a little birdie told me...

Adios! The church is true!

2010-11-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

I am going into the MTC in one week from today! I am so excited to start my mission!

A few days ago, I did a temple session, and the name I got was a woman who lived in BOLIVIA! It was so awesome! It really solidified for me that my call to Bolivia is divinely inspired. Getting that name was not a coincidence.

There is really nothing else I would rather be doing. It is a sacrifice to go, but I know that I will gain more than I am losing. I know that the Lord will support me in the hard times, and that he will direct me to the people that are ready to hear and accept the gospel message. I know that the church is true and that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He atoned for our sins so that we can live with Him again. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, translated by a true prophet, Joseph Smith. The Church of Jesus Christ is the only true church on earth, and Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet today. I know that the priesthood power has been restored to earth, and that families can be sealed together forever in the temple.

Thank you for your support and your prayers!
Read Preach My Gospel! It is amazing!
Don't forget to write!!! :)
My letters will be posted on another blog- hermanatibbitts.blogspot.com.
My contact info is also on the blog.

Cochabamba, Bolivia temple.

Everything we do is music

2010-10-18T21:35:00.016-06:00

We studied John Cage in my music class. Personally, I think he's kind of brilliant. Here is his piece 4'3" being performed.
I don't know about you, but I couldn't help but laugh all the way through watching this video. I think it would be so cool to see this live. For some reason I don't think I would act the same way. :P

Thankful

2010-10-15T12:11:00.000-06:00

I've been looking through old pictures of when I used to live in "the hood.

And I'm thankful that i don't live there anymore....

I promise that I did NOT write that.

I got inked

2010-10-12T12:32:00.000-06:00

... ok, that's not true.

What I did do is get my flu shot. They were giving them out at my grocery store, which is only a few blocks away, so I walked over there one morning. Shots are NOT a big deal for me. I've had a billion with all the travel I have done. So I got my shot, and went home.

When I got home and was putting my purse away, I noticed that a pen had poked a hole through it. I thought- bummer! This is my current favorite purse. Oh well, it was cheap anyways. I wonder what happened to all that ink that's gone?

It wasn't until I was getting ready for work a few hours later that I noticed this:

So that's where all the ink went! Hahaha! I did kind freak out, because I didn't know how to get out the ink. But, Pip saved me once again. I just sprayed aerosol hair spray on it and threw it in the wash. Good as new. Hooray for roommates!

In other news, these were left on my doorstep a few days ago. They're little missionaries! How cute!

VIERNES DE LOCURA

2010-10-08T15:30:00.003-06:00

5 days a week, my body is a temple. The other 2, it's an amusement park...

REAL bullet shooting action!

My BFF, Wayne.

wait, does that make me Garth?.....

Funny...

2010-10-05T11:00:00.003-06:00

This is what I learn in my Spanish classes...

Remember that one time?

2010-10-02T09:30:00.001-06:00

Remember that one time when I went through the temple?

Yeah, that was cool!

Happy General Conference weekend!

best advice i have gotten lately

2010-10-01T11:24:00.000-06:00

If you are stressed, you are relying too much on yourself, and not enough on your Heavenly Father.

Waiting = shopping

2010-09-23T16:11:00.001-06:00

Waiting for a mission isn't that bad, but it's pretty bad.
Less than 2 months left!
I have a blog for my mission, it is hermanatibbitts.blogspot.com. Add it to your blog list!

I am doing school and working until October. I'm taking 3 classes and they are cake. They aren't really getting me ahead, but just keeping me busy, so I'm hoping that I can get good grades and raise my GPA though. Work has been pretty crazy lately though. I can't believe my time at Independent Study is coming to a close. Can you believe I was hired over 2 years ago? May 2008?!

Shopping for the mission......... it's the pits. I hate it.
However, I'm super grateful for the new dress standards for sister missionaries! NO NYLONS! And skirts can be a little bit shorter, must cover the knee when sitting down, but don't have to be to mid calf. They updated the picture that come with the mission call packets, too.

Old example photos:

Oh man. I'm lovin the little neck scarf, jumpers, and the patterned biking skirt. Oh, and the clunky shoes.

New example photos:

Is your jaw dropping? Mine did! Wow! I was flabbergasted. I basically want all of that stuff. (Except for those boots.)

Nishat Khan, Sitar

2010-09-23T15:50:00.001-06:00

I saw Nishat Khan in concert a couple of days ago.
It blew me away.
Literally.

Ha, ha, I joke.
But it was incredible.
Look him up! Here's his website, or search him on youtube.

He improvises. However, it's based on melody schemes called ragas. These ragas have been passed down through the generations in his family for hundreds of years- they have never been written down. It takes years and years to learn how to perform the raga. He explained that playing raga is like playing chess. Each melody has rules that it has to follow. I can't explain very well, but it is really cool!

I talk to myself

2010-09-08T19:20:00.000-06:00

I talk to myself.

I talk to myself in the shower
I talk to myself walking around campus
I talk to myself in the library
I talk to myself while shopping
I talk to myself while cooking
I talk to myself while driving
I talk to myself while on the computer
I talk to myself in my sleep (!)
I talk to myself ALL THE TIME.

and I am NOT a crazy person.

At least I don't argue with myself, or have conversations with myself, or talk about myself in 3rd person on a regular basis. I just organize my thoughts.

(Please tell me though, on a scale of 1-10, how weird is it? 10 being weirdest and 1 being normal)

Moab!

2010-08-20T12:39:00.003-06:00

get kicked out of your apartment? don't worry! just go on a trip!

arches was awesome. the company was even better.

