Can I get a what what?

The title of this post seriously has nothing to do with the post itself. It's just what came out as I began to type. There's my brain for ya.

So...it's been about a week since my last post. What's new...hmmmm...do I have any experiences or thoughts worth mentioning?

Trip down memory lane:
I was able to briefly attend the wedding shower of my dear friend and long time roommate, Rebecca Joy Falke (soon to be Somers.) It was thrown by another old roommate we both shared, Marcie Bare. Becca was one of my very first roommates at college, and we became fast friends causing us to room together for a total of 5 semesters. I LOVED every minute of living with Becca. She is one of the sweetest, most sincere, honest, humble and inocent people I know. She just makes everone around her feel happy and special. At the shower we said how we knew Becca and then had to share a fun memory we had with her. I had WAY too many...it was hard to pick one. She's seriously who helped me make it through my first couple years of college, homesickness and all. I'm so thankful she's in my life. Fun Becca memories include: Becca talking and laughing in her sleep, sand dune fun, lack of snow-man making skills (good ole Oregonians and Californians for ya,) crazy hard boy crushes, late night talks/hysterical laughs, baking sliced potatoes, road trippin' it to Oregon, "That's right, I'm the GREATEST!" Collin Raye concert and much much more. :)

Made some new goals:
*Going to the temple once a month (at LEAST.) This morning I went with two dear friends, Monica Jones and Ashlee Draper.

*Reading El Libro De Mormon EVERY day...or every other day.... Every other day would be 10 times better than what I have been doing lately, but I'm shooting for every day.

*Writing in my journal EVERY night. It's a beautiful thing. I love to write. :)

Fun parties with Sista Draper:
She got home from the MJM about a month ago and we've been able to have a couple sleep-overs since. I love this girl. She rocks my socks. Serving with her was definately one of the peaks of my mission.

Re-descovering the amazingness of making a new friend
When you get on in years (ok, I'm not 100...but I'll be 25 in another half a year) in the Mormon world, making friends gets to be more and more of a burden. You just realize that they're going to get lost in "marriage land" like all of your other friends and you end up thinking "eh...what's the point?" But, this is a pretty pesemistic, stupid attitude to have. I realize this. One can never have too many close friends...and no matter what happens, if they're true friends, they'll always remain your friends. So, recently, after putting aside that negative outlook on "friend making" I made an amazing new friend! Monica Jones. We've bonded...tight...like unto a dish. :) I'm blessed to have her in my life right now...even though she's leaving me in a week. No pictures are available at the moment...but after this weekend I'll be sure to post a few. :)

Trip to the Grandparents:
Good times with G&G Billington. I LOVE them. Games, food, love, and laughter. What more could a grandchild want?

Family
I booked a flight to Oregon for my brother's highschool graduation! Yay! I'll be seeing my family in ONE month! I'm super excited.

American Idol
Sad about it. Allison's gone. Adam's still there, of course. But I wanted Allison AND Adam to be the top two. They're my FAVES. They're the most talented. And darn Danny Gokey does NOT deserve to be there anymore...ESPECIALLY over Allison. RRRRRG. The ONE week I don't vote, Allison gets kicked off. What's wrong with America? Americans wouldn't know talent if it bit 'em in the butt.

That's all she wrote.

Uh oh....

I've stumbled upon what could potentially be the greatest/most horrible thing to ever happen to me. I have discovered itunes. Yes; I am aware at how FAR BEHIND the times I am. But, the reality is I never understood it, therefore I never used it. You know, the whole "you don't like what you don't understand" thing. I just couldn't wrap my simple brain around the huge concept of ANY SONG KNOWN TO MAN being mine a the press of a button, click of a key. Guess what people...my brain has caught up, and let me just say that my ears are VERY VERY happy, but my bank account has the potential to be VERY VERY un-happy. I'm a music addict. I can't stay away. And now that I have finally discovered the ability to attain WHATEVER I want while sitting on my bed is very threatening to my financial stability. Pray for me.

Change

I never quite understood how and why returning home from a mission could be so hard. Well, I still don't know for sure...it just is. I can't explain it. Life is not the same. Even if you've got the same people surrounding you, you're looking at life through a different pair of glasses now...a different shade. Plus, most likely, changes have taken place while you've been gone. So, you've got to desperately try to find your place in this new colored, changed world. You know...I don't even really know where I'm headed with this post. So, if you're still reading, you're in for a wild ride. I just know that the tears running down my cheeks needed to express themselves. So here we are.
I watched this last night. Can we say AMAZING? I hear the book is better...so I'll be reading it SOON. But, it definately brought on some homesickness for my southern home. I LOVE the South. I LOVE it. I really wouldn't mind living there again someday. I would love to own my own big southern home, with a huge front porch...and each night I'd sit out on my porch swing or rocking chair with the ceiling fans on while look out at the fire-flies as the night gets darker with a tall glass of lemmonade in my hand. Oh how I would love it.

