0084.

What a Jem Stone.

RIP baby.

I have decided to start recognizing a beautiful thing of the day each day. today's is going to be Heathcliff Andrew Ledger.

0083.

Today was day one of conference weekend, heath leadger's birthday, and also the day we had the missionaries over for dinner.  If tragedies come in threes, I guess good things must also.

My mom made this steak that was fried in butter and seasons with really nice sea salt and freash pepper.  It had this horse-radish/mustard sauce that went over it.   I guess it was really good because they are it all.  We made a really nice spinatch salad and taters too.   Those were delish--even the potatoes!  I guess Idaho had changed more than my character.

We had birthday cake for dessert in honor or Heath, and the missionaries talked to us about preach my gospel,  but I'm pretty sure they called it P my G while there were deciding while message to give us.

Another great day in the heartland.

p.s. i use to have this a knights tale poster, and not it's no where to be found.  I hope it shows up and i hope even more i didn't throw it away... :( 

0082.

Tonight I had my primary class over for a chihuahua party--we watched Beverly Hills Chihuahua, and got to hold my Chihuahuas!  So presh.  After the movie we went in the hot tub and put on peejays and just kind of talked and watched the beginning of the movie again because some girls got there late.  It was really fun, but I wish I had though to take some pictures with the girls!  They are all so funny and sweet.  I'm just not a photographer at heart i guess--or really at all--so things like that don't occur to me until after the matter... I did take a pretty fly picture of a red bull can once though.

I ate enough junk food and sugar tonight to go into hibernation... or a diabetic coma, which ever happens first.  Seriously, I need to just cut junk food out of my diet, because once i start i can't stop...  I had cut it out for about a month and it really wasn't even too hard.... but then parties and special occasions came up, and you know how that goes.

5 days

0081.

Yes Quinn, I know I write in my blog multiple times a day.

As I stated earlier, some time today was spent looking for hair inspiration, which led to the discovery of a picture i really liked, which lead to the discovery of some of the most beautiful blogs I have ever seen.  Who knews blogs could ever BE beautiful?  (with the exception of leah's of course)  

It all started withgreedy girl, and eventually wound it's way down through a cup of jo, to this precious couple's blog.  Just the idea of a couple's blog seems... adorably ridiculous.

P.S.  They are LDS.

I honestly think it's the times I am trying the hardest to stop using the internet that I find out it actually has a beneficial side.  Go figure.  I think A.R.T is just something we can all learn from sometimes.

0080.

I have decided this is my hair goal; the only exception being I do not plan on going B L O N D E.  Not that there is anything wrong with blondes, I actually quite like blonde hair.  (I think i could even be a great blonde, due to my green eyes, pale skin, and inability to tan.)  It's really just that my hair is finally getting healthy, and i wish to keep it that way--I have given up dying it.  I figured after eight years of getting chemically altered every two to three months, I would probably want a break too.

I love the bangs and little/no layering combo.  I think it could be exactly what I've always wanted from my hair...  There is the whole curls dilemma, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

0079.

Cleaning my room is an endless task, when married with with packing,  last hours that turn into days and bleed into weeks... Nothing is going to get my down though because I get to go back to Idaho in 6 days and have lots of good things between here and there.

-April 3rd (manyana) is my class party with my primary girls :)

-April 4th is not only Heath Ledger's (ex)birthday, and when we have the missionaries, but also is the kick off for conference!

-April 5th is conference round two

-April 6th is final pack, clean, and organize day

-April 7th is my lesson on journaling for Achievement

-April 8th I bounce.

I have a ridiculous amount of stuff, but the problem is i really love it and a lot of it I have collected from other people and other times in my life.  People call me  a pack rat, and it might be true, but I don't take stuff just to have stuff.  I like it because it reminds me of my friends and my history and all the places I have been and there people who went there with me.  I have clothes from friends, pictures of relatives I've never met, papers from elementary school--cleaning has really been more of a trip into my memory, to all the places I have loved and hated.  To all the places that made me.

0078.

I did a lot better today not using technology, other than my cell phone which I don't think I could ever really ween myself off.  It's too easy and in all honesty--too convenient.  Nevertheless it is still goal of mine to ween myself off technology for the summer and to instead use that time to: read, do art, study the scriptures, go to the park, play guitar, write songs, ect.  Obviously I am going to have to use my computer for music, school work, and things that are crucial like e mail.  I will also probably keep up with my blog and dream blog, but other than that i really don't think it's necessary, except maybe the occasional viewing of a favorite music video

Today I cleaned, worked on a project, and watched some Rob and Big, but get this.  I READ while I  was cooking dinner!   I'll be one of those nerds that constantly has a book in their hand and their nose in a book in no time.

Today's book is still eat, pray, love.  I still love it.

0077.

