drumroll please....

Here they are, my 30 items for the next 30 days! I hope that these 30 items will open a whole new world of remixing possibility, and that I will be able to learn a thing or two! At this point [shh...don't tell anyone], I actually don't think that it is going to be too bad. We'll see if I can convince the husband to take a few shots here and there to see some of the combinations I can come up with! 

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Today, I am grateful that it was so sunny and bright when I woke up this morning! Come on Spring!

Provo Pizza Four

Provo Pizza #4: Pirate Island

Located: 959 South 700 Orem, UT 84097

Overall Rating: 1.3/5

For our fourth pizza adventure in this lovely town of Provo, we were invite by some friends to try out Pirate Island right behind University Mall. When Owen told one of his co-workers that he was going there, his co-worker said he had a friend who said that the place "smelled and tasted like vomit."

Needless to say, we were a little apprehensive.

Since there were quite a few of us in the group, we decided that we probably should tackle the Kraken--a 24 inch pizza. Actually, we decided to get two Krakens, and let me tell you how ridiculous I felt placing our order...

It was huge. As you can see, compared to Owen. I was kind of disappointed because the pizza was cut into squares instead of gigantic triangle slices, and for some reason, pizza just tastes better in slices. But that wasn't the worst of it. Let me simply allow the next photo to illustrate the biggest problem with the order...

Let's just say that it is clear that one would not attend Pirate Island to enjoy a culinary experience. The crust was tasteless and burnt, the toppings were nondescript and kind of spongy (sausage...weird), and there was enough grease to clog at least four arteries. I would only recommend this restaurant who has a dream of living a pirate lifestyle. I have a personal vendetta against the whole pirate thing anyway--why would we encourage children to celebrate and imitate their pillaging and immoral lifestyle? In any case, the pizza isn't worth it, the decor was kind of fun but The Mayan totally kicks it's bum for a themed restaurant, the arcade is way more pricey than NickelCity, and in some places, it did sort of smell like children's...well...you know. Especially by the waterfall. 

We didn't volunteer to take the leftovers home. At least our company was very enjoyable :) 

TGIF

we need another vacation like this p

And as we all know, Fridays are for wearing yoga pants for the last time before 30 for 30, not actually being productive, date night, and dream vacation planning.

So that is what I will do, seeing as I am somehow under the impression that we will soon fall into a great inheritance of money. Please don't ruin my dream.

Maybe part of my secret joy is from founding out that I was awarded one of these yesterday :)

Dream Destination #1: Bali

Photo Credit

The more I hear about this island, the more obsessed I become. For those of you who may not know anything about Bali (though how that is impossible when you spend more than five minutes with me, I am not sure), it is an island located in Indonesia. My ethnomusicology professor is even more obsessed with the nation than I am, and he says that it is basically "the Hawaii of the Asian world." 

Plus when I go (haha when...), I can totally play music with the locals. I'm sure they would make fun of my amateur skills, but apparently they are super fantastic teachers, and there is nothing I would love more.

Dream Destination #2: Sydney, Australia

Photo Credit

There is just something about Sydney that always has been such a beautiful dream to me. Maybe it is the chilled-out atmosphere that I associate with Australia for some reason combined with the cosmopolitan appeal of one of the most iconic cities. Whatever it is, I need to be there one day. 

Dream Destination #3: Europe. All of It.

Photo Credit

I want to travel Europe, but not until I can spend like at least three weeks, probably a month there. If we are going to fly ourselves all the way across the Atlantic, I want to have enough time to immerse myself in all of the rich cultural history and to see EVERYTHING. Venice, Rome, Naples, Paris, London, Athens, anywhere in Switzerland and Wales, and everything else. In Owen's History of Creativity class, his professor mentions at least twice a class period a place where you HAVE to stop when you travel to Europe, and gives all of the dirty details on how to do it best. I have no idea how Owen hasn't bought plane tickets to the Heathrow Airport yet. I could hardly take it after only sitting in for one class period! 

Hope you all have a lovely Friday and can dream up your own vacations!

It's Official!

So when I got home from work and research yesterday, I complained to Owen:

"Owen, I was so busy at work today! I didn't even have time to do a blog post!"

