Stuff I'm Enjoying and Things That Must Go

Stuff I'm Enjoying
This is my current Netflix obsession. Very funny. I highly recommend it.

Matt and I also went through both seasons of Top Shot which was more entertaining than I expected. I got hooked, and we watched an episode or two each night before bed.

I've also been spending some free time day dreaming and scouting real estate websites.

Sunday lunches (not every Sunday of course) with my Matthew at Tres Hombres, a Mexican restaurant we've discovered.

Thai iced tea, Boba tea -specifically taro flavor, and Pumpkin spice lattes

Things That Must Go


Gum stuck to the waffle soles of my Vans.

Having a sad husband dealing with a totaled car and all the stress that goes with that.

Allergies that continue to drive me wild despite my use of allergy medicine.

Waking up various times at night because you sneeze, your nose is running, or not sleeping well in general because you can't breathe out your nose.

Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie

So my sister recently moved here and I have to admit, I'm sorta hating it. Totally not cool on my end. Who's going to be my shopping buddy and make sarcastic comments with me? And no more monkeys.

Oh well, she's liking it there. I'm happy about that and her new adventures.

Stuff I'm Enjoying

How cool would this room be?
Forget it being a kid's room, I'd probably love that as my own bedroom.

I've wanted these shoes in turquoise since I saw them at the beginning of the summer season. Unfortunately, I was too cheap to pay full price. Luckily, I saw them today and they were on sale. yay!

Netflix made me so happy recently. I've loved this show, but for some reason could never remember to watch it, and then realized I was too behind to start again once I actually found out what time new episodes were on. And que instant watch on netflix. I am currently caught up on the last two seasons.

My current make-up love - lip stains. I still love the usual glosses and lipsticks, but what I've run into is that I don't wear them to work since the dust from my job tends to stick to my lips if I do. Gross, I know. Enter lip stains.

Someone buy me this couch. Pretty please?

Wonder how easy this dress would really be...

T-4 days

Is it weird I usually get more excited for my birthday than for Christmas?
One year older and wiser right?
Maybe next week I'll look more like I'm 17 instead of 16...

25 things

I am thankful for - in no particular order

1. Parents and in-laws that enjoy having us over for meals
2. My warm bed
3. A car that runs
4. Furry little chewskis
5. Books to read
6. Not having to worry about buying groceries
7. My health
8. A happy home
9. Scented candles
10. My opportunity to finish college
11. My friends - late night talks, inside jokes, girls' night, and ethnic lunch dates
12. Family - immediate and extended
13. A job that is flexible and allows me to be creative and social
14. My keurig. I love that thing!
15. Football games with my dad
16. Lunches with my mom
17. My camera
18. The people who have made a difference in my life
19. Beautiful things in nature - rainy days, autumn leaves, snowflakes, spring flowers
20. The internet
21. My own laptop, so I don't have to share with Matthew :P
22. Memories
23. New experiences
24. Vacations
25. And of course, My Matthew who loves me

lol

“Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.”

A Poem about Football

Dear U,

I'm so sad, mad, without an ounce of glad

that you lost to TCU

and didn't play the way you usually do

Monday starts a new week of practice, let's step it up for next game.

On a side note - when did it become the "thing" for athletes and coaches to slap people on the hindquarters in appreciation, congratulations, or as if to say "good job, way to get 'em tiger"? What was so wrong with the good ol' pat on the back? Just sayin'

M|m: Dare I post this?

Love noun: Unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another

         verb: To hold dear: cherish

Compassion noun: Sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it

Accept verb: To receive willingly

                      To give admittance or approval to

                      To endure without protest or reaction

                      To regard as proper, normal or inevitable

Tolerance noun: Sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own

Merriam-Webster.com

These are a few words that I have always tried to remind myself of when knowing and attempting to understand people. I generally try to give others the benefit of the doubt in situations. I also try to not purposely be hurtful or discriminating. I do also realize that I am a pretty blunt and sarcastic person and nowhere near perfection. You may think that these words and thoughts only come to mind because of the recent upheaval between the LDS church and others who disagree with church teachings. And although that situation may be keeping these words more constant in my mind, it is not the reason I remind myself of them usually. 

