting Slurpees with him and food and playing xbox late into the night. He is surely missed. I have been searching desperately for his mailing address without success so if you have it, please surrender it to me. Thank you. I also have a friend in Philly. Mikey Haglund and he is doing fantastic! For some reason he gets to use Facebook (which I almost dont believe) but he is also doing well in his mission. He is having a hard time with his companion but he loves the people and the work very much. There is also Tanner who is in Liverpool at the moment and he is so consumed by the work he is doing, I am so impressed by him! He works so hard and it pays off. He has baptized some really amazing people and he is loving his current companion who cooks really delicious food. But as you can imagine I get to tell stories of my life to these three young men and also my journal, by the time I log into Blogger Im all storied out.

I got a root canal yesterday, well, the first part of it. It is SO not as bad as people say. Maybe I just have an amazing dentist or people are wussies but all in all the most painful part is the price. I still have $500 of work left, but I hear Im on the better side of the situation now. I hope thats correct.

Well Im off to bed. I have to work in the morning. Much love and I will report back soon.

-Patricia

I Can Cook! Part 2 (Deviled Pork Chops)

2011-07-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

My deviled pork chop was yum yum! Again, I cooked with yellow curry, but just a bit to add a little nutmegy flavor.

Deviled Honey Mustard Sauce

3 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons mustard
1/2 teaspoon yellow curry powder
dash of paprika
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons honey

Directions

Melt butter in small sauce pan, whisk in all ingredients EXCEPT honey. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Add honey and whisk until thick and saucy.
Serve sauce over pan-fried pork chops and mashed potatoes.

Here are some variations to this recipe that would be equally delicious!

Prepare sauce (add a 1/2 cup of water to sauce) and pour over pan-seared pork chops in a baking dish and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.
Can also be served with wild rice or a baked potato.
For a little more heat, add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper to sauce.

I Can Cook! (Yellow Curry Chicken)

2011-07-31T00:06:00.000-07:00

This was my dinner tonight! I really wanted something Thai-like. I think I did pretty well. I just threw it together so I will try to remember the quantities.

Curry Sauce

3 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1 Tablespoon mustard
4 cups milk
2 Tablespoons yellow curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Chicken Marinate

3 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 Tablespoons distilled water vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Place 1 lb cubed chicken in a seal-able bag with salt, vinegar and lemon juice. Marinate for 30 minutes.
Melt butter in medium sauce pan. Add flour and mustard, cook 3-5 minutes.
Add milk, curry powder and chili powder and whisk. Cook on med-high heat until thickened. Remove from heat.
Pan-sear chicken oh high heat, (does not need to be fully cooked) and place in baking dish. Pour curry sauce over chicken and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

I ate my curry chicken over noodles but here are some variations of this recipe I am anxious to try!

Add finely chopped onion to mirepoix.
Add carrots or broccoli to yellow curry sauce.
Serve over rice.
Marinate chicken in adobo (chipotle and paprika marinate) to add heat to your dish.
Add coconut milk to sweeten your dish.

Let me know what you think!

Havasupai Indian Reservation, Grand Canyon, Arizona

2011-07-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

This was the very first backpacking experience of my life and I must say it was a hard one. My brother and I tackled the whole place in three days. We drove from Salt Lake to the parking lot in 10 hours, having to go through Las Vegas. We camped by the side of the road that night and hiked in at about 6am the next morning. Its an eight mile hike through the canyon (took us about 3 1/2 hours) to the actual Havasupai village where you check in, then two more miles to the campground. This way of camping seemed very unconventional to me. Its a bit pricey ($40 entrance fee and $17.50/night), but worth it when you finally get to see all the falls. First on the list was Navajo Falls.

Navajo Falls, Havasupai

As the first of four beautiful waterfalls you will encounter it almost looks like an oasis after the long trek through desert and red rock. Navajo is so green and lush with cascade after cascade of blue-green water. Roughly one mile later we reached Havasu Falls, about a mile away from our campsite (we have clocked about 10 miles at this point).

Havasu Falls, Havasupai

The water is so blue and crystal clear. It gets its color from all the lime and other minerals from underground springs. This was my favorite waterfall by far. When we were finished swimming we hiked the mile to a campsite up against the canyon wall. Along the way you see lots of lizards, picnic tables, tents and usual campground things. One thing was missing! No fire pits. This made me very sad.

Camping isn't camping without fire. I suppose it is just cautionary but I, myself, am a pyro and I love me a good fire. The campsites are arranged on a first-come, first-served basis. There are not specifically marked sites so you can settle down wherever you like. One thing I will definitely do differently when I go back next year is take a hammock instead of a sleeping bag and pad. It is perfect warm at night (about 75-80 degrees) and there aren't many bugs or animals to worry about. We relaxed the rest of the day and ate a good dinner.

Neither of us slept very well that night due to wind and heat. Like I said before, hammocks are definitely the way to go. We woke up somewhere around 4:30am. That's about when the sun came out. We didn't have a very accurate way of telling time so we went to bed when the sun went down and woke-up when the sun rose. I liked the whole idea of not keeping time. We ate when we were hungry and just did whatever we wanted. That's how everyday life should be. On day two we left camp at 7am and we planned to hike the 3 miles past Mooney Falls, straight on to Beaver Falls. Mooney was about one mile away from our camp. When you reach the falls you are standing on a cliff looking over the falls.

To get to the bottom you have to climb down steep steps, through caves and hold onto a chain that's secured to the cliff wall. Its pretty sketchy and very cool at the same time.

Mooney Falls, Havasupai

This was the tallest of all the falls on the reservation. Its not much of a place to swim but it is breathtakingly beautiful. Continuing on down the river will take you to Beaver Falls. The map says it is three miles away but It has to be more than that. You have two different choices on how to get there. You can hike down the river or through miles and miles of wild grapevines. Both trails are beautiful and each a very different experience.

By the time we reached Beaver it was about 10:30 and we were ready to swim. Beaver was very beautiful, but the pools were shallow and it was easier to look at than swim in.

Beaver Falls, Havasuapi

The next day we hiked the 10ish miles out and its way harder to hike out then it is to hike in. We left at roughly 8am and got to our car around 3pm. We ran out of water, shade and energy, but eventually we made it. All-in-all we clocked about 34 miles in 3 days. We got home about 3am Thursday morning and 3 days later my calves are still sore. Worth it? Definitely.

Grand Canyon, Arizona

On our drive home we stopped at The Hackberry General Store on Route 66 and guess what I bought?

Coca-Cola

Here are some random pictures that can describe our journey better then words.

I fell down a baby waterfall and this happened...

Bro and Sis

I've Put This Off Long Enough

2011-06-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

I love the Bachelorette. The Bachelor, not so much. I have been following all season and I'm finally gonna get off my lazy blogging butt and share my feelings about this silly show using bullet points.

