Summer Dreamin

I cannot believe it...only two more weeks of classes.

I

Can

Not

Wait!


Summer time is a good time for me to make goals, since I actually have time in my life to spend doing something besides STUDYING MY BRAINS OUT.

So here are some things I want to accomplish this summer:

• Barbeque as much as possible
• Don't sleep in too much--try to save it for Sundays
• Make macarons

Source

• Finally get running
• Volunteer at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center
• Learn how to pipe frosting in that really cute way that they do at cupcake shops. 
• Help Owen study for the GRE and study for the PCAT and then kick it's bum in August!
• Hike Mt. Timpanogas
• Go to Disneyland!

• Save up enough money to buy a super awesome camera to take to Disneyland
• Go to Yellowstone 
• Enjoy the beautiful state parks that Utah has to offer, especially Bryce Canyon, High Uintas, and Zions National Park
• Make lots of money (that's Owen's job)
• Complete at least 5 DIY projects
• READ LOTS OF BOOKS! And more than just Calvin & Hobbes :)

I am taking any good book recommendations, if you have them. 

That's it. Not to much to accomplish in a few short months right?

No Life Without Wife

how I feel after paying spring tuition

So our Gmail chat ten minutes ago went a little something like this:

Sent at 12:04 PM on Tuesday

 me:  what should i blog about today?

 Owen:  ME!

Okay Owen, I will blog about you.

 me:  nice try

i am blogging about you

 Owen:  woah

weird

 me:  you told me to

 Sent at 12:18 PM on Tuesday

One of the first pictures of me and Owen. The shark was really scary. 

It is funny thinking about marriage when you live in Provo. 96% of people are so marriage-crazy that once they get to BYU, it is the top number one priority. When I got here, I was in the 4% that wasn't racing to find a spouse. If you would have told me that I would have found my eternal companion and perfect match after one semester here, I would have laughed in your face. Of course, it took us a good year and a half to get everything figured out, which many BYU students think is too long and many non-LDS think is way too short...but I would not have traded that time for the world.

Marriage is important! It is not just important, it is potentially THE most important decision someone can make in their entire life. I don't understand how people can know after only a few short months that the person they are with is the person they want to wake up to every morning, the person who they are going to love even on their worst days, the one who they want to be with all the time no matter what. Now you may scoff at me, for I am still young and naive in marriage, but I cannot wait to experience everything life has to bring with Owen.

I think that one of the most important things to find in a spouse is someone who encourages you to be yourself to your greatest potential. Someone who shares your same dreams and priorities, does not try to change who you are (not superficial things like how to dress or a haircut, but important things), and someone who inspires you to always improve yourself. I love Owen because he doesn't think that I am crazy for wanting to go to pharmacy school or for going to gamelan practice every morning at 7 am. He knows what is important to me, and I want to pursue my dreams because he always supports me.

I love Owen because he makes me feel important.

Even on days when I fail a test or have a terrible day at work, I know that he is always cheering me on.

And for that, I will be forever grateful. Thanks Owen, you rock.

things byu students wear

Sometimes there are things that BYU students wear that I really wish they wouldn't. Perhaps I am biased, but I just don't know anyone who these clothing items look good on.

Exhibit A: Jeans with thick stitching.

Perhaps it is because I have a notoriously not-so-small behind, but I certainly do not think that this is a tasteful way to show off your backside. Heaven knows how these became popular, but then again, so did shorts with words across the bum. Just because they are trendy doesn't mean they aren't tacky. What's worse? Men wearing these pants. No thank you.  

Source

Exhibit B: Short Uggs

Though I personally am not a huge fan of Uggs in general, I do see how feet could benefit from all of the extra warmth they provide. However, even if your legs are six feet long and twig-thin, no one needs to suffer from the unflattering bulkiness that short Uggs contribute. You know what drives me even more crazy about Uggs? When they get worn in and the base of the shoe is sideways because of how people shuffle around in them. I wish I could find a picture of what I'm talking about, but if you don't know what I mean, just look around campus. You'll see them.

Source

Exhibit C: Colorful Sweatsuits

This is one thing that has changed about me since marrying Owen. Owen refuses to wear any form of athletic clothing outside of the house (unless exercising of course) and says he would feel uncomfortable if people were to see him those clothes at work or school. Though I wouldn't feel embarrassed necessarily, I do think that there is something to be said about getting dressed properly for day-to-day activities. Your mind is more alert, and you are showing more respect for your coworkers and professors and everyone else. I won't say that I don't have the occasional yoga pants day every blue moon, but I don't think that dressing in sweats every day is a good idea. 

