take a break

I remember a talk from President Uchtdorf (not going to look up the reference right now because I should be studying) where he talked about how too many of us put off our happiness until some future event occurs. I feel like that could be me right now -- I'll just be happy once I'm done with this horrible Developmental Bio midterm/I hear back from the U/I get ANY sort of mail/Owen's done with bug-blitzing at work/it's summertime/etc. But yesterday I tried to take a step back from all of that and just enjoy the day. It was sunny, which is always helpful, so I sat outside, enjoyed the warmth, and tried to just focus on the positive. And you know what, I think it worked. 

Yay for spring-time nails. Yellow with white polka dots.  I love them. 

And now I have to take that test...

Favorite Weekend

The past two days have been General Conference -- my favorite weekend of the year! I love being able to hear the word of our church leaders, and I feel so blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. If you're interested in seeing what all this awesomeness is all about, you can check it out at lds.org! In between sessions Owen and I went up and walked around the Provo temple for a little bit. We are so lucky to have a house of the Lord so close to us where we can participate in making and keeping sacred covenants and can learn more about our divine nature. I am so excited that we will be getting another temple here in Provo, what a blessed time we live in!

Off the Bandwagon

Reasons why I need to get off the "Mondays are Lame" bandwagon:

• The new Pandora website is super cool! I know this may seem lame to get excited about, but with all of the other changes on Facebook and BYU's website that are super confusing and seem soooo unnecessary, it's nice to see a change that actually looks like an improvement.
• Since I'm weird, I haven't brought any tissues over to the living room where I'm "doing homework" so every time I need to blow my nose, I have to get up and walk to the bathroom. This counts as exercise, right?
• None of the members of my Pathophysiology study group had taken the exam yet, so we cancelled and I got to go home an hour early! 
• No roommates = no need to wear pants all the time around the house
• Nyquil. Thank goodness for it. I am so looking forward to 9:00 when I can swallow a cup of that and get zonked out for the rest of the night. Now that I'm married, going to bed at 9 is totally acceptable, right?
• I switched out our fake candle in the living room to the "Hot Wassail" scent. Hello fall in my living room, thank you very much.
• Every paper I've written for school so far this semester has taken me less than an hour. With Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter open at the same time. Not bad.
• Husband is home now! And he brought me pizza. What a great guy. 
• The term "checkerboard chick" Go Hairspray.
• If I did break my toe, at least I'll no longer be a wimp who's never broken a bone before. So that's good. 

Day 6- Books

Books I never want to have to open again:

Book on my summer to-read list:

Some favorite books:

Now that the PCAT is finally over with, I can actually read...for FUN! YAY! That is one of my favorite things about summer and I have felt guilty for doing any pleasure reading so far this summer because I should have been studying instead. But now all the study business is over, and I can relax. I am so happy.

And in case you are wondering, the PCAT went pretty well. I did surprisingly well considering I totally guessed on the last ten questions of the exam, and even though I got lost twice on the way there and once on the way back, I managed to get it all done with not too many tears shed. Hallelujah!

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.

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.

day 20- someone you love

Yeah yeah so I didn't post yesterday...I apologize because I was so busy having THE MOST FUN DAY EVER!

Seriously.

So yesterday we woke up like normal, got ready to go to work and everything, and then walked out the front door to find a foot of snow on the ground.

It took us about thirty seconds to decide that this snow was WAY too good to spend all day indoors at work. So I called in to say I wouldn't be visiting the Math Department today, and then rushed back inside to go layer up!!

I've seriously never had so much fun playing in the snow. Snow in Washington is usually super wet, so it soaks through your clothing and you can't even build anything fun with it. The snow yesterday however, was absolutely perfect. We started out by making a gigantic snowman in our front yard, and of course, we had to give him a little personality.

We thought his face kind of ended up looking like Robin Williams as the genie from Aladdin, and the little kids across the street shouted, "Hey! We like your goblin!" We'll let you interpret this snow creature however you'd like. And  since there was a chance that this snow goon might just be an evil giant goblin, we decided that we probably ought to give him an army of snow minions.

As I was building the snow army, Owen did the manly duty of shoveling the driveway. But why just shovel the driveway into huge piles on the side of your driveway when instead you can build an awesome fort?

Unfortunately, no one came to challenge us to a snowball duel. But we would have been ready!

After going inside, warming up with some hot cocoa and a much-needed nap from all that work, we hit the stores looking for craft supplies. Owen is such a good sport about supporting my crafty endeavors, even if it means going to Hobby Lobby AND using a coupon.

We spent the rest of the day baking cake for a delicious winter treat we shall finish today and then cutting out, baking, and painting homemade salt clay ornaments. It was so fun!

I forgot to take a picture of the final projects because it was super late last night by the time we finished, but I promise to post them soon--they look awesome!