Boy did I regret that statement, he made fun of me all while I was preparing him a delicious dinner (because I am awesome and so nice) for how busy I thought I was at work. Hey! I make not that much money over here, and am not used to actually having stuff to do, okay? But for some reason, ever since we hired more people in the Math Department, it seems like there is more work to do. Seems backwards, right? Anyway, I blame my lack of posting yesterday on having to actually work at work.

In any case, it is official--I am doing the 30 for 30 challenge! I still haven't finalized the pieces I'm going to pick; Kendi suggests using a spreadsheet to plan out some outfits, and I'm thinking that sounds way more fun than studying tissue biology tonight (don't worry mom, the test isn't until Saturday).

For those of you who don't know what the 30 for 30 remix challenge is, I shall post Kendi's summary here:

The "30 for 30" Philosophy
In December 2009 I started a style blog to document my daily style journey. By April 2010, I’d run out of funds and had lost the original intent of my blog: to remix the contents of my closet. I introduced the idea of remixing what was in my closet by the idea of the 30 for 30 Remix. "30 for 30" simply meant that I would take 30 items and remix only those items into 30, (hopefully) stylish outfits.

The whole point of the remix is to show myself and readers that with a little bit of creativity, you can make what you have work for you.

Interested in joining in? If you don’t have 30 items in your closet, no problem. The best part of remixing is working with what you’ve got. If you’ve got it, let’s remix it. If you have more than 30 items, pick the items that make sense for this remix. This is a challenge to help you learn to shop your closet and to shop smartly. By being well-versed in what you already have, you will become a better shopper.

Here are the rules:

1. Pick 30 items or less from your closet. Shoes are included, but accessories and jewelry are not.

2. Remix the 30 items into 30 different outfits.

That's it! Well not entirely so..

3. Don't shop for 30 days.

Why in the world would I add insult to injury, you ask? Because of two reasons: 1) so you'll learn to shop your own closet and 2) so you'll appreciate it. So many times I've run out and bought a new dress for one event or I bought something because I felt lacking and not what was in my closet. Obviously, this is not the best solution to a problem. I have found that when I limit myself with shopping, with 30 items, I become so much more aware of what I have versus what I need. By the end of the 30 days, I am ready to shop, but with new eyes of what I really need.


FAQ's:

Do camisoles or tanks count as a part of the 30 for 30? It's of course up to you, but if you are using it the same way as you would undies, then don't count it. 


Do workout clothes count? Unless you work at a gym and that's what you are going to be remixing, I don't count work out clothes. If you don't wear them as a part of your every day wear, then don't count it along with your items. 


What counts as an accessory? Scarves, jewelry, purses, tights, etc. You get the picture. If you can't wear it alone, then it's an accessory. Also while we are at it,  please don't only only wear a necklace. You will not be received well in most public places. 


What about coats!? DO they count? Again, if you can't wear an item by itself (i.e. you'd never wear a coat as a part of your outfit) then it doesn't count. I have to wear a coat because it's cold out, but I can't actually remix it. Oh and Blazers, cardigans, sweaters are not outerwear, they count. ;)






Interested in the challenge?? You should sign up and do it with me! 


HERE is the link for signing up. I made it extra big because I want everyone to sign up for it!


Also, in case you are wondering what the delicious dinner is that I made, I tell you. Because I was so proud of myself for using directions that didn't include exact measurements. I made a sauce that goes w/ just grilled chicken-- you mix nonfat Greek yogurt (you are supposed to use plain, but I only had honey and it tasted okay I think), and then mix in minced cucumber, garlic, cumin, and cilantro. Add stuff until it tastes right! Kind of a Greek variety of chicken that is fairly healthy and light. Last night I was so proud of myself, Owen said, "Thanks for not making me food out of a box for dinner every night." Woo! I am so domesticated. 

our landlord hates us

There really is no other explanation.

Seriously.

Why else would he agree to let the LOUDEST PEOPLE IN THE UNIVERSE live upstairs?

Man, we had it so good when Jen and Brady. I wish they were back now.

They have at least two kids, and it sounds like a tortured kindergarten classroom upstairs right now.

We can hear every step, squeal, scuffle, trip, door slam, stomp, toilet lid slam, shuffle, fall, cupboard slam, spoken word, shouted word...everything. And it has been going on all day.

I don't even want to be in my house right now. If only we didn't have school or have to study or anything. I would leave my house all day long and only return to sleep.