Redfish Lake

2010-08-20T10:37:00.004-06:00

Dear Redfish Lake,

I love you.
Even when it rains.

Love always,
me.

new boat. woo hoo!

it's hit the point where i don't even worry about taking pictures. i just enjoy it. i have enough pictures of the mountains and trees.

player piano + fireworks + boy on motorcycle

2010-08-19T18:07:00.003-06:00

three of my favorite things.

This picture is years old.. but I still think it's great!

Swing life away

2010-08-19T14:47:00.000-06:00

5 kids, 1 swing...

...But we did it!

(pretty good color coordinationt too, huh?!)

Oh, fun times..

Summertime

2010-08-19T10:25:00.010-06:00

...and the livin' is easy...

I miss it already.

Mission call

2010-08-18T21:22:00.003-06:00


Guesses for my mission... no one guessed Bolivia!

The envelope! Waiting to be opened. The anticipation almost killed me. Thank you Lauren for keeping my mind off it until my family arrived. :)

Video of me opening the envelope... Boone is pretty funny...

I got my mission call!

2010-07-29T08:14:00.000-06:00

... and I'm going to be serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the

BOLIVIA, SANTA CRUZ MISSION!!!!!

I report to the MTC in Provo on November 17, and 3 weeks later (visa permitting) I will be transfered to the Lima, Peru MTC for 6 weeks.

I am so excited and honored to serve as a missionary! Not a single person guessed Bolivia. I don't really know much about Bolivia, even after taking Spanish classes and Ibero-American Civ. But it looks amazing! I can't wait!

Here are photos of where I will be!
Here is the Wikipedia page.

I broke a world record!

2010-07-23T19:22:00.000-06:00

(Still no mission call... the wait is killing me!)

BYU sponsored the an even for the largest water balloon fight! I went and it was, as my brothers say, EPIC. I got soaked. The fight lasted for about 10 minutes. I am bruised and sunburned. But it was worth it. There were about 4,000 people there are 120,000 water balloons. That's about 30-40 balloons per person.
Here is a link to the news story. There is a video there, to show the true insanity of the whole thing. I loved it.

I'm going on a mission!

2010-07-12T21:17:00.000-06:00

Yes, I'm going on a mission! I'm so excited! I should receive my call in 2 weeks or so- I will try to update once I get it!

This decision has been an extremely long process, and so I'm so excited to finally share the news! There were a lot of things holding me back. But, I have put them aside/taken care of them, and so I'm preparing to share the gospel. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and hope to share that love with people wherever I am called to serve.

Myer's Brigg's Personality Type

2010-06-19T23:30:00.001-06:00

Anyone know their Myer's Briggs Personality type? You can take the test here. It measures if you are

How they focus their attention or get their energy (Extraversion or Introversion)
How they perceive or take in information (Sensing or iNtuition)
How they prefer to make decisions (Thinking or Feeling)
How they orient themselves to the external world (Judgment or Perception)

I am an ISTJ. (Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging).

The Duty Fulfiller

As an ISTJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things rationally and logically.

ISTJs are quiet and reserved individuals who are interested in security and peaceful living. They have a strongly-felt internal sense of duty, which lends them a serious air and the motivation to follow through on tasks. Organized and methodical in their approach, they can generally succeed at any task which they undertake.

ISTJs are very loyal, faithful, and dependable. They place great importance on honesty and integrity. They are "good citizens" who can be depended on to do the right thing for their families and communities. While they generally take things very seriously, they also usually have an offbeat sense of humor and can be a lot of fun - especially at family or work-related gatherings.

ISTJs tend to believe in laws and traditions, and expect the same from others. They're not comfortable with breaking laws or going against the rules. If they are able to see a good reason for stepping outside of the established mode of doing things, the ISTJ will support that effort. However, ISTJs more often tend to believe that things should be done according to procedures and plans. If an ISTJ has not developed their Intuitive side sufficiently, they may become overly obsessed with structure, and insist on doing everything "by the book".

The ISTJ is extremely dependable on following through with things which he or she has promised. For this reason, they sometimes get more and more work piled on them. Because the ISTJ has such a strong sense of duty, they may have a difficult time saying "no" when they are given more work than they can reasonably handle. For this reason, the ISTJ often works long hours, and may be unwittingly taken advantage of.

The ISTJ will work for long periods of time and put tremendous amounts of energy into doing any task which they see as important to fulfilling a goal. However, they will resist putting energy into things which don't make sense to them, or for which they can't see a practical application. They prefer to work alone, but work well in teams when the situation demands it. They like to be accountable for their actions, and enjoy being in positions of authority. The ISTJ has little use for theory or abstract thinking, unless the practical application is clear.

ISTJs have tremendous respect for facts. They hold a tremendous store of facts within themselves, which they have gathered through their Sensing preference. They may have difficulty understanding a theory or idea which is different from their own perspective. However, if they are shown the importance or relevance of the idea to someone who they respect or care about, the idea becomes a fact, which the ISTJ will internalize and support. Once the ISTJ supports a cause or idea, he or she will stop at no lengths to ensure that they are doing their duty of giving support where support is needed.

The ISTJ is not naturally in tune with their own feelings and the feelings of others. They may have difficulty picking up on emotional needs immediately, as they are presented. Being perfectionists themselves, they have a tendency to take other people's efforts for granted, like they take their own efforts for granted. They need to remember to pat people on the back once in a while.

