Baby Trees

I love eating baby trees, more commonly known (at least to those that don't spend time around kids) as broccoli. I think it's fascinating and a good thing that tastes change as we get older. Most vegetables were once my enemy, as is the case with most kids. Some still are (brussel sprouts, blech!). Now I really like eating broccoli. Tonight for dinner I made broccoli & chicken alfredo. It was delicious! One of the best real meals I've made this semester. I like to make legit meals from time to time, but usually I just make really quick and easy things. Hey, I'm a college student. That's what we do. I'm proud of myself because I still haven't succumbed to the ramen diet. I eat it sometimes, but I don't live on it. Anyway, I was pretty happy with myself because it tasted as good as it looked. Arianna laughed at me for smelling it. It smelled like alfredo sauce. I wish I would've taken a picture. It looked good enough to be in a cookbook or one of those home living magazines. Seriously. Sorry I don't have anything else to write about besides my amazing dinner. 

Beef. It's what's for dinner.

Tonight was our ward closing social. We went to this really nice lodge owned by BYU. It was huge! How huge you ask? There was an indoor basketball court and a play structure with a swirly slide (fun!) and monkey bars. Yeah, it was pretty cool. When we first got out of the car, I knew there was steak cookin'. The first thing out of my mouth was, "I smell meat." I'm such a carnivore. Arianna and Rylee made fun of how excited I was over the steak. That is one of the comforts of home I really miss. Meat. We had steak, dutch oven cheesy potatoes, salad and rolls. For dessert we had strawberry short cake.

There were so many things to do: air hockey, pool, ping pong, basketball, volleyball, and my personal favorite Just Dance 2. I played that pretty much the whole time. It was fun to get to know people in the ward better (even though it's now the end of the year) through their dancing. The girls next door actually owned the game and brought it. I danced with them a few times and Kirsten (a fellow Oregonian) and she called me competition. That felt pretty good. They said I'm going to have to come over and play with them. I'm pretty sure Kirsten just wants to beat me since I dominated tonight ;) When we were doing Crazy In Love by Beyonce, the Bishop walked in to watch and that was a little embarrassing because of some of the moves (booty poppin'). It was a lot of fun to see some spastic, comical and surprising moves from people. Even better, I got a pretty good workout tonight.

It was a fantastic Tuesday.

Boy, You Look So Fine!

Notice: Asian related post. If you could care less, feel free to skip it.

So, because of my fairly recently increased interest in all things Asian (and Matt, which has died down since I rarely see him anymore), Arianna has told me told me that I will either marry an Asian or someone who served their mission in an Asian country (or just someone who's been to one). Haha. I think it's funny because I would be okay with that. Before, I never would have considered marrying an Asian. When a high school friend told me I'd marry an Asian simply because I'm half Korean, I straight up told her no way! I didn't think Asians were even remotely attractive. Boy was I stupid then and she was plain naive. There are some pretty good lookin' Asian guys out there! Though I'm specifically referring to actors at the moment, I have seen a few regular guys that were pretty decent. Anyway, here are two Korean-Americans (like me!) that are attractive in my opinion.

 Daniel Henney

Dennis Joseph O'Neil (More commonly known as Dennis Oh)

The thing I've learned about Asian guys is that they tend to age REALLY well. I'll see in actor in a drama and think he's fairly appealing and I'll Google him only to find out he's like 30. 

Here is some more famous Korean eye candy.

Lee Min Ho

Kim Bum

No Min Woo

Nichkhun
(Technically he's Thai, but he's in a Korean boy band.)

Song Seung Hun
(Fell in love with him on My Princess)

Hyun Bin
(Loved him in Secret Garden. Sad he's gone
for 2 years for mandatory military service.)

And here's a few more of Lee Min Ho. I guess you could call him my favorite Asian A-Lister.

War! What Is It Good For?