But probably that will even be torture. Tonight is the first night with them, and I am predicting we will vicariously experience the sleeplessness of parenthood.

Anyone know of a good place to move?

why couldn't they move in upstairs?

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Today I am grateful for earplugs, headphones, a loud heater, and ibuprofen.

Provo Pizza 3--Pizzeria 712

Provo Pizza 3: Pizzeria 712

320 S. State St. #185
Orem, UT 84058

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

As Owen kept mentioning, I think this was definitely the trendiest pizza place we've been to yet. We thought that it was just a little hole in the wall place stuck between two unfinished condo buildings that nobody knew about--and we were half right. It was a tiny little restaurant stuck between two big buildings in Orem, but apparently EVERYBODY knew about them! We didn't make it to dinner until around 8 and it was seriously packed. While we were waiting in the "lobby" (if you can call it that), a guy who was leaving the restaurant told us that Pizzeria 712 was, and I quote, "seriously probably one of the top three restaurants in the Salt Lake area." 

Well, we're not sure if it is one of the top three restaurants....

but it was still pretty dang good.

We started off with an appetizer, the potato galette. There were maybe lots of words that Owen and I were unfamiliar with on the menu, but after Owen said that it sounded good and ordered, I kindly informed him that he just ordered an expensive fancy baked potato.

It was pretty good, but nothing I couldn't really make at home. The combination of lemon and parsley flavors was nice though, so I think I might try that in the future.

They also brought us some pita bread with hummus at the beginning of the meal, which was nice but kind of funny. More bread to go with our pizza bread! The hummus was better than Bambara's (ugh don't even get me started on that restaurant) but I still think I like the stand-by Athenos best. Anyway...

Then we ordered the pizza! Our pizza has house-made sausage, fennel, caramelized onions, garlic, fresh mozzarella, and their tomato sauce. The price of the pizza was $13. 

I think the best word to describe their pizza would be fresh. All of the ingredients on the pizza tasted very fresh and were very flavorful. The tomato sauce was, well, super tomato-y and I looooved the fresh mozzarella. The only thing I was disappointed with was the lack of fennel flavor, and I think that is just because I am a super huge fennel fan. The home-made sausage was divine though, and I think that this is my favorite wood-stove crust I've had yet. It was still fluffy like a normal pizza crust but has that same wood oven flavor. I wish we had been more hungry that night so that we would have tried more than one flavor, but we didn't even have space to make it to the dessert menu! 

husband is sooo good at posing

Overall, I would definitely recommend it. I think that they have a blog (not a real website yet...) where you can make online reservations, and I would so do that next time we go. Pizzeria 712 is a much more trendy, upper-scale pizza place than the others we've reviewed, and I think we just might have to try it again another day! Oh, and maybe bring a food dictionary along so you know exactly what you're ordering...

Also, after we had pizza, we went and saw "Life As We Know It" at the dollar theater--okay, WAY better than I was expecting! Even Owen liked it! I am sort of embarrassed about how much I laughed out loud and almost cried in that movie. We might even buy it one day. 

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Today I am grateful for the pictures we developed for Owen to have on his desk at work. Dual purpose--distract him with my beautiful face all day long and ward off any other ladies in the office!

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

Not like it is any huge secret, but my #1 blog crush right now is The Daybook, and this week seems appropriate to jump on the Awkward and Awesome Thursday bandwagon.

Awkward:
- The super Ugly smiley face that I drew on my student's lab report because he wrote that anthrax looks "more like a chain of tootsie rolls" under the microscope.
- Eating way more beignets than than is socially acceptable at our 7:15 am (yeah it was torture) work meeting yesterday. And then dropping the last two right in front of my boss so they got powdered sugar everywhere.
- Having everyone say "Your head looks warm" yesterday as I wore my new fur hat. And then having to explain how weather.com said that it was supposed to only be 17 degrees and snowing that day.
- Carrying around my not very inconspicuous umbrella all day yesterday for the same reason. Why can't I just have Washington rain please so I don't look like a humongous fool for wanting to use my new awesome umbrella?
- Also, aforementioned boss saying that I had a very "lumberjack look" Sheesh people, don't you know that fur is IN right now??
- Having the kid who got in a major boating accident three months ago totally kick my trash in the lap pool.
- Being too much of a wimp to order clothes online! Is it really that hard?
- Husband fixing my chain necklace and then proceeding to wear it around the house for the rest of the evening...Okay it's actually hilarious

