2012 Year in Review

2012 was such an eventful year that I thought I would post some of the highlights. And because this makes for a bit of a change from the regular resolutions posts.

JANUARY

Apartment 330 (and one Andrew Conelly) were put into my FHE group. I had no idea how significant this would become at the time.

FEBRUARY

Did this amazing alien balloon head dance with Cora and Brittany. Because we're amazing.

MARCH

Went shooting for FHE. It was my very first time.

APRIL

Met a duck at the park.

Was in a photoshoot.

Got a new hairdo.

MAY

Saw the Black Keys live, and it was loads of fun.

Saw the Civil Wars live. And they were amazing.

Got myself a boyfriend.

JUNE

Left my boyfriend for ten days to go to Disneyland with my family.

Saw the Avett Brothers live.

JULY

Turned 25 and got an amazing gift from my amazing boyfriend.

AUGUST

Saw Mumford & Sons live, which is where I decided I was in love with Andrew.

SEPTEMBER

Met Andrew's parents. And got engaged!

OCTOBER

Found my amazing wedding dress that I love oh so much.

NOVEMBER

Found an apartment for Andrew and me.

Celebrated Thanksgiving with my family.

DECEMBER

Took engagement photos.

Celebrated a wonderful Christmas with both of our families.

Is that a great year or what? I have no complaints. I can't believe how blessed I've been.

Photoshoot Fun

On Saturday, Andrew and I went up to Salt Lake to take our engagement photos. We were supposed to take them the week before, but our photographer got sick, so we had to postpone. I was beyond excited to take engagements. I've always thought that it would be a blast to take engagement photos, and I was not wrong.

Our photographer was Alyssia Baird. You should definitely go check out her stuff because she's awesome. And she was so much fun to work with. She always had ideas for poses and what to do in photos, so it never really felt awkward. One of my favorite instructions that she gave us was to stand close and be into each other. That made me laugh. I'm super excited to work with her for my bridals and on our wedding day. I think I'm going to love our photography.

We started the shoot at the Salt Lake Library, which is such a cool building. We took pictures in the aisles of books and around the building so you could see the cool architecture. Then we went out to take some pictures on the city streets. I am so excited to see how all the pictures turned out. We couldn't have picked better locations—Andrew and I both love to read, and I absolutely love the city. We'll get access to the proofing site tomorrow to pick the pictures we want to be edited, but in the meantime, Alyssia posted a couple of images on Facebook.

I can't wait to get the rest.

Thanksgiving Day Nine

Yesterday was Andrew's birthday, so tonight we are going out to celebrate. We're going to gorge ourselves at Tucanos and then go see the new Bond movie. I've been looking forward to tonight all week, and even the snowy, icky weather won't stop us from going out and enjoying an evening together. (As a side note, I'm also thankful that Andrew is willing to drive tonight. Because I hate driving in the snow.)

So today I am thankful for date night. For a reason to go out and splurge a little bit and just enjoy life. I'm thankful that Andrew and I like to go out and that we do so fairly regularly. There are a lot of things that we like to do, and we enjoy doing them together, and I'm really thankful for that. Relaxing and cuddling at home is nice, but it's also nice to go out on the town once in a while.

Thanksgiving Day Two

Today, I am grateful for the little things that entertain me every day. For instance, Andrew recently got my Wii to connect to the internet. (I've had the Wii for five years now, and I'm just now getting that figured out.) Naturally, I had to go see what kind of fun old-school game were available from the Wii store. And there were plenty, let me tell you. I ended up spending more money than I should have, but I got Super Mario World, Startropics, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Donkey Kong Country.

This may be a goofy thing to be thankful for, but I was so happy to have this little bit of nostalgia. It's nice to have a little goofy fun sometimes.

I'm Going Crazy

There are 16 days until my family and I leave for California. As exciting as that is, I feel like I'm going out of my mind in preparation for it. Work is especially stressful right now. Here is a list of some of the things that I have done or still have to get done before I leave:

• end-of-the-month editing rush
• researcher grades (I have to get them done early, during [or before] the aforementioned rush)
• train on and start tracking researcher grades
• promptly ask a coworker to track some of the grades because I will be gone when they are due
• plan an editing training session so I don't have to do it the day I get back
• get my absence from the all-hands meeting approved
• report grades (this is more something I want to get done because they've been sitting in my inbox for over a month)

I know most of that doesn't make sense to anyone else. But it basically means that I have a whole lot of shiz to get done the next couple of weeks. And this is all on top of some new responsibilities that I've been getting used to the past little while (like one-on-one follow-up sessions and even a presentation for another team).

