Dream People

Question: How awkward is it to tell someone that you don't know all that well that they were in your dream last night?

I dream a lot. I'm one of those lucky people who can even remember their dreams fairly often and fairly well. And people that I know are usually in my dreams. In fact, if I know you chances are you'll show up at some point. Most people do - so for me when I dream about someone I don't think much of it.

But then I think that maybe it's kind of awkward to tell my friends, especially those guy friends that I don't know super well: "Oh hey! You were in my dream last night."

Last night there was some sort of weird performance going in my backyard, and I was passing notes back and forth to this guy. I asked him what his favorite scripture story about obedience was. And he sent back a note about how it was when Ammon cuts of all those arms.

Which makes absolutely no sense whatsover.

Story of my life. It usually makes very little sense...

Moral Dilemma... ah!

I've never been a TV person - when people talk about their favorite TV shows and which ones they make sure they're home to catch... I'm never in the loop. Or when they crack jokes about the Office or other well known comedies, I don't understand. Ever. Because I don't take the time to sit down and watch the tube. And I've always liked that about myself.

Then I moved to China. Where you can watch just about anything online for free. And I got sick, and had to stay at home for a while in bed... and my roommate introduced me to this wonderful little murder mystery series that I kinda went crazy watching...

As in: I think I watched 2 and a half seasons in a week or something like that....

Hey! What can I say? I had pneumonia. What else was I going to do?

Now here's the thing. This lovely little TV series... well the 5th season started on Monday. Only... I haven't caught up yet on the series yet, and I don't want to start watching the 5th season it if I haven't finished the 4th one yet.

So my finger has been hovering above the purchase button for the 4th season of Castle on amazon for probably 15 minutes... while I try to find a way to justify spending 30 bucks on one season of a TV series.

This is kind of a moral dilemma for me. I never thought I would ever be the kind of person who would ever even consider purchasing a season of a TV series....

I really don't want to buy it. But then I know I'm just going to think about it if I don't.

What to do... what to do... *sigh*

Liebster for Jennifer!

Alrightly. Miss Jennifer asked me to do this. And she's one of those people that I don't mind obeying... so here this goes for you Jen!

The award is called the Liebster award. Liebster is a German word that means sweet, kind, nice, dear, beloved, lovely, valued and welcome. (Or so I've heard.)

*Jen's note: Google Translate says it means "dearest." Not that Google Translate is always perfect, but you never know...

Here are the rules:

1. Post 11 random facts about yourself. 

2. Answer 11 questions the tagger has asked you, and give 11 questions to the people you've tagged.

3. Choose 11 deserving bloggers (or as many as you can) and tag them in your post. (REMEMBER!! The people that you tage HAVE to have less than 200 followers).

3. Tell them you've tagged them. 

4. No tag backs.

5. Display this picture on your blog:

11 Random facts about me:
1. I am a true Aggie.
2. I really dislike hotdogs, I believe they're about as close as you can get to eating warm rubber.
3. After years of failed attempts to whistle, I can now successfully get one one note. Still working on the 2nd one.
4. I bite my lip when I don't know what to say.
5. I'm going on a mission to Melbourne Australia in 61 days.
6. I love dark chocolate, but I'm not a really a fan of milk chocolate.
7. Once upon a time I could only sleep laying on my side - but after lots of travel time I learned to make myself fall asleep in just about any position.
8. I've ridden a bike along one of the oldest walls in China.
9. I've been kicked by a horse - and I'll still go riding.
10. I've never passed out, gotten stitches, or had a broken bone.
11. I believe in miracles.

Here are my answers to the questions Jen asked:
1. What is your favorite childhood memory?
The one that popped to mind first is from when I was super super little.... My Papa (I lived with my Grandparents) came home with what was probably a cell phone and he took the house phone and put me in one room with it, and then walked across the kitchen into a new room. I could still see him but he was on the other side of the house. He called me on the phone and I could hear his voice in the phone and see him at the same time. I thought that was pretty spiffy at the time.

2. If you could choose any airport to have a layover in, which would it be and why?
Seoul Korea. That airport is amazing. And they have Chili pepper plants for decor. Although... as bad as LAX is, it's kinda fun to make fun of while you're there....

3. What is your favorite book?
That's not a fair question.

4. What do you do when you have a short 15 minute block of free time?
Read. Call a friend. Blog..... depends on the mood :)

5. Have you ever collected anything? What?
Dolls. Sorta... I used to get them as gifts, so I would keep them and display them in my room. I don't have a ton, but it's probably the best collection I've got.

6. What is the craziest place you've ever been?
China. Those roads and drivers... if you only knew....

7. What is in the trunk of your car (or if you don't have a car, what is at the bottom of your backpack?)
Currently in the trunk of my car (apart from the spare tire, tools, and brake fluid...) A slackline, frisbee, stuffed animal, and a giant twister mat.