ISTJs are likely to be uncomfortable expressing affection and emotion to others. However, their strong sense of duty and the ability to see what needs to be done in any situation usually allows them to overcome their natural reservations, and they are usually quite supporting and caring individuals with the people that they love. Once the ISTJ realizes the emotional needs of those who are close to them, they put forth effort to meet those needs.

The ISTJ is extremely faithful and loyal. Traditional and family-minded, they will put forth great amounts of effort at making their homes and families running smoothly. They are responsible parents, taking their parenting roles seriously. They are usually good and generous providers to their families. They care deeply about those close to them, although they usually are not comfortable with expressing their love. The ISTJ is likely to express their affection through actions, rather than through words.

ISTJs have an excellent ability to take any task and define it, organize it, plan it, and implement it through to completion. They are very hard workers, who do not allow obstacles to get in the way of performing their duties. They do not usually give themselves enough credit for their achievements, seeing their accomplishments simply as the natural fulfillment of their obligations.

ISTJs usually have a great sense of space and function, and artistic appreciation. Their homes are likely to be tastefully furnished and immaculately maintained. They are acutely aware of their senses, and want to be in surroundings which fit their need for structure, order, and beauty.

Under stress, ISTJs may fall into "catastrophe mode", where they see nothing but all of the possibilities of what could go wrong. They will berate themselves for things which they should have done differently, or duties which they failed to perform. They will lose their ability to see things calmly and reasonably, and will depress themselves with their visions of doom.

In general, the ISTJ has a tremendous amount of potential. Capable, logical, reasonable, and effective individuals with a deeply driven desire to promote security and peaceful living, the ISTJ has what it takes to be highly effective at achieving their chosen goals - whatever they may be.
source

Sounds like me, huh? So what are you?

Rain

2010-06-12T16:03:00.004-06:00

image

When I was young, I loved it when it would rain. In California, rain was an infrequent occurrence, so it was an exciting treat to have it rain. I would go run around outside when it rained. And it meant I got to wear my cute purple raincoat and use my Hello Kitty umbrella.

When we moved to Texas, it rained more. But it was warm rain. It was still pretty fun. Staying inside for recess meant we got to play board games, which I preferred over playing outside games, anyways. I also remember writing on the fogged up windows on the school bus. Swim team would be cancelled only if there was lightning, so I remember swimming in the rain on a few occasions. The thunder and lightning in Houston was awesome.

And in Qatar, rain was once again a treat. It was always fun to see peoples' reactions to it. Also, it was fun to see the parking lot at school turn into a big muddy pit.

When I was on my study abroad to Mexico, it rained almost every day. It wouldn't last long though. It was refreshing. One of the funniest memories I have of that trip was taking the camion (bus) to El Centro (downtown) with my roommates, Sarah and Linda, and wandering around, lost, looking for our friends and the heladeria (ice cream shop) El Colon, which we were dying to try. Sarah's phone got wet and stopped working. After a while, we gave up and just went home. We got soaked.

But now that I live in Provo, I don't like it. It rains too often. If it rains it might as well snow, I say, because snow is drier and won't get my clothes wet. And when walking is your primary form of transportation, staying dry is important. Plus the rain is cold here.

I have discovered somehting I really like about rain though- the sound. It is gorgeous. I love it. Tracee showed me this website and I am obsessed with it. I turn it on to sleep all the time. Isn't that nice?

I wish it would stop raining right now... I really would rather not carry my laundry home from the laundry room in the rain...

Recent adventures

2010-06-10T08:32:00.003-06:00

Snowboarding!

Spring has sprung.

This is the place. Stewart Falls

Besties at temple square.

twenty one

2010-06-10T08:05:00.002-06:00

old friends.

new friends.

cake, of the pina colada variety.

matches for candles, and pyro friends.

presents.

good day!

Books

2010-05-20T22:41:00.001-06:00

source

The first books I ever remember reading for hours were the Little House on the Prairie series. I would sit on our black and white couches in the front room and read and read...

I remember reading the first Harry Potter book after I got really mad at my parents. I was sent to my room, was angry and punched my pillow for a while, and then dove into the first book.

Other books influential in my childhood:

Chronicles of Narnia

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Dear America series, and also the Royal Diaries series

The Secret Garden

And as I got older:

The Little Prince

The Secret Life of Bees

A Thousand Splendid Suns

The Book of Mormon, Bible, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price

Other books that impacted me/I enjoyed: Life of Pi, Angels and Demons, books by Lisa See, books by Paul Coelho, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Hunger Games series, A Series of Unfortunate Events, You Don't Know Me, Catcher in the Rye, Rosaura a las Diez, Paperquake, The Lovely Bones, A Wrinkle in Time, Charlotte's Web, The Glass Castle, Holes, The Hobbit, Diary of Anne Frank, The Giver, books by Roald Dahl, books by Beverly Cleary, Corduroy, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Stellaluna, Chyrstanthemum, Madeline series, The Diary of a Wimpy kid series, The Kite Runner..... and I'm sure there are more.

Maps

2010-05-07T23:44:00.003-06:00

I love maps. This picture reminded me of that. Why? I guess because I love the world. I love to think of all the possibilities of what is there. I love knowing the names of places, and of little towns, lakes, rivers, mountains,countries and capitals. I just love it.

In high school I remember this map was on one of my teacher's walls. It's labeled the "upside down world map". But is it really upside down? It's just perspective!

Pedicure

2010-04-17T09:06:00.002-06:00

Doesn't that look nice... ahh.... I want a pedicure. (on my toes, toes)

So badly that I dreamed about it last night! hahaha.