I have also found myself with something to do every single night this week. I have had almost no time to just relax and chill. Granted, most of what is keeping me busy has been fun, and I love hanging out with my friends. But I also need some downtime. Especially so I can finish this book I'm reading that's really super exciting. I need me time.

I'm also waiting for this weekend when I get paid and when my credit card turns over so that I can finally go and buy some things that I need for the trip, like new shorts and a new swimsuit and some little odds and ends. After putting over $1,000 on my credit card in two weeks (hooray for car repairs), I basically had no money left for anything else. A pay day is much needed.

I've been keeping a running list of things that I need to remember to take with me on the trip, and it's surprisingly long. So many gadgets and their chargers. I'm terrified that I'm going to forget something that I really need.

But I guess I shouldn't complain. All of this prep work will be 100% worth it when I finally find myself in Disneyland, playing with my nieces and nephew and laughing with my parents and siblings. Not to mention that squeezed in the middle of the madness is the Civil Wars concert next week (is it really just next week? Holy cow . . . the three months since I bought my tickets have flown by).

Basically, I'm super ready for all the prep part to be done and to be on my way to 10 days of sun and fun and no work and maybe a little bit of magic.

Counting Down

Some reasons this summer will be awesome:

1. Two days until the Black Keys concert.
2. Twenty-four days until the Civil Wars concert.
3. Thirty-three days until I go to California for ten whole days.
4. Fifty-nine days until the Avett Brothers concert.
5. Seventy-nine days until I turn twenty-five. (I'm not quite sure yet if that's awesome, but I'll pretend it is.)

And that's just what I have planned right now. I'm sure there will be more countdowns in my near future.

p.s. Can anyone tell me why I've had an alarming number of page views from Russia lately? Even more than from the United States. I'm not sure what to think of that.

My friends are the best.

Day Two: A picture of you and your friends.

Honest to goodness, I have so many incredible friends that one picture wouldn't suffice. Heck, these three pictures don't suffice. So many awesome people are left out because I am horrible at taking pictures at social events.

My roommates are incredible and have become some of my very best friends. My other girlfriends in the ward (of which there are pretty much only two) have become such good friends that I'm hoping to live with them next year. And the guys in my life never cease to entertain me. If any combination of my guy friends are around, whatever is going on is almost guaranteed to be exciting.

Honestly, I am so grateful that I have met such amazing people the past few months. Here's hoping that in the next few months, I can meet even more amazing people and grow even closer with the people I've already integrated into my life.

Flirting Is Fun!

If there is one thing that is omnipresent in a Provo singles ward, it is flirting. Flirting is the elite way of communicating and interacting with members of the opposite sex. There are all sorts of flirting: the physical, the witty banter, the flattery, the straightforward admiration, the teasing, the texting. Those who are good at any combination of these tactics often have lots of friends, lots of phone numbers, and lots of dates. It's just the way things roll here in Provo.

My problem with flirting is that I'm not terribly good at it. For the most part, physical flirting is nonexistent for me. I have a weird aversion to breaking that contact barrier. I just get super awkward. This could be a post on its own, so I'll just leave it at that. I can hold my own with the witty banter, but I'm not the quickest thinker, and I have a tendency to trip over my words. I generally don't even try flattery, and straightforward admiration is nerve wracking. Some people pull it off really well, but I am not one of those people. And if you're not good at it, you just become creepy, and no one wants that. Teasing is another one I'm fairly good at. If it involves sarcasm, chances are I'll choose that form of flirting above all others.

Despite my lack of skills in the flirting department, I still try to flirt. I try to flirt all the time. Why do I do this when I rarely succeed? Well, that's simple.

Because it's fun.

Even if nothing comes from flirting, or even if I'm not interested in the person I'm flirting with, it is still fun. Who doesn't like to be flirted with every once in a while? Who doesn't like to be paid a little bit of attention? I know that I love to be flirted with, and to make that happen, you gotta put a little effort in.

I've actually had the chance to flirt with quite a few attractive boys lately. And I've thoroughly enjoyed myself. In attempting not to worry about whether or not these guys are potential romantic prospects, I've been able to have fun, which is really where things start anyway. The more I worry about what could happen, the worse I get at flirting.

So even though flirting can be confusing at times and sometimes sucks when I'm actually legitimately interested in someone and they don't flirt back, I'm still going to do it. I'm still going to flirt with most of the boys I come in contact with. This isn't to say I'm a huge flirt (did you not just read all the reasons why I'm bad at flirting?); it's just the way single men and women communicate. And I, for one, am okay with that.