Dear Bentley, you are a sad little man-boy who needs help. I feel bad for your daughter Cozy. Bless her heart.
Ashley is whiney (Google Chrome is telling me 'whiney' is spelled wrong. Isn't that a word?) and annoying. I now understand why ABC only paid her $30,000 for her reality TV stint.
She has "purfact" hair.
All she wants to do is move "foward".
I cant stand the way she says words.
Ashley kisses weird.
I love JP and his buzzed head.
Everything about Ames is adorable, except his name.
I don't know who dresses Ashley, but does she know she has been wearing mens dress shirts? Maybe they were stolen from previous boyfriends...
Why does ABC always seem to cast the most dramatic men/women on the planet?
This show is kind of boring.
If we played a drinking game for every time Ashley says "Bentley" while watching the week 7 episode, we would all need our stomachs pumped at halftime.
Lucas is the lamest cowboy I ever set eyes on.
I wish Will was still in the picture.
JP is gonna take this.
They should go someplace cool, like Greece or Spain.
I wonder what Bentley is doing right now...
Yay! Now that Ashley is out of Thailand she can go get a tan! She has never looked more carrot-colored.
I don't like Google Chrome. Its telling me all sorts of words are spelled wrong when I know they aren't.
This picture is my favorite. Remember when Micky and JP boxed and JP was getting pummeled? JP came back and rocked Micky. If I was Ashley, I would send everyone else home and marry JP right there in Phucket.

This season is not going to end well. No surprise there.

My Muzik, My Life, My Heart, My Soul

2011-06-15T23:29:00.000-07:00

Out of all the songs you know, which is the weirdest?
The Gummy Bear Song

What is a good dancing song?
What Is Love? - Haddaway

Name a song about suicide:
Faking My Own Suicide - Relient K

Name a song you know about drugs:
Your Love, Your Love, Youre Love Is My Drug - Ke$ha

Which song describes your mood right now?
Superman - Goldfinger

What type of music do you listen to?
All kinds and every kind

Name the song you have had or want as your wedding 1st dance?
Last Request - Paolo Nutini

What song makes you think of spring break?
Oppisite of Adults - Chiddy Bang

What is your favorite radio station?
shuffle
the radio is garbage
but if I had to choose, X96

Do you play any instruments?
I can play any instrument.

What CD do you currently want?
The 'Kick-Ass" soundtrack

What is the last CD or iTunes song you purchased?
Rock'n Me - Steve Miller Band

Do you and your best friend have a special song?
Unfaithful - Rihanna
hahaha Bri...

What was an old favorite song you are now embarassed of?
Wannabe - Spice Girls

Most embarassing cd you still own?
High School Musical

Do you own any artist or band shirts?
The Strokes
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
the list is still growing

What is the last concert you attended?
Red Jumpsuit

Any concerts coming up that you are looking forward to?
Steve Miller Band
Parachute
Death Cab For Cutie
more

Favorite NEW artist?
Paper Tongues

Favorite music video?
Bulletproof - La Roux

Who is the greatest artist or band of all time?
The Red Hot Chili Peppers

Its amazing what music can do for a person. I feel bad for all those who are impartial to music.

2011-06-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

So, this post doesn't deserve a title. Its kind of a sad one. Or is it?

I love the idea of a blog. Its a good way to keep in touch and see what other people are up to without all the stupid drama. But thats just the thing. I dont have a lot to blog about. My life is so boring at the moment. I work, I sleep, I play video games, I cook and I do other things a car-less 19 year old girl would do. Im not gonna say, "I LOVE MY LIFE!" I love existing, I love the people in my life and I love what I am living for, but honestly I think there could be more. Im almost 20 and I already feel like Im living the life of a 25-year-old.

Okay, Im not gonna get all nostalgic on y'all. Happy thoughts;

Flea and Anthony of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Brothahood. Ya digg?

Can't stop, addicted to the shindig.

I already miss Glee. Mostly puckerman, but still I kinda miss Glee too. Nope, just Noah.

For cute, right?

Oh and I think all should try this website on for size.
http://www.8tracks.com/
If you are human, you will enjoy.

Beauty in Unexpected Places

2011-06-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

Things like this make life WONDERFUL.

Summer 2011 = My Attempt at Being Healthy

2011-06-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

During my eight hour work days all I am doing is cooking and prepping food. Recently I decided I need to keep my ears entertained while my hands are busy at work, so I picked up listening to books on tape. This past week I listened parts of the book "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It" by Gary Taubes. Okay, don't get me wrong, I know I'm not fat, but this book is meant to educate people (like me) who have no knowledge of why we gain weight, how our metabolism works, and what foods to eat. Popular diets were mentioned like the Atkins diet and Jenny Craig, reasons for why diets work for some and don't work for others, but I'm not here to bore you with the deets. I am blogging about weight loss right now because I suddenly feel the need to be healthy after 'hearing' this book. I don't need to be skinny, I don't want to get fat, and the contents of this book will help me with that.
I'm gonna keep this short because lets be honest, no one reads super long blog posts. I started my diet three days ago and I invented my own rules to this diet. They are as follows:
1. No high fructose corn syrup or sugar (exceptions: yogurt and cheesecake)
2. No more than three servings of starches daily
3. No eating after 8pm
4. Run for at least thirty minutes every day
5. No potato chips or ice cream
6. No artificial sweeteners
7. Don't forget to take your vitamins!

Yep, I have already lost five pounds. Its actually not that hard of a diet for me because rules four, six and seven are already a part of my daily routine so its restricting my diet that's the challenge. Working in a kitchen has its perks like all the food I want, all day, for free. That this is where rule five comes in. I have a bad habit of snacking while I cook, its a habit I'm achin' to break. I think its working so far. I feel like I have more energy and I wake up in the mornings more....efficiently. As in I push snooze twice now as opposed to four times. I like my snooze button. We are well acquainted. This diet will last 6 months. After my six months are up, if I choose to, I can slowly let corn syrup and sugar back into my life. I would say the hardest food for me to be giving up is potatoes. I eat TONS of them. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All my meals would include potatoes. I can still eat them, but in much smaller quantities. I am excited to be doing something that requires discipline. It will help me feel more grown-up. I will keep you all updated on my progress, or my lack of progress. Hopefully it will be the first one.

Thinner, Smarter, More Talented...

2011-06-02T23:05:00.000-07:00

This is how we describe our little sisters, isnt it? Let the pictures speak for themselves.

I love my sissy more than she knows. Im so proud of her graduating from high school today! She is such a hard working individual and she cares about the feelings of everyone. She inspires me with everything she does. Love you Hannah Banana Montana Bandana 2.0!

Money Makes the World Go 'Round

2011-04-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

You can tell a lot about a person by the way they spend their money. Here is a look into my world via checking account.

Last 10 purchases:
4-21~$104.16~Game Vault (Mortal Kombat and Fable III)
4-22~$20.02~Chevron (gas)
4-22~$5.16~7-11 (Slurpees for 2)
4-23~$46.99~JMR Chalk Garden (Toms)
4-23~$29.91~Target (PJs. I left mine in Ogden)
4-23~$71.40~TJ Maxx (clothes! (: )
4-23~$39.51~Ross (bedroom decor)
4-23~$12.45~Albertsons. Er, Fresh Market. (junk fooooood)
4-25~$1.07~RedBox (Tangled)
4-25~$12.12~Taco Bell (nachos, quesadilla, some tater-tot/sour cream/cheese concoction)

And thats pretty much my life.
I cant believe how much video games cost. Well I can because I am a buyer of them but a brand new video game is $60, no matter what. Its silly, but worth it most of the time. Slurpees are still my addiction. Mtn Dew and pina colada. I have to have a few whenever Im in Murray. And I love to shop. It doesn't really match my personality so to make up for that fact I like to go alone. I dont like shopping with other people usually because they have to have an opinion. Its great they have an opinion but it effects me and what I will buy and I hate that about myself. After I buy something and wear it I could care less how I look but if I am choosing between the zebra striped blouse and the certain pair of skinny jeans I will choose what my shopping buddy wants and try to convince myself that I love it. Later that day I feel stupid. Moral of the story is; sorry, but I probably wont go shopping with you. If I do, then you are special.