Source

Exhibit D: Sweater Headbands

Is it a sweater? Is it a headband? Is it a beanie? Is it...what is it?! I don't know. All I know is that once I stepped inside, my forehead would be totally hot and sticky if I tried wearing one of these things, and taking them off would have an effect potentially even worse than hat hair. The only person who looks cute in these is my little sister Lyvia, but she is thin and young and looks cute in everything, so I don't know how much that is saying. 

Source

Despite my clothing rant, today has actually been a pretty good day! Only two and a half more weeks of classes--hallelujah! And I register for fall classes tonight, which is always exciting besides the staying up until midnight part...At least I'm going to see Tangled in 3D w/ Devynne tonight! Yay!

P.S. Like my new blog design? I was bored at work (again) and didn't feel like cutting off all my split ends like I did last Monday, sooooo I played around with photoshop brushes and bugged Owen at work for some html tips. Love that guy.

Life of a Computer Scientist's Wife

I love being married to Owen. Seriously, it is the best and I would never trade it for anything in the whole world. Ever.

But some days are Computer Science Mode Days.

And these are days when he has a big project due and goes on to campus and I don't get to see him all day and I am bored and lonely at home. I know, wah wah me. You would think I would use this time to be productive, but after writing a 10-page research paper, taking a quiz, reading, and getting super frustrated about doing taxes, I couldn't really handle anymore. So now, here I am, sitting in front of our heater on my computer.

Speaking of taxes, I've decided that one day I will force one of my future children to be an accountant so they can do all of my taxes for me.

I've decided that I have wasted a good part of my evening (and week...) browsing the Internet, so I figured that I might as well share some good links with you all to make it worthwhile.

• This site is always a good place to go whenever I'm feeling particularly whiny. Never fails to cheer me up--AWESOME!
• Yes this site is a little sketchy, but if you love Who's Line is it Anyway  as much as I do, you won't mind one bit! 
• So apparently my mom has known about this amazing and wonderful site for years and has never told me. Probably a good thing. I could have wasted so much more time in my younger years...But it is productive as an excellent source of recipes! 
• Everyone I know has a obsession with all things Anthropologie, which is totally understandable. But who can afford those prices?! This site offers a ton of tutorials on making Anthropologie-knock off necklaces that are adorable and I am totally going to try them out this summer!
• I forgot how funny this site can be. I linked up to one of my recent favorites, and their commentary on Angry Birds is pretty funny too :) (warning: occasionally some content is not super appropriate)
• I have been using this website to plan dream vacations a lot frequently...Currently favoring "The Da Vinci Code tour" haha. If only....
• For his Computers in Society class, Owen had to make a video on a current technology issue. You can check it out here and also laugh at my "intimidating" voice (hint: it's not that intimidating...)
• Owen thinks I'm crazy, but for some reason, I've really been wanting to get one of these for our bed. Perhaps he's right and it might not fit in our tiny basement apartment...
• Made these snickerdoodle brownies this week. Seriously good. And they are already gone. 
• I think that I need to read this article more often. It's so easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of everything and to forget enjoying being in the company of the man I love. 

Sorry no pretty pictures today, but I hope you all can find something interesting. Have a fabulous weekend!

Fredette About It

You know you have got it made when there is a Wikipedia page about you. (And you didn't make it yourself...)

Photo Source

I am honored to have been a student here at BYU while Jimmer Fredette was here. I know that may sound silly, but I am glad that a guy who has such raw talent and humility was able to unite our school and give BYU a good name across the nation. I have been so impressed by all of the good publicity that our school has received thanks to the team's success this year, and hope that we can continue this tradition of upholding the honor code and sharing our beliefs with others.

I always enjoyed watching him play. I love seeing players who's passion for the game comes out in their every move. Plus, who can help but cheer every time he made a shot from way outside the 3-point line?

And I'll be the first to admit that I am definitely going to miss all of the Jimmer jokes. Plus, what is the Daily Universe going to write articles on now?

Thanks for a great season Jimmer, and I can't wait to watch you play in the NBA!

(Though I really wish the boy had gotten a haircut by the end of the season. Sheesh.)

Spring Habits

Yay! Spring is finally here! I was just thinking about it today as I stared out the window at work at the snow (yes I live in a bizarro state...) and realized that I might actually get to wear something besides pants pretty soon here. And since I was so excited, I decided to cuff my pants a little bit and show a little ankle. Speaking of which, don't you just love those old navy commercials...not.

