every morning around 7 30. i open my door. walk down the stairs. across the parking lot and on to school. half an hour. that is the time i give myself to get from my front door to work.
normally while i walk i talk to my loving mother. (the last 3 years of my college career i have failed at calling. text like "are you alive" and "call me" were common occurrences) today however, she could not talk because my other sister had called at the same time- the nerve. but it allowed to me to listen to other people's conversations...one of my favorite pastimes while walking.
one conversation that made me chuckle was between two girls. one commented to the other how she was walking so fast and she liked it. the other girl commented- i dont know how people dont walk fast, i just want to get where im going. they continued to talk about the fast walker. how they are focused on where they are going.
i am not a fast walker. it might be my short legs. or the fact that currently my leg is torn up. dear timp. i love but hate you. my leg got in a fight with the glacier. the glacier won. one glacier burn later, im an invalid.
you cant really see it here. but it looks like a cheese grater went over my leg. gross. yes.
it also might be the fact that i like taking in my surroundings. looking for people i know. chatting with my mom. enjoying the morning air. who knows. im sure my determination to get to work in the shortest time possible will increase as the temperature decreases. but as for now i will enjoy being a slow walker.
have you ever had an extremely full day. and i mean EXTREMELY full. meet my friday. it started with a wonderful walk with the lovely keri hall. and then on to fillmore to watch a horse competition with the lovely Tambrea Allen. it was perfect and straight out of a movie with hats, belt buckles, the whole enchilada. we rode horses. i was in love. my horse was chico and the best little guy ever. well actually big guy, but hey he likes his hay. after fillmore it was back to provo for Aida with some old friends from the Colony. it was wonderful, i had never seen it before and it was well worth the 12 dollars. it made me feel like I was back in London watching a show. it had been way too long without seeing something. one line that stuck out to me was when Aida said "If you dont like your fate- change it. you are your own master." ahh so good. and the ending was perfect. absolutely perfect.
in the car the conversation went something like this.
girl 1: do you want to go get ice cream
ellie: oh i have to wake up way early to hit up a sale with my sister, so i need to get to bed
girl 2: do you want to have our late night porch talk?
ellie: oh i do, but i really need to get to bed
girl 3: ah stink i was going to ask you if you wanted to go skinny dipping
ellie: im in lets go
i probably shouldnt tell this story in such a public place. but lets be honest. i share way to much of my life all the time. but we all headed down to Mona for a very memorable night. it was absolutely perfect. i will spare details, but there was many a close call slash scary moments. a life long goal of brittany's was to go off the rope swing while we were there, and so our next feat was the rope swing. i had never gone of the rope swing before, and to have the first time be without clothing was very, very memorable. i was terrified though. no bueno. but had to go when we heard a group of boys coming. i was in the water 10 ft away from where they were standing searching for crawdads...luckily for me we had towels and i have amazing friends...but it was hysterical. we laughed the entire way home- oh the memories at 1 in the morning. the night finally ended around two. oh what a long day, but oh what a perfect day.
i adore my nephew. adore him. you know how when you are baby hungry people say- live with a baby for a weekend and you will change your mind. i want a baby. no. i want ethan. he is perfect. he is 18 months and adorable. probably one of the best behaved little kids i have ever met. but for real.
example a. we were driving back from layton after going to a crazy good sale when ethan threw up. again. he threw up on our way back from chicago. poor kid. most kids, and or myself would have freaked out and screamed. not ethan. yes he cried for a bit. but hello it was disgusting. but as soon as he got out he made a "eww mom that was gross, thanks for getting me out of there" face and was perfectly fine. amazing? yes.
ethan is a cool kid. way cool. he tries not to laugh but doesnt last long before breaking out in a smile. he also is stubborn and chooses not to talk a lot. he knows exactly what you are saying, and will do whatever you ask him to, but he wont talk. except he says poop. yep his one word is poop. amazing? yes.
sad story. ethan is sick. a lot. he is the king of colds. while I was staying at Matt and Keri's he had a sinus infection. sad right? but he loves...LOVES...his medicine. a lot. it was the cutest thing to watch him cry (for 5 seconds) when his medicine ran out.
the absolute best moment however came when he woke up crying at night. i was laying on the couch not yet asleep, so i went up to check on the little guy. when i got there i laid him back down and scratched his back and he went right back asleep. this happened a few more times, and each time i loved him more and more. it made me think of the sleepless nights i will one day have when i have a family of my own- but made me more excited than scared for those moment.
he has his goofy moments as well. the other day i stopped by to pick something up quickly and he was in his high chair eating. he got so excited and started saying ellie and just laughing. yes it melted my heart. yes im in love with an 1 1/2 year old.
at the playground on our road trip.
pick a boo can always get a giggle or two. also what kid is that happy after being in a car seat for 15 hours.
chowin down on some goldfish.
watching bob the builder. classic. it was will's favorite when he was a kid
so i wouldn't consider myself an environmentalist. im not about to go lay down in front of a bulldozer to prevent trees from being nocked down. but oh how i love nature. there is something peaceful and magical about being outside. i adore it.
