remember how we know love was here to stay?

today is a beautiful day!

so beautiful, i decided to wear a skirt

& was then complimented on that skirt by the cool rock climbing girl in class.

pretty painted toe nails, white like the clouds. 

the grass is an enticing shade of tea green.

72 degrees & partly cloudy;

just enough fluffy clouds to lightly spot the sky but not hide it.

a gentle breeze blowing, preventing that "too hot" feeling.

"give yourself what you need.  sing a song, it'll make your day.

smile, smile, smile and believe.  sing a song, it'll make a way."

earth wind & fire playing on the ipod.

the light smell of fresh deodorant.

that feeling of being completely prepared for class & knowing your stuff.

peanut butter & jelly sandwich made with the perfect proportions of pb to j.

rescued a fat fly that was trapped in our kitchen window.

it's clean check day; the only day our apartment is ever spotless!

it's my favorite day of the week, thursday.

tomorrow i'm off to bear lake with the family.

yesterday the guy i've practically been stalking at the gym talked to me.

(ok, not really stalking, but admiring from a distance.)

remembering the funny dreams of last night's sleep.

cute couples holding hands & laughing with admiration in their eyes on their way to class.

wearing clothes that remind me of mom (maybe because i stole them from her).

22 days of school left!

22 days until life in utah begins!

pictures of smiling friends hanging on my mirror making me smile.

"but i would walk 500 miles & i would walk 500 more

just to be the man who walked 1,000 miles to fall down at your door."

now it's the proclaimers singing to me on the ipod.

an orange butterfly fluttering by.

"beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

eternal families!

smooth, cleanly shaven legs.

91% on my advanced first aid exam!

reminiscing old hugs & smiles from the kids in china.

"there is sunshine in my soul today."

sun kissed skin.

reminiscing on china in general.

choices:

to smile or not to smile.

to change or not to change.

i think therefore i am.

it's a jack johnson day.

man, i miss the beauty of a foreign country.

but no matter where you go, there is beauty all around.

"this is the estimation in which you hold me"

this semester i have been taking american literature: modern & realism.

we've (obviously) been reading a whole lot of modern or realist novels & poems.

& though these are beautiful pieces, that amaze me & constantly leave me thinking "man, i wish i wrote that..."
i can only handle so much, for so long.

i'm a romantic.

i need spurts of hope, love & beauty found in mankind.

i can only handle novels like as i lay dying by william faulkner for so long.

beautifully disturbing; remarkable... but nonetheless disturbing.

i think it's time to read pride & prejudice again.

kicks & giggles

my capstone teacher sounds like this guy:

(kronk)

my plant sciences class sounds like owen wilson:


oh & i love this commercial more & more every time i watch it

walk by my side

today is a difficult day.

bittersweet.

it is my beautiful mother's birthday;

a day to celebrate new life.

family

loved ones

brought into existence

by this wonderful woman.

a day to look forward to the memories ready to be made

in life

growing together.

today also marks one year since the death of sophie rose barton,

my sister's friend.

it's difficult to look forward to the future,

when confronted with the reality of death.

reminiscing.

mistakes made,

regrets hovering.

but i think something beautiful happened in sophie's passing.

she's created opportunity.

opportunity

to change

to celebrate life in a different way

to express your love all around

to reexamine your life

to smell the roses.

in saying this,

i want to express my love for my mother.

she is one of a kind.

she is strong

in heart

mind

& spirit.

20 years ago she was pregnant with me.

she had no idea what kind of struggles life, or i, would bring to her.

& here we are 20 years later,

mother & daughter

friends.

life has left us climbing mountains to get to this point.

but here we are.

mother & daughter.

together in life.

& though we don't know what kind of mountains we still have left,

we can do it.

i love you mom.

happy birthday.

 r.i.p. sophie rose

arms, legs, & soul

yesterday was an eventful day for me.

it's not often that i spend time with people besides my roommates up here.

first, i went to the gym with a friend, dani, & we trained for the triathlon that we'll be doing in two weeks time.  we ran 1.5 miles, biked 6 miles, then swam 6 laps.  after spending that time at the gym, we came back to my apartment & did p90x's ab ripper x work out.  sooo intense.

an hour later, dani & my old roommate kara dropped by to drag me out to the opening of rexburg's first & only (mini) water park.  after playing in the water for a bit, & laying out in the sun for a couple another couple bits, all the while being drained of any existing energy, we headed home.

it was less than 2 hours of slow rejuvenation later that i received an invite to go rock climbing with a new friend.  despite the pain of exhaustion i knew i'd be feeling the next morning, i decided to go.  erin (the new friend) came & picked me up along with 2 of her other rock climbing friends, rachelle & chelsey.  we went climbing at high-c (a fun rock amidst beautiful idaho scenery) for a couple hours, & then thinking we'd have a little bra-burning bonfire, we went off in search of firewood.

after filling up the subaru's trunk with loads of sticks & logs, we started off for a campfire location.  along the way, we began to change our minds.  instead of an hour of fire (with the approaching curfew limiting our time), we decided to just end with some ice cream.  after finding the location that supposedly offered sugar-free frozen yogurt, we found out that they had just ended that line of flavor.  sugar-free no longer an option, i decided to get a grilled cheese sandwich as a nice little treat.

after chatting about marriage (erin & chelsey are both happily married) & dating, we headed home.

after a long day of socializing & physical training, i was grateful to see a soft warm bed & fell fast asleep within the hour.