I love to spend money. It burns a gaping hole in my pocket and I rarely have buyers remorse. Im not sure if thats a good thing, but its a thing all the same.

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

2011-04-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

Best salad I have ever made myself. Grilled and breaded chicken on spinach with Briana's honey mustard dressing. Yummo.

Bryce is leaving on his mission in a week and a half! All my boys are growin' up.

Cutest. Niece. Ever.

This once, Grace, has the greatest personality.

My life is all pictures. Its a lot easier to use images and still frames than writing everything out. Not always, but most of the time. I love my family. I am so blessed to have them in my life.

Friday Night Lights. 2006-2011. You Will Be Missed.

2011-04-14T22:48:00.000-07:00

Coach Eric Taylor

For the most part (IMO) television is a waste of time. I cant stand reality shows, local news is just sad, and I would rather attend sporting events than watch them on the tube. All the TV I could ever want is on Netflix and Hulu. And I must say I follow a show or two...

Parks and Recreation
Pretty Little Liars
Glee
~~Friday Night Lights~~

That last one there, yeah I'm pretty sure its my favorite program of all time and its done. Finito. It has been for what, two months now? And I haven't posted a blog tribute to it? Some fan/blogger I am... Anyway this post is my attempt at some sort of eulogy. My favorite aspects of Friday Night Lights:

Tami and Eric Taylor (below) are the greatest example of a happy marriage as depicted on a television screen. Their relationship seems so real! They aren't perfect and they do fight but they get over it. This seems silly for me to say but their marriage has set an example to me and what I want my marriage to be like.

High school football. In my opinion, high school football is American football in its purest form. There is no money involved and its just young men laying everything they have on the field in blood, sweat and tears. They play with the most heart. I would have loved to be a part of Texas football, its what small towns like Dillon live for.
Tim Riggins (below). I love this boy. I wish he was real. I don't know what it is about him. I'm not the kind of girl to love the 'bad boy' of the story but maybe that's just it. He portrays himself as a bad boy but I think he was just born into the stereotype. He didn't build it for himself, he just always ended up in the middle of trouble.

It shows tragedy. Tragedy happens people. Yeah, its sad but its real. If I had to describe this show in one word it would be REAL. Oh yeah, and its based on a true story. Coolio.

Some aspects I didn't like so much...

Julie Taylor. SEASON 5 SPOILER ALERT! She is a get-around-while-you're-young kind of girl and she is rude to her parents. I guess that stuff is real too, but I'm sorry if I was Matt Saracen and my ex was like, "Oh I slept with my college TA and he was married so I'm running to you because I have nowhere else to go. Is that okay? And I still love you by the way." I would slap that ho. I especially would not ask her to marry me. I hate that she doesn't have to deal what she did. Easy out right? Wrong. She probably has an STD by now.
Tyra and Tim. He is too good for her! I like her, but she needs an old rich man. He needs a laid back non-obsessive girlfriend with simple looks. You don't know how their relationship looks down the road but you can pretty much see where its going
Every one's 'first love' works out. There aren't any break-ups that last! I know this is definitely not real. All the young beautiful couples happened to find the partner of their dreams in high school. Except Landry. If I was in that show, I would be with Landry. And I would wear a Crucifictorious t-shirt e'ryday.

I think the cast and characters are so well done also. My favorites are:

Vince Howard - Trouty lips and QB1. He changed his life. Gotta respect that.

Jess Merriweather - I relate to her in a lot of ways. We just wanna be one of the boys!

Luke Cafferty - The definition of Texas farm-boy.

Landry Clarke - He is the best friend with the best advice. And he is in a band.

Hastings Ruckle - Hello handsome! And he is awkward, I like the two together.

Tim Riggins - He is rugged, quiet, way hot and he is a family man. Need I say more?

Tami Taylor - Such a great role model.

I'm going to miss this. So very much. I think I'm going to buy every season on DVD. I could watch it over, and over, and over, and over...

Pictures Are Worth More Than Words

2011-04-12T23:58:00.000-07:00

I have always loved photography. I did it all throughout high school then I just stopped. Mainly because I have never owned a camera, I would always borrow them from other people. So, my wonderful aunt who does way too much for me gave me a digital camera that she was going to sell. I offered to pay for it but she wouldn't have it. So, over the past week I have been taking many pictures. Here are a few.

Ogden sunsets are amazing. This picture was taken 5 minutes running distance from my house. Can you say blessed?

This is Clint. My BFF.

Its been snowing. A lot. Lately.

Me and Gracie. My Niece. She turned 6 on Sunday.

Davis. He is the Baby, baby, baby, oh!

Maggie Boo. She was grumpy. But the cute kind of grumpy.

I miss my nieces ALL the time. I love them so much.

I really have no idea who reads my blog. Sure, I have an app that helps me keep track of my followers but I know there are more of you out there. Ill be talking to someone I know and they're like, "Hey I liked your blog post the other day." And I'm like, "Oh hey yeah you know about that?" I love it. I love that my family reads up.

Life has slowed a lot for me. I remember when my life moved at a hundred miles per hour. The whole summer was that way. I miss that. Now life is easy. I'm coastin'. I'm not so sure its the way I like it though. I like the chaos, the stress, and the all-nighters. I miss being spontaneous. Its really hard to be spontaneous when you work full time, don't have a car and you're tired all the time. I MISS all of this. I wonder sometimes if part of growing up is losing the spontaneity. If that's the case then I don't want to grow up.

I have no choice in the matter any who. Its happening whether I want it to or not.

I have fallen into routine, a thing I told myself would never happen. At least I'm not working a desk job. But I am absolutely content with my life the way it is. I have a steady and dependable job, a family that loves and supports me, wonderful friends here in Ogden and I know exactly what I want out of my life. I finally feel as though I know where I'm going. I cant see ahead of me but I know I like the smell of it. But here is the catch, when I reach points like this in my life I get thrown a curve ball. Something is going to happen and I am anticipating it. I have so much faith in my Heavenly Father and he really does know what he is doing, but we are never through learning and growing, and that is why I love my life.

Black Rain, Black Rain

2011-04-05T00:35:00.000-07:00

Photo: Pattie Earl, April 4, 2011
Lyrics: A.A. Bondy, "Black Rain, Black Rain", 2007

Summa Breeze...

2011-03-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

...makes me feel fine!

TEN reasons why I am stoked for summer.

1. Sleeping outside. I love to just take a blanket and pillow and sleep under the stars.

2. Bonfires. I have the coolest backyard for a bonfire! I dug the pit myself and lined it with rocks. I have been stocked with mallows and chocolate ALL winter and its about time I busted them out.

3. Concerts. Summer IS concert season and there are many I plan on attending including Jimmy Eat World, Arctic Monkeys and Ratatat.

4. NO SHOES! I rarely wear shoes in the summer. Shoes are a hassle and an inconvenience.

5. Vacations. California. Havasupai. Grand Canyon. Portland. Yeah boy.

6. Rollerblading. Next to biking, its my favorite way to get around.

7. Mountain Biking! Ogden has the coolest trails that are minutes away from my house. I am very lucky to be so close to the mountains.