I was reading more in eat, pray, love today while i was loading the dish washer, and Liz was talking about writing in her most private notebook she uses when she is having a really hard time.  I had an idea that I think is pretty neat and I wanted to get some feedback on.  Sometimes I get so excited about ideas that i can't really judge them very well.  I told amy and kaitlin right away so it's probably not worth even writing here, but i know some other people read this from time to time. 

I think it would be cool to all get a notebook that we can write all our heart ache in and pain and hard things from summer 09.  Nothing too personal or too deep so that it won't be sad to loose it, because I think on the last day we are all still in town we should get together and have a bon fire and burn it all.

get rid of it.

and move on. 

I know that life takes care of things like this on it's own, but I've always liked concrete things to symbolize progress and help me have a concrete memory.

0076.

SUMMerOH-NINE

PLEASE BRING ME

-spontaneity like Rob and Big

-Glamor like America's Next Top Model

-Adventures like Penn and Jake

-Love like Friends (the TV show)

-Faith like Nephi

and 

-commitment to school like my mom in High School

0075.

Who could sleep at a time like this?!

P.S. NEVER BUY BOOKS NEW.

0074.

Late night conversations with good friends (yosaychelle) inspire many things, including this: A Grab Bag of all things hoped for in Summer 09.

I discovered the art of Peter Max and Banksy while I have been home this winter, and their art has inspired me to take the extra step and try to make a difference this summer.  Maybe I'll finally do the things I want to do.  

All I know for sure is that I plan on spending this summer h.a.p.p.y.

I hope that everyone finds all they are looking for this summer, and can be the right instruments in the lives that need them.

I wish i could write like Charlie in The Perks of being a wall flower, because I feel like that's how I think most of the time.  I have no grace in language though so most of it never gets transfered to paper properly, which is why there are other forms of art and expression.

I remember writing in the boy's yearbook who sat behind me in history in tenth grade.  I can't remember his name, and I barely even knew him at the time, but as I wrote I saw the words "I hope you get everything you want to out of life because you deserve it" coming together on the page into a neat sentence.  What's even weirder is that I knew i mean it.

I hope summer is like that, I hope that even if I don't know why I am doing something I hope I can still know that I mean it and that it's the truth.

Hope guides me.

0073.

9 days until I leave.  This week finds we working in Dad's store, working to pay off a speeding ticket and working to earn some spare change for traveling to DC because apparently it's officially a go.

This winter has been wild, but the past six months have been even more so.

IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS I HAVE

-said bye to some of my best friends for two years

-gotten rabies treatment

-been attacked by my cat

-gotten my first speeding ticket

-been left home alone for the first time

-met one of the best friends i've ever had

-lived in a house at college

-decided i like apartments better

-jumped my car

-driven from Idaho to Utah

-helped the missionaries teach an investigator

-lost one of my best friends to death

-gained a new friend into the family

-had several prayers answered

-learned the importance of daily prayer and scripture study on a new level

-learned the power of fasting

-come to terms with a lot of things

-had a sister called on a mission

-have 2 epic weekends in rexburg

-only broken curfew twice (and one was worth it)

-learned to shoot an airsoft gun

-learned I am terrified of guns

-learned to knifty knit

-started reading again

-learned how to find some beauty in each day and in all things

I am so excited to get back out to school, and especially for the opportunity that my family has to go on one last family vacation before Christine leaves on her mission.  Summer 09, we are going to tear it up!

0072.

SUNDAY!

-running into the missionaries in the library

-getting to teach with them even though they are not the ones from my ward.

-teaching lessons in primary about missions.

-using my pictures of max an dal pal for visual aids and getting asked more questions about them then about the lesson.

-Kennedy trying to mouth questions during primary and getting upset when i can never get the last word.

-getting to teach the achievement lesson this week

-pinkerton 

-being close enough to leaving for school that i can start a legit countdown.

-answers to prayers

-book to read

-Amber actually listening to my primary lessons, no matter how scatterbrained they are

-health, home, happiness

-friends on missions, even if they don't write me much

-writing them all the time anyways.  Something epic always happens like the day after i write max, without fail.

-new music

-fresh lit

-inspiration

-control

-clear mind

-CONFERENCE coming up

-nights at home with the dogs

-frozen nutty buddies, and everything they remind me of

-uggs, sweats, and crazy hair

-water bottles to boot

-urban dictionary

-FOUND magazine

-Post secret

-art journals

-scripture study

-friends posting talks on my blog

-internets and technology making it easy to keep up with friends all across america, and the United States Postal Service making it easy to keep up with the ones who can't use technology.

-forever stamps, once again.

-libraries

0071.

Today was a day for firsts:

First of all, I woke up to a brand new laptop!  But not in the way that would have been exciting and awesome because what i really woke up to was my old laptop with absolutely nothing on the hard-drive anymore.  Let me just say, when you are home alone for the week, crisis' seen ten times worse.