An epic FHE activity! We had a Nerf dart war tonight. We each had a blow dart, which was just plain PVC Pipe, and a bunch of Nerf darts. It was so much fun! There was six of us, so we split into teams of three. We each had one side of the apartment (the living room and the kitchen). We turned the couches and tables sideways to make fortresses for protection. Each person had three lives which could be shared with another team member. We played two rounds so we could switch sides. The living room was the advantageous side because there was more space and more furniture to hide behind. The kitchen just had our table and there wasn't a whole lot of room. Each team won a round. Our blinds were open so we gained a group of spectators while messing around with the darts after our battle. Then we took it outside for little bit and shot passersby (weird word, but it popped into my head). They were jealous their FHE family isn't as cool as ours.

Chas, Arianna and Ally making their fortress.

Jason, Rylee and I are already done with ours. We just flipped the table.

Bring it on!

Note: The sweatshirts and jackets were for a little extra protection because it stings to get hit.

Before we started our epic battle, Chas read a story called Zen Shorts. It's about some kids who learn lessons from a Panda and become friends. We laughed the majority of the time he was reading. It was like story time for little kids. I think it's funny that he read to us because he's the FHE dad. I guess he takes his role pretty seriously. he also brought cookies. They were those chocolate and vanilla cream sandwich kind. Because one cookie is chocolate and the other is vanilla, Chas called them yin and yang/zen cookies. He put a lot of thought into tonight (he also supplied the darts and pipes).

Tonight was a lot of fun, despite a few painful hits.

Oh yeah, my headbands came today!! I'm so excited to wear them. I'll probably take badly model-esque pictures tomorrow so you can see what they look like. I love 'em!

Stunnin' In Scarves

While browsing my new favorite site, Etsy, I came across these little lovelies. I have no intention of spending anymore more money for a while, but I can still look at all the amazing things I can't and won't buy on Etsy.

Cupcake Scarves!

What's your flavor?

CHO-CO-LATE!

 Matching scarf AND beanie

This isn't cupcake related, but I love my breakfast foods. Eggs, bacon and toast...YUM! I love love love breakfast for dinner. It's kind of my favorite.

How awesome is this? I don't know if I'd actually wear it, but I'm pretty sure I'd be the only person with one if I had it. Seriously, how cool would it be to wear bacon around your neck?

Peanut butter jelly time! 

Sorry this is a slightly pointless post, but I had to share my discoveries. If you love the idea of wearing food around your neck, check out this Etsy shop.

One more for fellow movie enthusiasts.

Festival of Colors

Today a group of us went to the Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork to celebrate Holi-the festival of colors. It's a Hindu spring religious festival, though Utah has put a little twist on it, so it's not exactly the same as in India or Nepal or other countries. It's kind of a huge deal. Thousands of people attend and supposedly this year was the biggest so far. We had to park and then walk a few miles. Basically you and your friends get together and have a colored powder fight. It's so much fun! They have scheduled throwing times where everyone does it together, but we barely missed the time we were aiming for. Right before we started up the road that lead to the temple, we saw a bunch of colors appear in the air and quickly turn into a big brown smoky looking cloud. Since we missed it, we bought the powder and did our own thang.

Our Colorful Group (Except for the guy in back. We don't know him.)

Two girls we don't know, Ally, Stephanie, Claudia, Me and Arianna.
(Claudia and Stephanie live next door.)

I guess Arianna saw something that was more interesting than taking a picture.

Standing in a temple arch.

Afterwards, Ally, Stephanie and Claudia came over and we ate leftover pizza and cupcakes. Then we took turns messing up the shower that Arianna had just worked so hard to clean. We had cleaning checks this morning. I don't think I've ever been so dirty, except maybe from the pioneer trek I did. It was a great day. My only complaint is that one of my perfectly good camis has been permanently dyed pinkish purple. I should have worn one I didn't care about, but I didn't think I'd end up with that much powder down my shirt. Luckily my jeans are fine. The shirt I didn't care about. Now I know for next year because I will be going again. I'm so glad I made it this year after last year's failed attempt.  

