Hey, I've never met you, let's become best friends

Okay, this is another one of those topics that I probably post about way too often. But this is something that is on my mind a TON, and I keep getting little reminders of it.

5 months ago, I had a random conversation with a friend of mine while I was at work. It was just like every other night when I'd get bored and text him. He happened to mention a friend of his that was moving to SLC, where I was planning on moving, and I realized that it was someone I knew. The very next day, a friend of mine mentioned to another girl that I was planning on moving to SLC. These two girls became my roommates a few short months later.

Bonnie pressured me into going to a ward game night 3 months ago, which I desperately didn't want to go to. I had a random conversation with a guy I didn't know, and he ended up becoming one of my best friends. And through him, I met SO many other people that have become so close to my heart.

A month ago, I asked a random guy I'd only spoken with a few times to go to the Sadie Hawkins dance. He has become one of my and my roommates best friends since this time.

I had a random conversation with a girl in my ward last week, and we started talking about my dissatisfaction with my job, and from that I now have a new job.

Seriously. From the randomest situations, the most wonderful things come to fruition. You don't meet someone and think "I bet they'll be my husband", but sometimes that happens. It's random, and it doesn't make sense. There are all these circumstantial things, outside of our power, that are so amazing. It's so reassuring to know that there's someone out there, placing these people in my path, looking out for me, knowing exactly what I need to help me through that point in my life.

Sometimes it's hard to just let it go, and trust that everything happens for a reason. Life throws you curveballs, but it's never more than you can handle. Sometimes, a lot of the time, it does feel like it's gotten past the breaking point. There have been plenty of times where I feel at my wits end, ready to just give up, especially in the past month.

But then I'll remember all of the blessings I have, all the amazing people that I've been blessed with, because of insignificant little moments, and I remember that it'll all work out. There will be other random moments in the future that will introduce me to people to help me through new hardships.

Seriously blessed to have this girl so I don't have to walk to church alone.

A hilarious series of unfortunate events

Disclaimer: The chances of you finding humor in this post are pretty small.

Once upon a time I decided to ask Bonnie on a roomie date. A girls night of sorts. And when I do something, I go big or go home. So I had a big evening planned. Dinner at home, jamba juice, the planetarium, the jingle bus, and then some hot chocolate before we walked through the lights at temple square on our way home. However. Almost everything that could hilariously go wrong, did.

Dinner went off without a hitch. Looking back at it(even though it was only a few hours ago) we are shocked that nothing went wrong with dinner.

After eating, we bundle up(three coats each...it's freezing out there) and head to Jamba Juice. Now, about 3 weeks ago when I started planning this ordeal, I bought a groupon for Jamba Juice. So we head to our nearest Jamba Juice. And upon getting there, we are informed that they don't have "the software" to accept our groupon. So we pull up directions to the nearest Jamba Juice, in Sugarhouse. We leave, and Bonnie mixes up the directions. Twice. And then when we're roughly 30 seconds away, we get lost and spend another 5 minutes getting back to the right road.

This is where it gets really interesting. We spent probably 30 minutes trying to get access to my groupon/them trying to accept it. We ended up walking to Barnes and Noble to use their wifi. While we waited for it to load, we went up the escalators because Bonnie insisted. And one of us said something funny enough to make Bonnie almost pee her pants. And then, when we finally get it to work, the man behind the counter(who does not speak English very well) says to Bonnie, "Your smile..it reminds me of my ex....sister-in-law". However, he took a long enough pause that we were sure he was going to say "ex-wife" and so we ended up laughing uncomfortably as he made our smoothies.

The whole smoothie ordeal took almost an hour and a half. Most of that was spent trying to get wifi to open the GPS. It's about time one of us gets a smart phone....

We head back to the apartment to park the car so we can head to the Planetarium. Which was an ordeal in itself. As we were walking to the trax station, Bonnie got seriously freaked because someone walked towards her and lets say it put us in tears, laughing. We were laughing SO much at this point, that I started telling somewhat depressing stories to prevent anyone from peeing their pants. And basically the moment I finished the story, Bonnie found something to laugh at...

We get on the train...however. We got on the green line. Instead of the blue line. Which isn't usually a problem. Except we ended up going the wrong direction a little bit. Normally, trax would let us off DIRECTLY in front of the Planetarium. But it took us the opposite direction, so we had to walk 3 blocks in 8 degree weather to get there.

The Planetarium went smoothly, until we were about to leave. We were starting to think that our luck was turning good. But then we walk into the bathroom. And the janitor is standing in the bathroom. Which wouldn't be a problem. Except he has his hands in the back of his pants. So we just stand there for a minute, not sure of what to say.  And then he turns around and says hi, and we ask to use the bathroom. As we're trying to put our many layers back on before leaving said bathroom, I accidentally placed one of my coats under the automatic soap dispenser. Hilarity ensued. And the janitor opened the door about 5 times in the few minutes it took us to wash our hands and layer back up, and each time he seemed so surprised to see us in the bathroom. Like, what, did you expect us to evaporate?