I do not intend for this post to feel preaching or offensive. I have my own opinions and everyone else is entitled to theirs. I'm not trying to change someone's mind or views. I'm not going to decide I like a person or not based on their specific beliefs. But during this whole ordeal, I was interested in reading up on the numerous news articles from local papers as well as the actual speech given by Boyd K. Packer in general conference. After reading news articles online, it made me upset and sad to see how rude and inconsiderate people from both sides of the topic were being to each other in the comment area. Even on a Facebook page created to support president Packer, there were comments made by both parties (supporters and those opposed) that were hateful and mean. I was surprised at how ironic it seemed for many of those commenting to speak about supporting others yet being spiteful to the other "team" at the same time. 

I feel that when people forget to remember these four words, it leads to so many unhappy circumstances in the world. An obvious example on a much larger scale would be war. I know this is cliché, but I really do wish the world could be peaceful and that hatred, cruelty, and war did not exist. I wish every one could learn to be harmonious and accepting. I know I am not a person who can fully demonstrate these words every minute of my life on a daily basis, but that can be a life long goal and I can continue to reach for it. 

“Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. 

Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.”

-John F Kennedy

On a lighter note, watch this

My Pal Paper

Paper and I have been friends since I was young 

I would spend time telling paper stories and my days events 

Paper would tell me stories too, and I always enjoyed our time together

We imagined things together, talked things through, took a blank space and filled it with creation

As I got older, paper grew distant and I'm not sure how it all happened 

I guess life became occupied with more things that didn't involve paper 

It became harder and harder to get that relationship back

I saw paper less and less

No matter how hard I try it just doesn't seem the same now

I sometimes wish I could go back and fix things

Typos, grammar errors, misspellings, mishaps

But things made in ink are not so easy to erase

Sorry if no one "gets" this post. There have been countless times where things are swirling around in my brain like crazy and I've wanted to post but worried about the opinions and thoughts of others or me being too weird/abstract with thoughts. But I'm trying to have a new outlook on that idea. After all, it is my blog right? I should be able to post whatever I like. Sometimes it just makes your head feel more at peace to write things down, you know? Even if it doesn't always really make sense. Maybe now I can go to sleep.

I could go without

New mothers talking about their milk coming in and what bras are particularly good for that sort of thing.

I do realize that you are in a group, not necessarily talking to me, and that I probably shouldn't be eavesdropping. But you all should notice that you're sitting quite close to me, talking pretty loud, while I'm trying to watch my husband's hockey game. This is no place for such conversation.

Farewell Olympics. See you again in a couple years.

I'll miss...

Watching this speedy man break records

Being entertained by this lovely duo

Seeing this man grab the much deserved gold medal

Rooting for this woman to overcome her injuries

Feeling excitement when this guy flips crazily in the air

And the intense moments that came with the two amazing games against Canada, played by this valiant team

Thank you, USA Olympic athletes for reminding me how proud I am to be an American and providing unlimited viewing pleasure for the last 16 days. Now onto London and then hello, Sochi - Where hopefully I'll once again get to watch that speedy man break records.

Well Said Mallory, I'm Stealing This Too

For lack of something else to blog about, I've decided to steal this post from a friend. I enjoy her way of writing, sarcasm and humor and I thought this post summed up how I feel about the particular topic pretty well. So here it is if you are curious and would like to read.

I promise that some time soon I'll get back to blogging my own thoughts and ideas rather than stealing.

Oh and on a most random side note, (because this is my blog and I can be all sorts of random and as unorganized as I like) I realized that I know very little about my siblings today, one in particular. Any of you had one of those "huh, I never knew that" moments before?

Bittersweet

So this coming Thursday marks the kick off for the U's football season and I get to go with my dad! I've been looking forward to the start of a new season basically since the last one ended, but this one feels different.