Awesome:
- Surprise breakfast-in-bed from my husband on our day off on Monday--love that guy, and especially how I magically didn't even wake up while he was making it!
- My new gel eyeliner that actually stays on during the day! What a concept!
- Singing along to Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" while grading papers. Hmm maybe that should go in the first category...
- Eating blueberries instead of gummi bears as a snack during homework!
- Owen getting to promote Qualtrics today in his Computers & Society class--the man is a walking advertisement and it's awesome
- Learning how to perform a kecak today in my gamelan class. I am totally going to film it and force all of you to watch is because it is hilarious and awesome!

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Today I am grateful for coming up with best birthday gift ever for Owen and for the fact that Amazon carries practically everything you could ever want to buy!

100th Post!

Man I am just so proud of myself for so many different things today! I went swimming today, I am eating blueberries instead of peanut M&Ms, I've only been on the Gossip Girl website once since school has started, and today is my 100th post! Woo! I am so awesome!

Unfortunately, I don't have anything super exciting to blog about. It is kind of fun to see what has changed though since starting this blog. Obviously I am now a married woman and am loving being married to the COOLEST AND MOST WONDERFUL MAN EVER! Sorry all of you other ladies out there, I snagged the most awesome husband right before your eyes. Don't worry, I am sure there are others out there, but I am sure glad to be with this guy:

It is also fun to think about the future of my blog. This has been my first attempt at blogging, and I have to admit: I love it! I am totally addicted. I want to expand the range of my blog, and am trying to decide what areas I want to venture into. I admit that my favorite types of blogs to stalk and the ones that have been the most inspirational to me are personal style blogs. I don't know if I have enough personal style, and I wouldn't want my blog to only ever be outfit posts (esp. since my everyday looks aren't always that great!), but I think that Sydney over at The Daybook does a pretty good job balancing. I would need to have a better camera, and maybe in the meantime borrow someone's since mine is officially screwed up (hint hint Devynne...;) ). I think the 30 for 30 Challenge from Kendi Everyday could be a fun way to start, but I want some people to join me! If you are interested in taking the 30 for 30 challenge, let me know--you have until January 28th to sign up :) I tried to convince Owen to do it with me, but he said that "a) I don't want to think that much about getting dressed every morning and b) If I post about style, people will question me" Maybe next time...

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Today I am oh-so-thankful for the super soft bathrobe that I bought Owen for Christmas and for the fact that he lets me borrow it all the time without saying anything.

We Take Our Job Seriously-Provo Pizza #2

Provo Pizza 2: Domino's Pizza

Located on Bulldog Avenue about five seconds from our house...and we still almost went with the delivery option....But we didn't!

Overall Rating: 3.987/5

So it is possible that we had pizza for lunch the day after going to Malawi's. But I had a coupon for Domino's Pizza with UNLIMITED toppings (yes, really unlimited!) that expired today on Sunday so it's not like we could have a one-day waiting period. I'm a sucker for unlimited toppings it appears. How rarely in life do we get an option for something being unlimited without it costing a whole bunch? Not that often I tell you.

wait until you see what is inside...

And so on this pizza, I ordered (Owen was working on his CS project and let me order the pizza...that silly man) pepperoni, italian sausage, black olives, pineapple, onions, ham, chicken, spinach, feta, and tomatoes. Basically every topping they offer except mushrooms and peppers (gross) and beef. And it was DELICIOUS! Man, unlimited toppings are the way to go! 

very colorful pizza!

We have decided that Domino's Pizza is probably the second best take-out pizza in Utah County. Papa John's has been a long-standing favorite in this household, and I always used to think that Domino's was kind of crappy, but they re-"formulated" their crust and sauce, and now I love it! Their crust is probably my favorite crust ever--it's totally garlicky and crispy and just the right thickness. They could have improved cheese and more toppings of course, but they have definitely gained more points in my book in the past couple of months.

it was National Hat Day (Jan 15th)

In case you are wondering, here is our ranked list of take-out pizza in the greater Provo/Orem area:

1. Papa John's--always fresh, super stellar crust, and our all-around favorite

2. Domino's Pizza--new improvements have definitely made a difference!!!

3. Pizza Hut--pretty good, and usually tastes pretty good. Their basic pepperoni is probably the best

4. Papa Murphy's--I would rank this higher, but Owen worked there during high school so he has really negative feelings towards this place. Their pizza is good, but it is kinda lame how you have to cook it yourself. Might as well get a frozen pizza.