I blame ke$ha and Tracy. Let me explain.

(yes, watch all of the first one. you will not regret it. especially after watching all of the second.)

And for purely entertainment purposeless, I give you this:

Yeah, I like youtube too much.

This post dedicated to "BYU Independent study, this is Tracy", Kwid, and Pip Diddy.

Fiesta!

2010-04-17T09:03:00.003-06:00

I'm a dancer!!!

Well at least I'm pretty good at pretending.

I danced in the BYU Fiesta. Anyone can be in it, and you do a dance from a Latin American country and perform it. We chose to be in the GUATEMALA section! We had practices every Saturday morning for 2 months to prepare.

I did it with Kristen, and her siblings Kyle and Allie. Muy divertido!

Besties. We got to wear our matching shirts that I brought back from Mexico.. ssh... Mayans are in Guatemala too.

Do I look Guatemalan?
Awesome, awesome group!

Miss Tibbitts

2010-04-16T22:00:00.009-06:00

In March I did my practicum in a 2nd grade classroom at Draper Elementary. It was an incredible experience. I am so happy I chose this major! I really enjoyed it and feel proud of what I learned and the ways I was able to help the kids. I didn't want to leave!

I taught three guided reading groups. There were five English language learners in the class so I got to work with them a lot- challenging but rewarding!

One of the whole class lessons I taught was how to use Venn diagrams to compare and contrast. We compared and contrasted dogs and cats. Then I had them work in partners to compare and contrast their own characteristics. They turned out so well! I wish I had copies. One of the groups of girls wrote down which Student Teacher they liked better! It wasn't the same.. haha!

It wasn't easy though. There were some tears shed. Plenty of frustration. Some late nights and 12+ hour days, every day. Some missed deadlines and difficult, seemingly impossible assignments to complete. A break up. A 35 minute commute and a carpool that left at 7:20 a.m. Still having to go to MATH class twice a week, ugh, and a once a week class. Still working when I could. I almost forgot what it was like to wear jeans. And wake up fully rested.

Unfortunately I don't really have any pictures of the kids. :(

Draper Elementary
Me teaching!
Cool art project, don't ya think?

Guided reading!
Holly (Mrs. Braun) teaching! She was so fun to work with. Also our mentor teacher, Mrs. Smoot, was great!

Such Great Heights

2010-04-10T17:49:00.011-06:00

You've probably heard the song "Such Great Heights" before. It came out in 2003 and it's by the Postal Service. I liked this song a lot in high school. And I still like it. The video is posted below.
The second video is a cover... just watch for yourself. Sooo funny and weird!
The third one came on my Pandora today.

Coincidence? I think not.

Now I am curious. How many cover versions of this song can there be, for a song only 7 years old?
Let's check wikipedia.
18? Eighteen!
Why did I not know this before?

Ben Folds?
(sooo good! watch til the very end it's funny!)

Rilo Kiley?

Iron and Wine?

People who sing folk influenced music, who I don't necessarily know but probably will like?

Streetlight Manifesto, who I know Kristen loves?

Yes please!

thanks youtube, pandora, facebok, and wikipedia :)

moving and stuff

2010-04-08T22:15:00.007-06:00

There is a reason why I haven't blogged much. I've been moving some and that has kept me busy. You see, since September I had been living in this apartment complex called Glenwood. It was a fun place but I started flirting with this guy named Harold B. We spent some time together but then it was time for Christmas break. So off to Qatar and Kenya I went. Then I went back and didn't see Harold B. as much. It was ok because I was interested in someone else. I had some happy months at Glenwood but it didn't last. BYU decided that I should move to Draper and spend some time in the elementary school there. So I did that. It was so much fun and I learned a lot on how to be an elementary teacher and it got me really excited about teaching. Draper is pretty nice and I liked the kids but they sure were a handful sometimes! After a month BYU decided that that was enough time with the kiddos in second grade. So it was back to BYU for me. But no, I didn't go back to Glenwood. Harold B. and I were seeing each other on and off and when I was done in Draper we decided to make it official. It was great and I felt really good for a little while. But a lot of good things just don't last. To tell you the truth Harold B. makes me want to pull out my hair a lot of the time. Like today. But I can't leave just yet. And it just doesn't feel right to go back to Glenwood just yet. So I'm sticking it out for a little bit longer. Don't tell him but I'm going to leave Harold B. in about 2 weeks. You see, there's this guy named Morris who I've known for a long time. We've been friends for almost 2 years. I like him a lot and I think I'm going to go spend some more time with him....

Olympics Obsession

2010-02-25T11:37:00.005-07:00

I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!

All of the skiing and snowboarding events, speed skating, curling, bobsled, hockey, figure skating even. I love them all! I am sad that they are almost over.

I didn't fall off the face of the planet.

2010-01-21T20:25:00.004-07:00

But I came close.

I know I am the worst blog updater in the history of time. I'm ok with that. It's my blog. I'll update it when I want to.

I went to Qatar for Christmas. Tons of shopping, Christmas with the Doha 1st ward (weird without the Filipinos, haha) and my family. I love Doha.

Then we went to Kenya! It was awesome! We saw just about every animal you can think of. It was beautiful and a great break.

Photos can be seen here. You do not need a facebook account to see them. I HATE the blogger photo uploading. Hate it.

Here's a video I took of the Masai doing their jumping dance. It was so cool. One of my favorite parts of Kenya.

12 days of Christmas, Doha edition

2010-01-21T09:12:00.002-07:00

by Dannielle and Dad.

