Snow, Wake, Surf, and long boarding....I love it all

So I have a thing going where I watch videos of women doing really well at different board sports. It kind of gets me depressed for the lack of them in my life but I enjoy it at the same time. First it was wakeboarding, when family and friends back in utah were boating every saturday. Then it was longboarding, because I missed cruising up and down provo with friends. Then I started watching surf videos to get me pumped to go big while I'm in Hawaii. Now I am starting to think about snowboarding back in Utah. Ya....snowboarding. While I'm in Hawaii looking at blue skies and basking in the balmy weather I am thinking about snow. Some call it crazy, I call it the love of my life.

today

My life is crazy busy right now. I shouldn't be blogging but it's one of those days where I don't want to do the things i'm supposed to, I realize these days come so I take them for what they are and I haven't done any homework today. My roommate just randomly read a quote that said "you are young and life is long and there is time to kill today". Wow. It's a sign.

anyways.....so finals are next week and things are under control. I did, however, just find out that I have a 400 page book to read and I have to write a 3-5 page report about it before Wednesday. I feel I have been doing good at not procrastinating but to never procrastinate would be inhuman so I justify sitting here.

Today I made a chocolate birthday cake complete with frosting all from scratch. I would have to say it was quite delicious. I also made chicken soup which was great. I can brag because this is the first time my cooking and baking skills have produced something even slightly mediocre.

After finals my friend invited me to go camping for 9 days. I am excited beyond belief. I guess my Utah roots have given me an internal love of camping. We are planning on hiking to waterfalls, surfing, and forgetting all about the fall semester that begins two days after we come back. Those 9 days will be glorious.

funny quote of the day "the fat girl inside of me is very happy right now"

Success at Waimea

I went to Waimea bay with some friends yesterday. My goal I made when I first went to waimea was to do a back flip off the highest rock which is about 25 feet. For a long time I had thought about trying it. The night before last I had a dream about doing it and so when we got on the rock I just did it.

Also there was another dolphin experience even better than the last. After I did the back flip I saw them swimming and they kept coming closer to the shore. I grabbed my goggles and swam towards them. They swam past me on all sides. I was in the water this time and about 3 feet away. They were making those weird noises but it was really cool to be so close. It was great!

Laie in all its glory

I went to the PCC yesterday and had dinner and went to the night show. The food was pretty good. It was buffet style and I had sushi and kalua pork and pineapple. The show was cool. I am learning to hula and it made me excited for class.

There is a great cliff jumping spot called Laie point. My friend is a video producer and was going to shoot a video there while the sun rises. He wanted a bunch of people to come and jump off so he could get some cool footage. I woke up at 4:30 to meet them there. When we got there it was raining and there were clouds so we headed back. I cant go back to sleep so it is now 6:30 am and my laundry is done, my homework is done, my bed is made, and I went on a bike ride. Now I have no clue what to do until the rest of the world wakes up.

It feels good to have some free time.

10 (more) things I know for sure

1. snorkel masks like to such your eyeballs out of their sockets
2. my student id is hideous
3. going to 4 beaches and then work is torture and is known to cause narcolepsy
4. watching others surf when you cant is also torture
5. i can sleep through 1000 decibels after going to 4 beaches and work
6. Alf isn't always an appropriate show
7. i have the coolest friend ever
8. fake is better
9. Hawaii will probably never see me with my hair done
10. I get awkward when someone tells me they like my buckets.

I'm 21. wahoo.

My day started at 7am when my roommates took me to breakfast. Then at 10 i went to class. After that I just hung around and did homework. Then at 4 I went to work. During work my friend Abbey brought homemade salsa and jello cake. I brought chips and cinnamon rolls and the Koreans I work with brought some rice crackers that were real tasty. After work there was a party at my apartment where we had rootbeer floats and lit sparklers (thanks mom!). Then I took the new scooter that is at my disposal for a ride. The gifts I got are:

shirt, PMFP, journal, postcard - Lex
sparklers, sponge, q-tips, cotton balls, chocolate, fruit leather, foot lotion, wrap - Mom and Hay
$30 - Hinkins
$100 - Grandma
wallet - Edna
PCC tickets - Bev
hawaii driver license - Me
Bracelet - Paige
North Shore book - Adam
Tie-dye shirt - Pam
Necklace, cup o noodles, hard-boiled eggs, banana bread - Xiaorong
2 salt water taffys - John from Ed Outreach

The next day I woke up at 7 and went to the temple. It was awesome. I am sad i don't go very often. I want to go again next week.

Root of all problems

Think about all the times you have been in a tiff with someone else. I can almost guarantee it's because you had expectations. They aren't bad but when they are believed to be what the future will hold then it becomes a problem. The only person you can rely on 100% is you. Lots of the time you even let yourself down. My 21st birthday is on wednesday and I am annoyed at the expectations the world has put upon that specific number. It really means nothing for me except I have to renew my drivers license. I am going to try to serve others more and use my birthday as a day for me to grow and learn. What better gift to myself can I give?

A few realizations...

.......life never stops.

I have always had the innocent idea that once work is done it is time to relax. I now realize the work is never done. There never is a moment in time when there is no work to do. Wow. That has hit me like a ton of bricks.

I am a lover of silence. I love the stillness you get in nature. I love the quiet drives down deserted roads and I love the people who enjoy the silence with me.

cheers to empty space and silent friends

PMFP

Has anyone heard of Libby's Potted Meat Food Product? I believe this is the epitome of a horrible American diet. A friend and I were doing our weekly shopping awhile ago and found this "substance". Something to be eaten, as it says, on crackers. Ingredients are as follows: mechanically separated chicken, pork skin, partially defatted cooked pork fatty tissue, partially defatted cooked beef fatty tissue, vinegar, less than 2% (thank heavens!) of salt, spices, sugar, flavorings, sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrate.
I see many problems here.

1. when an ingredient contains both "defatted" and "fatty" does that mean the ingredient doesn't exist?
2. when the first word is mechanically, does that mean i am supposed to eat the can?
3. what sort of flavorings are we talking about here?
4. why the fancy name? i mean the price of .75 cents already identifies upper-class as your target audience
5. also I never understood why recipes have both sugar and salt.

Coming Alive

"don't ask what the world needs.

ask what makes you come alive,

and go do it.

because what the world needs is people

who have come alive."

-howard thurman

It is so important for me to feel alive. I believe it develops potential, makes us happier, more aware humans, and opens the floodgate which love flows from

A blog I love to read does a weekly post on different people and what makes them feel alive. I realized I needed a remedy myself. Here is my concoction:

-exploring nature and letting my imagination run wild
-dancing (anywhere, usually spontaneous)
-singing in the car on a long drive
-running at full speed
-a deep conversation with a loved one
-hugging an animal
-motorcycle rides through the orchards

10 things I know for sure

1. I could eat berries and yogurt and granola for the rest of my life
2. Beta fish like peas
3. No matter where I go I will always miss the canyons and stretching fields of Utah
4. My family is awesome.
5. Spontaneity is a necessity for me
6. I can live off of 1/10 of my wardrobe
7. Rabbit in the headlights and age old tree are amazing blogs
8. I have the best friend/cousin ever
9. Four hours spent doing History homework is too much and may be less beneficial than it is beneficial
10. A mosquito bite on a bruise is really annoying

ps. love this popcorn recipe:
INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup butter, melted
10 cups warm popped popcorn
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION:

In a small bowl, stir paprika, red pepper, and cumin into melted butter or margarine. Gently toss butter mixture with popcorn, coating evenly.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and toss till coated.

best when eaten with chopsticks!