my gramma

has a key to the stake center.

Where's the nearest kinko's gramma?

"Oh, you don't need to go kinko's!" So she drove gina and i to the stake house this morning so gina could make copies of her resume and letters of recommendation.

kehehe sneaky gramma.

it's funny how you learn more about people after spending your whole life with them

that is how i feel on this trip with my sister. i have seen sides of her i haven't seen before and i love her more because of it.

I went on this trip knowing my needs and wishes would come second...for the first time in my life probably. the purpose of this trip was to make my sister's life as easy as possible. And after hours spent alone, waiting, while she was in interviews or visiting new sites that would be her life from now on, I realized these are the places that would tear us apart, move her away from me. And here I am, encouraging it all along.

roadtrips save my life

Hallie, what were you just doing?

Oh, nothing. I was actually just getting some lemons.

Lemons, huh. From the store?

Oh, no no no. Just outside! I picked them from my grandmother's tree and they are so ripe my hands smell like lemons and they are as big as a softballish! Now I'm going to see if her grapefruit, orange and tangerines trees are ripe.
...haha yeah. All ripe and I am eating them ALL!

Oh Hal I am so jealous of you right now! Anything else cool going on?

Well There is this bird that I woke up to...I thought it sounded like a car alarm. He's still chirping away! I found a video of his brother, looks like he's a clever little mockingbird!




well sounds like you're having fun in Arizona Hallie. Just out of curiousity, what temperature is it right now?

Let me see...oh, well it's only 9am but it's 56.3 degrees.

For favorite posts on Grandma/Arizona visits:
see here,
here,
and, my personal favorite: here

The Rec!

It was snowing yesterday so I got ready to go to the indoor track at BYU.
Well I called beforehand just in case and it was closed till noon =(
So my mommy gave me $4 to go to the orem recreation center.

I love the rec! That's what we call it. It brings back fond memories of swim team, childhood swimming lessons, oh man here's a good one:
I was like five and I was in swimming lessons. two of my aunts and my mom were watching us from the balcony and there was a metal railing right in front of them. I didn't want my aunt to watch me so I would move in a place and align the railing between our eyes so it would make her blind and not see me.

Anyways so flash forward back to yesterday. $4 for ONE visit!?!? What a load of [insert word of choice]! I went to the Zumba class where there were like 100 ladies dancing crazy and it was fun to just dance crazy. Then I'm like. I want to listen to my own music and do my own thing. So I did the elliptical next to an old man. I look around. There is no one my age here. They are all old people. Oh well though right?

When I got home I realized. I DIDN'T GO IN THE SAUNA! I really wanted to go! And I paid $4 and didn't go to the sauna! I really wanted to detoxify my skin. So I turned the shower on blazing hot and filled up the tub that way instead of through the faucet. And the air in there was so thick. So I made my own sauna of sorts. It sufficed. Prolly better than being in an enclosed spaced with old people. Yeah I'm claustrophobic too. Oh good I'm glad it worked out that way now that I think of it =)

2 oz, Medium.

My parents and I were watching the weather together.
Gina had just left, announcing how she was angry, but for no apparent reason.
Dad looks at me and says: "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine"
"You're holding your hand up to your forehead, something's wrong"
Something was wrong. He just didn't know what it was and I wasn't going to tell him...because he would share his opinion and that would make the situation worse.
"Want me to make you some of that fish?"
This is weird...my dad never cooks, let alone for someone else!
"Nah, I don't want that"
"How about some chicken" Mom offered
"I don't want any of that"
Dad, walking over to the fridge. "Oh, here's some hamburger!"
"Yeah, I'll just make myself something in a minute"
Pulling out his steak that he brought home from going out Tuesday "Have this steak! There's gotta be 3 ounces in this piece."
Took out weigher, weighed it.
"OK, two ounces!"
"Are you sure dad? Don't you want it?"
"Of course I want it but I want you to have it because I love you"
I almost lost it right there. Over a two ounce piece of medium steak. My dad is a sweetheart.

One of the best parts of being at elementary school

Is having an unlimited supply of Bill Nye available.



They have hundreds of episodes at my disposal.