(I can't remember if these are all right. Help me out Dad.)

12 Shwaermas for Christmas eve eve dinner.

11 o'clock bedtime (we wish!)

10 Filipino carolers

9 Cinnabon cinnamon rolls

8 hours of sleep desired!!

7-up to go with...

6 cans of eggnog that cost far too much

5 Chocolate oranges

4 wakeboarders

3 Yankee's jerseys

2 kinds of bug spray purchased

1 broken foot (Mom's)

Best and Worst of December

2009-12-11T08:45:00.001-07:00

Best:

Chocolate oranges.

Christmas lights.Dreyer's Slow Churned Rich and Creamy Limited Edition Peppermint ice cream.

Worst:

Stupid Christmas music being played ALL THE TIME.

These kind of fans being cocky because of the win over Utah.

Slush on the roads and sidewalks.

Santa baby...

2009-12-09T21:44:00.007-07:00

...forgot to mention one little thing. A ring.

I don't mean on the phone...

Kidding!

But... All I want for Christmas is... [to grow old with] you...

(I promised I wouldn't post it on youtube or facebook.. such a temptation! And please excuse my poor cropping skills. )

Oh wait, you have a girlfriend?

um...well...this is awkward.

Can I at least get a date?

Thanks

2009-12-04T18:52:00.006-07:00

Thanksgiving in South Jordan with the Sleights and G&G Tibbitts. Oh yeah.
Hi Grandpa.
Cute apron Tracee.
Berry pie!
Eating.. very happy.
Rolls.. heavenly
Neil's Oreo pie! Yum!
French Silk Pie!
Coconut cream pie. I like pie.
Eating.
Emma is so cute. Aunt Alane bought these napkins, only to find out that they had crosses on them! haha. New family tradition to use them.
After we ate, the men napped, and the women chatted. As it should be.
Then we went to temple square.
Then we went to the BYU v. Utah game. So exciting! Yay BYU!
Go cougars! hahahaa.

You know you spend too much time on BYU campus when...

2009-11-18T18:42:00.006-07:00

... you have had 2 coats, 3 pairs of dressy pants, 2 jackets, a scarf, a pair of gloves, and a pair of leggings on campus. (Or a similarly ridiculous amount of clothing).

... you have the layout of the library memorized, and know the best places to nap on campus.

.. you also know where the best vending machines are. and the best bathrooms.

... you actually know how to find things in the JKB and the HFAC.

... you know that the music that plays in the library at 11:45 to get you to leave is most obnoxious on Tuesdays.

... you usually have at least 1 thing to pick up from the lost and found.

... being home long enough to do laundry during the week is a luxury. Or getting home before it is dark outside.

... you keep food in the fridge at work {on campus} and have tupperware containers in convenient sizes for bringing food.

boo.

postsecret

2009-11-12T10:14:00.009-07:00

Some Postsecrets that I liked...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whatmegsaid/3175786764/

Things I love about fall..

2009-11-08T22:59:00.013-07:00

Fall at BYU. Blog it like its hot!Carving pumpkins.

Pumpkin goo fights.

Apple pie

Football

scarves and sweaters and boots and fall scented candles and pumpkin cookies, brownies, cake, pie etc, and haunted houses and corn mazes and pumpkin patches and being thankful and trick or treating and halloween specials on tv and stepping on crunchy leaves and cozy blankets and candy apples and and icy roads and daylight savings and candy corn blah blah blah

Hi, we're cute

2009-11-08T10:20:00.005-07:00

Halloween.

What are we?

And yes, this is an announcement.

I'm engaged, and I love my ring...

psyche!

answer: We are zoobies. We are BYU.

Dad's visit!

2009-10-24T08:10:00.001-06:00

I realized that the last 2 posts included pictures from our white boards.. funny stuff. But we love them.

Dad came to visit for a weekend! It was fun. Grocery shopping, mall, seeing family, just hanging out, eating good food, going out to snowbird. :)

Typical 161-ness

2009-10-18T22:50:00.006-06:00

From Stuff

So we were given a free white board from Pinnacle security. Golden! We cut off all the ads around the sign except for the boy because I thought he was cute. Then I got the brilliant idea to take a poll. Here are the responses, if you can't read them..

Hot or not? What is your opinion?

Pip- looks like David H! (Hell ya! added by Kristen, since this answer doesn't actually express her opinion.)

Dannielle/me: Cutie! but disagree with Pip.

Kristen- if he's a good kisser/cuddler,.. i'm in! But not until the temple. VL! :)

Lauren- I'd go out with him if that's what you mean.

Kirsten- I could find someone hotter, but he's not bad. :)

Ariel- (no response)

Ross- I'm better. 109-2900 check it out (note: this phone number is fake.)

Kristen also added the VL on his lips and the $ chain.

Oh so typical...

The Virus that I just want(ed) to minus...

2009-10-08T09:25:00.000-06:00

Glad that is over! It was a week and a half of misery. Many thanks to my roommates for taking care of me, Nolan for taking me to the doctor, and my family for putting up with my whiny phone calls!

My name is Skippito Friskito

2009-10-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

So maybe I'm a little behind here...

School has started, of course. It's going well. Classes are hard but fun. School is hard but rewarding. I am learning so much useful stuff.
But... right now I would rather be reading Skippyjon Jon es than studying!

...Or playing in a fort.
Or going to get soft serve at McDonalds.
Or frolicking around in matching outfits.
Ya know, the usual, regular stuff that normal people do.