Anyway...change. It's coming...coming like a tornado.
My studly little brother, Kevin, is graduating in June. WEIRD. He's not even 18 yet...he'll be 18 in August. He'll work through the Summer and Fall and then head to BYU-Idaho in the Winter. We'll probably be there at the same time...WEIRD. He's like 6 1/2 years younger than I. But, it should be fun. It's just crazy that NO ONE will be left at home. My step-dad, Chuck, has been raising kids for the past 40 years. His oldest kid is 40...and Kevin's the last. WOW. Kevin's a great brother. He's got an attitude sometimes...but who doesn't. :) We have this fun tradition...who know how it started. But every Christmas Eve he and I listen to the song "Lime in the Coconut." It's so much fun. We've been doing it for years. While I was on my mission, Kayleen and Kevin listened to it while thinking of me. Tender. I hope we can keep the tradition up for years and years...even when we both have families (hopefully) we can still do it over the phone. :)

Another BIG change...
Do NOT worry. This is NOT her dress...just something she tried on for fun. My little sister, Kayleen, is getting married. Kayleen's the coolest sister. I love her sass, her style, her taste in music (maybe not for me all of the time, but I love it for her, if that makes sense) and who she's become. She's the coolest of the cool. Lucky for me, she's marrying a guy that I really like, Bobby Ulrich. Bobby and I were best friends when we were 7 and 8 years old. He and Kayleen are perfect for eachother and I'm blessed to feel extremely comfortable around them. I really enjoy spending time with them and I couldn't ask for a better brother-in-law.

Yet, I can't help feeling a little sad as the day approaches. Just because everything is CHANGING. No more threesome...me, Kayleen, and Kevin. I feel that we're a pretty close bunch of siblings, especially because of the circumstances we grew up under...the sickness of our dad, the death of our dad, the single parenting of our mother, and being thrown into a blended family. I love them tons and tons and believe that I have the best brother and sister in the world. Hopefully, as my brother and sister move on in life, I too can find my place in this world. I've been home for 9 months now...that's a whole pregnancy! I have some goals, some aspirations...so let's hope that in the next 9 months I'll have them well underway.

OH, and if you haven't commented on my post below...PLEASE do. Thanks friends. :)

Help Me

Ok people. I need your help. I'm serious. Everyone needs to come togeter to help a girl out. I NEED to know what some classic movies are. I have been in desperate need of a good movie...I mean GOOD. A movie that just leaves you in awe after seeing it. You know...a movie that has the "it" factor. The "WOW...that was amazing...I'm speachless" factor. So, I'm up for suggestions. Anyone. What are some of the classics? What are the "must see" movies...the movies that you mention to a friend and are beyond shocked when you find out he/she has not seen them??? There's a possibility I'll have seen some of the movies you suggest, but just keep the list coming. I wandered around the video store with no direction and no purpose, trying to find something that would stand out to me...and I just couldn't come up with anything. So, it can be new; it can be old. It can be color; it can be black and white. I don't care. Just give me some classics. :) Thanks friends.

The sun's out!

Gotta love the sunshine. It just feels good. And it makes me happy. I got to spend some time out in it yesterday thanks to my uncle and his need of lawn care.
Yep, I mowed the WHOLE back yard! It took me about 30 minutes...so I counted it as my exercise for the day. :) Hey...it was hard work... So, then Lacey and I decided to make a "summer" dinner to eat outside since it was so beautiful. Garden burgers, baked chips, and a yummy salad. But not before having a "summer" snack.

MMMM...nice and refreshing after hard yard work in the hot sun. :)

Brings me to tears...TEARS I tell ya

So...American Idol. It's the one show everyone in my family actually watches. I've only watched it two years...the 5th season (with Chris Daughtry, the BEST) and this season. My family watched the 6th and 7th while I was on my mission. And realistically, I've never actually watched WITH my family, because both times I've watched it, I've lived with my cousins, the Peterson family. But, we all watch it none-the-less.

Season 5 was a great season. It had amazing people with amazing talent. My whole family liked Chris Daughtry the best. And, none of us liked Taylor Hicks (who somehow managed to win.) This year, however, my family and I don't see eye to eye on the top contestants. Friends, family, and stalkers...I would like to admit that I am a BIG Adam Lambert fan. I am not a fan of his "freakiness" BUT I think he's AMAZINGLY talented. My sister, Kayleen, can't stand him. She says she wants to slit her wrists every time he sings his high notes. I, on the other hand, LOVE it when he sings his high notes. Sometimes he even brings me to tears...tears of JOY that is...I don't want you to get confused and think I mean tears of pain. :) Now, honestly I don't want him to win...just because I'm not sure he'd make the best CD. I would definately buy Allison or Kris's CDs first...but Adam is EXTREMELY talented and I really do like his voice, A LOT.

So, with that said, I'd like to share this video that I found on Youtube of him playing the part of Joshua in the Ten Commandments staring Val Kilmer as Moses. It's basically the best thing ever.

Say what you will, but the man's got talent.

Aaaaaand....We're DONE

So, it's late. I really should be in bed. But, it seems that all of my wonderful, grand ideas come late at night. My best papers are written at night, my best song/lyric ideas are created at night...and my DESPERATE desire and DRIVE to get in shape happens late at night. So...this is it. There's no turning back. I am getting my butt in gear and I'm gettin' into shape! Do you hear me people? We are DONE being un-happy about how we look in every picture and feel in every piece of clothing we own. Who am I referring to when I say "we?" Well...mostly I mean myself, but my dear dear cousin Lacey is joining me on this endeavor. While I feel she is beautiful and in shape already, she has the desire to join me, and I say more power to her because having someone do it with me ALWAYS helps me do better. And this time, we're going to SUCCEED. Right Lacey? RIGHT.

I was just sitting here...looking at some recent pics that my HOT sister posted on her facebook pageand I'm thinking..."I need to do what she's done. I need to work out. I need to make HEALTHY choices. If she can do it, I can do it." So, thank you Kayleen, for inspiring me. I have about 3 1/2 months until her big day...where I get to dress up as a bidesmaid and I'm telling you what. I am going to be ready for it. So, no more of this... I mean...Gilmore Girls will ALWAYS be in my life...but the next time you see a picture like this...carrot sticks and weights will be in our hands replacing the jelly beans and cookie dough. Seriously. WE ARE DONE. Out with the old and in with the new!