8. Cliff Jumping. So there is this place called Causey Reservoir and yeah I'm gonna be there a lot this summer.

9. Swimming. Lakes, pools, the ocean, you name it!

10. The carefree lifestyle that comes with the summer sun. Its easy to have fun in the summer and you don't have to try to have a good time. Happiness comes easily in these short, hot months of the year.

I'm done with snow. I want to pack away my Uggs for awhile. I want to see green, eat fresh fruit all day, lay in the grass, read books and make tons of friends. This summer is gonna be a great one and its not coming fast enough.

Stereotation

2011-03-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

Word fuses. My favorite thing. The title of this post is most definitely a word fusion. Stereotypes and reputation. These are a couple of things that have haunted me my WHOLE life. In elementary school I was kind of known as the 'weird girl'. My socks never matched. My hair was short and ratty, I wore jelly shoes and Christmas sweaters in the summer time. That was me. Who the freak knows why I was like that in my younger years but surely those formative years have shaped me into who I am right now.

Just think about it, if you were to stereotype the person you were in high school, who would you be? The jock, prep, rocker, drama kid, or maybe a little bit of all of them? I hate that people have to think about which crowd they fit in with, or even which crowd they WANT to fit in with. I couldn't condemn myself to any of these groups. I was very independent and very anti-clique. It was just a silly way to get yourself a seat in a certain persons car, a place to sit at lunch, or your face in a photograph at a dance. I ate lunch with someone new every day and sometimes I ate by myself, I listened to a lot of music in class and in the halls, and I spent most weekends playing Xbox with my buddies online. I loved high school, don't get me wrong, I just think the social aspect of it could use some fine tuning.

I have done a lot of growing while in college. Its very different from what I imagined. Everyone is friends with everyone! At least that's the case at Weber State University. I don't look at someone and think, "I wonder if they want to meet me as much as I want to meet them." I just go up to them and give them my name and BAM we are already friends. I am definitely lacking shyness here in Ogden. Its all high fives, study sessions with everyone and anyone you know, and a lot of new names to remember. Its a drastic turn to make right out of high school. I'm not saying this is the case in all schools and colleges, this is MY experience.

One thing I love about my friends? Um not a lot of texting. Fo reals texting is a hassle when you work and go to school and all that ya know? If any of my friends want to talk to me they call me! I know, its still weird for me to think about. And the food! Oh the food. I am so lucky to have friends that will make food for and with me. My kitchen is definitely a happy one. It knows many faces.

Regarding reputation, its a hard thing to escape, unless you are me and you run away to a new town where you know NO ONE and you can be WHOEVER you want to be. College has been a great time and place for me to find myself. I don't take from other peoples personalities and add to my own like I used to do. I am whoever I want to be and you want to know something? I have more friends this way, and those friends are true. Its an amazing thing to find yourself, not that I am completely found because I never will be. Its a never ending process and its exciting!

Here are some things I have learned about myself whilst living on my own.
> I am messy. Even though I may be the neatest person in my family, I am messy.
> I am touchy. I LOVE me a good hug. I love to hold hands and cuddle. An abnormal amount I think.
> I am a great cook.
> I hate waking up before 8am. I get grumpy and its not pretty so its something I successfully avoid.
> I don't want to talk to you while I am watching TV. Growing up I would always try to talk to my parents during a TV show and to my confusion they would get upset at me. I now understand how frustrating it can be when someone wants to chat in the middle of the dang show. Lets talk after, yeah?
> I love to run and walk wherever I go. I don't have a car so I get to be my own transportation and I'm perfectly fine with walking or jogging, as long as I can have my iPod with me. I can walk any distance with music as my companion.
> Its okay to say no. I used to be a yes person. Always saying yes and trying to do favors for other people and I would always stretch myself a little too thin. I love to help people as much as I can as long as its within my own means.
> Prayer is a great way to handle stress and loneliness.
> I am very religious and I love having something to believe in. The church I belong to is my strength and my happiness. And now I go to church solely because I want to and not just because my parents encourage me to.
> I can be happy, but only if I allow myself to be.

This is my life and I love it.

iTunes Session

2011-03-14T01:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my iTunes.

I love making playlists, and if I do say so myself I am pretty dang good at it. I just want to share will y'all some rad playlists I made. :)
Enjoi.

>Neon Paper Temper Killers
1. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap
2. In the Next Room - Neon Trees
3. Solider On - The Temper Trap
4. Mr. Brightside - The Killers
5. Drum Song - The Temper Trap
6. Animal - Neon Trees
7. Everything Will Be Alright - The Killers
8. Believe Me Natalie - The Killers
9. Love Like You - Paper Tongues
10. On Top - The Killers
11. Science of Fear - The Temper Trap
12. Sins of My Youth - Neon Trees
13. Andy, Youre a Star - The Killers
14. Midnight Show - The Killers
15. Rich and Poor - Paper Tongues
16. Your Surrender - Neon Trees
17. Ride to California - Paper Tongues
18. Strongest Flame - Paper Tongues
19. 1983 - Neon Trees
20. Get Higher - Paper Tongues
21. Change Your Mind - The Killers
22. Our War - Neon Trees
23. Love Lost - Paper Tongues
24. Trinity - Paper Tongues
25. All These Things That I've Done - The Killers

>Arcade Patrol Cutie Service
1. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
2. Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
3. You Could Be Happy - Snow Patrol
4. Chocolate - Snow Patrol
5. What Sarah Said - Death Cab for Cutie
6. Finish Line - Snow Patrol
7. Headlights - Snow Patrol
8. Empty Room - Arcade Fire
9. Nothing Better - The Postal Service
10. Passenger Seat - Death Cab for Cutie
11. Ready to Start - Arcade Fire
12. The Lightning Strike - Snow Patrol
13. Crack the Shutters - Snow Patrol
14. Sleeping In - The Postal Service
15. Set Down Your Glass - Snow Patrol
16. Modern Man - Arcade Fire
17. Month of May - Arcade Fire
18. Title and Registration - Death Cab for Cutie
19. Clark Gable - The Postal Service
20. Lifeboats - Snow Patrol
21. Eyes Open - Snow Patrol
22. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight - The Postal Service
23. Shut Your Eyes - Snow Patrol
24. I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie
25. Wasted Hours - Arcade Fire

>Red Hot Foo Slave
1. Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers
2. Minor Thing - Red Hot Chili Peppers
3. Show Me How to Live - Audioslave
4. Dosed - Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. The Zephyr Song - Red Hot Chili Peppers
6. Hey - Red Hot Chili Peppers
7. Cochise - Audioslave
8. Cant Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers
9. Dandelion - Audioslave
10. Monkey Wrench - Foo Fighters
11. Wet Sand - Red Hot Chili Peppers
12. Hey, Johnny Park! - Foo Fighters
13. Like a Stone - Audioslave
14. Best of You- Foo Fighters
15. Midnight - Red Hot Chili Peppers
16. Tear - Red Hot Chili Peppers
17. Light My Way - Audioslave
18. Be Yourself - Audioslave
19. Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
20. See You - Foo Fighters
21. The Pretender - Foo Fighters
22. Doll - Foo Fighters
23. Stadium Arcadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers
24. Everlong (acoustic) - Foo Fighters
25. Snow (Hey Oh) - Red Hot Chili Peppers

>Slightly Sublime Pepper Heads
1. Wrong Way - Sublime
2. Reward for Me - Slightly Stoopid
3. All You Need - Sublime
4. Nice Time - Pepper
5. KRS-One - Sublime
6. Crazy Love - Pepper
7. What I Got - Sublime
8. Santeria - Sublime
9. Everything Im Looking For - The Dirty Heads
10 No Control - Pepper
11. Stand Tall - The Dirty Heads
12. Chelsea - The Dirty Heads
13. The Otherside - Slightly Stoopid
14. Wanted - Pepper
15. Blood of My Blood - Slightly Stoopid
16. Easy - The Dirty Heads
17. Ocean - Slightly Stoopid
18. Driftin' - The Dirty Heads
19. Bring Me Along - Pepper
20. Knows That I - The Dirty Heads
21. Rent - Pepper
22. Hold On to the One - Slightly Stoopid
23. Nobody Knows - Slightly Stoopid
24. Baby I Like It - Slightly Stoopid
25. Anywhere I Go - Slightly Stoopid

The end :)

The Joy of Cooking

2011-03-10T00:19:00.000-08:00

I LOVE to cook. Its my job and I do it all day every day.