Okay, now I should probably back up and say that it's always the days i decide to scrub it and think "at least I'm only going to wal-mart" or "I'll just run to the library really fast" that I see everyone I know around town, or really cute boys.   That is probably why when i was looking for the catcher in the rye I saw a beautiful boy with the flyyest kicks ever, and why as I was leaving the library (in sweats, ugs, and out of control hair) I ran into the missionaries.  When you run into the missionaries you always have to stop and say hello to them--and shake hands.  I should probably also mention they weren't even the ones from my ward, but i know them from seeing them at the building after church.

After a little small talk Elder Robinson said "so what are you doing.... like right now?"  And i said "I dunno, nothing."  So he asked me if i wanted to help them teach someone, and i said "Are you serious?  Look at what I'm wearing!"  He told me it didn't matter So i said I would love to.

The only problem was that we couldn't find the girls, and eventually they had to get going, but not before they got my number for future use.

So, back to today.  Needless to say I was not happy and did the only thing I could deem logical at the time... Call my mom, who didn't answer.  So i called again and again and when she finally got to her phone she probably though I the house was on fire or something because of all the missed calls.

I finally realized if i wanted to get my computer fixed the person I should really call is the apple hotline.  I called apple support and found out that you only get to call in for help within 90 days of getting your product.  Seriously apple?  Thats a bit harsh.  But when i told him my sob story about trying to clean out my HD to make room on my computer for this coming semester  and this morning finding it cleaner that I would ever want it I must have sturk a nerve, because he stayed on and helped me.  He asked me a ton of questions and eventually we discovered the problem.  Somewhere between deleting duplicate pictures and old school files, I changed the USER file name from "katiefleming" to "Katherine Fleming".  

DONT EVER DO THAT.

After completing spring cleaning on my computer to my satisfaction, I logged out of my profile and shut down my computer for the night.  Which i never so, I always just leave it logged in and close my computer when I'm done.  So apparently since I had changed this file name, my computer couldn't retrieve any of the information stored on it while the name was what it had been before I changed it from "katiefleming" to "Katherine Fleming".  Pretty mojor consequences for such a small act if you ask me! Maybe I'm supposed to learn some life lesson, the kind I can metaphorically apply to my life.  

So, with the problem discovered, Apple man put me on hold for a while and went on trying to discover how to fix my problem.  While I was on hold, I tried to call my mom again from my cell phone, becuase I was on the house phone with apple man.  Another thing i never do, I always just use my celly.   While I was on hold, someone called my cell phone and I had a really strong urge to answer it, so i did.  It was the missionaries from the day before and they told me that we must have just missed the girls at the library and that they were going to teach them for real at 3 o clock at the library and expalin  asked if i would like to go with them today.  I told them I really would, and started to explain the problem at hand, but just then the apple person came back and I was on two different phones with two different people and couldn't sort everything out fast enough.  I didn't want to be rude and be like "later elders"  but I also didn't want to hang up on the man with the salvation for my computer.  I was trying to figure out how to say bye to one party without the other party thinking i was blowing them off and hanging up on me, which would have been tragic if it was the apple man.  Luckily Missionaries are a little cooler in stressful situations that I am and Elder Rutter just said "call us back" and hung up.

So the Mac Man found a way to fix my computer, and after walking me through a few simple steps said "now this next bit we have to do really fast and it has a lot of steps so I'm going to tell you what we are going to do, then you will do it."  It was probably one of the most stressful things I have ever done, but I fixed it.

I called the missionaries back.  The thing I like most about missionaries is they are ALWAYS excited to see you/hear from you.  No matter what.  "KATHERINE!!!" was what i got as an answer to my call and i told elder rutter "I got it fixed!"  So after three potential changes in venue i finally met the elders at the l.i.b, got to help them teach this really nice girl, and got my computer fixed!

What a great day! 

To bad this only brings us to 4 pm and thanks to daylight savings there was still plenty of daylight to burn.  Why can;t I ever just go home?

 I decided to go to the antique shop about 20 miles outside or Rochester, and my trip there was awesome.  They had some really cool old things and it was really fun to look through it all. I got this balling locket and  a fly old key, and on the way home i got a speeding ticket!  Lucky me.

Today was just a day full of firsts, and i Loved every one.

even the ticket to some extent.  I fell like a true American teenager now.  

And if i was going to have to get a ticket in this life, I feel like it is more acceptable that i got it while I was still a teenager.

0070.

Baby, you make my heart beat faster.

0069.

A late night run to Wal-Mart not only provided me with all the necessities for a night in with the dogs, but also inspiration in creating this: 

the ABC's of Summer 09

A is for ART

the kind that inspires

your heart, mind, and love,

and passion like fires.