Other people look good in them. Source: zimbio.com

Anyway, I can't decide if I can pull off the cuffed pants look yet, and capris are often just weird, and we all know I can't wear shorts higher than the knee, so I am not sure what look will suit me most for this upcoming spring. Perhaps it is time to inest in more skirts :) Those are always good.

But speaking of bare legs, I should probably start shaving more than every two months. Don't judge me.

Once I went a whole month in the summer when I was teaching swim lessons without shaving.

Now you can judge me.

No more tights to cover up those pale things. I should probably also get in the sun more often in hopes of not blinding anyone. And to get more vitamin D.

What a Weekend!

Man, we are exhausted from yesterday! What a weekend. Here's how it went down:

5:45 am- I wake up totally anxious and can't fall back asleep. Decide to start getting ready.
7:00 am- We meet up with my gamelan group in the HFAC and start loading up the instruments. These bad boys are just as heavy as they look, trust me. I was also wearing heels for my presentation, which made things interesting.
7:45 am- The vans are all loaded, so Owen and I head over to the JKB for my research presentation. We drive because we have time and we're lazy and I was wearing heels.
8:00 am- We partake of delicious bagels and BYU chocolate milk. Free meal #1 of the day.
8:25 am- I start freaking out about my presentation. Please please pleeeease don't ask any hard questions. I practice with Owen a question he can ask me if other people start asking really hard ones. He thinks I'm crazy.
8:30 am- My presentation begins. I only say asymmetrical once, catch myself, and then pronounce all of the really long chemical compound names with ease.
8:40 am- Question time. THANKFULLY no one asks me anything about mechanisms, and the questions are actually pretty easy.
8:45 am- We head out and start driving to Riverton High School!
9:15 am- We make it to the high school with plenty of time to spare. I get changed into my uniform, and for some reason don't think to take a picture! Silly silly me. My costume is awesome.
10:00 am- Gamelan concert time! Our concert rocks and all of the percussionists who were there for the Day of Percussion loved it. Here's a little video for you to enjoy (don't mind Owen experimenting with vertical camera angles...):

11:00 am- Concert is over! Sigh of relief. We load up all of the instruments in the most annoying wind ever, and then get to enjoy a free lunch of fabulous sub sandwiches. Free meal #2.
12:00 pm- We decide to stay at the Day of Percussion for a little while and see what else is going on. Learn about jazz improvisation and watch some marimba competitors.
1:00 pm- Head home and then immediately take a nap. Very needed. So glad I decided not to take my test yesterday!
2:00 pm- Study evolutionary biology. Wish I could still be napping.
5:30 pm- Head over to the Hinckley Center to help set up for the Undergraduate Recognition Dinner for the Math Department. The centerpieces were cute little fishbowls with floating gerbera daisies and real fish!
7:00 pm- After all of the guests have arrived, we get to eat too! Sooo good. The lemon cake = heaven. (we might have had some for breakfast today...) Also, free meal #3. Oh the life of a BYU student :)
8:15 pm- BYU Basketball wins! We were keeping track of it on a coworkers phone while everyone else was listening to a super boring math talk. Go Cougars!
9:00 pm- We clean up and head home.
9:45 pm- Psych time. We earned it.

All in all, a very successful weekend. I almost secretly wish I could do it again--I had so much fun at the concert, and all the free meals were pretty awesome too :) And I totally have to give Owen credit. All of our running around yesterday was for crazy activities that I was involved with, and he was so helpful and supportive the whole day. Owen, you're the best.

Better pictures and videos next time, I promise! Does anyone have any tips for taking pictures of people on a lit stage? I was so washed out and white in all of the pictures (you probably can't even see me in them above...) that Owen sort of gave up with the picture taking. Excuse #209 to buy a new camera!!

Awkward & Awesome Thursday

Yeah Yeah Yeahhhh I should be studying...But that is boring. Plus I am studying for my gamelan concert by listening to Jaya Semara on repeat. Yeah, I am that cool. Or kewl. You can decide.