Luckily for us, the trip home was uneventful. We caught the train just as it pulled into the station, we stopped at Starbucks, decided to forego the jingle bus, as we were tuckered out, and walked through temple square. We only stopped about every 5 feet so Bonnie could take pictures. ;)

Again, if you managed to read through this post without thinking we were some of the most boring people on the planet...I hope you enjoyed yourself? I guess?

"Your smile...reminds me of my ex.....sister-in-law."

B: "Just so you know, that's the InstaCare, right there."
A: "Is that like Urgent Care?"
B: "No, it's InstaCare."
A: "Yeah, but is that like the ER? Or what?"
B: "No. It's like the Emergency Room."
A: "...that's what the ER is..."

"Is the temple in our selfie?!"

"We could have our smoothies, be back in the car, and on the way to the planetarium if we had a smart phone!"

B: "Are we going to the Unitarium?!"
A: "...what."

A: "!! I scratched my forehead!"
B: "...and I licked my finger...?"
A: "This is serious. Not like, itched it. Like, bleeding scratched it."

Bundled up on Trax. :)

Wait, is this real life?

Everyday, I wake up, and it's like I'm slowly emerging from a body of water. My dreams are still in my mind and it takes a few minutes for me to realize that I'm conscious. It's like, as I wake up, I can see my dream world slipping away slowly, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Part of me wants to stay in the dreams, because they're comfortable, I can relive good moments. But then part of me longs for me to emerge to consciousness, I can't get there fast enough, because my dreams remind me of the things I'm missing, the reasons I'm sad. It's like I can't win. I want to take things from my subconscious and replace them for the things in my waking life, until I have a comfortable mix of both.

Who cares about outward beauty anyway?

This is something to think on. I feel like I focus more on that fact that I feel like I'm not beautiful on the outside, and I try to fix that. But I need to focus on becoming beautiful on the inside, because that's what's more important.

Outside beauty fades. As I age, my appearance will change, and probably not for the better. So why focus on outer beauty, when I can focus on inner beauty, which won't get wrinkly as I get older?

Be beautiful. Inside. Outside is just a bonus. And besides, happy girls are the prettiest.

Bet you couldn't guess...

1. I say "ya know" like it's going out of style.

2. My love language is gifts. If you've ever received a gift from me, you're one lucky human.

3. I have a tumor in my knee named Ingaborg.

4. I give everyone in my phone a nickname. Like, a ridiculous nickname.

5. When I go on walks alone, I talk to myself.

6. I don't ever share my opinions. If you've ever been in a class with me, you know how bad it is.

7. When I feel like I'm loosing control of my life, I dye my hair.

8. I filled out a punch card at my local froyo/ice cream place within a month of living here...

9. I'm afraid to cook things because I feel like I'll start a fire. This fear started a few months ago...

10. When I go to fast food type restaurants, I take home handfuls of spoons. We always seem to lose them..

11. I have enough taco sauce in my pantry to last through the zombie apocalypse.

12. I think compliments from gay men are the very best.

13. I sing opera in the shower.

14. I also say "Ouch! Wowie! Hot MAMA!" about every single time I get in the shower, because I never fix the temperature until I'm already in the shower...

15. I want to propose to a stranger with a ring pop.

16. I hate when people tell me what I am. Like, let me decide whether I'm an introvert or an extrovert, yeah?

17. I'm an external processor. Until I can talk to someone about something, I can't resolve it.

18. I'm a hardcore Monk-ie.

19. If you insult my dog, I'll have a hard time forgiving you. Seriously.

20. When I cry, my eyes turn this insanely beautiful color.

21. I will probably never allow you to see me cry.

22. I take comfort over being attractive almost 100% of the time.

23. I hate passive aggressive people.

24. When I'm home alone, I jam to Wu Tang Clan and The Killers. #sorrynotsorry

25. Cheesy pickup lines are the way to my heart.

26. Enya makes me so so happy. Blast to the past in the best way possible.

27. If I love you, I'll make/give you food. The more food you receive from me, the more I love you.

28. One of my favorite board games is called "Ulcer".

29. I'd rather spend time with one or two people I care about a lot, than spend time with a TON of people, even if I care about all of them.

30. I want to be Aubrey Caswell when I grow up. Her last name is Taylor now, just btw.

31. I have about a thousand pairs of shoes, and only wear one pair...

32. I can play a grand total of zero sports.

33. I don't think germs are a big deal. I'm roughly the opposite of a germaphobe.

34. If you're a musician, my opinion of you just increased by 50%. Wanna get married? ;)

35. I have changed more diapers than most mothers.

36. My apartment stays at roughly 80 degrees ALL THE TIME, whether our heater is on or not, even though it is FREEZING outside.

