Outré

So, I have managed to keep my job for the last week. Hopefully that will continue! I eat subway every night for dinner, and have some leftover ice cream for dessert. The girls I work with tell me I'll gain 15 pounds within the next little bit of working there. Oh joy, so many good things to look forward to from working in an ice cream shop.

I registered for school today and got my official BYUH ID card! You need it for absolutely everything here, so I'm glad I finally have it. I start my classes next week. I'm taking a jogging class, biology, and some lifesaving deal that will get me my lifeguarding permit deal - hopefully I'll score a summer job with it!

I have yet to use my film camera here. I've just been kind of on a digital streak, since I don't want to pay money to develop my film. I like being able to go to school and do it myself! Oh well, it will probably be better for me anyway because I take more pictures this way. I've taken some cool ones that I never would've thought to take with my film camera.

I rode my bike to Kahuku the other day. It was a pretty nice ride, it took about 25 minutes each way. I rode my nice little cruiser all the way down there and had a grand ol' time. What I didn't factor in was that the way there was much easier than the way back would be (I forgot about the wind!) I was wondering why I looked like I was speeding compared to the people coming back the other way, and I didn't realize until I was on the way back that the wind has a nice little way of making you pedal with all of your effort to go like 1 mile an hour.

My mom visited last week. It was nice having her here and getting to spend some time with her. We went to Waimea, Sharks Cove, and Haleiwa (I don't know how to spell it) and her and Omar and his kids seemed like they had a good time. The weather wasn't too great for them, but they managed to tour and hit the beach and have a good time anyway. Mike and Amy also were here for Amy's birthday, and they were happened to visit the PCC and I live about 5 minutes away, so we met up for ice cream where I work! I introduced them to the "Angel's Halo," it's a giant shave ice with ice cream on the bottom, the flavors, condensed milk swirled over it, and whipped cream to top it off. The BEST thing in the whole entire ice cream shop (except for maybe the cookies n' cream milkshakes, or the bubble drinks, or the...) I guess everything from there is good.

I also met a kid who sounds exactly like Sid, the sloth, from the movie Ice Age. He's super nice, but it's just really hard to take him seriously when there is that constant slur in all of his words. I didn't think I would ever meet someone who talked like that, but now I have! I think I'm going to try and record him talking someday. It's great.

Chimerical

I've had a some firsts in the last couple days:

-I was psychoanalyzed

-Hopped over a fence to get into a grocery store

-Made stir-fry (Yep, I cooked!)

-First day of work at the ice cream shop! :)

-Saw a centipede as long as my foot IN MY ROOM

-Been backstage/upstairs in the P.C.C.

The psychoanalyzation was actually one of the coolest things that I've come across. Depending on how much you really think about it and answer truthfully, it's amazingly accurate and intriguing to learn things about yourself that you "know but don't actually know/can't put into words." You must answer four questions with as many details as you can and then you get your answers.

1. What is your favorite color? (Don't say it, or say "the color of grass," use adjectives like, "happy, friendly, relaxed, natural, striking... etc.)

2. What is your favorite animal? (Again, don't say the actual animal or what it looks like, but HOW it is, for example, "unique, playful, social tendancies, awkward...etc.)

3. You're in a white room, how do you feel? (Anything you imagine, just describe how you feel.)

4. You're in water, how do you feel? (Any way you picture yourself in water, then describe it.)

Once you have the answers to these questions, they describe different things about you and how you view things. Want to know what they are? Ask me! :)

I just got a job at an ice cream shop. I've learned how to make lots of good stuff! I just need to learn how to do the cash register because I've messed up on that a couple times... oops. The girls that I work with are super nice and they help me a lot with learning everything. I work nights, so if you ever happen to be in Laie at night then stop by for a visit!

Diaphanous

So I attempted a run on the beach the other morning. PATHETIC. I made it to the beach, stopped for a rest, stashed the sweaty shirt, shoes, and socks in the grass, ran to the curve and sat on a log to watch the sun come up. Yes, yes, it would have been more rewarding watching the sun come up if I had actually run the whole way; but whatever, I got off my butt and  tried so I'm a happy woman.

It's been windy, cold, and rainy the last couple days (always reminding me of Eugene) but today was nice enough to where we could go to the beach for at least a couple hours. We all got our swimsuits on, made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (the best kind in my opinion), got in the car, and were on our way. We went to a beach called Sharks Cove. I hope the name has nothing to do with the creatures that are swimming around it besides the one I'm about to tell you about. The kids hunted for hermit crabs and waded around trying to catch fish. We were just beginning to climb on some rocks when everyone looked right behind us and started cheering - there was a WHALE! (Way out in the ocean of course). It was breaching and spouting water for everyone to see, it was really neat to get to experience how beautiful nature can be.

Also, I cooked dinner tonight. DANG right I did! Woo! Yep, it was only pancakes and bacon, but oh baby did I do it! Slowly but surely, I'm learning to cook. Hopefully I'll have this business down sometime soon, otherwise I'm going to starve.

Quote of the day :)

"Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And one you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it."

--Bill Cosby

(I tried laughing hysterically at my running attempt, but it didn't help. Hmm, this quote must be talking about other things...)