Rylee Roo!

Happy birthday to my dear Ohioan friend and roommate, Rylee Vaterlaus! You are no longer the only teenager in the apartment. Congratulations! I'm glad you loved your purplicious cupcakes and I hope your wish comes true. Just think, next year will be even better since DANIEL will be able to celebrate with you! Who knows, your gift from him could be ring of some sort. Hahaha. JK. But really, you never know. Sorry...you know how much Arianna and I love to tease you about Daniel. It's because we love ya :) Anyway, I'm glad you had a fantastic birthday and that I was able to celebrate with you.

Purple frosting that looks gray in pictures

Rylee is really a fire breathing dragon in disguise.

Arianna bought this sweet hat that she found on the ground
at Walmart because it reminded her of Rylee.

New Love

There has been a recent trend with my posts being about dating and marriage. Though the title mentions love, I'm talking about a different kind. I have fallen in love with Etsy, "the world's most vibrant handmade marketplace". It's a website where people "buy or sell handmade vintage items, art and supplies". I could stay on this site for hours. It's kind of like a black hole. It just sucks you in and once you're in you can't get out. I've purchased mini cupcake liners once before because cute ones are hard to find in stores and items on Etsy are usually cheap or reasonably priced. Plus, the shipping is cheap (only a couple dollars depending on what you buy). I love it. The other day I rediscovered Etsy and found a couple cute hair accessories for under $10. I couldn't resist.

This headband is perfect for spring. I saw it and fell in love.

This clip on bow is just so cute I had to have it. {This reminds me: One thing I love about Etsy is that the handmade items are unique. It's rare that anyone else will have the same exact thing as you (which I like). Like with these accessories, there is only one available for purchase. I saw this bow and I bought it because it's the only one and the chances of finding it somewhere else are slim.}

I bought two more headband because they are so cheap and I just really love headbands. I post pics of me wearing them when I get them. I also bought a bow for Alina. I saw it and thought she'd love it. Only a couple dollars for this awesome JUSTIN BIEBER BOW. She loves him as much as I do...maybe a little more since she's 13. The picture is blurry, but you get the idea. I hope she loves it. If not, she can give it to me.

I highly recommend Etsy as a place for gift ideas for others or yourself. 

I guess I can follow my recent theme a little bit. I had a post about babies. On Etsy they have THE CUTEST newborn baby headbands and bows (like the ones in that post). It makes me so excited to have kids later on, assuming I have at least one girl. Until that day comes, I need my newly married/engaged relatives and friends to have a baby girl soon to fill my current void.

Special Delivery

Today I really wished that I could have groceries delivered to my door. I even turned to Google just to make sure, but there's nothing in Provo. If I was in SLC then it would be a different story. I'm out of food. Pretty much completely. I ate the last of my pasta for dinner, which I've eaten for the last couple days. For the last three days, my breakfast has been canned fruit. For lunch I've eaten leftover rice that my roommate brought back from a catering event. Tonight I even ate spoonfuls of peanut butter. I think my body is craving protein. I've actually had an upset stomach a couple times the last few days because my diet has been so poor.  I have no milk, bread, fruits or veggies. I basically have nothing to eat. Oh, the life of a college student with no car. I would walk to the BYU Creamery because it's the closest store, but walking back is the problem. I can't carry that much. [Maybe if I get desperate enough I could purchase a few things at a time over the course of a few days. That's only if I get really desperate. The creamery isn't the cheapest place either, which is why I try to avoid shopping there.] I don't want to bug others for a ride either. I feel bad asking my roommate when she doesn't need to go and when she's busy. I guess I really shouldn't complain because there are so many people far worse off than I am, but it's a little tough. Having grown up in an environment where I've always been provided for and never had to really worry about food, it stinks not having food in the fridge or cupboards. The next couple times I go to the store I'm going to really have to stock up to prepare for when Arianna leaves for the summer. I have found a new grocery buddy, but I don't want to rely on her too much. Hopefully we can go shopping soon or might start living off pizza since Little Caesars is across the street.