8. If you had to be an animal, what would you be and why?
Probably a bird, I think flying would be legit.

9. What's the best prank you've ever played?
Bahaha.... probably the time I stole all of someones right shoes (just the right ones) and passed them out to a bunch of people. I told each person with a shoe only one other person who had them. It was so great :)

10. Who is your hero and why?
I kind of have this reverence for people who teach preschool. I think they're both crazy and amazing.

11. What do you think the perfect age is - and why?
2. You're old enough to walk around and young enough to not get in trouble because everything you do is still cute.

Ok. Now I guess I get to nominate a few people.
Alex at Sunshine in my Soul
Crysta at In Crysta's World
Taylor at Thoughts of a Peanut

Please nominated friends, answer these questions:
1. What is one of your guilty pleasures?
2. What is your dream job and why?
3. What is your earliest memory?
4. What is your favorite smell?
5. If you could wake up anywhere tomorrow and spend 1 day there, where would it be and why?
6. What accomplishment are you most proud of in your life?
7. If you had 24 hours left to live, starting now, realistically what would you do with those 24 hours?
8. If you had 1 super power, what would it be?
9. What do you daydream about most often?
10. What is the neatest place you've ever been?
11. What is your favorite thing to wear and why?

In which Krystal has a really bad pick up line used on her....

Once upon a time Krystal realized that her luck with men is not so good...

Wednesday morning started off like any other. Krystal found herself driving to work when an old man with a moustache decided to make kissy faces at her from his car. Although slightly disturbed, she determined not to let it ruin her day.

That evening she went country dancing and found herself wishing that an old man with a moustache was the only interesting encounter she'd have in a day. A young gentleman asked her to dance a few times, and although uninterested in him, he seemed nice enough - so she said yes each time he asked. Just prior to leaving, said young man (who happens to be named after a popular brand of peanut butter) told Krystal that she could ask for his number.

It was difficult not to laugh when phrased that way... but she covered it up with a smile and informed him that she didn't have a way to take down his number, the following conversation went something like this:

Boy: "You don't have a phone?!"
Krystal: "I have one, but I left it in the car."
B: "Oh... well if you wanted me to have your number that'd be fine."
K: "Do you want my number?"
B: "I want you to give me some indication that you want me to have your number. Cause I have this thing about asking pretty girls for their numbers..."
K: "I wouldn't have offered if I was uncomfortable with the idea of you having it."
B: "Oh ok. Then what's your number?"

At this point Krystal is seriously considering telling boy that she is serving a mission. But he was so nervous... and she decided that would kind of be a low blow....

So Mr. Peanut Butter asked Krystal to dance again, and just as she's giving herself a mental speech about how you have to give everyone a chance and how it doesn't matter that he's interested because she's leaving anyways and how if he asks her out she should probably give him at least one date... just as she's doing that he asks her to tell him something no one in the room knows about her. She replies with some lame statement about where she was born, and then asks him the same question... to which he replies:

"I'm pretty sure no one in this room knows that I have a heart shaved into my chest hair."

I think it's kudos to Krystal that she didn't let her mouth fall open or say anything about unwanted visuals. She did however, promptly abandon her internal monologue about giving him at least one date if he happened to ask.

Memo to gentlemen of the world: don't use this pick up line on a lady. Pretty sure it won't work.

Also. I hope Krystal's luck improves post-Australia....

I love to see the temple...

I went there Tuesday. ( I hope you're singing the song in your head.. :) )

A lot of people told me before I went to the temple that I wouldn't remember a thing, and that I'd probably find it to be a bit weird. They also told me just to relax and enjoy the spirit. I did relax and enjoy the spirit, but I'm happy to say that I didn't find the experience to be weird, and I remember more than I though I would. The whole experience was mind-blowing in a beautifully simple way. The spirit was so strong, and I was lucky enough to have around 30 family members there to support me as I went through.

The spirit of love was so strong in the temple, I began to cry as I sat in the celestial room, surrounded by my family. God's love for each of his children is so strong, and He wants so badly for each of us to be happy. That's the reason He gives us the gospel and commandments, He's simply advising us on the best way to be happy - and it's up to us if we listen or not. I've thought about that a lot this week... Satan tries so hard to convince us that commandments are restrictive and hard and no worth the effort to live, but really they're not. And when you realize that it makes you feel so free.

If you haven't gone through the temple yet don't be nervous. Just study a lot and get yourself ready, you'll find the experience a beautiful and treasued one. I finally felt like I was coming home. I'm so grateful for the chance I had to go. God has so many blessings in store for those who obey Him. And the gospel of Jesus Christ is so true!