What's wrong with you, Hallie?

I have yet to get into the olympics.

Is anyone really into them?

1:41

I'm not a fan of phone conversations.

I wondered what the average talking time on my phone was, so I averaged my last 50 calls. A minute and forty-one seconds! In that amount of time you can most definitely state why you called and/or what you want with me.

< 3

Happy Valentine's Day!

fake pregnancy

Yesterday I saw a commercial for this item:


Last night I had a dream that I used this First Response Gold digital test 3 times within two days and each time it said "YES." Still dreaming, I told Gina about it and she asked me if it was possible and I had to really think about it. I told her I couldn't remember. Then I went off about how it gets cloudy when you kiss people and sometimes you can't remember because it gets cloudy.

Reminiscent

I like work :)

I am getting to know the 5th grade kids that I read with, practice math facts with, etc.

Me: Do you have any brothers or sisters?
K: No.
Me: So you are the only child?
she thinks for a few seconds...
K: No, I do have brothers and a sister but none with opposable thumbs.
Me: What are their names?
K: Daisy, Timber and Mika

I don't ask about the thumbs because I don't want to be rude...

Later in the conversation:
Me: What do you like to do for fun
K: go dog sledding
Me: Oh you go dog sledding? With your dogs?
K: Yeah with Mika
Me: Oh so your brothers and sisters are your dogs?
K: Yes.
Me: What is your favorite food?
K: Sushi.

This girl rocks.

Oh how we love facebook

because it puts ideas in my head. Like, "hey, type your name at urbandictionary.com and see what it says!"

So I do. it has 3 definitions. The first one:
"The nicest girl in the room. Everyone is drawn to her because of her beauty and her radiance."

The second one is offensive.

but then I feel all better with the last definition:
"Usually one who plays with Dora the Explorer, and sings Hannah Montana."

I would have to agree.

Just life at the moment.

I am an aide at the school that I love.
My sister and I have already had a pretend fight in the hall...the assistant principal walked by. Hey, this is what they get for nepotism. Jk I really am legit.

rofl Gina just walked in with half her FACE numb because she just got back from the dentist.
"mom I don't fing duh twee was wun ovuh by duh conswucion...oh cwap." (mom i don't think the tree was run over by the construction...oh crap)
"dat's wasads bagg!" (that's wasatch back...referring to the weather forecast)
I couldn't stop laughing.
"staub!" (stop)

Watching Emma and loving it. I have to wait till Sunday for the final episode. Those jerks at Masterpiece Classics better watch it!

I am starting this diet thing...started yesterday. I did it last summer and was very successful. but there are side effects which include but are not limited to: anger, desire to commit homicide, brief episodes of drama, and vertigo. Because I love food so much but I have to control that love. So sorry in advance. NO I am not on drugs.

payday

Yesterday I received my first paycheck since my custodial job in August. I went straight to the bank and deposited it. What a beautiful feeling it is to have an income!


And yes I did start substituting December 5th and yes it took them this long to give me my first paycheck :) The anticipation and impatience made this occasion even better.

The Rotation System

I was helping my mom sift through her closet, giving up half of her clothes to DI. The determinig factor when I give stuff away to DI is "have I worn this in the past year?" and "Has it survived the rotation system?"

Rotation system? You may wonder.

It's brilliant. And I didn't think much of it until I told my mom about it. It's just one of the quirky things I do that is so normal to me, ya know?

• I organize my clothing into sections, as I am sure all of you do: a pants section, a skirt/dress section, and a shirt/blouse/tops section.
• I have my pants on the left side and my shirts on the right side.
• I wear what is closest to the middle...or as close to the middle as possible...can't wear brown pants with a bright green shirt ya know!
• After wearing that, I place it in the back of that section. So the pants would go behind all the other pants and the shirt would go behind all the shirts, farthest from the middle.
• When I do my wash, I place all those clothes in the back of their sections because I have recently worn them and the other clothes need a chance now!
• When I find a shirt is staying in the middle for a while and I never want to wear it, it goes to DI! Unless it's like fancy then it goes to the unrotated very very back section. Everyone has those right? hahaha lol. yeah you are totally saying "oh my gosh I have that too!"
  