37. I can almost lick my elbow.

38. One of my greatest talents is walking and talking simultaneously.

39. I had braces earlier this year.

40. I think the sand and dirt of New Mexico is beautiful. I'll get incredibly angry at you if you argue this.

41. I think Cool Whip is disgusting.

42. If you talk about sharks, I will get sick.

43. I think skinny guys are the best. :)

44. The chances of me trying to get you to play Mexican Horse Race are pretty high.

45. Wreck It Ralph is one of my favorite movies, for nostalgic reasons.

46. If I don't like you, I might call you Orange Biff, or something similar.

47. Sometimes my roommates and I like to pretend to be pregnant.

48. I can't make caramel apples.

49. All I want for Christmas is a camelbak and a pair of good climbing shoes.

50. I super love it when people comment on my blog. ;)


If you knew the majority of this, there's a chance your name is Bonnie...;)

My roommates >> Your roommates

Gratitude is good for the soul

I've been way too negative and depressed as of late, so here's a post about 15 things that have brought me joy in the past few days.

I'm grateful for:

1. The little apartment I live in. Cuz hey, it's a place to live, and it's kinda cute. Sorta.

2. My roommates. Seriously, I could've been given whack job roommates. I mean, we don't get along 100% of the time, but we get along pretty well and I'm sooo grateful for that.

3. Technology. (Que Kip singing his technology song. Napolean Dynamite, my friends) Because seriously, if it weren't for technology, what would I do? I'm able to skype with my family, and the people that I love most. Or I can facetime with my family on Sundays. Or I can call my mom when I'm having a bad day.

4. Bonnie. Hands down, one of the best people in my life right now. She's just the right mix of sweet and motherly. She keeps me in check, but supports me.

5. My job. I know I complain about it a lot, but I really am very grateful for it.

6. Fuzzy blankets. How else am I supposed to stay warm?

7. My dog. Despite what some people say, dogs are incredibly loyal(Shut up, Austin). I've been away from my dog for about 4 months now, and he still goes and sits outside my bedroom door and waits for me. Seriously so blessed.

8. My family. My family seems to have some intuitive knowledge of just when I need them. I'll be having a bad day and then my mom or one of my siblings will call me, or my dad will send me a picture of one of my little siblings snuggling with my dog. I'll come home from a horrid day at work and there will be a package from my family full of pictures and letters from my siblings, gift cards, candy, and food. Or my mom will send me letters with talks from general conference that 100% apply to my life and what I need to hear. I'm so grateful for that.

9. Postal Service. I mean, I might as well mention this. Because the mail man makes me a happy camper quite often.

10. Pandora. Because sometimes I need technology to tell me what I want.

11. Jamba Juice. Because sometimes I need a quick trip out of the apartment with my roommate to lift my spirits.

12. The gospel. Not to be super mormony, but this is what keeps me going.

13. Snap chat. Like, not to mention this right after I mention the gospel, but I have very many memories because of snap chatting and they're funny and all that so I'm mentioning it. No judging.

14. Nice ladies at the gym. This one doesn't need a lot of explanation, at least not here. Just know that it's a funny story.

15. Socks.

"What in the freak just happened?"

You know those times when something so incredibly funny happened, but if you tried to explain it to someone, it wouldn't be funny in the slightest, because it was so in the moment?

That is 100% how my whole night went yesterday.

I was going to tell you all about it. I was. I was going to talk about the delays on the way to the grocery store, the kitchen failures, the disappointment in the movie, throwing apples, and bladder malfunctions. But I feel that it wouldn't be nearly as funny to you as it is to me. So, I'd like to share with you. But I won't. So please just imagine I just told you a horribly funny story and laugh very hard. Basically the same thing.

Feelings, guys. Here are a few.

I'm really grateful for Bonnie. I love her buckets. I was so blessed to be given her as a roommate. She's one of the best people I know and I adore her to bits and pieces. She is the perfect amount of comforting and reprimanding. When I'm having a bad day, she listens, and then makes me affirm myself, and lifts my spirits in a way that I wouldn't expect. Seriously. No one else is ever allowed to have her as a roommate because I'm selfish and I want her for forever.

My mama is one of the very best people on this entire planet, hands down. I have never ever received better advice than what she gives me. She presents things and solutions to my problems in such a light that I wonder why I didn't think of it before, because it's so simple. She gives me so much inspiration and hope.

Brooke, my best friend. If you ever need someone to call and just vent to, and cry, then she's your girl. Except for I'm calling dibs, so you actually can't. Sorry, not sorry.

One last one. I promise I'm almost done. Austin. He's seriously been such an amazing friend and such a source of happiness and comfort since I moved to Utah. I can't even begin to express my gratitude for this guy or how wonderful he is. Everyone he interacts with is a lucky person, because he sees the value in every single person in such an incredible and genuine way, it blows my mind. So so grateful to have him in my life, even though he just moved and that makes me sadder than I could express.

I'd also like to briefly point out that there are a billion other people that I love.

And also, just throwing this out there, but also, apparently I say 'ya know?' too often. What even. I wasn't even aware that I said this until yesterday. And now I catch myself saying it about 50 million times a day. Just thought I'd inform you all, just in case you were curious.

I feel like if I write for too much longer that it would turn into a diary entry, basically, and that's not exactly what this blog is for. So ima shut up now, and snuggle with my lovely roommate Bonnie while watching an episode of Glee. Don't hate.

Sleep well, friends. :)