Above is my latest creation, cake balls! Cchocolate brownies covered in white chocolate. mmmm.

I find joy in cooking for other people. I hate cooking for only myself. So, if you are in my house while I am making something yummy, you get to eat some whether you want to or not.

What is my favorite thing to cook you ask? Well, I love making soup. Its fun for me to just take a bunch of stuff and turn it into a steamy bowl of flavor. I also love to use my George Foreman grill. I can cook anything on it! salmon, steak, hamburgers, quesadillas, you name it!

My favorite thing to eat?

Ethnic food. Namely Mexican. Er I mean Americanized Mexican. Nachos, tacos, burritos and as long as its homemade its my favorite!

^^^CHEESECAKE^^^

Oh and my mom makes bomb cheesecake that I can almost replicate. Its better than you have ever had.

FOOD = HAPPINESS

Tribute

2011-03-02T00:21:00.000-08:00

I hope you recognize this man. His name is Anthony Kiedis. I love him.

^^^

This guy is the vocalist for the (in my opinion) GREASTEST band on earth.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

I think they are vastly under appreciated.

Sure the band is misunderstood, very creative and a bit odd but you honestly cant find enough of that in the music industry these days.

These are my TOP TEN reasons I cant get enough of the RHCP.

1. The album 'By the Way'
2. The music video 'Cant Stop'
3. Flea. Bassist. Enough said.
4. Any and all lyrics ever written, thought, or sung by A.K.
5. Every chord in the song 'By the Way'
6. Anthony's face (as shown above).
7. They have been keeping it fresh since 1983.
8. Stupid people dont love the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It just dont work that way.
9. My RHCP t-shirt.

10. Dancing like a crazy person to any song written by these brilliant men.

Please, give them a listen.

I Guess Im Just A Sucka For Love

2011-02-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

So I am pretty much not the kind of person who likes trendy things. Especially people, like Snooki, Jay Z, and Sarah Palin. I dont like being one of those people who idolize things/people because magazines and TV say so. But, I am going to have to make one exception. JUSTIN BIEBER. I love him. He is not your average cookie-cutter Nickelodeon/Disney Channel man-slut that does what the public tells him to do. His life and career is based on hard work and love for his fans and especially God. He knows how blessed he is and he is not self-centered. If you have seen Never Say Never, you know exactly what I am talking about. He is absolutely adorable! Its not fair for haters to hate when they have no reason to. Wow, I'm not gonna sit here and hate on the haters. Anyway, One draw back though, I don't like being classified as a 'Justin Bieber Fan' because of all the connotations that relate to the title. I am not a crazed 13-year-old that tweets all day to him, preaching his gospel of love and yada yada yada. I just think he is a talented boy that makes my heart happy when I hear his butter-smooth voice sing to me. He has quite the effect on me. This post will be short because I recently got my nails done for my best friends wedding tomorrow and my nail beds hurt. G'night y'all. Long live Jieber. <3

Ten Tweets Posted Today

2011-02-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

Please explain the difference between warlock and sorcerer. - Rainn Wilson

I'm sorry, I mistook your dog for a shrubbery. - Julian Smith

The hardest part of yoga is leaving the house to go to yoga. Well, that's not true. Handstands are hard too. So is pigeon. Yoga is hard. - Alison Sudol (A Fine Frenzy)

LOL to my haters - Wah Wah #crymeariver - Snooki

Nation, I know each and every one of you depends on me. And yet my accountant refuses to reflect that on my taxes. - Stephen Colbert

I have a stutter fetish. - T.J. Miller

Bieber, i love you.♥ - Layla Bajrami

Time is precious; waste it wisely. - JB♥NY

1 melatonin, normal... 2 melatonin = CRAZY CRAZY dreams of petting tiny albino baby turtles and talking to a tree stump. help. - Katy Perry

Got to hand it to patrick swayze probably one of the first people to say "yo cuz" in a movie. - Kelly Osbourne

Umm, I love twitter. :)

Ten Things

2011-02-19T12:16:00.000-08:00

I LOVE to blog surf, and I happened to come upon a blog that is written by a single father, and all his posts are lists. Lists of then things like, "Ten Signs I'm a Dad" or " Ten Things I've Heard." I absolutely love this idea so I think I will try a "Ten Things" list of my own.

Top Ten Songs Played On My iTunes

Please Don't Go - Mike Posner
Lost In You - Three Days Grace
Your Love is a Song - Switchfoot
Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
Whats My Name - Rihanna feat. Drake
All I Wanted - Paramore
Everything You Want - Vertical Horizon
Stuck in the Moment - Justin Bieber
The Only Exception - Paramore
Seaside - The Kooks

Now I am off to go set up for a dance at a retirement home. How cute is that?
:)
There shall be more lists to come.

This Little Light of Mine...

2011-02-19T02:33:00.000-08:00

This little light of mine,

I'm gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine,

I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine,

I'm gonna let it shine.

Let it shine,

Let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel? No!

I'm gonna let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel? No!

I'm gonna let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel? No!

I'm gonna let it shine.

Let it shine,

Let it shine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G1SoIcvR_8

A Few Things I Love

2011-02-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

My mothers CHEESECAKE

My lil sis

Snow Patrol

Facebook

Coldplay

Laying in the grass

Talking on the phone

Laundry fresh out of the dryer

Writing letters
                           COOKING

My iPhone
                             Mtn Dew

dried flowers
           this scenario: playing call of duty with my boys until the sun comes up, and sleeping in until 3pm the next day.

angry birds. shhhh.
                                                        LOVE. I love LOVE.

Welcome to My Journal

2011-02-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

A Bit About Me

2011-02-07T23:10:00.000-08:00

How do you flush the toilet in public?

with the toilet handle...except most places are automatic deez dayz

Do you wear your seatbelt in the car?

often. not always.

Do you have a crush on someone?

yesh.

Name one thing you worry about running out of?

toilet paper or clean socks. Im a sock nazi.

What famous person do you (or other people) think you resemble?

people say Elizabeth Smart but I dont see it

What is your favorite pizza topping?

pineapple

Do you crack your knuckles?

religiously. because I heard on Oprah once that its good for you.

What song do you hate the most?

sex on fire by kings of leon because if sex was on fire no one have it.

Did just mentioning that song make it get stuck in your head?

nope

Peppermint or spearmint?
peppermint anything is yummy.

Where are your car keys?
what car keys?