Corazon

I got the chance to go home for "Spring Break" (I've been on a break for almost five months now) and it was a blast. The flight there was horrible having screaming kids directly behind me the whole flight, but... I got to see friends, family, and attend my dad's wedding so it was worth enduring the blue-faced babies. I loved being back in Eugene, it's one of my favorite places. I experienced the cold, rain, Cafe Yumm, Spencers Butte, learning actual guitar, Portland, Burrito Amigos, Alton Baker, bowling, Sweet Life, MY BED, Pita Pit, nice fluffy carpet (we don't have that in our house here), and guitar hero; how much better could it have been? Not much! Maybe being able to stay a little longer. (I just now noticed that like every other thing I mentioned had to do with food... I guess I like to eat!)

I somehow managed to be one of the last four people to board the plane even though I made it to the airport with an hour to spare, but oh well. At least I made it! The flight back home was probably the best flight I've ever had anywhere. I think I was awake for a total of ten minutes the entire time. It was glorious. I also loved being able to walk out of the airport into the bright, warm sunshine. I love Eugene, but you can't beat having to go back to Hawaii :)

Quote of the Day :)

"Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up."

--Robert Frost

Warbling

I've figured out what path in life I want to be on the for the moment.

I've been admitted into BYU Hawaii.

I've caught hermit crabs and collected shells at the beach with my cousins.

I've met some girls. They just so happen to be softball girls. Super nice :)
I've also been to the basketball games here. Our team is good! They'd give the ducks a run for their money.

I've decided that I like it here. A LOT.

I've learned the benefits of a bicycle. Doesn't cost money to fill up (all human power!), easy to fix, faster than walking, you can park almost anywhere, and it's healthy. I ride it everywhere.

I've also peeled a couple good inch long chunks of skin off of me from my sunburn, but I figured pictures of that wouldn't be so great...

To conclude!
I like it here. I'm happy here. I hope I'm here to stay.

Come visit!

h.i.

     So I got here a couple weeks ago. I'm living with my Aunt Jenica and her family and they've done a wonderful job at making me feel at home here. We live five minutes away from BYU campus and about two minutes from the beach. The beach. Yes, the beach. Love the beach. I've already been sunburned, and hope to not have to experience it again since I've already had to go through it once.

     Today I got accepted into BYU Hawaii and I'm stoked. I'm going to be starting spring term and can't wait! I've walked around the campus and, yes it's small, but it's open and light and the class sizes are going to be small which will be a big help. The students that I've met so far have been super nice and very helpful with directions! I love that there are so many different kinds of people at BYU. There are people here from like seventy different countries or something. 

     I feel pretty blessed to have everything work out as well as it has. The last couple of months have been a little rough, but I think things are going to be smooth sailing from here on out. I'm learning more about myself and (I think) more of what life's really about. It's been a neat experience to come out and actually live, not just stay in a hotel for a week. The people are very simple and so happy. Yes, we don't have all the pretty little decorations and nice wallpaper and baubles, but we have a roof over out heads and are as happy as can be. I like this different lifestyle. It's been very eye opening for me, and it has made me realize that I don't need half the things I thought I did. Although, I could really go without the bugs, but it's a package deal ;)

Lexicon

Well folks, I have yet another move to announce... this time it's to Hawaii. (Yes, I am being completely serious here.) It was kind of a surprise, and I'm a little tired of all of the packing and unpacking I've had to do over the last couple months, but hey! How many times do you get offered the chance to go live in Hawaii and be with family? Let me tell ya, not often.

I've grown (in my 4 weeks of being here) to really, really like Texas. Colleyville is a great place, it has everything you need, and if you want a little something extra then Dallas and Ft. Worth are both only 30 minutes away (mind you, not in rush hour traffic). Yes, I've come to realize what the actual meaning of rush hour traffic is, not the pretend 5 minute delay we sometimes had on Coburg Road in Eugene. This is messy, jerks constantly cutting you off, moving at 5 miles an hour (if that) for miles and miles. I'm not going to miss that, however I am going to miss a few other things.

My aunt and uncle, kids, grandparents, and cousin have done a wonderful job of making me feel at home here. I'm going to miss them terribly, because I'm only just beginning to really know them. I didn't really have a chance to know them because I had been living in Oregon while they were in Texas. I'm also going to miss my job, I love it. The girls are super nice and the managers are great. The discounts are also going to be one of those missed greatly, haha. The classes that I had here were really good too with awesome teachers. Ceramics and photography were my favorite, but you win some, you lose some, right?

I'm going to be living with my Aunt Jenica and her family in Laie, it's on the north shore of Hawaii close to BYU and right down the road from the temple. She told me that it's pretty much like living in the country, so it's going to be a big change from living in Texas where there are tons of things going on, tons of people; tons of everything. I'm going to be a nanny for my cousins over the next couple of months, and then hopefully going to school in the summer to catch up for the school that I'm missing out on right now.

Another thing, the dad is getting married! I'm happy for him that he's found someone he wants to spend the rest of his life with. It was definitely... a surprise, but oh well. What can you do? Hopefully I'll be able to go home for the wedding, but we'll see how that goes. If I don't, I won't be back home until the end of August! Oh baby, that's kind of scary to think about, but exciting!

My new address is going to be:

55-651 Lanihuli Pl.

Laie, HI 96762

Write me! :)

"You make the world a better place by making yourself a better person."

--Scott Sorrell