Being Thankful: Day Twenty-Nine

Today is Monday, which means FHE, of course. This is usually what happens with me and FHE: At the beginning of the semester, I try really hard to go and get to know the people in my group. I stay for the activity, then usually leave right once everything is done, because I always feel super awkward about mingling afterward. Then, when I realize that some of the people bug me or we end up doing super lame activities every week, I stop going. That's usually about halfway through the semester. So by the end of the semester, I'm ignoring the flyers and doing other really important things with my Monday night, of course.

Well, last night, my FHE mom roped me into bringing a treat tonight, so of course I had to go. And when I have to go, it makes me want to go even less. But I went, and it actually turned out to be really fun. There were only six of us there (because everyone else in our group is apparently even lamer than I am) and we played Christmas Pictionary, which was surprisingly fun. Everyone stuck around for a while, so we actually got a chance to chill and be ourselves for a bit. It was very entertaining.

I'm really thankful for these experiences that remind me of why I need to be social. There are a lot of really great people in my ward, but because I can be so introverted, I don't give myself the chance to get to know them. Nights like tonight let me know that I really should put myself out there a little more and make some new friends.

How did that happen?

There was a time when I was ridiculously anti-social in my current ward. When I would spend every evening in my apartment reading, or watching movies, or watching TV, completely by myself. Occasionally I would do something with my roommates, but for the most part, I kept to myself.

I wanted to make friends, but I didn't know how. I'm not the kind of person who can just walk up to people and start talking and make friends in the blink of an eye, like some people seem to do. So I kept to myself. I made a few acquaintances and talked to a few people at church, but that was about it.

Then my apartment had dessert club, where we had to provide dessert for the ward. People came in, ate, and left, while others came in, left, and mingled. We started a game of Signs with those who stayed behind, and after that, a lot of things changed for me.

I have had something to do nearly every night the past couple of weeks. My roommates and I have been invited to and have invited others to do all sorts of things, like watching movies, playing an assortment of games, going off the rope swing in Mona, going swimming, going to the hot pots in Midway, throwing a birthday party for Harry Potter, and going camping.

I haven't been this tired and sleep deprived in a very long time. But I also haven't had quite this much fun in a long time, either.

These pictures are ridiculously inadequate, but I really didn't feel like looking through a bunch of Facebook albums to find more.

An Excuse to Be Loud and Obnoxious

That's really all karaoke is. The music blares, and the audience sings over the people who kind of suck. But there aren't many places where you can sing at the top of your lungs without people looking at you like you're crazy. And tonight I needed some time to be obnoxious. To let loose. To have some fun without worrying about how what I said affected someone else or whether or not so-and-so is interested in me.

I tore it up with "Black Horse and a Cherry Tree," my all-time favorite karaoke song. Why is it my favorite? Because I'm good at it. (Nope, that's not very humble, but this is one of the only situations in which you'll hear me sound so confident, so I'm taking it.) I love any song that gives me an excuse to put some gravel in my voice.

Ahh, karaoke, my dear friend. I forgot just how much fun you are.

They say it's your birthday

Olive Garden + Paul McCartney + family + kabobs + presents + friends + cupcakes + cheesecake + crepes + signs + a date = the best birthday EVER. Thanks to everyone who helped make it so awesome.

23 is going to be a good year—I can feel it.

FHE Is Awesome

We went laser tagging for FHE tonight. It was awesome. I ranked number nine out of ten. Oh yeah. Luckily my roommate rocks socks and helped our team win. She ranked first. Go Amanda for kicking all the guys' trash. But I figure there are much, much worse things to suck at than shooting people.

Next time I go, though, I'll be better. Y'all better watch out.

Thanks Day Thirteen

Today I'm thankful for my sense of humor. Because, really, life would be incredibly boring (not to mention horribly depressing) if I couldn't laugh at it. The best thing in the world is having friends who make me laugh. I think I'm very drawn to people who can really make me laugh. I'm so thankful that my parents raised me in such a way that I knew how to laugh. My dad always said that God has to have a sense of humor because He made my family. I truly think that laughing is the best medicine. It just makes me feel awesome.

Thanks Day Seven

Today I'm thankful for those weekends when I have stuff to do. Sometimes I hate it when I'm doing nothing on a Friday night, when I'm watching a movie by myself, reading a book, or writing in my journal (all of which I have done on Fridays in the past couple months). But this weekend was one of those weekends where I was all booked, and it was a great weekend. I saw a friend as his dream role in a play last night, and then had a date tonight. (Those busy weekends are usually better when at least part of it includes a date.) Thank heavens for social plans!