yesterday morning keri (my sister-in-law) and i went on a walk. ps i always scoffed at people who go "walking" in the morning. i never thought it was that good of a workout. but i will admit at one point i started to sweat. it was a perfect walk. we walked down to the river trail and then along the river. the trees provided shade which made the morning temperature absolutely perfect. we walked past open fields and saw horses grazing. it took me back to England when we went on our Kent walk. we stopped and feed the ducks some of ethan's goldfish, and just enjoyed being up and outside. i could have walked forever.
at one point we passed a small cabin that looked like it was renting canoes. i had such a strong desire to go canoeing and just play outside. next task. find someone who will go canoeing with me. wish me luck.
later in the day i had a little free time so i made my way up the canyon to read. i stopped by a park I had never been to (have i mentioned i loved parks), climbed down by the river, and read. it was perfect. i could have stayed there all day listening to the river trickle by and the wind in the trees. unfortunately sitting on a rock can only be comfortable for so long. eventually the uncomfortableness won out over my desire to stay and read and i left.
there are times that timing is perfect. other times it is not so perfect. i have spent many a moment in my car this week waiting because it wasnt worth it to drive back to matt and keri's to then turn around and come back. this was not one of those times. as i walked to my car cali called- they were home, and i was good to come over. i adore cali and sean. they are the bestest. it was fun to be in their apt, but hard to remember they werent yet married. but to continue on the nature theme. i went with cali and her mother-in-law to be to meet with the reception center to make sure everything was set for Thursday. they decided to have a garden reception- and oh brother it was gorgeous! the flowers were splendid and there was a little fountain pond thing. i was in love. my future home will have a pretty garden ive decided. the only problem is after years of yard work at the hall home im not the biggest fan of gardening. we will see how that works out.
side note. im eloping. planning a wedding stresses me out. and im not even getting married. i was so overwhelmed at the reception center and it wasnt even my wedding, and then with becca's wedding planning. oh brother.
utah is beautiful. i love it. the mountains. the trees. i love it all. thank you mother nature for being pretty.
other fun things of my life.
last night went to the movie in the park. best thing ever. it is so fun to be with so many other people watching a movie outside. it reminds me of the fourth of july. we saw prince of persia. unfortunately i hate snakes and laugh at the wrong time. but the movie was great.
tonight was cassandra banov's wedding reception. yay for love and marriage.
so the other day i was at good old target killing time, looking at my new obsession. jewelry. and i came across this bracelet that i absolutely fell in love with. now there wasn't anything too special. it was just braided leather with a small pendent on it. but the words stole my heart. it simply said "love life." did i spend probably too much to adorn my wrist with such a phrase. yes.
my new mantra. love life. i found when you look for the negative you can easily find it. but the same is the other way. as you look for those little pieces of joy- they are everywhere.
things i love about my life.
my family. i adore them. we had a mini family gathering (i dont know if you could call it a reunion) this last week. it was fun to spend time with them, to play games, and just to laugh. becca and i went on a late night run on the country roads and it was perfect. catching up on her life since i left, getting to go for a good run, and running in the most serene place ever. perfection. on friday night we had an adult night. yes, i qualify as an adult. it started with the most delicious dinner at panera. oh that place. how i love it. it took me back to saturday road trips with efy where we would always stop at panera. i love the lack of grease, and the burst of flavor. ah heavenly. it was followed by a night of mini golf. can i just say that my parents have mad mini golfing skills. i swear they practice often- they made the most amazing shots. i was extremely proud to have them as my parents at that moment. another perfect "i love my life" moment was the hole that had a wheel to spin before you took your shot. the wheel would give you different advantages or handicaps for your first shot. priceless was the moment that the two grandparents both got the "granny shot." while we were having the time of our lives, so was the sky. and lightning and thunder were having a party, meaning we had to cut our game short. instead of gripping we were grateful to get away from the bugs, and it just meant we had time to go get ice cream. the ice cream was delicious- and life was just perfect.
look at that concentration
mini golf is not on my list of talents.
granny putt.
oh colonial. how we love thee.
friends. there is something wonderful about friendship. you can not see or talk to someone for months and as soon as you are back together it is like no time has passed. i dont know how it works, but i am so grateful for the friends in my life. i felt it at home and when i got back to Provo. I had a brief panic attack to becca one night where i was scared i wouldnt have any friends when i got back. everyone is getting married, and i have been gone. nothing was more comforting than seeing megan from work, and having her be excited and say how much she had missed me. over the summer i was introduced to FOMO (the condition of having a fear of missing out) and i have it all the time. as i saw pictures of people having fun, i had major FOMO. i realize i sometimes stress about things that i dont need to stress about, i blame my over analytical head. anyways. i was able to spend the rest of friday night with kaley and lauren, friends from high school. timing was absolutely perfect- lauren and flown in friday and we were all leaving saturday. one of those tender mercies. it was perfect to sit in her basement and just catch up. to talk about our lives, things we had experiences, hard times, happy times, new adventures, and worries. i loved it. i realize that i am a people person. well i have known this for a while. but i couldnt care less about what i am doing as long as i am with someone i love. i could have the craziest adventure in the world, but if i was alone it would mean nothing. another thing i love about going to lauren's house is the food. her mom will not let you not eat. at times it is problematic, but when giordano's pizza is involved it is heavenly.