5. Little Caesar's--Not as bad as its reputation. They have a more simple flavor, but can definitely hit the spot.

6. Blackjack Pizza--Pretty gross, but I sort of like their barbecue chicken flavor, and they are the only cheap-o place with barbecue chicken I believe.

7. 5 Buck Pizza--Really disgusting. Please do not buy pizza here. 


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Today I am grateful for the tiny bit of rain we had so I could use my new and awesome umbrella for the fifteen seconds it took to walk to our car from church...now please give me a real rainstorm!!!

Provo Pizza #1: Malawi's Pizza

Pizza Adventure Numero Uno: Malawi's Pizza!

Info--Located 4801 N University Ave Provo, UT in the Shops at Riverwoods 

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

So for our first pizza dining and rating experience, we decided to go to Malawi's Pizza. I have been interested in this restaurant ever since we waited outside the Wynnsong Theater for the midnight Harry Potter premiere, and was mostly intrigued by the basic concept of the restaurant. An African themed pizza place? An interesting fusion of cultures. Mostly we found that the food was of course not African at all, just the decor and the fact that they give one healthy meal to a child in Africa for every meal that is purchased. Pretty cool.

We decided that this restaurant is geared towards 16-25 year old women. It has the donating-to-Africa thing going for it, it has cute decor (see above elephant), and it pretends to be healthy. On the inside of the menu, it ways "We are working hard to get you a HEALTHIER pizza. Wheat bread, vegetables, lowest fat cheeses and meats, roasted chicken, fresh tomatoes...We go easy on the toppings for the same reason but frankly, it makes a better tasting pizza, especially if you cook it in a spectacular wood burning stove." I actually felt like my pizza was pretty healthy, until we decided to get the dessert pizza. Healthy? HA! And basically everyone in the restaurant also ordered a dessert pizza, so I think they should maybe give up on the healthy angle...

Here's what we ordered:

Apple & Berry Salad with Candied Walnuts

Overall, pretty good. But it definitely good have done with more apples and berries for an apple/berry salad--there were TWO thin slices of a Granny Smith tucked into the salad, and four raspberries. Interesting. But the flavor of the dressing was good, and my favorite part was the candied walnuts. We only got this because it cost $4 when you ordered it with a pizza, and we wanted to have some variety. One warning: do NOT get the BLT salad! It was a joke. We saw a guy who had ordered it, and basically it was half a head of lettuce (not even chopped up) on top of some tomato slices with bacon bits sprinkled on top. Get this salad instead, or the Sesame Beef Salad.

Owen's Pizza: The Safari

Both of us have very strong cravings for MEAT pizza every now and then--the more meat, the better! Owen was so mad at me for making him wait to eat this pizza until after I had taken a picture because it smelled so good. It pretty much lived up to our expectations except one thing: the bacon. What is the deal with everyone putting bacon on pizza these days? I mean, don't get me wrong, I enjoy bacon as much as the next person. But the flavor of bacon is WAY too strong and totally overpowered all of the other meats on the pizza. Next time, ordering it without bacon. Or at least a little lighter on this not-so-healthy ingredient

Chelsey's Pizza: Pesto Roasted Chicken

Should probably be renamed "Pizza with a Heck of a Lot of Asparagus on It." Seriously. This tasted pretty healthy and light, which was good, but it just seemed to be lacking. The pesto was not very flavorful, and the pieces of asparagus were so huge I could hard think about anything else while eating it. The chicken was good, and the Gorgonzola had a nice, robust flavor, but I was definitely missing the promised pesto flavor. At least it looked pretty and healthy, right?

When We Decided We Weren't Quite Full: Reese's S'more

Even though this place is supposedly healthy, this pizza is what made the evening for me. I mean, just look at that stockpile of delicious ingredients! Since the pizza is made it a wood burning stove, the marshmallows had a wonderfully toasted flavor, and there was definitely our money's worth of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups on there. It was so rich, we could each only eat one piece--but you know what lunch is for today! That's what I'm talking about.