Awkward:
- The whole first half of this week. Yikes. SO glad that is over with.
- The weather this week! I mean, I am only outside for like ten minutes during the whole entire day, but I am either carrying around my very large (awesome, but it is pretty big and difficult to conceal) umbrella all day for no reason or am freezing because for some reason it decided to be like 30 today.
- Today in gamelan practice, we were practicing picking up our mallets in a very silent and dramatic fashion, and guess who accidentally hit one of the gigantic gongs? Mhmm. That's me.
- How expensive a pair of jeans is at the Gap! I was embarrassed trying them on, because there is no way I would ever spend $70 on a pair of pants (and I even had a coupon)! Do people really do that?
- Okay this one's embarrassing for husband. So after we left Gap, we went to F21, and found a blazer that I absolutely love on him. So I made him do an outfit shot. He's going to tickle torture me once he finds out I've put this on here probably.

what a good looking guy. i'm such a mean wife. 

- Having a song stuck in my head, someone asking what it is, and me replying, "Oh it's Puspanjali." Weird looks always follow, and then I have to explain how I'm kind of obsessed with Balinese music.
- Doing the pie-eating contest on Pi Day. Yeah, I participated in that holiday.

Awesome:
- After this crazy weekend is over, I only have one more midterm left! Yay!
- GAMELAN CONCERT this weekend! I already guilted Devynne into letting me borrow her iPod, so video recordings will be posted here for you all to listen and enjoy (and think how weird it is, but that's okay)
- At F21, finding nearly the exact same pair of pants that was at Gap except for only $22 instead of $70, and then also finding a fabulous pair of nude heels, which I have been lusting after. And both items being exactly in my size.
- So here's the big news I warned y'all about: I got a job doing chemistry research! I already was doing research before, but now I am going to be getting paid for it! Which is awesome! This also means that I am officially quitting my job in the Math Department come spring term. This has been a huge decision for me, and I am oh-so-happy with how it is turning out.
- Oh, also I was chosen to be Pre-Pharmacy Club President this week. Which is pretty cool I guess.
- Lastly, I just pulled out a chocolate chip cookie pie from the oven. I somehow forgot to make a pie for Pi Day, so I'm making up for it now. Check it out and drool here.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Come on Utah

Utah weather always gets the best of me. It is such a trickster.

And for that (combined with my pathetic hopefulness for rain), I always end up looking ridiculous.

More often than not, I am dressed totally wrong for the weather, and multiples times this year (including today) I end up carrying my umbrella around all day for absolutely no reason at all.

Does anyone have tips for learning how to dress in this silly state? Three years later, I still haven't figured it out.

And my rain dance sadly has not been working. I miss you, rain! Please come here to Utah!

crafty crafty

So my little sister Lyvia looooves wearing cute little flowers in her hair. When Devynne, Owen and I decided that we wanted to send our fam a little package of fun spring things, I knew that I would have to try out this tutorial to make one for her. Turns out it's going to be a while until I pick up a needle and thread again, but it was still fun to give it a try :) 

Here's a close up so you can see the sparkly tulle. What a lovely touch, if only my camera could capture it. 

Also, this is really close up. Sorry about that.

You can wear it in your hair (like Lyvia likes to do)

Or on your dress/shirt like I like to! Mine aren't as big as the lovely Emersonmade, but you know, I'm working my way up. 

Sorry for the lack of posting lately, this week's been ca-razeee (crazy for those of you who don't speak crazy talk). But that's how it is, I guess. Stay tuned for big news and big events coming this week :)

Yellow

necklace: old, shirt: jcpenney, skirt: kohls?, shoes: ross

Yesterday did not really turn out how I expected.

I thought that yesterday was going to be pretty awesome because well, how can a day be bad when you are wearing such a bright, happy color and the weather is so lovely?

Well, sometimes don't turn out how we had hoped.

But it's okay when you have people in your life who are pretty good at making you feel better.

So I guess I should be grateful for those people, and in the big scheme of things, I am pretty lucky to have them.

And it's not like my house got carried away by a tsunami or anything, so I really shouldn't be complaining.

Thank you to my awesome sister Devynne for making me feel less of a failure today. I am really grateful for your advice and loyalty.

And thanks to husband for helping me realize what's most important.

Plus I did get to go to the A Cappella Jam yesterday, which was pretty incredible. One thing that BYU has got going for them--they have people who know how to sing. I had a great time after we moved seats because they people behind us thought it was fun to sing along to all the of the songs super loudly. After that, it was great :)

Plus, I think that this concert made me realized something. I think that I might secretly be a closet Justin Bieber fan. I never thought it would be real, and that this whole Bieber fever thing would just past away, but I secretly want to see Never Say Never. Just don't tell anyone, please.

And since I was feeling a little down, I decided to paint my toenails for spring--

We decided that it is pretty awkward to take pictures of feet when there are other people around. Oh well.

do people actually do these?

yeah, i have messy handwriting...