Life goes on, apparently

2009-08-18T20:34:00.008-06:00

I'm back in Los Estados Unidos after my amazing trip to Merida, Mexico.... and life doesn't seem quite so full... but that's ok. It's been good.

Read about the trip HERE. I wrote all the posts so that gives me an excuse for not writing here :)

So what have I been up to now?

Well I went to Boise, Idaho!

We celebrated 50 years of G&G Hindman. Hoorah. It was a nice party, and I landed in Boise right as it started.

All the cousins, minus my brothers Tanner and Wyatt. Those rebels!

Kristen, me, Tracee, Alyssa at the party, by Grandma's wedding dress. It was tiny!

A Boise trip also means catching up with the cousins, aunts/uncles, the other people that know me but I don't really remember.. etc... and my Family was there! and we didn't do much else than that

Yay for family. And not doing anything kind of days.

Now I'm back in Provo...

Working. I helped a kid graduate today! I love my job.

Orient-ating Tracee to BYU. True blue zoobies wahooo!! lol. But I do have a BYU blanket now. Thanks Mom!

... school starts August 31...

Mérida, Yucatán, México

2009-07-08T12:42:00.002-06:00

I am here and it is phenomenal. I am having the best time.

I don´t really want to write anything here.. because we have a group blog.. and I´ve written all the entries so far. So go here:

byumerida09.blogspot.com

to find out what I´ve been up to.

Saludos!

Spring

2009-06-25T17:28:00.015-06:00

No excuse this time...

Presenting: my spring, in a nutshell.

I lived in Provo with awesome roommates and worked.

I dated a guy, Aaron. (Yes, past tense. No big.) And attended the temple lots.

I went to Doha!

I saw Tracee graduate. Yay hooray. And enjoyed being with my family.

I had a birthday; I am no longer a teen.

I ate good food in Doha. Turkey central, Nando's, etc.

I came back and am leaving for Mexico tomorrow!!! Yep, the program got rescheduled, and I'm going! There might be a Merida blog- details to come if so...

Darn you swine flu!

2009-05-01T07:33:00.004-06:00

Remember how I was supposed to go to Mexico this Saturday?..

..swine flu came along...

and because of it, the program was canceled. :(

I'm pretty disappointed. It was crazy how fast it happened- I didn't hear anything about swine flu until Friday or Saturday of last week, and the program was canceled on Tuesday.

But I am figuring things out here. I got an apartment and I get to live with Pip, one of my good friends who I met through Kristen. I am working full time and being optimistic.

There is a chance that the trip could happen this summer term. But who knows.

I guess everything happens for a reason. I just don't know the reason right now, but I suppose I will in the future. Come what may, and love it! - such good counsel for me right now.

Pray for the people of Mexico and others who are dealing with swine flu!

Rice

2009-04-23T07:38:00.008-06:00

Finals are done, my apartment is packed, all that is left is cleaning.

I am leaving for Mexico in 9 days!

But before I go I am working full time. (I am a workaholic). Without schoolwork to do at work, it gets kind of boring. So what have I been doing lately?

Wow. I can't get that picture any bigger. Anyways, I go onto FreeRice.com. It is educational and helps to end hunger! I like doing Spanish vocabulary, Identify Countries on the Map, and Famous Paintings. For every question you get right, you donate 10 grains of rice. Yesterday I donated over 10,000 grains of rice in six hours of work, and that was with getting a lot of the Painting questions wrong :). 10,000 grains is about 1 1/3 cups of rice.

Wa-hoo. Doesn't get much better than that.

UPDATE: So I've recruited a bunch of my buddies to do Free Rice as well. We plan to feed a small country by the end of the summer :)

I LOVE FOOD

2009-04-19T21:33:00.010-06:00

I made a tres leches cake earlier this week for a fiesta with the people I'm going to Mexico with (13 days!) and it was divine if I do say so myself. I even got a real Mexican's stamp of authenticity (thanks Daniel!). And my roommate Suzannah ate it for breakfast haha :)

The recipe... because you know you want to make it.

Cake: 1 1/2 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
5 eggs
1/2 t vanilla
Combine butter and sugar til fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Then add flour and baking powder abt 2 T at a time. Pour into a greased and floured 13x9" pan and bake for 25-30 mins. You can also use a yellow cake mix instead, following directions on the box.

Milk part: 2c whole milk
1 can condensed milk (14 oz)
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
Combine and then pour over the cake. Let it soak in overnight.

Creamy topping: 1 1/2 c whipping cream
1 c sugar (or less- to taste)
1 t vanilla
Whip together until peaks can form. Alternately you can use cool whip ;)

Add maraschino cherries or other fruit if desired and enjoy!!

....drool..... so bad, but so worth it........

While I'm at it, I also must share a food item that changed my life. Not even kidding.

Jamba Juice's Oatmeal... mmm... slow-cooked steel-cut oats made with soymilk and topped with brown sugar and blackberries and blueberries. Delicious and nutritious. Dad/Tracee... remember that one backpacking trip? I totally had to sneak some pop-tarts. Ha ha. Good times! Just look at that. So cute :)

Can you tell that good food helps me get through final? Only 2 left!

counting down

2009-04-12T21:56:00.005-06:00

Last day of classes: 2 days
Last final (of 7.. ugh): 9 days
Move out of my apartment and in w/ the Paul's, my second family: 12 days
Leave for Mexico!!!!: 20 days
My 20th birthday: 56 days
Back in Provo, Tracee moves in with me: 70 days
Mom & the boys come to Provo: 82 days
Get to see Dad: 99 days??
Nauvoo trip: 101 days

Oops!