Basically we only gave this restaurant a 3.5 out of 5 because of the super delicious dessert pizza. The other dessert ones look divine too--especially the Mixed Berries and Cream. The service was only so-so--this is a type of restaurant where you pay at a register and then sit at a table with a number. I thought it was a little more formal than that, so I was a little surprised when we got there. Also the layout of the restaurant is a little confusing so the servers kept running around the whole restaurant trying to find who their pizza belonged too, which was a little funny but not very efficient. It was pretty busy the night we went, but we still got our food relatively quickly which was nice. There are big screen TVs in the restaurant tuned to sports channels, which kind of ruined the atmosphere for me, and it was difficult to find a seat because there were a lot of people. 

What it comes down to is, if you are thinking about trying Malawi's--we would recommend saving it for dessert and going a little later so it is less busy and you can enjoy that delicious mound of unhealthy ingredients to the maximum.

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Today, I am grateful for a husband who likes to shop and for my new black boots and hilarious hat!

Hey Hey Condy

Today on BYU campus we were SO lucky and privileged to get to hear from Former Secretary of State Dr. Condoleeza Rice! It was awesome! She is such a composed and inspiring woman, and I hope one day that I will be as confident and put-together as she is. Seriously. Also I hope one day she will just get baptized, because she would totally make a great Mormon.


I was totally ticked because I forgot my camera, but then I remembered that I probably wouldn't have been able to zoom and focus anyway. So cool. So I took some pictures on Devynne's iPod touch and its almost hilarious how blurry they are. But I needed proof! I guess you can sort of tell its actually her speaking in a couple of them...

Here are some of the messages from her speech today that I either found hilarious or struck me:


Todays headlines and histories judgments are rarely the same

Now that I am no longer Secretary of State, I enjoy waking up and reading the newspaper and thinking, "Well that's nice," and then moving on with my day


If we are too fed up with those who are leading us, then we can throw the bums out

Our great national myth is the "log cabin." It doesn't matter where you came from, it matters where you are going


We want people who are energetic and ambitious to be a part of us for the next generations to come.


My aunt got her Ph.D in Victorian Literature and now she writes books on Dickens, so when people think that what I do is strange for a black person, I just point them to her


Our greatest national threat is the state of our k-12 education system

As educated people, you have a responsibility to be optimistic about who we are and where we are going


Think of those things that at the time seemed impossible but now seem inevitable


The essence of being human is to integrate your knowledge of what is with your belief of what might be

I apologize for the sideway-ness of the video...we weren't really supposed to be taking any video recordings but I couldn't help it! 


Also, this forum totally made me want to maybe consider again being a teacher....just sayin'

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Today I am grateful for maxi skirts where I can wear two pairs of leggings underneath so I don't freeze when trying to go to the temple in the wintertime!

 

14/Jan Update:

I upload the other video I took via Vimeo. I'm not sure if it is easier or if I will keep using Vimeo in the future, but I thought it would give it a try! Here it is:

 

Untitled from Chelsey Hancock on Vimeo.

Also I couldn't figure out how to rename it. Don't worry about it

Computer-y Stuff

Yeah baby! I am posting this at HOME! Wooo! Yes that means we have internet, and all thanks to the husband's firm words with Veracity today--thank you Owen!! And just to show you how excited I am to be posting this at home, I for some reason decided to post a picture and lovely description of our "workspace" (yeah, not calling this corner an office quite yet). We got this new giganto monitor the other day because Qualtrics was selling all of their old monitors for super cheap, and I figured, well, my husband IS a computer science major and everything, so probably having one extra monitor is bound to happen, right? My friend Emily's husband is in Information Systems, and she said that they have like 7 extra monitors. So I'm good with one. Plus I started realizing how BIG my photos would appear in Photoshop and how much fun I could have with photo editing...and then I remembered that my camera is broken. Awesome. It is actually really hard to focus on things when you can't see them on the screen (thus the not-so-perfect photo above). So one day, when our car stops breaking down and we have money, I will be in the market for a new camera. I think that will be a summer goal. That way I have all summer to play around with it until I become a pro!

Oh, and also Owen did his first blog post for his class today! He's going to kill me for linking to it, especially since he's not done with any of the blog design, but in case you like reading about computer-y things (I think it's pretty cute), you can find it here!