And so for today's post on someone I love, I am going to have to go with my wonderful and awesome husband, Mr. Owen McKay. Even though he was sick yesterday, he went ahead with all my crazy ideas and was so much fun. I love hanging out with my husband! I always say I have no idea why people think you get better grades once you are married because when Owen and I are together, homework is the last thing we want to do! Tomorrow was just a wonderful reminder of why I married this fantastic man, and of how I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him and see what other adventures we will create.

day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have

Man, it is hard to limit this all to one post! Somehow my parents drilled into my brain as a child the importance of making goals and always having dreams. So I have a lot! I'll try to pare it down a little bit:

Plans:
- I plan to go to pharmacy school after graduation.
- I plan to always make family the highest priority in my life.
- I plan to let Owen study this year instead of trying to convince him to watch Psych.
- I plan to join BYU's gamelan this semester and learn Balinese music.
- I plan to have about four children and experience the interesting world of parenting with my awesome husband.

Dreams:
- One day, I want to live in a house with either a wonderful library, stately study, awesome home theater, in-home gym, or outdoor pool or any combination of the aforementioned features
- One day, I want to donate enough money to the church to build a temple!
- One day, I want to be self-motivated enough to exercise regularly.
- One day, I want to go to New York, London, Rome, Sydney, and Paris.
- One day, I want to take a Disney cruise with my whole family!

Goals:
- To finish my undergraduate degree at BYU and maintain my scholarship.
- To develop more meaningful scripture study habits.
- To stay in contact with the people who have been a part of my life.
- To shadow a pharmacist in the local area.
- To show more gratitude and work on having a positive attitude.
- To reach outside of myself and make new friends.
- To serve others, and to make it a part of my everyday life.
- To not feel rushed and to focus on the important things.

Stayin Up all Night

So we went to the midnight premiere.

And it was awesome.

Malfoy and McGonagall--a forbidden love

I admit that it was super freezing while we were waiting in line, which was why I'm totally glad that my costume involved a heavy coat. I love going to midnight premieres and seeing all of the other crazy people who are willing to wait in lines for 4 hours (or more...) We saw some other pretty awesome costumes--a Golden Snitch, a Fat Lady, a pretty awesome Dobby, and a couple terrifying Bellatrix Lestranges. We played Harry Potter trivia while waiting in line and I love how nerdy everyone is about the books! 

Griffendor vs. Slytherin

Umbridge and McGonagall--ultimate frenemies

I was a little worried about this movie because there has been so much anticipation and in previous movies they kind of skimpy on details and other things that make Harry Potter so awesome. But this movie exceeded my expectations! It was fantastic! I loved how true to the book this movie stayed--finally! I think they should have broken up ALL of the books into two movies a piece so they could have included details like they did in this one! Some people may complain about how it was a little slow while the trio were in the forest, but hello--don't you remember how excruciatingly boring those 200 or so pages were in the book? I thought that the movie was very well-paced, totally true to the book, and altogether great. I want to go see it again right now. I'm so glad they brought Dobby back into the story--to me, that was one of the most poignant parts of the entire story. Some parts were a little intense/suspenseful for me, but then again, it was on the big screen, and it was like 1 in the morning. Basically I would totally recommend it and CANNOT WAIT UNTIL PART 2!!!!!!

Two of my favorite scenes from the movie--the multiple Potters was hilarious, and of course the Dobby rescue scene

Happy

I feel like this quote is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. It has been so easy to get wrapped up in all of the little details and to freak about every little thing that seems to be going wrong and to think that it is going to RUIN THE REST OF OUR LIVES!!!! But really most things aren't that big of deal. For example, last night we went over to Owen's parents house for dinner and found out that somehow Owen's wisdom teeth (remember those traumatic stories?) were not covered by his insurance. And unfortunately, we are not currently at a point in our lives where we can just whip out $952 to cover something like that. Of course I was a little freaking out about it, and thought that Owen and I were destined to be poor forever and we would never be able to sustain a family and everything!!! Fortunately Owen was able to stop by the oral surgeon's office today and it turns out that they accidentally entered his information wrong and it should be fine (wish they had let us know ahead of time) and we won't have to live in a cardboard box after all.


But what is basically comes down to is that I need to remind myself that happiness is the key to life. I was having a particularly self-pitying week last week, and when Owen and I were reading scriptures on Thursday, we came across this verse from 2 Nephi:


"Therefore, ^acheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are ^bfree to ^cact for yourselves—to ^dchoose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life."


And how true it is. So my goal for this week is to choose to be happy--to not freak out about being five minutes late to genetics, to remain calm if there are still dirty dishes in the sink, to spend time helping Owen prepare for his Pixar internship interview tomorrow instead of reorganizing our closet again, and to not flip out while trying to study for biochemistry and microbiology. Because in five years, I won't care about that 78 I got on my first midterm...right?