What's your most annoying habit?
burping. I do it a lot and I dont think I can help it. I think it scares people away.
Where did you last go on vacation?
San Diego! 'twas loverly.
What is your best physical feature?
my smile I think. all the old people love it.
What CD is closest to you right now?
Conditions - The Temper Trap
What 3 things can always be found in your refrigerator?
Mtn. Dew, sour cream, and string cheese.
What superstition do you believe/practice?
mmm aliens exist
What color are your bed sheets?
white
Would you rather be a fish or a bird?
a bird!

Do you talk on your cell phone when you drive?
yep. a lot.

What are your favorite sayings?
"under there. underwear?"

What song(s) do you sing most often in the shower?
I dont sing in the shower. I sing when I drive so I am rephrasing the Q.
What song(s) do you sing most often when driving?
I Believe In A Thing Called Love - Darkness

If you could go back or forward in time,where would you go?
I would go back to whenever the Star Wars happened and join the fight against the Sith Lords.

What is your favorite Harrison Ford movie?
^^^ Star Wars baybay :)

What CD is in your stereo?
Life in Cartoon Motion - MIKA
What CD will be in your stereo in a few minutes?
^^^
How many kids do you plan on having?
2>5

If you could kiss anyone who would it be?
Zac Efron. this is not a joke.

What do you do when no one is watching?
dance like Im at a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert.

If they made a movie about your life, what actor/actress would be you?
Amanda Bynes.

Would you rather die in a blaze of glory or peacefully in your sleep?
blaze of glory!

Coffee or Tea?
Calm tea by TAZO

Favorite musician(s)/bands you've seen in concert?
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Have you ever been in love?
yes and it was lovely. love is beautiful.

Do you talk to yourself?
quite often. it helps me keep my sanity.

Parts

2011-02-04T23:32:00.000-08:00

Part I

Why did I start blogging? Well, I will tell you. Number one, because my older sis does, er she did, and I wanted to be cool like her in that way. Two, I guess I have some sort of creative side I have to express in writing over the world wide web. And three, I thought it would be kind of cool to appear in Google searches. :)

Now it seems my journal is my blog. It is private if I choose it to be. Of course I cannot set cool background music to play when I open it up, but I feel a little more honest with myself and the world when I write in ink. After all, I'm more of a blog reader than blog writer.

Life in general is my blog. There are no friend requests, page views, likes or photo tags. It is much simpler to use than online social networks. But blogging is fun all the same.

Part II

My job involves lots of interaction with the elderly. I love old people, almost as much as I love children. Recently my good friend Ryan and I have had the chance to serve the elderly on a regular basis and I cannot describe the happiness it has brought to my life! I dare you to try and be a grumpy sad sack while spending time with someone at least 4 times your age. Serving the seniors has shown me there is a graceful way to age. Just think about the life that person has led. All the happiness and sadness the person has felt, the success, the failure, the hunger, the smiles, the tears (both happy and sad), and to think, one day I will be there too. When I do get there I want to think of the life I have led and not be able to put it into words. I think I am on the right track for that. :)

Part III

Food=Happiness. You know its true. I am a cook. I am a frier, a steamer, a griller, a sauter, a baker, a taste-tester, a tosser, a microwaver, a smeller, a recpie-rule-breaker, a measurer, a chopper, a whisker, a boiler, and a food fanatic. Living on my own has been an adventure, especially in the area of cooking for myself. Someday I would love to name myself a chef, but I have yet to bestow that honorous title upon myself. I am a cook, and I am fine with that.

Whats for dinner tonight:

Chicken Royale (yellow curry chicken) with garlic mashed potatoes and corn (mmmm. corn. corn reminds me of summertime).

Part IV

Music that is new to my ears:

Last Request - Paolo Nutini

Hannah - Ray LaMontagne

Mightiest of Guns - A.A. Bondy

Song that Ended Your Career - Verbena

Soldier On - The Temper Trap

Electrify - MuteMath

Human - Civil Twilight

For the Brothers...

2011-02-03T00:19:00.000-08:00

This is me and my brother, Mike. He means a lot to me. This morning I got a message from him on Facebook that read,

"Hey Sis, I was just randomly thinking about you and wanted to tell you that I love you and you really know how to make a bro proud of his little sis. Thanks for being so great."
These words brought tears to my eyes. I have never had him say anything like this to me before and this hit my heart like a ton of bricks. I love my family so much, especially my brothers. I would be nothing without them.

San Diego is Love

2011-01-30T22:00:00.000-08:00

Palm trees make me happy.

Thats me. P.E.

I am BLESSED.

On the Road Again

2010-10-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

Not on the literal road of course...but the blogging road. I have gone with out sharing my feelings with no one for way too long. Maybe it isn't a good idea to write my first post in almost a year after midnight and and exhausting weekend, but here I go.

This weekend was a great one, just like I had anticipated. It started off with a great party sponsored by the Institute committee I am a part of; the outreach committee. Basically I get to invite returned missionaries to Institute and encourage them to jump right back into the adult social life with as little speed bumps as possible. It is already so much fun and I have only been participating for about four weeks now. The party was really fun and I learned some new names and I had a look into a few personalities, many of which I will get a long with very well, so I guess you could say I made a few friends. We played some games, (a lot of games actually) and ate delicious pizza! The party rocked until about 2 am and we all headed home, ready for the conference weekend.

Conference was great. I especially enjoyed the first session on Saturday morning because I got to be in the heat of the action! I went with Jake, Taylar and Chris and we were in our seats by 9:55, but as soon as President Eyring started the meeting we were asked if we wanted to scoot up a few rows and like anyone else we didn't refuse. It was a great meeting that included me seeing my beautiful mothers face on camera with the choir during the opening song, President Uchtdorf losing his voice and sounding like Yoda for a moment, and the announcement of five new temples to be built; I was so excited to hear about this! My dad said to me that with each new temple that is built, temple attendance goes up ten percent. These are wonderful statistics and they can only get better! I'm so happy to know that the church is growing and that the truth of the gospel is spreading and the work of the Lord is requiring new temples.

After the first session of conference I went home for the weekend to surprise my mother and she really was surprised. I love seeing her smile. The following Saturday night and Sunday morning was filled with time spent relaxing with my family. Sunday night we celebrated Lillis 20ish birthday and had yummy Philly steak and Swiss sandwiches, and perfect chocolate chip cookies. They really were perfect! Crispy on the outside, a little gooey on the inside, trust me, you would have agreed. Oh yeah, and Cathy beat me at scrabble, but that is no surprise.

And now here I sit, in my new home in Ogden, Utah ready for school in 6 hours. I really should be in bed, but my mind wont allow it. I have been thinking about the new fast-paced life I live. Its a new beginning and I am embracing every second of it. I love the social aspects of college life. I love starting over in a city where I know no one and having to work my way through the "hello, my name is" stage. I love learning things. I love learning new words, how to properly document financial records, I love exploring the wide spectrum of the opinions of my classmates and professors, and I especially love learning how to be my own person and provide for myself. Its a bumpy road, but its an exciting kind of "bumpy", the kind that teaches you that toilet paper is almost too expensive to buy, or that if you leave the lights on all day, that means money out of your own pocket. I love having roommates. I love all my roommates, and for different reasons. I love Natalie for the fact that she is always smiling. I honestly don't know how she does it. She can be hungry, dirty, tired and still be smiling and laughing. I love Taylar because she relates to me and how I feel about a lot of things. I love how we call each other on all the stupid things we say and I love how we are laughing every five minutes! I also love that spell-check tells me that her name is spelled wrong. I love Chloe because she will let you know how it is. She is basically the comic relief in our house, and not the annoying Jar-Jar Binks kind. She is funny and has this awesome way of telling you that its okay, but you could do better. And last but not least, I love Katie. I love Katie because she this great spirit that makes me want to do better, do better for myself and everyone I meet. I love talking to her about spiritual things and also the silliest things. We can talk and talk and lose track of time, and believe me, we have.