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Today, I am grateful for yams. With a little olive oil, kosher salt, and cinnamon, it was such a delicious dinner. And no, I am not always grateful for food. I am also grateful for going swimming today. 

Knowledge

"That which is demonstrated, 

we accept with joy."

-First Presidency Statement, 1910

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Today, I am thankful for a freshman sister with a meal plan who buys me Easy Mac when the carrots in my lunch just made me hungrier

Pizza Connoisseurs

So Saturday night, Owen and I were trying to decide if we wanted to go out for dinner or have the leftovers from the fondue party when we realized that we had been to basically every pizza restaurant in the greater Provo/Orem area. It is kind of ridiculous how much we like pizza. 

But aside from being ridiculous, I think that we actually have a pretty good idea about what's hot and what's not in the world of pizza. And so, on days when I so feel inspired, I think we shall do a little Provo Pizza spotlight for all of you Utah County readers. And for those three or so pizza restaurants where we haven't yet had the pleasure of trying, we plan to review them as soon as our stomachs (and date night budget) can handle!

Places We've Been:

• Terra Mia
• California Pizza Kitchen
• Brick Oven Pizza
• Pizza Hut
• Papa John's Pizza
• Domino's Pziza
• Blackjack Pizza
• 5 Buck Pizza
• Little Caesar's 
• Papa Murphy's 
• The Pizza Factory
• Pizza Pie Cafe
• The Pie Pizzeria (SLC)

Places We're Heading Next!

• Pier 49 Pizza
• Nicolitalia's
• Malawi's Pizza
• Slab Pizza
• Pizzeria Seven Twelve?
• any others you can think of?

“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because 

I'm not hungry enough to eat six.”- Yogi Berra
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Today, I am thankful for Pandora radio and for it keeping me company on this very long and uneventful 10-5 shift here in the lovely but often boring Math Department office.

New Year, New Attitude

So I admit that this was more than two months ago, but our home teacher challenged us to come up with a unique way to show our gratitude. And I've been thinking and thinking about a way I could do this (that admittedly, wasn't too hard...) and then I came across a new blog that gave me a great idea! Sydney from The Daybook writes something she is grateful for every day at the end of her post. While I don't always post every single day, I think this is a wonderful idea that I am going to try to implement for 2011. That way I can finally tell my home teacher that I've completed his challenge! Yay! Even though it was most definitely Thanksgiving time when he first brought it up....

Also, good news! For Owen's "Computers in Society" class, he has to keep a regular blog! Yes! He said that he can't post to our blog because the teacher is going to be grading it and he has to write about "boring computer things," but I will definitely make him repost any fun and interesting posts here for you all to read!

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Today, I am thankful for shiny black heels and pink lipstick and all of the other little things that can instantly make you feel fabulous.

Fond of Fondue

Yay! Since I'm at work, I am on a normal computer and can post a picture! Yeah we still don't have internet-who knew it would be such a pain to spend money? Anyway, I don't really have that much to say except that I am totally excited for tonight because I am having my very first (okay sort of second) fondue party! For Christmas Kirsten and Fred got us a fondue pot, which is awesome because now I have two which means that I can actually have a party with cheese AND chocolate fondue at the same time! I started chopping and shredding last night, so hopefully it will all be great! Hopefully my camera will cooperate and I will be able to post a few pictures...man I need a new camera!

Why is fondue so luxurious and delicious? I don't know, but I definitely had a fun time trying to come up with unique things to dip. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

Ophelia Syndrome

I apologize again for the lack of formatting in this post and lack of pretty images-we still don't have internet at home (I promise I am calling today!) so I'm writing this on the ipad again. But I just wanted to write a quick little bit about something I read for my evolution class. Evolution is often a sensitive subject for latter-day saints, and in our first class, we discussed thinking for ourselves. Our teacher had us read this article that really struck me. I tried uploading it to google Docs, so hopefully you can just copy this link into a new page on your browser to read it:

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=17O7xQ4CRqIkk4sIyZXf6U3wC3iOZsa8Mv5zD8JtiZ1A

I realized that during most of my life and sadly during the majority of my college career, I have fallen into the easy path of Ophelia. For some reason, I thought that once I got into college, I would care a little less about grades and more about learning, but then I decided that I wanted to go to pharmacy school and that I would need at least at 3.5 and that BYU is super competitive and hard. So I went back to the jumping through hoops and picking the easiest teacher route. And so far I've done a pretty good job at learning things how my teachers see them. But I haven't really spent much time trying to think for myself about why things are the way they are, and if I really believe what I am learning. I usually just believe what my professors are saying and don't try to validate facts on my own.