B is for biking,

longboarding, or brisk

walking, and scooters--

help the world still exist.

C is for camping

in all nature's glories,

I can't put a price 

on creating stories.

D is for DEVOTIONAL

skip if you're bored,

but for me and my house

we make time for the Lord.

E is for Evenings

at home with the fam,

do it each monday

start your week with a  BAM!

F is for friends 

and fires and firsts

like hiking R mountian

and watching stars burst. 

G is for grammar 

and things to be taught.

Remember life lessons

and forget what you've fought.

H is for henna 

and things that inspire.

Harness your heart

and creations acquire.

I is for Indians, 

Africans, natives.

Culture's people inspire

and make us creatives!

J is for July

to celebrate all

things Americana

from big to small.

K is for Katherine

my full and true name.

For finding myself

and for staying the same.

L is for love,

which summer inspires.

And hoping I don't

get caught up in false fires.

M is for music,

a small Rexburg jem.

The plastic house is gone

but we'll still honor them.

N is for nothing.

Just sit and reflect.

think on and learn from

your past terms well spent.

O is for overnight trips

with good buddies.

In mountain's and houses,

apartments and gullies.

 

P is for priorities,

I hope to get straight.

So i can get ready

for life to be great.

Q is for quest,

and adventures to boot.

For laughing and love

that we never dilute.

R is for REXBURG!

our Family Community.

For new names and new faces,

endless opportunity.

S is for stamps,

on letters to friends,

and Sundays spent writing; 

our love to extend.

T is for time,

so do what you can,

to make this world better,

and help that view span.

U is for units,

wards, and our groups.

These join us in purpous

and keep us in loops.

V is for vaycay!

To vegas or to

utah for friendships

and fun to pursue.

W is for walking

to horkley's with friends.

Here's to the moments;

we're linked till the end.

X is for X-cellent, 

it's a bit of a stretch.

take a moment to

capture your glory in sketch.

Y is for years,

ahead and behind.

for physical pain

and battles of mind.

Z is for zest,

in all things of life.

for laughing in bliss,

and crying in strife.

 

0068.

I've only been home alone for about a day and a half and I'm already loosing my mind.  This just goes to show I better get married before I graduate because I could never live alone.  I talk to the dogs non stop and talk to things (which I guess i do anyways) and try to make it feel like someone is home with me.  The dogs are great company though, and i get all of them to myself.  No sharing Pinkerton with anyone.  I can do whatever I want after work, which is kind of nice.  Today I went to goodwill and got some treasures to rep my home state.

I fell alseep though and didn't get to go to the library, but I guess I can always go tomorrow.  Thank goodness for spring break!!

0067.

This is flabby, sitting on the ground in the kitchen, watching an OBAMA interview.

unfortunately, the best picture I got was the one right when the interview was ending.

p.s 

it's redic how many typos I make.

0066.

I seriously cannot stress enough how e.x.c.i.t.e.d I am for this summer.  

Even if I have totally played it up in my head and don't meet anyone cool, don't get to play soccer, get in a major and legit fight with every existing friend I know, get written off by elders simnitt, weeks, syddall, trebas, and even my own sister,  get my bike and scooter stolen, lose my scriptures and all of my journals, and every other tragedy I could ever think of, I still have awesome classes and am super excited to get back out to ID.

as a sidenote:  I really hope none of that happens...  

I've got just under two weeks left in MN, which is sad because I have really enjoyed being home this term, but I'm ready to get back out west.

I have been doing really good about not eating late this winter, except for tonight.  But no one is home and there is nothing else to do but eat and play with the Huas, which brings me to my next point.  I think tonight I will watch Beverly Hills Chihuahua with the Folwell Drive Huas.

This summer, being a resident of La Jolla,  I will have access to the work out facilities there and am really excited because I've ben wanted to get in shape really bad lately, but can't go to any gyms here. 

I need to start drinking more water

I need to keep eating healthier and avoiding junk-food and snacking

I've realized that there are some vegetables that I like, like celery and corn and zucchini and cucumbers.  I like spinach too, and I can buck up and eat carrots I guess.   I love fruit so thats not a problem at all.  

I decided that this semesters tag-line is going to be "choose your own adventure"  and the theme song is gong to be Soco Amaretto Lime.

I don't know why everything needs a tag-line and theme song for me, but I do know it makes things more interesting and a little more motivating.  And with this tag line it makes you take full responsibility for how the summer turns out, and isn't as impulse inducing as "make it count".

I am really full, why can't i ever just eat on cookie or a bite of pizza or a sip of milk?  Why is is always all of the above and multiples?? 

I'm going to go watch my movie with my dogs now.

'Cause it's all been done, and it's all been said.  We're the coolest kids and we take what we can get.