Until tomorrow,

Pat

Santa Monica

2009-11-03T18:25:00.000-08:00

spider at aunt feeties

muscle beach

the getty center

santa monica pier

the waves at Santa Monica beach

Happiness

2009-02-28T20:50:00.000-08:00

Lately I have become fascinated with happiness, and why people feel they need to be happy. I have read poems, song lyrics, read blog posts, and even talked to a few close friends about what makes people happy and why. I have always written theories and philosophies in in my journal and other random places, but I have not blogged about it until now. My blog seems like the appropriate place to do so.My first real question, is happiness contagious? I believe the answer is yes, but there is a catch. I believe that happiness is contagious, but so is unhappiness, and unhappiness is easier to catch.

Second question, can someone be happy just by thinking they are happy? This is a tricky one, simply because it leads to another question. Is happiness really only a state of mind? I believe the answer to be a simple no, happiness is more than a state of mind. In order to be happy, I need to know that my family is happy, my friends are happy, and that I am doing what I want to do, and not what someone else thinks I should be doing.

The key factor in my happiness is my religion. I am a member of The Church if Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I love it. I have a testimony of the teachings of Christ, His atonement, and his love for me. If not for my religion, I would not truly be happy.

I know that because of the way I have been raised and the things I have been taught, I can be happy, and I am. I obey the rules given to me by my parents, my church leaders, and my Heavenly Father because they allow me to keep my agency, which allows me to be happy. I see my life as a gift that has been given to me, and to live it in an unhappy existence would be nothing but a waste.

"Life is good, if we live in such a way to make it so.' . . . 'A good life' comes as a result of the way we do things, of the words we choose to say, and even of the kind of thoughts we choose to have. . . "
-Benjamin De Hoyos

If...

2009-01-18T21:45:00.000-08:00

I could have 1000 of any single item at Target I would be torn between 3 choices:

Socks. Hanes, no-show, extra elastic, and white
Blank CD-R's
Chapstick brand medicated chap stick

My Personal Manifesto

2008-12-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

For a Young Women's lesson in church on Sunday my Mia-Maid Leader gave a wonderful lesson. She talked about what we believe in, and how this affects our actions. During this lesson, all the girls wrote themselves a personal manifesto, or a list of things we believe. Below is a list of only 10 of things I believe in that definitely persuade my actions:

1. I believe in the perfect first kiss

2. I believe that being 16 years old is overrated

3. I believe that raising a child takes more than just a mom and a dad

4. I believe that not all teenagers are irresponsible

5. I believe that no matter how much chocolate you eat, it IS good for you

6. I believe in love at first sight

7. I believe that physical exercise is essential in any persons life

8. I believe that anyone and everyone can be happy

9. I believe in the atonement of Jesus Christ

10. I believe in eternal marriage

Ghandi once said, "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." I could not agree in this more and I would challenge everyone to think about what they believe in and how they let those beliefs affect how they live their life.

My Not-So-Gamer Lifestyle

2008-12-07T17:26:00.000-08:00

Within the past few months I have grown attached to my big bros Xbox 360. I have devoted lots of my time to the few games I found interest in like Gears of War, Fable, Call of Duty 4, and just recently Sims. I just got grounded from my new found hobby for only a week now and it has been sincerely difficult. I think "gaming" is a sort of de-stresser for me. It gets my mind off things going on in my life that I need to forget about for awhile. Honestly its not like I play for unhealthy amounts of time, though my family thinks I do. All the time I should be spending killing Locust's (the aliens in my favorite game), I have been reading Breaking Dawn.

I started the book a few months ago when it first came out and I decided I didn't like it so it was put on hold. But since I have nothing else to fill my time, I have picked up the final book to the Twilight saga, and dived right back in.

I'm still having debatable feelings about it. I'm not as attracted to this book as once was. I don't make time to read it, I just read when I have time to kill.

As for the movie...to quote my mother, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," so I wont be saying much. For starters, I heart Jacob and always will, and I think ANOB could agree with me. :) Edward was too cavalier to be a vamp, Jacob's stature is not nearly large enough to be a werewolves', and Bella is way too average.

To conclude, my life without video games is a sad one filled with reading and naps, and I haven't decided if that's a good thing or a bad one.

13 Inches of My Life...

2008-07-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

...gone. About 2 months ago I cut off 13 inches of my hair. It was hard to let go of my lengthy locks, but it was worth it. It's summer time and I needed a change. There aren't many styles that work with this stunted length. I can barley even do a pony tail, but i still love it.

"Goosin" Off

2008-06-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend I got to babysit my two nieces, Grace and Maggie, and we had so much fun! They came over on Friday at about 10:00 am and they slept over and stayed on Saturday until about 6:00 pm. We planned to feed the geese at Murray park so we went to the Sara Lee Bakery Outlet and ask for old bread that we could feed the Geese and the nice clerk gave us 5 loaves of bread for free! So we headed off to the park. We sat on the grass in the shade and the ducks and geese came to us. The geese were huge! When we were sitting down, they were taller then we were! Grace was a little scared, but soon we were all having fun. We fed the geese and ducks a total of 3 whole loaves of bread. It really was a nice day!

Softballin'

2008-05-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

So I had a game today against Granger High. I played varsity fir the first time in awhile and it was great! I hit the ball every time I was up too bat and three out of the four times I hit it straight to short stop and unfortunately, got out. But the fourth time I hit a double and it felt GREAT! I love everything about softball. The batting, the defense, and ESPECIALLY the girls; they are like another family to me. And on top of it all, I think spring is here to stay! I got lots of sun and it was a beautiful day! The team has two more games before the playoffs and I'm hoping the weather stays very nice, for a long, long time.

My 50 favorite things (in no particular order)

2008-05-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

1. Potatoes, in any shape or form
2. Spending time with my family
3. Softball practice/games

4. Learning (believe it or not)

5. Music - a staple in my life
6. The Office, couldn't live without it

7. Red Hot Chili Peppers - only the greatest
8. Making cookies
9. The feeling I get when I have good grades, a clean room, and all my homework done - ALL AT THE SAME TIME!
10. the Internet - for many reasons
11. The Microsoft Word thesaurus...makes me sound intelligent.
12. Late night talks with Ben
13. Going to lunch and blasting the tunes
14. The Pursuit of Happyness (movie)
15. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
16. The home cooked meal provided by my mother on a fast Sunday
17. Rain
18. Road trips
19. Camping
20. Snow Patrol - so soulful
21. Seattle - beautiful
22. Math - I love the feeling when it just CLICKS in a lesson
23. Making a meal for my family, especially when they like it!
24. Traveling - anywhere!
25. My softball team (they are my second family)

26. Catching up with old friends
27. Andrea Bocelli - amazing vocalist
28. Babysitting my nieces

(Gracie and Maggie)
28. Making Brownies with Lil ( :
29. Reading
30. Little but meaningful talks with Bri
31. Medium - the TV show ( I don't know why, I'm just addicted)
32. Sunny D. Absolutely delicious.
33. Grapes
34. A large paycheck...don't think I have to explain that one
35. St. George - plan on moving there when i graduate