I hope that by this point in my education, I have enough background knowledge to make some conclusions. So that is my goal for this winter semester: to try to take some time to learn for myself, and to not be quite so much an Ophelia.

First Day

Yay! Fist day of classes! And like the little nerd I am, I totally couldn't sleep last night. Which was sort of bad news because I had my first class at 7 am today and we didn't have the car which meant a very early morning...Man I love the first day of classes. A fresh start and all you have to do is sit through professors explaining their syllabus all day long. Perfect.

So far all my classes have been pretty awesome. I started out the morning with the gamelan class, which was even better than I was expecting. The instruments are so fun to play, and we started learning our first piece today. I actually did alright learning it quickly too! I cannot wait until our first performance in March! You all better come!

Then I had tissue biology, and then evolutionary biology, and now I am sitting in physiology! Don't my classes sound awesome? Then my last class of the day is going to be University Chorale-- definitely a long day. But it is going to be great! I hope!

Still no word on our car yet- supposedly the electric guy is going into surgery today or something. Just our luck. So Owen took the bus to work; he is such a good sport.

Well, got to get back to physiology! I can't believe that I only have three semesters left and I am finally taking the class that my whole major is supposedly. So far, no homework! Oh yeah!s

Some 2010 Favorites

2010 was definitely a crazy year with plenty of ups and downs. But before we get too far into 2011, I want to take a moment and review some favorites from 2010...so here they are!

Favorite Addition to Closet: JEGGINGS!

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I didn't really understand what all the rage was about, and I admit that I thought it was a little bizarre that people thought they could get away with wearing leggings everyday and pretending that they were jeans...and then I tried on a pair of a.n.a. Butter Denim Leggings, and I fell in love. I never want to take them off. I have now become the owner of all three colors of these babies and wish that I could wear them every day. Maybe no one will notice...

Favorite TV Show Addiction: Psych

We literally cannot get enough of this show. We have now gone through Seasons 1-4 completely, and are trying to wait patiently until Season 5 is available....I'm not sure how much longer we will make it. And we also are totally stoked that BYU WON THE CAMPUS WARS! Whaaaat?

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Favorite Random Song Discovery: Everybody Needs a Robot

Favorite Read: The Lost Hero

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We already know that I am a huge fan of juvenile novels (sorry, they are just way more fun and interesting!) and the Percy Jackson books definitely are becoming a huge rival of Harry Potter. Combining my love of Greek & Roman mythology with super fun characters and story lines has led to my sort-of obsession with these books. Which explains why I was totally devastated when the series ended with The Last Olympian. Riordan wrote another book based on Egyptian mythology called The Red Pyramid, but it just didn't have the same feel and wasn't as interesting. But then for Christmas, Devynne received The Lost Hero, and my obsession has returned. This is a new series, but it has some of the same old characters and places, with three new awesome main characters. I love it. I was so sad when I got to the ending because I knew it was almost over, and that I would have to wait forever (until Fall 2011) until the next one comes out. But I enjoyed this one so much that it pretty much makes up for it. It was so good.

Favorite Silly Trend: SillyBandz

Yeah I bought Disney ones. No big deal. I just need to wear them more often because they are so dang cute. I always remember to wear the Belle one on tests though for good luck!

Favorite Technology Addition to the Home: iPad


Yeah, yeah, they are pretty cool. I think I have some sort of bizarre aversion to technology because I don't want to become too dependent or addicted to a device that will probably just break, but I have to admit. The iPad is cooler than I give it credit for. Hopefully in the next year, I will be able to appreciate it more and make better use of this pretty sweet gift from Owen's super awesome job. Thank you Qualtrics! I'm even considering buying the Psych iPad cover....

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Favorite Day: August 13, 2010

Well that one was easy. Our wedding day will easily be my favorite day for a very, very, very long time. Everything was perfect and I wish we could relive it over and over again. Owen still laughs at my random mentions of one day being a wedding planner, but who knows?

goodbye 2010!