• Same with Sunday skirts/dresses. The rotation system is my favorite for Sunday clothes because I can go to church confidently, knowing what I wore last week is not to be worn again for a while!

You need to try it. It really works. Dudes can use it for hats and ties and even socks as well! You can use it for anything! Celebs should use it to rotate through their houses and cars! Use it with the cereal you eat! The friends you hang out with! JK please don't.

And if you don't want to do this for yourself, do it for your clothes. because think how you would feel if you were a shirt always in the back of your closet. The rotation system would be your only hope to get worn.

My sister made the herald!

Yay for Gina! Finally in the spotlight after working all these years at a title I school. Congratulations, sister!

Masterpiece Classics: Emma

YAY! Emma was on last night and my mommy recorded it! I can't wait to watch it. Masterpiece Classics are dumb when that lady talks in the beginning but they are really actually quite good if you just fast-forward through it.

Next time Emma is on: Tues at 2am

So you can watch it recorded at my house if you want.

Conversation between my sister and I on the phone

Me: "Your piano students are here"
Gina: "Well I'm just down the road"
Me: "Well hurry UP"
Gina: "Make me some nachos."
Me: burp, hang up.

Typical of our conversations. Now that I think of it, I can't remember the last time one of us hasn't hung up on the other to end our phone conversations. I used to get offended, but now I think it's endearing and fun.

I'm gonna go make some nachos.

blind date gone blurry

My dear friend Alisa* called me up and told me I was going on a blind date with her date's roommate. We were going country dancing.

I don't dance very well when I'm limited to certain steps.
I don't dance very well when I'm attached to another human.
So I assumed my date would help me out and know what he's doing when it comes to dancing.

When I went to answer the door, I found Alisa, her date, and my date at the doorstep. Alisa attacked me first, then I saw the next closest person to the door. Alisa introduced him and I thought he was my date. Well he wasn't. He's her FIANCE. So I scream and get really happy! I had no idea she was even dating anyone. I turn around to see my date, at the bottom of the steps, being distant and quiet.

We walk to the car, he opens the door for me, so I sit in the seat. Well he started coming in too, so I scooted over just in time before he sat on me. On the way there he sat quietly while I talked in my high pitched excited voice to Alisa and her fiance that I had never met. Adam has been home six months, they have only dated 2 weeks, and they will be married june 21. "Good Alisa, you got him right off the mission, before he gets into porn." I took it back right after I said it. I am so AWKWARD!

Then I turn to my date "Is it Derek or Daron?"
"Daron"
"My brother's name is Daron."
no comment.

I asked him a few more questions, he's an electrical engineer major from New Mexico. He has 4 sisters and 8 nieces and nephews.

We got to the dance and Alisa and Adam ran off alone, leaving me with Daron. They came back and taught us a basic step, which we danced over and over redundantly for the next few songs. I wanted to die. I took over and led sometimes, spinning myself :)
We couldn't hear each other over the music, so we didn't talk. But one time I yelled "DO YOU EVEN LIKE COUNTRY MUSIC?"
"WHAT?"
I repeated the question.
he shook his head.
"ME NEITHER"
5 minutes later he asked "DO YOU LIKE COUNTRY MUSIC?"

On the way to the car we were talking about glasses/contacts.
to my date: "do you wear contacts?"
"no, but I should. I prefer having everything a little blurry"
"so you like not being about to see clearly?"
"yes"



On the way home, Daron quietly declares "I need ice cream."
I was the only one who heard him.
5 minutes later Adam said "Daron, did you say something?
me: "He wants ice cream"
Dairy queen was closed
We pulled into Wendy's
Daron: "I want McDonalds"
so we went to McDonalds
Alisa: "I'm partially lactose intolerant"
me: "me too"
so we ordered the 2 apple pies for $1
I got up to get napkins and when I returned there was a second straw in Daron's shake, pointed towards me.
me: "is that for me"
daron: "I have nothing to do with that."
Adam snickers

all four of us walked up to my door step and I hugged each of them.
Yay for blind dates.

*names have been changed