I will no longer be sitting in the student section, which sort of makes me sad. It's true that I will not have to be standing the whole game on crappy bleachers hardly being able to see. Or that I will most likely hear less "F-bombs" and not have the sun in my face for the whole first quarter. It's true that you should now find me happily sitting in my comfortable seat, pretty much on the 50 yard line, much closer to the field than anything I've seen in the student section, and surrounded by many Crimson Club members. And as all of this sounds so dandy, I still feel a sense of loss. I am no longer a part of the section where it's ok to stand up and yell chants the entire game or come with crazy face/body paint. Not that I was ever one of those "crazy" students anyway, but it definitely leads to a more exciting atmosphere. What this is all coming down to is, I think I actually miss being a student. (Ok, that was a hard sentence to get out)

I've never really liked school, and when I was younger I didn't even want to go to college. When I started at the U as a freshman, I never thought I would feel this way when I graduated. All I could think about was the next class, the next paper, the next test. I just wanted to get through and skip anything else that wasn't required for classes. And I certainly didn't want to be on campus any longer than I had to. But now I feel different.

Matt started school on the 24th and it feels strange not having classes. I almost want to just start showing up to some classes that sound interesting and listen. Obviously I don't want to take any more tests or be graded. It's not that I want to go back to school and complete another major. It's more like I want the chance to just take a bunch of random classes that have nothing to do with anything. I was looking at the fall schedule the other day and it seems there are so many interesting classes offered that I didn't have the chance to take.

I realize all of you who are still in school, Matt included, are probably thinking I'm absolutely crazy and that you would gladly trade places with me. Maybe my attitude will change when I adjust more to no longer being a student. I know, I know, I graduated in May - but I'm a little slow with change at times. I just always felt so proud to say that I was a University of Utah student. Now I guess I need to be just as proud to say I am a U of U alumnus. Because after all, that's technically a bigger accomplishment right? So this Thursday I'll make sure to enjoy the game in a more "mature" section of the stadium with other fellow members of the U alumni.

Who am I, sir
A Utah man am I!
A Utah man, sir
And will be 'til I die!!

We may not live forever on this jolly good old sphere,
But while we do we'll live a life of merriment and cheer.
And when our college days are o'er and night is drawing nigh,
With parting breath we'll sing that song:

A Utah Man am I!

My scale must be broken

So I asked for a scale for Christmas. (weird request, I know) Anyway, I hadn't used it much, but a couple weeks ago I decided to satisfy my curiosity. BAD IDEA. I found that I had gained a horrifying 14 pounds (Can you say gross? Say it with me, GROSS!) since I've been married. This isn't the good "my muscles are getting stronger weight" either since I'm pretty sure I can feel my arms jiggle sometimes while I'm working - gross again. With that awful number nagging me, I decided to start trying to work out at home and eat better. And I'll tell you, working out without a gym is hard to do!
So if you can imagine, I've been trying every other day to jog/run in place for about 30 minutes and then do various exercises for the next 30 minutes all while watching entertaining tv shows. Now, I'm not really used to having an exercise routine other than what we'd do for conditioning during cheer practices. So the first day I basically tried to do everything I could think of in the same amounts as I did when I was cheering and tumbling (AKA in-shape). Needless to say I felt like passing out right after and pretty much couldn't move the next day. I woke up one morning and nearly fell over trying to straighten my legs and then Matt asked me why I was walking like a penguin.

To buy or not to buy

So I recently got a letter in the mail showing the pictures taken by the professional photographer during graduation and giving me the option to buy them.
I handed it to Matt and asked him if I should purchase any. He looked them over and said, "I dunno, if you want." I replied by telling him that I wasn't sure because I looked sorta nerdy in them. His response, "You are nerdy."
Ha! well there you have it I guess. Straight up nerd here.

It's coming and there's no stopping it

So for a few weeks I've been admiring my gown as it hangs in my closet "de-wrinkle-ing" and it seems so strange that this is the end of my college days. Everything so far feels the same as a normal semester. Get the last few papers finished, attend the final classes, start studying for finals and eventually I'll finish those and be done! For some reason it still hasn't hit me yet. I think because I am so used to ending spring semester and having the summer break, that it feels just like the same ol' routine. It is definitely going to be strange when Matt starts school in the Fall and I don't. But soon he'll be finished too...does this mean we have to grow up now? Or...are you thinking I should have done that already? Because many days I do not feel like I am prepared for the world out there. Am I really old enough and experienced to handle all of the situations to come my way? Well I guess now I ought to be and even if I'm not, I'll hopefully learn as I go.
1 final, 3 papers down. 2 finals to go!
6 days, 12 hours, 11 minutes, 53 seconds til I am a University of Utah college graduate!
Ready or not, here I come