I like my car

For those of you who may be unaware, I drive a beat up '94 Honda Civic. It's a running debate about what color she is - some claim it's purple, others say blue, and still a few have said silver. Really it's somewhere in the middle of all those. She has some dings and dents, and a sun worn hood - but she's all mine, and I love her.

I have some great memories in that car. Long drives to college. Cruising around Logan. Late night conversations with friends. My first kiss. The time it was decorated with 'just married' by my punk of a friend... anyways. Those memories are some of the reasons I love Sue, as I have affectionately dubbed her. The real reason I think I adore my vehicle though is because some of my best thinking is done while I"m driving.

I love to talk to God while I'm in my car. I muse on the mysteries of life... day dream, find out about myself, what I want and what I don't want. It's almost a sacred place to me - where I can be alone in peace, without any worry that someone will disturb me. I've had some great realizations and given myself some awesome pep-talks in my car.

I've been contemplating selling her before I leave for my mission - which has made me go all nostalgic and think about the fact that I am so in love with this little old lady.

Do you love your car as much as I love mine? I hope so. For your sake. 

My Mission Call

I have been called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I will be entering the Provo MTC on November 7th. Shortly after that I will be heading to serve in Melbourne Australia for 18 months.

I was in shock when I got my call. Australia didn't even cross my mind - but I am excited to go. I am excited to share the Gospel. I know that it's true and it's what makes me happy, so I will love sharing it with those around me. It'll be hard. And this blog will not be the same for a while, but that's ok cause going will be worth it. I know it's what my Heavenly Father wants me to do right now, and there is great peace and strength that comes from that knowledge.

In my dream last night

I opened my mission call. And it said I was going to Hong Kong. I love Hong Kong, so I was totally fine with it. But I had to learn Mandarin.

Which secretly terrifies me, (even though I know if it really happened I'd be fine). Because Mandarin is HARD and after 4 months of living in China I know next to none of it.

Yeah....

Yeah..........

Peeps,

It's not coming today. Or tomorrow. Because the Bishop told me I've yet to be assigned.

*SIGH*

If I'm lucky

my call will come tomorrow. And at approx. 8:40 pm I'll be finding out where I'll get to serve for 18 months of my life.

I'm kind of dying right now. I don't work Tuesdays, and don't have a single thing planned today. Which was a really bad idea on my part. Because that means I'm sitting at home, wondering, and wishing it were tomorrow already, and contemplating how bad my already intense emotional state will be if by some horrible twist of fate my call doesn't come tomorrow.

Say a little prayer for me that it will. I don't know if I can handle having a queasy stomach for an extra week...

Guesses anyone?

Sorry blog. You've been kinda neglected because for the past 10 days the only thing on my mind I've been keeping a secret. But now we're going to shout it on the rooftops, metaphorically speaking.

So I'm kinda a go-getter. And once I make up my mind about something I go for it all the way. So it seems kinda normal that I decided within a 24 hour time frame to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and that 10 days later my papers were completely finished and submitted to Church headquarters.

Life is changing. Fast. But it feels so right. Do you ever have those moments when the world seems to align and there is only one route that makes senese? Well that's how this is. One day I wasn't even thinking about a mission - and then in an instant it hit me, and I'm changed.

I feel so good :)

But yeah. In case you want a few more details:

2 Sundays ago I was teaching a lesson about Abinadi in sunday school. I was talking about how the courage to do hard things comes from having a testimony of the Savior and his atonement. And the prompting entered my mind: Heavenly Father is going to ask you to do something hard soon. I thought "Oh great." And then forgot about it.

That following Friday I was talking to my Mother. She made a comment that I don't really recall, but it was mission realted and it hit me like a ton of bricks that serving a mission is what I should be doing. So I prayed. And asked for a blessing, and nothing exciting happened, but my whole perspective changed. Like I said before, all of a sudden there was nothing else that made sense.

The next week was kinda eerie. I asked about getting an appointment with the Bishop and was asked to show up in 15 minutes. He about jumped out of his seat with excitement when I told him what I wanted to do. We started the papers not 5 minutes later. The next day I almost passed out when I got a TB test at work (I'm working at a pediatricians office this summer...) and then Wednesday my physical went super smoothly. I also had a dentist appointment Wednesday - so all my medical paperwork was done by then. Because I know both my dentist and pediatrician personally they handed me my paperwork as I left the office. I walked both envelops over to the Bishop's house Thursday night after I'd gotten my picture taken and submitted my forms electronically to him. Sunday the Stake President was able to meet with me, and now they're in and I'm taking guesses as to where my call will be. My Mom taped up a posterboard to write all the guesses on. My favorite guess so far comes from my little cousin Pyper, who told her Mother that she thinks I'll be called to serve in Disneyland.