 Jake as Seymour in "Little Shop of Horrors"*

*Picture stolen from Jake's Facebook page

Road Trips + Friends + Shakespeare = Awesome

This past weekend, Faith and I took a little drive down to Cedar City to visit Kate, and to see "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Abridged." In short, the trip was so much fun! I wish it wasn't a 3-hour drive and a $40-dollar ticket, because then I would so be going to see the show again this weekend.

Faith and I arrived in Cedar at around 4, and I was so happy to stop driving. My heel went completely numb from propping my foot against the gas pedal. Weird, I know. It's at times like these that I wish I had cruise control. Oh well.

After chilling at Kate's for a bit, we went to eat at Chili's, then headed out for the show. This was my first time going to a Shakespearean Festival production, so I was pretty excited. I do have to admit that when I found out that the tickets were $40 I was a little hesitant, but let me tell you, that show was worth every penny.

Matt, Geoff, and Quinn

 

I don't think I have ever laughed so hard so consistently for that extended amount of time. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen, hands down. And it was definitely the best-deserved standing ovation I have given—well, next to "Wicked," that is. There was so much audience participation and so many random things ("Monkey dance party!", "Call me Butlove") that I could not stop laughing. Because there is audience participation, there is quite a bit of improv involved in the show, and I loved it when the actors broke. Quinn was really good at keeping a straight face . . . there was only one part I can remember him cracking.

Even with the hilarity of the show, there were some parts in Hamlet when the actors showed just how talented they are. Matt gave one of Hamlet's soliloquies, and he moved seamlessly from making fun of it to giving a serious performance. It was pretty amazing, especially since he simply stood there. He paced it all with nothing more than his breathing. At the end, Quinn gave Hamlet's dying speech, which was also pretty amazing.

It also didn't hurt that Quinn was incredibly attractive. Just saying.

(As a random side note, seeing this show gave me a new ambition: to perform on stage again. I haven't done anything on stage since high school, and I realized just how much I miss it. So I'm on the lookout for community theaters in Provo/Orem who have open auditions. If you know of any, let me know! )

After the show, we wandered around the SUU campus to take some random pictures by the many statues. Here's a little sampling:

 

 

 

It was so much fun to see Kate! Since she lives so dang far away, I don't get to see her nearly as often as I would like. We had a bit too much fun together—we stayed up until 4:30 talking on Saturday. Luckily Kate's church didn't start until 1 pm, or we would have died.

It was such a great trip. It felt so good to just get away (again). It's so good to take advantage of fun experiences like this. Sure, I could have spent the gas and ticket money on a pair of shoes or a couple of books, but I think this was a much better decision. I love going places and experiencing new things and making memories with people I love.

I love these girls, they're the best!

Ahh, the Outside World

Last weekend, I got to leave Provo. Sure, it was only for a few hours, but it felt great nonetheless. I've been increasingly more frustrated with things down here in Happy Valley lately, so just running away for an evening felt wonderful.

Faith, Cora, and I headed up to Salt Lake City because I found out that one of mine and Faith's high school friends was performing with Laughing Stock at the Off Broadway Theatre. So we randomly decided to go see his show, and it was well worth the trip.

It took us about half an hour to find parking, and we eventually just ended up paying three bucks for a tiny little parking lot a few blocks away from the theatre. Then, we lost our sense of direction and walked the wrong way on Main Street. But we quickly realized our mistake, turned around, and headed in the actual direction of the theatre.

We got to the theatre about an hour early, so we bought our tickets and just sat in front of the theatre, on those bench things that they plant the trees in. (You know what I'm talking about, right?) While we were sitting there, this lady walked up to us and told us that her daughter had left her ID in the car, and they just wanted to go in this bar. So she asked us if one of us would lend her our IDs. Cora instantly piped in with, "I'm not 21. Sorry." Faith and I kind of looked at each other and politely declined. She got pretty mad. "I'll just need it for two minutes!" The kicker? This lady wasn't even white, and neither was her daughter. Faith and I are about as white as you can get. So, you know, no one would have guessed that it wasn't her ID. Right.

After that fun little experience, we decided to wait in the theatre. Right before the show started, our friend Zach came out to the lobby and spotted me and Faith. Seeing how excited he was to see us made the trip completely worth it. I hadn't seen Zach in probably about two years, so catching up with him was really fun.