I never really thought that people actually made these little sun/flow/bubble/whatever-you-call-em charts, and in school I always thought they were pointless because I would always end up writing practically my whole entire essay in just my outline. But today, I brought back my fifth-grade training and actually gave it a try on my tissue bio research paper (death blech ew).

And surprise--it was actually helpful!

Ms. Marr, I guess you knew what you were talking about. And thank you. I feel like I actually made some significant progress and understand more about how brown adipose tissue regulates metabolic activity now.

And so, to reward myself, I am going to...

Grade papers. Wheee!

I'm just too darn nice to myself.

You're So Old

A Cute Picture:

  

Happy Birthday to my NOW-AN-ADULT sista! WOOOO! Even though you are already like halfway done with college and can kick the logic butt of half the people in BYU Law School, I am happy to celebrate you finally turning the big One-Eight! Oh yeah. Now you can vote and buy Nyquil and go to Jump On It without parental consent. All very important things. 

And an Awkward Picture:

Yeah, you knew that one was comin :)

Thanks for getting me addicted to Foodgawker and for sticking with me through wisdom teeth removal and all of the other wonderful things that life has to bring. 

A Charmed Life

Isn't that what we all want to live? Well, I recently found something that may be of use...introducing, Matchbook Magazine!

Why is the Matchbook Magazine amazing? Well not only is it a FREE (yeah, free) online magazine, but it also is very inspirational for those of us who could always use a little more classic and chic in our lives.

Who is the Matchbook Girl you may ask?

She is someone who I would like to be someday, and someone who I think I actually could aspire to be. She is real but still a dreamer, and this magazine is based on that idea.

I especially love their "Weekender" layout from this month's issue--

Is that not the most lovely bike you've ever seen? Combined with the adorable bike picnic baskets and my current favorite swimsuit, this magazine caused me to yearn for summer time even more! And since it is an online magazine, you can just click on the image on the page, and it will direct you exactly to the product's website. Genius. 

Though I never will give up the touch and smell and wonderfulness of real magazines. But this will be a good substitute while I am waiting for the mail.

I recommend that you block of a good few hours and peruse this at your will. I admit, the first time I read through it, I mostly just looked at all of the pretty pictures, but that's half of what magazines are for, right?

head scarf: gift from sister because it is a weird length, earrings: gift from sister, top: downeast

So somehow my husband has this nasty habit of loving his job to death. Usually this is a very good thing, but sometimes it leads to us being 43 minutes late to things. And so I wait for him to get home and am all ready to go...what better to do than take pictures of myself? Okay weird I know, but yesterday I was kind of proud of what was going on with my hair so there you go.

I was reading this post over at What I Wore and immediately got super jealous of her lovely Jamaican vacation and decided that I could pretend like I was on the beach in Jamaica and pulling off the turban trend no problem too. Plus this scarf is like a super awkward length, so I'm always looking for new reasons as to why I shouldn't throw it away.

I was a little worried when husband came into the room after I had tied it, but he immediately said, "Oh! I like it!" I was like, "Really, I thought you might think it was kind of weird." Then he said, "Oh no, don't worry, I like weird things. It looks cool!" How reassuring.

And the obsession continues

New favorite photographer of the day: Annie Leibovtiz

Penelope Cruz and Jeff Bridges

Naturally, I follow the Disney Parks Blog on a regular basis, and a couple of days ago, they featured some of her work on the blog. And naturally, I am impressed and obsessed.

Scarlett Johansson 

Would it be so totally creepy if I ordered like extra huge prints of these and used them to decorate my home? They are all so beautifully stylized, and I like how some incredibly famous celebrities can take a break from the real world and enjoy some of the magic of Disney.

Beyonce, Lyle Lovett, and Oliver Pratt

And when I say like, I of course really mean LOVE TO DEATH

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony

Sorry Marc Anthony, I still think that the cartoon Aladdin has got you beat. Fortunately, your wife is totally hot.

Jessica Biel

Yeah Justin, bet you are regretting your decision now, eh?

Gisele Bündchen, Tina Fey, and Mikhail Baryshnikov

Okay I will stop the photo overload, but I think you can get the idea. All I can say is that I am stoked because the blog said that the new images from this year (Belle and a couple others I haven't included {Queen Latifah as Ursula, oh yeah}) will be included as a special insert in the April edition of Real Simple magazine, which I subscribe to.

And now I will go back to wait by my mailbox for it to arrive...