road trips. 2 days. 1400 miles. 4 kids. it was a crazy two days. full of blow out diapers and lots of throw up. keri has deemed it one of the worst road trips ever. she was a saint and had to clean everything up, but there it was so funny as thing after thing went wrong. you couldn't help but laugh. at any moment you have two choices. to act or react. i felt like i spent a lot of my summer reacting. i would go along with others, instead of standing up for what i thought. i hate that. there is something empowering about taking control of a situation and choosing not to be upset, choosing to look for the silver lining. choosing to love life. while the road trip was absolutely crazy- it had its moment of pure beauty. while the midwest is flat and boring. it is gorgeous. there is a time of night when the sun is setting that turns everything to gold. we passed by fields of sunflowers that were the prettiest thing. and simple things like an irrigation sprinkler just seemed beautiful. we stopped at a rest stop in Nebraska and it was perfect. we took time to play on the play ground and walk around the paths. Ethan (the 18 month old) was as happy as a clam to be out of his car seat, and was as giggly as could me. it was one of the beautiful moments that you just cant help but be grateful to be alive.
music. i have new obsessions. its bad. andrew allen and andy grammer have topped the list. funny story of my life. i changed my facebook status to something along the lines of "andrew allen has stolen my heart" meaning his music. however, he is not common in any way shape or form. people thought a new fella had stolen my heart for real. like after like came in, comment after comment. i had a brief flash back to when a boy came up and thought i was engaged. after much deflection, i hope the world knows that i love andrew allen's music and i am not in love with anyone.
andrew allen's song. wait for it. love life.
his song. loving you tonight. oh how i love this song.
charlie. charlie is my car. i love him. a lot. he is a 2006 red toyota corolla. and even with the dent on the drivers side, he is perfect. i have missed him these last four months. (yes, i name and personify inanimate objects- it makes life happier) i struggled with not having any freedom over the summer. every moment was planned, or i had something i was supposed to be doing, or was in charge of making everyone happy. it was wonderful, and on paper is the perfect summer, and in many ways it was perfect- but it made for an exhausting summer, and i felt burned out halfway though, which made EFY hard, but still good. when we finally made it to provo we went and picked up my car from Carol (our somehow cousin who is the sweetest person in the world!) there was such a sense of independence getting back into Charlie. all my anxiety about having no freedom was gone. life was right. its funny how a car can do that. and its not like i didnt have access to a car while at efy, but having your own car back is the best feeling in the world.
i wont lie and say my life is perfect. but i love the imperfections. i love the lessons i have learned in my life through experiencing hard times. if i had to go back, i wouldn't change anything about my life. because i am happy where i am right now, i love my life, and changing anything in the past would change where i am now. are there things i want to change in my life? you better believe it. and i look forward to making my life even better. but i love living. i love the adventures we get have. i love life.
i LOVE my family. its the truth. they provide great entertainment, especially when together. funny moment of last night: we were all sitting around talking in the family room about who knows what. I was playing with this water gun type thing that was empty. it was just a little pump you could fill with water, but when empty it just blows a stream of air. papa hall was sitting on the floor in front of me and his head was a perfect target for the air (figuring it would feel weird and startle him.) i point the gun down and push. his reaction was much more than i was expecting. no worries, the gun i thought was empty actually had a little water left, and pointing it down made that water accessible. i start laughing uncontrollably, he gets up, goes into the kitchen and comes back with a water bottle. holding it to my head says "are you sorry?" i just laugh and laugh. he repeats himself. i get up and run away. by this time jonathan has gone into the kitchen and grabbed another water bottle. comes back and does the same thing to padre. "are you sorry for threatening my sister" we were all dying. luckily, no one wanted to clean up the mess that would be caused by a water fight, but we were on pins and needles.
it was probably one of those "you need to be there moments"
i am getting old. its true. i dont know when this happened, but the fact that my drivers license was near to expiring is proof of this aging. you would think with this new found oldness i would know all there is to know. not the case.
lesson learned.
1. don't go to the DMV on Tuesday or Saturday. They are closed on Mondays making Tuesdays extremely busy.
2. long waits aren't bad when you have a phone, book, or someone to talk to. if you forget all these things you are fresh out of luck.
3. when im bored i do math. i have noticed this when on long road trips, but this cemented the fact. i counted the amount of time the average person was at the counter. yes i sat there and counted up to 450. then divided by 60. figured out the approximate number of people in front of me (they have a weird order) and then divided that by the number of workers and then the time figured out earlier. i was approximately 3 minutes off. not too shabby.
4. im a nerd.
5. i love running errands on my own sometimes, especially after 4 months of always being with someone or having other responsibilities.