The show itself was so much fun. I used to go to the OBT almost every weekend, but I hadn't been in about three years, so it was fun to see my favorite improv troupe again. On the very first game, they used Cora's name and school. As soon as she said she went to BYU, boos broke out (mostly from the actors). Faith, Cora, and I were on the front row in full few of the stage, and for the rest of the night, we were known as the "BYU girls." It was a running gag the rest of the night, and after the show when we passed the actors, they all yelled, "Hey! The BYU girls!" It was highly entertaining.

All in all, it was an awesome night. Even with the weird ID lady and the other weird people we passed to and from my car. (Including three guys, of which one said something along the lines of, "Three guys, three ladies . . . ." It was nice to know he could count.) It was very much a spontaneous trip, but it was one that I desperately needed. I'm not saying I hate Provo or anything (because I really don't), but I just needed to get out, and it was great.

I'm sorry this is a text-only post. I completely forgot my camera, which was sad because I'm sure we could have gotten some entertaining pictures.

A Wee Purchase

So yesterday I decided I wanted to spend my tax return. What did I decide to spend it on? This little beauty right here:


Yup, that's right, I bought a Wii. Pretty crazy. I never thought I'd do that, especially on such a spur of the moment. I'm still reeling a little bit.

So what brought this sudden, severe desire for a Wii? Well, I'm a huge fan of The Beatles (I've been listening to them my whole life--and that's really not an exaggeration), and I also love Rock Band. So what could be better than The Beatles: Rock Band? Not much, in my opinion. I saw this article and I almost died. I could mostly likely sing every single song on this game (which is my favorite thing to do when playing Rock Band, but I need to know the songs, and I would know all The Beatles songs). So I decided to buy the Wii now, while I have the money, and use the summer to save the $250 for The Beatles: Rock Band (instruments included--apparently they look like The Beatles's instruments, which is sweet) so I can buy it when it comes out in September. So basically, I'm spending $600 just for the sake of The Beatles: Rock Band ($250 for the console, $50 for Mario Kart [because I hear it's awesome], $50 for Wii Play [because it comes with a remote], and then the $250 for The Beatles: Rock Band when it comes out). But it's so worth it.

And here's a picture of The Beatles, just for the heck of it. And because they freaking rock, and will continue to rock forever.

Valentine's Surprise

Yes, I know Valentine's was almost a week ago, but I'm just now getting around to posting about it.

I had no plans for Valentine's Day, seeing as how I didn't have a Valentine, but I was pleasantly surprised by some of my guy friends. As an apartment, we got a nice bag of candy "anonymously." (We knew who it was from.) They also gave us all Valentine's. Mine was from my "hunk-a-lunk." Pretty funny. Then we got a cute bouquet of balloon flowers, complete with a balloon teddy bear. We still don't know who they're from.

We also got six beautiful gerber daisies, again from unknown admirers.


This was the note that was on mine. I thought it was cute.


I thought they were beautiful. And though we still don't know which kind souls gave them to us, I still want to say thank you to whoever it was. We all loved them.

Funny Story

So the other day my roommate and I went to Chevron because one of my tires was low and I needed to fill it up. There were a couple guys in my apartment, and one of them asked, "Do you need any help?" I replied, "Thanks, but I think I can handle filling up my tire." I mean really, I'm not that helpless.

When we got to the air pump, there was this big ol' red truck sitting there ahead of us. We settled down to wait for them to finish, and then we realized that the truck was idling and the driver was still in the driver's seat. We got pretty annoyed. It was 10:30 pm, and we just wanted to fill up my tire and leave. I just wanted them to get out of my way so I could go back home.

Then a white truck pulled up next to the red truck. Two guys jumped out of the white truck and a girl got out of the red truck. She looked at us sitting in my Honda and mouthed, "I don't think it's working," with this helpless little shrug and giggle. I turned to my roommate and said, "You don't think it's working or you don't know how to use it?"

Sure enough, the blond guy walked up to the pump and tested the air nozzle. We could hear the air hiss from my car. It was working just fine. I had to shove my fist in my mouth to keep from laughing, which didn't work. So she stood around with her "Oh my gosh, I'm so stupid" giggles and watched this guy fill up her tire, while my roommate and I laughed harder and harder. We even took a picture:
Sorry, it's pretty blurry, but we were trying to be discreet.

The best part was that the brunette guy kept looking at us and smiling. It looked like he was trying hard not to laugh too, and appreciated the fact that we were girls and could laugh at this girl who didn't know how to make the freaking air pump work.

It made me feel pretty dang good about myself. I mean, at least I can fill up the tires on my car. We should have offered my tire gauge--I don't think they had one. Oh well, maybe next time.