36. Girls camp/Youth conference - a BLAST!

(Heber Valley Girls Camp)
37. Driving to Idaho with my mom for family reunions
38. Going to the grocery store with Mom on Saturday mornings
39. Being able to EARN my spot in a varsity game
40. American Idol - I'm in LOVE with Jason Castro
41. MY FAMILY
42. All my moms useful skills: sewing, cooking, caring, etc.
43. Working for Grandpa in the summer
44. Swimming
45. Conditioning - I feel the burn and I LOVE it ;)
46. Sewing
47. Sleeping

48. Spending my money on whatever I want and not feeling guilty about it (maybe that's a bad thing...)
49. Hate to admit it but...Americas Next Top Model...ugh
50. Whenever Grace sings, right before she falls asleep

mid-teen-life-crisis

2008-04-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

So needless to say, I have not been keeping my blog “up to date”, (as the maybe 3 people who read my rants may have noticed) and to be frank I’m losing interest in this charade. Every day I keep racking my brain for new ideas for new posts. It seems like my sister and her blog re ALWAYS finding things to talk about. This is a sad realization; you would think a 16 year old girl would have more of a life to talk about on the World Wide Web rather than her sister, ten years older in age, and two little children at both her heels. Don’t worry Lil, all in good fun. :) My softballin’ lifestyle is taking over my social life and I don’t know what to do! I have practice 4 days a week with 2 games included, meaning about 25 hours out on the diamond and barley enough time to do laundry, homework, EAT, go to school and get some other nuts and bolts tightened that hold my life together. I have gone on long enough about my ailing social verve. So with this in mind be benevolent until I hit can get past my mid-teen-life crisis.

A Rather Unwholesome Encounter

2008-04-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

For the FIRST time in my life, I gave in to an advertisement. It was about 11 o'clock on Monday night and I saw a McDonald commercial and something happened. I actually wanted a hamburger from this inept, (in my opinion) fast-food eatery. So Tuesday for lunch i suggested that my brother and I go to good-ole' Mickey D's for lunch and it was delicious! I got a hamburger of course and a large fri. Those large fries really are large, (compared to Wendy's "Biggie" fri, which is about 1/3 smaller and $1.79) so all in all, McDonald's has won back my heart.

Epiphany

2008-04-09T07:18:00.001-07:00

Somewhere Over the Rainbow- Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole

When I first heard this song I loved it. I initially heard it on Meet Joe Black and I forgot about it for awhile, but last night on American idol, (I am a fervent aficionado) Jason Castro sang this very song and I was starting to feel a sentiment. I don’t know why but this song really plucks at my heart strings and the fact that JASON sang it made it even better. He is definitely my favorite. So last night I had to buy the song on iTunes and I’m so glad I did. The song originated on The Wizard of Oz but Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole re wrote the music t make a different rendition of it. Judy Garland sang it beautifully but I would have to say that Israel’s is more enjoyable to me.

The link below is to the Wikipedia site for Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Kamakawiwo'ole

Midnight Sun

2008-04-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

I am a devout reader of the Twilight series and while I was browsing on Stephanie Meyer's website I made an interesting discovery. The site below is a link to a chapter that was written as an experiment. It is pretty much the first few chapters of twilight written in is Edward's perspective. For people who are also readers of The Twilight Saga, you know what I'm talking about. If you are interested, check it out! It is very gripping and gets me very excited for the new book!

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/pdf/midnightsun_chapter1.pdf

Out of Town

2008-04-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

My mom just recently got a new job working at a travel agency for schools called Heritage Festivals. She enjoys her job, especially because she gets to travel every weekend in the month of April. She goes to large cities like Atlanta, Anaheim, and Boston and MC's a festival for musical groups in high schools all over the country. She is generally gone from Wednesday morning to Sunday night. This weekend my mom was going to Anaheim and my dad went with her. This inconveniently left us four kids at home alone. My dad was very nervous and spent lots of time discussing planning for this "adventurous" weekend. We went grocery shopping and found that all we wanted was Cup-Noodles and frozen corn dogs and crap like that. We will definitely miss our mothers home cooking. Hoping us kids had enough food and that our schedule would be followed to a T, off they went.

The weekend went very well and everyone was safe. The house stayed clean and we even had leftover food! My dad will be very happy to know that all went well (he was very nervous about leaving us alone). To be honest, living with my brothers ALONE for 5 days (i stayed at my sisters house for a day) wasn't as bad as i had feared. They were very nice to me. None of us got in a fight, mike, the eldest son didn't get upset with me when i told him to do the dishes, and the brothers gave me rides to wherever i needed to go. It was a very pleasant weekend. I am very excited to the ma and pa after 6 days without them, and oh how i missed my mothers culinary skills!

American Idol

2008-03-18T18:22:00.000-07:00

When American Idol first started, I watched the first season but then it just didn't seem worth my time. I hadn't watched any of the seasons...until now. This season is great! i absolutely love Jason Castro and David Archuleta and the girls really aren't making it for me, accept Brooke White. i think she is great. My opinions on American Idol are not very critical but I am quite opinionated in that subject. I think as long as the performer goes far, it doesn't matter if they win. Winning is surely a bonus though. Just look at Daughtry, or Clay Aiken. They have gone vary far, but they didn't win. I probably wont watch another season, because, in my opinion, this is about as good as it gets. Keep voting for Jason!

For Rainy Days

2008-02-29T20:56:00.000-08:00

I have found that on rainy days, instead of laying around, sleeping and/or watching TV and movies I have seen a thousand times, I like to be productive. Cleaning, reading, and doing my homework are included among these favorites, but my very favorite thing to do is cooking. I love cooking and I especially love eating what I've made. The recipe below is by far a favorite of mine. Its really not hard and its DELICIOUS! Crepes...probably invented when the french made the pancake batter a little too runny, but what the heck, everyone can improvise!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Beat until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown and/or the edges of the crepe turn up. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

Crepes can pretty much be filled with whatever you like, but my favorite fillings would have to be ice cream, vanilla or strawberry, fresh fruit and some powdered sugar/whipped cream. ENJOY!

Softball Season

2008-02-29T20:22:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to start playing softball for Cottonwood High this year! Softball is one of the few sports I am good at and it makes me feel great. I love the girls and the coaches are so awesome and supportive. When I'm out on the field, be it during practice or in a game, I feel like myself. I may not quite be pro, but I feel like I can do anything with a bat and a ball. I would encourage EVERYONE to go out and find their own talents and build on them. Do what makes you feel like you, and especially makes you happy. This March the team is going to St.George (as shown above) for a huge tournament, and yet another upside to playing this year. This years tryouts were very, very hard, but so worth while. I have met a lot of new girls and new friendships are developing, as well as re-kindling old ones. I can already tell this season will be worth every last drop of sweat, every bruise, and maybe even every tear (should i feel the need to cry), so all I can say is, bring it on.

Blogging World

2008-02-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

I'm very unfamiliar with the blogging world so I'm taking a few chances with this new experience. Blogging is a very interesting way to divulge yourself to others, many of whom you don't know and have never met, but that's part of the fun. You can tell the world about your life and experiences and maybe even help someone along the way. I'm very excited to have found my new hobby and I'm sure I will have fun writing about experiences that have changed my life.