& despite today's exhausted & painful walk about my sunday activities, i am grateful for the time i spent with other people yesterday.  i am grateful for the strength i was able to find & exert from within myself.  i am grateful for the blessing that yesterday was to my life, physically & mentally.

you're like the missing piece

just bought this new album & i'm in love with it.

city & colour (dallas green) never fails to deliver.

a surprising weekend

this weekend 2 of my friends paid for me to come home, so that i could go up to a cabin in midway with them on friday & saturday.  on sunday, i surprised my family by being home for father's day.

it was so much fun.

it's a silly picture, but riding in the jeep made us tear up quite a bit ^_^

out cold (woke up fried)

fit for you

i've been trying to lose weight this year, but more importantly,

i've been trying to live & adapt to a fit & healthy lifestyle.

i envy "health & exercise nuts".

throughout my endeavor i've been exercising 5 days per week,

eating <1,300 calories a day.

including:

20grams of fiber,

69grams of protein,

10grams of monounsaturated fats

>32ounces of water

100% calcium & vitamin-d intake.

(this diet was chosen after a compilation of health suggestions on the www).

i ran a 10k at a 10 minute mile pace &

i ran a half marathon at an 11 minute mile pace.

despite these efforts, i have only lost 7lbs.

any advice for me?

yesterday, i signed up for a triathlon.

july 9th

i will be running a 5k, biking 12 miles, & swimming 12 laps in the school's lap pool.

i'm excited to do this.

after hearing about my friend's brother's girlfriend & her triathlon experience, i've been looking for one i could try out.  hopefully it goes well.

wish me luck!

my dear father

my dad made me & my family eat kimchi today.

despite the mildly spicy, pickled taste being dragged through my throat,

i loved sharing a part of korea with my dad.

my dad & i worked on a puzzle for 3 hours today.

despite sitting amidst all the teasing brothers' loud yelps & taunts,

i loved every minute of it.

my dad gave me a hug today.

despite how short or expected of a hug it was,

it meant so much just to be able to see him & feel his arms around me.

i love you dad.

shark v.s mermaids

i want: this.

i think it is sweet.
oh & check out these action shots of me during the half marathon!

enjoy:

booyah!

today i ran my first half marathon! [go me]
i ran in the annual teton dam marathon.

i ran it in 02:23:34 hours at a 10:57 minute mile.

although it's not quite as fast as i had hoped, i'm still proud of myself for a) doing it, & b) doing better than i expected to do.

before:

& after:

 this is my roommate rose, she ran the 10k.

such a successful day!  i feel so accomplished.

oh-- i almost forgot.  yesterday, i caught wind that the video i entered into the international language program's video contest won!  woot woot!  i've won the $500 & bragging rights.

here's the video i entered:

30, flirty & thriving

day 30 - a picture of you from last year & now, & how you've changed since then.

mesa falls 2010

salt lake temple 2011

i have changed in many ways since last year, & am still continuing to change.

some of the physical differences include:

• my hair is now blonde instead of that awful redish-brownish-blonde-streaks color.
• i weigh 5lbs less.
• i am healthier & in better physical shape.
• i'm not a vegetarian anymore.
• i've been off soda pop for 18 months now vs 6 months.
• i've been studying russian for 3 1/2 semester now, rather than just 1 1/2.
• i'll be getting my associates degree at the end of this semester.

some of the more mental & spiritual differences include:

• i lived in china for 4 months (having gained all the experience & knowledge that comes with it).
• i recognize the importance of being a member of this church & what it means to have an eternal companion 10x more than i used to.
• i'm a lot less stubborn than i was last year.
• there are some large changes i've experienced mentally & spiritually since last year that i can't necessarily express to you in words.  if you know me, you'll know i've changed.

well, there ya go folks.
30 day challenge: accomplished.

cool

i caught a snake today.

[look at its little tongue!]

29

day 29 - a picture of your favorite pastime.

i'm not sure what my favorite pastime is.  favorite is a very definitive statement.

one of my favorites though is reading.

 it used to be walking my dog, but i can't really do that anymore.

28

day 28 - a list of the qualities you hope to find in your spouse.

i think that any quality i hope to find in my spouse, he should be able to find in me.  so this is not only a list of what i want to find in my spouse, but a list of qualities i'd like to better find in myself.

the first & most important 3 he must have are:

• the willingness & capability to put aside every other dream, for the one dream of having a righteous & loving family.
• a firm belief & ever growing testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• & unwavering honesty & respect

now, if i were to search for "my dream man", he'd would also have/be the following:

• a logical, problem-solving mind
• a hardworker (physically & mentally)
• brilliant
• intelligence.  not just smart, but intelligent; someone who knows how to use what he's learned.
• oh yeah, he must be crazy in love with me & who i want to be.
• an overall good person, with a desire to help those around him.
• a love for animals, nature, & life in general.
• a big sense of adventure, accompanied by a desire to see the world & all the different people & cultures in it.
• it'd be nice if he had some really large sum of money tucked away that he'd surprise me with once we were married.
• a returned missionary
• bilingual
• financially savvy.  (i'm awful with this stuff.)
• a love for the outdoors
• physically fit & active (being healthy naturally coincides with these two)
• a love for the arts & the ability to play the guitar, piano, banjo, or something cool... ya know?
• oh yeah, he'd be a total babe.

yup, that's my dream man.
now, i do recognize that people rarely get the man or woman of their dreams, but i also think that the person they do marry is better:  they're real.

27

day 27 - a picture of someone or something important to you.

my family.
i hope this one is self-explanatory.

weekend home

this weekend i went to utah.

i went to the iron & wine concert with some friends.

it was fantastic.

the head & the heart opened the show.

they were great & are definitely a new favorite.
the crew:

iron & wine:

the head & the heart:

so that was friday night, on saturday i got to go rock climbing with my dad & brothers.
we went up to pete's rock & had a good time, despite luke's demand for attention via throwing rocks at us saying "it's a free country--i can do whatever i want".  i love that crazy kid.

 it was a fun weekend.  i can't wait to move home.