So. I'm going on a mission. For 18 months. I feel so good.

And I want to know where you think I'll be called to :)

This week would look a heck of a lot better if I hadn't just been diagnosed with strep

Yeah. On the last week of school. Which, coincidentally, I'm not allowed to take off.

Also - I have a job interview tomorrow. Fantastic.
Cause doing anything when you have this particular problem is just no fun. I don't want to talk, move my head, or swallow. Especially the swallowing and moving my head part... This is partially because my lymph nodes are swollen to the point that turning my neck hurts, and partially because there is a persistent headache that won't leave me alone.

But on the bright side:
There are only two days of school left.
I got medication for free!
I have a job interview tomorrow.
I got paid yesterday.

25 Ways to Woo Krystal

*Written by Ashley Cox

1. Play with her hair! - Trust me.. she loves it((:
2. When she sits next to you and leans forward, scratch/rub/massage her back. - cuz lets be honest.. who DOESN'T love that???
3. When she's talking.. LISTEN - everybody loves a listener
4. Watch Disney and Princess movies with her. (Yes, I said Princess..)
5. Sing along!!! - we all know you know the songs by heart.. so you might as well sing! ((;
6. Don't make her eat hot dogs.. no one likes those anyway......
7. Give her grief. Just trust me. If you don't.. she'll worry for you.
8. Tease her -particularly about her height.. if you don't then you're alone there....
9. Talk to her about dumb stuff.. sometimes, the stupidest conversations make the biggest difference.
10. Be friends with her sisters. Because really... if you want the girl, you need to win her family. (Chocolate Covered Strawberries always work...) ((;
11. If she flippin invites you to the park.... GO! But if you REALLY want to impress her.. YOU invite HER to the park! (trust me.. it works wonders!)
12. Call her! She loves to talk, so if you aren't busy, just call and plan to meet up somewhere or something! She'll love it!
13. Play Wackee Six with her. BUT DO NOT LET HER WIN! Try your very hardest to beat her. Really. She likes being competitive.
14. Be. Irreverent.
15. If she asks you for advice, what she REALLY wants is for you to tell her what to do. Give her good advice but don't make it THAT easy on her(;
16. She likes hippie activities. Like slacklining. (Confused? Look it up.) Take her slacklining and on a picnic and boom! She's like butter in your hot little hands.
17. When you're watching a movie together.. CUDDLE! Be bold man! Grow up! All it takes is 20 seconds of insane courage!
18. Make her laugh
19. Let her help you prank people - trust me.. that is her forte. It will be a blast and a half!
20. When you go in for a kiss.. make it cute, sure whatever.. just DO NOT do it in a flipping car.
21. Don't call her "Amazing." Use ANY other word. Just NOT "Amazing."
22. If she asks you for your honest opinion on her hair or outfit, tell her your honest opinion. If you hate it, instead of being stupid and saying "I hate it" say something more like "I like it better this way." --you'll be much happier.
23. If she's talking too much, it just means she's nervous. Don't freak out.
24. Ask her to dance. She will be speechless.
25. Just be yourself around her and have fun((:

Everyone should have a sister like Ashley

Because then they could have conversations that go like this:

"What's wrong with me?!" -Krystal
"Want me to start a list?" -Ashley
     *Giggling interspersed with fake glaring*
"Um, could you? Then I'd know what to start fixing and then boys might actually ask me out." -Krystal
"Uh.... I don't think I can do that..." -Ashley
     *Quizzically disbelieving look given by Krystal to Ashley*
"I could totally write one for them though. Number 1: They're blind." -Ashley

The Hard Way Out

Does anyone else ever find themselves taking the hard way out just to prove that they can? It seems so silly - but I seem to do it far too frequently...

Luckily I have good friends and family members who feel comfortable enough to tell me I'm an idiot and to change what I'm doing.

Like this week when I turned down an interview for what was kind of my dream job because I already told another school I'd work for them. My co-teacher, when she found out what I'd done, demanded that I call them back as soon as possible and reschedule the interview. She reminded me that I haven't signed anything yet, and I can still take another job if I choose to. It's my life, I need to do what will make me happy - not just whatever was the 1st thing to come along. So now I have 2 interviews scheduled for resource positions at junior highs in Salt Lake, super close to where my Grandparents live, and I'm stoked. And I wouldn't have done it if it weren't for my co-teacher telling me not to be an idiot.

This whole thing made me think about my life in general. And I began to wonder how often I choose the difficult way out instead of the nice way. As if I've something to prove to the world - that I can take on anything. This is so stupid of me, I know that life is going to be hard enough without me making it worse for myself...

Do you ever do this or is it just me?