2009-04-07T21:09:00.005-06:00

Read closely...

Yep, it definitely was recalled by about 10 a.m.

Some recent favorite things

2009-04-06T20:45:00.001-06:00

I, Rigoberta Menchu
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on TLC (and Ty Pennington)
The Witches- Roald DahlEaster M&M's
Native American jewelery

President Obama

The thought of this movie coming out

Juanes, Juan Fernando Velasco, Tommy Torres and pretty much any Latin Pop/Rock I can get my hands on.... doesn't hurt that they're calientes! Remember how I can't date while in Mexico... caray!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2009-03-20T12:36:00.001-06:00

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle was published 50 years ago today!

Love love LOVE the google page today! Made me smile :D

Sometimes my job cracks me up.

2009-03-13T22:18:00.001-06:00

So, my job is a pretty big part of my life right now. I work on campus at BYU Independent study every weekday afternoon. It is a really great job.

So what do I do exactly? I'm a customer service representative. I talk on the phone to people about their independent study classes and help them with any problems. I love it. And some pretty funny stuff happens at work, on a regular basis. Thought I would share... and expect more to come.

call me!

middle-aged woman: do you get snow in Utah? me: uh, yes... (Utah is pretty well known for skiing and such last time I checked) middle-aged woman: good for you! good for you! -um, thanks? what do you say to that?

british lady who registered her daughter for a class but put her name on the registration page: oh i put my name on it? oh dear! i am NEVER taking algebra again! NO ONE can force me to take algebra ever again! AHH i would rather KILL myself.. etc..

punk kid: is pre-algebra harder than algebra 1?

me: no, pre-algebra is designed to be taken before algebra 1.

punk kid: wow I did not know that.

me: we have a sylvan learning center in your town but there is a fee to take a test there

girl who already failed the same class twice: yeah but i will probably have to pay...

me: ............
-it was an english class. seems about right haha.

so many men: you're a peach! (is this not the weirdest compliment? seriously where does this come from, i have never heard it in my life until I got this job, and now I get it all the time.)

me: *requesting final*
college guy: i am going to ACE that test! OH YEAH!

me: awesome, great.

college guy: i can use a calculator, right?

me: actually, no.

college guy: oh that's ok i'm still gonna ROCK that thing!
-he calls back a little later and talks to the girl sitting next to me-
him: so, what's on the the test?
her: *looks up* it covers chapters 1 through 8.
him: ok so chapter 3?...

mad girl: if that instructor doesn't grade this soon, i'm gonna fly out to provo, track him down, and kick his butt!

Talked to a man did not know how to use google, or the difference between google or the address bar at top of his web browser, I spent 13 minutes on phone getting to our website and then logging the course. And he had called earlier and talked to someone else who he just couldn't understand.

A girl requested a second extension on her course because she claimed she had mad cow disease. yeah, likely.

black woman: "i thought economics was like history and stuff" (note: i'm not racist! she sounded black though ya know?)

just the other day - I talked to a kid taking an 11th grade English class, and he wanted to know why he had failed a writing assignment. I got to look at a copy of it, and it was the funniest thing EVER! It was supposed to be a report, but instead, the student wrote a defense of pit bulls. First he addressed different "misconceptions" about pit bulls, like "After tasting human blood, it changes something their brain and makes them more vicious" and other stuff like that, and then he launched in to a 2-page story about a pit bull, "Stubby," who was made a sergeant in the army- weirdest story ever. Then he put in a bunch of facts I could tell were off Wikipedia or something like that, and then argued that we shouldn't judge pit bulls because you shouldn't judge because of the way they look, because 'how would that make you feel if you were judged for the way you look?' and also that pit bulls can be national heroes, and then he ended the essay with a really weird and unrelated quote. Funny thing is the student AND his Dad thought the essay was really good and just could not get their minds around the fact that it got a failing grade.
^what I look like at work.^

I love Children's Lit!

2009-03-09T23:25:00.003-06:00

What more do I have to say. Children's Lit class is awesome. We have read some awesome books, and I thought I would share.

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong. An informational book, it tells the story of the Antarctic voyage/distaster of Captain Shackleton and his crew, who (if I remember right) survived for about a year and half before reaching civilization again. Such an amazing story. Seriously, if you do not know the story of Shackleton, go read this book! It is really inspirational!

Heir Apparent by Vivian Van Velde. A Modern Fantasy, tells the story of a girl that gets stuck in a virtual reality video game. Sounds kind of lame, it's actually really good and funny!

Tiger, Tiger by Lynne Reid Banks. A book of Historical fiction about the princess of the Roman empire (daughter of Caesar), her servant, and two tigers brought to Rome, each to serve different purposes. It is so compelling and I couldn't put it down!

the [byu admission] quest: accomplished

2009-02-18T15:38:00.001-07:00

it's official.

tracee is coming to byu!

a quest she has been on since she was small...

congrats sista!

love,
your very proud sister
(who is excited for your meal plan.. i mean... to see you more often..)

Would you stop?

2009-02-09T21:14:00.001-07:00

"HE EMERGED FROM THE METRO AT THE L'ENFANT PLAZA STATION AND POSITIONED HIMSELF AGAINST A WALL BESIDE A TRASH BASKET. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic, and began to play.

"It was 7:51 a.m. on Friday, January 12, the middle of the morning rush hour. In the next 43 minutes, as the violinist performed six classical pieces, 1,097 people passed by. Almost all of them were on the way to work...

"Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape: Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if he's really bad? What if he's really good? Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you? What's the moral mathematics of the moment?

"No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world [Joshua Bell], playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made. His performance was arranged by The Washington Post as an experiment in context, perception and priorities -- as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste: In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?

"A onetime child prodigy, at 39 Joshua Bell has arrived as an internationally acclaimed virtuoso. Three days before he appeared at the Metro station, Bell had filled the house at Boston's stately Symphony Hall, where merely pretty good seats went for $100.

His violin is, "Called the Gibson ex Huberman, it was handcrafted in 1713 by Antonio Stradivari during the Italian master's "golden period," toward the end of his career, when he had access to the finest spruce, maple and willow, and when his technique had been refined to perfection...The price tag was reported to be about $3.5 million.

"Three minutes went by before something happened. Sixty-three people had already passed when, finally, there was a breakthrough of sorts. A middle-age man altered his gait for a split second, turning his head to notice that there seemed to be some guy playing music. Yes, the man kept walking, but it was something.

"A half-minute later, Bell got his first donation. A woman threw in a buck and scooted off. It was not until six minutes into the performance that someone actually stood against a wall, and listened.

"Things never got much better. In the three-quarters of an hour that Joshua Bell played, seven people stopped what they were doing to hang around and take in the performance, at least for a minute. Twenty-seven gave money, most of them on the run -- for a total of $32 and change. That leaves the 1,070 people who hurried by, oblivious, many only three feet away, few even turning to look.

Read the whole article here. It won last year's Pulitzer prize.

This just amazes me. I'd like to think that I would stop and listen. But I can't say that I ever have stopped to listen to a musician in my experience in metros around the world. But Joshua Bell! Oh my gosh! What I would do to hear him play...

sorry but i'm just too busy to blog anymore

2009-02-03T21:37:00.001-07:00

..... I hope that never happens.

But here is how things look like right now

Classes- 15 credits
Music Civilization
Dance for Elementary Education
Physical Education for Elementary Education
Iberian-American Civilization
New Testament, Acts-Revelations
Children's Literature
Mérida prep class

Working at BYU Independent Study 20hrs/week.

Plus a church calling, friends, eat, sleep, etc...

mom

2009-01-29T18:39:00.001-07:00

Realized my last post was on my Mom's birthday! I knew it was her birthday... but I didn't mention it.

So, happy birthday mom, again! You're the best.

love, Dannielle

i'm too cool for school, so why do i go???

2009-01-19T21:17:00.001-07:00

I rediscovered some true GEMS.....

my XANGA website (blog) from high school. it's hilarious. and tracee's too.

they're so so funny. i giggled. a lot. and LOLed. literally. oh, high school.

actually mine is pretty dumb. but tracee's is so so sohilarious!

some examples of the hilarity:

"hahah i have the funniest story. So the other day we were in jc penney, and we were all checked out and stuff and my aunt asked if it was okay if she went upstairs and got a catalouge, and we said sure, we sould look at shoes for a second. I was carrying the bag and it was obviously extremely heavy,knowing me and my mother's bad shopping habits, so i went and sat down on a nearby bench. So I'm sitting on this bench in jc penney in boise idaho, the napoloeon dynamite state, and this pimple-faced geek of about 12 walks by with his mom and exclaims " I totally turned that coke bottle into a masterpiece of weapondry!" hahahahah. okay that sounded weird but it was hillalirous at the time"- Tracee.

"once upon a time wyatt and pierce were playing baseball in the backyard but then wyatt hit the ball over the fence into the lopez's house so then wyatt and pierce went over to the lopez's house and nobody answered the door so wyatt and pierce went inside and all of the lopezs' were dead! and they saw that a giant had killed them so then they ran out to the street to get away from the giant and saw that there was a giant unicorn in the street and it offered them a ride so they rode the unicorn to pierce's house on the other side of the compound and hurried to get a couple of pierce's light sabers because he only has like a billion and by that time the giant had caught up to them at pierce's house and the giant was scared because he didn't know that the lightsabers were just toys so wyatt and pierce fought the giant and slayed them and they lived happily ever after the end" - me.

"How I think HP 7 will end:

Harry and Ginny=snogging

Harry= die

Hermionie and Ron=snogging

How i WANT the HP & book to end:

HP=DIE!!!!!

RON=DIE

Hermione=marry a really hot guy!"-Tracee.

"We were talking about guys wearing eyeliner at dinner and dannielle said sumthing about billy joe armstrong and then wyatt said "like Lance Armstrong?" and Dannielle was like "No, I'm talking about the guy in Green Day. " amd then wyatt was like "oh green day, you mean like DON'T WANNA BE AN AMERICAN IDIOT!"it was really funny because he said it in a really high pitched voice and sang it with the wrong notes. And then my mom was like, "You can put that on your website!" and then i was like NO."-Tracee.

"so today (half day= amazing) i walked into the living room and boone's watching tv. so i just kinda sit trying to waste time, and i see all these little kids in pairs.. then one kid calls out "tummy to tummy" and each pair had to get tummy to tummy. then he called out "bottom to bottom" so they did that. then it was "ear to ear", "cheek to cheek" , "chin to chin" and finally "nose to nose".. haha on that last one it was SO DERN CUTE!!!... it totally made my day" -me.

this one is my favorite

"hhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

wow i'm so deepppppppppppppppppppppppppp

deeper than the ocean...

heck yes i am

and u know it

and i know you know it

so go eat some cabbage..." -tracee