One Day...

I will see the East Coast and beyond. It's always been a dream of mine to travel. I've never left the country and Utah is as far East as I've gone. I'm quite the excursionist, huh?

Places I want to visit:

• Italy 
• Hawaii
• New York
• Australia
• Paris
• London
• South Korea or Japan (once it recovers from the recent devastation, which shouldn't be a problem since it will probably be forever until I finally get to travel)
• Spain
• Greece

I think that's it on my list. For now. Speaking of different countries, here are my latest blog stats in case you are interested.

Total views: 614...an increase of 79
New Countries:
China: 17
Poland: 13
Russia: 5
Australia: 1
Morocco: 3
Belarus: 3...I had to Google it because I've never heard of it
India: 5

And Happy Birthday Klaire Bear! I can't believe she's four already. The time really does fly by. I just did some reminiscing on Facebook because I have pictures of her when she was three months old.

She's just gotten cuter and cuter! I've been blessed to to have such beautiful sisters :)

The "Doctrine" Of Dating

Just for fun 

Today was the Stake Relief Society Spring Workshop. We went to two classes that we chose and then had lunch, which was taco salad. Yummy! I signed up for dating (no surprise here) and meal planning/healthy lifestyles.

A young married couple taught the dating one. They were so cute and were very helpful. Some of their lesson came from a fireside Elder Oaks gave titled "Dating Versus Hanging Out." You can read it here. There were some great points. Everyone knows it's the guy's responsibility to ask the girl out. But the guys aren't doing that, so this couple taught us what we can do as girls to help them along and realize we're interested. When saying hi, touch them on the shoulder. Smile and make eye contact and do it a few times so they know it's not just a coincidence. I'm not really a touchy person, but they said we should "prayerfully" get out of our comfort zone. I like how they stressed that this is a spiritual thing. We should listen to promptings we have about others and pray when thinking about marriage. Also, separate from the pack. That's just what girls do. We travel in groups, which is very intimidating for guys. They use the excuse that approaching one girl would make the others around her feel bad. I don't really know of anyone that would be too hurt by that, unless it was their crush talking to their friend. Then that's understandable.

Elder Oaks said, "Young women, resist too much hanging out, and encourage dates that are simple, inexpensive, and frequent. Don’t make it easy for young men to hang out in a setting where you women provide the food. Don’t subsidize freeloaders. An occasional group activity is OK, but when you see men who make hanging out their primary interaction with the opposite sex, I think you should lock the pantry and bolt the front door." As girls, we like to make food for guys we like and that's fine. We just need to not do it all the time and make sure they're not taking advantage.

One thing I thought was interesting and very true was when they talked about communication. Guys and girls definitely have different ways of communicating. Communication is an exchange of understanding. Just because there is talking and listening going on, doesn't necessarily mean there is communication. For an example they used an audio clip from a BYU professor who is a relationship expert. He started randomly speaking in Spanish and asked who understood. Just because he was speaking and people were listening didn't mean everyone understood what he was saying. Another thing they said was that guys send about 7,000 communication signals a day, while girls send around 21,000. Isn't that crazy? What a big difference. This is why girls have to "say what we mean and mean what we say." Otherwise, guys won't get it. They just don't.

Fact: There is no right way to reject someone. Just be straightforward and do it quickly. It's going to hurt no matter what, so just do it. Here's a good example of how: I like hanging out with you/spending time with you, but if you're looking for a relationship I can't do that. Or something like along those lines.

I'm not going to write about the meal planning/healthy lifestyles because I think it's pretty self explanatory. I will tell you one thing I learned though. Eat breakfast no matter what. Even if it's a cookie. Your body has gone so long without food so you should give it something to work with. Something is better than nothing. Even if it's the worst something you can get your hands on. So don't feel guilty about eating that donut.

Kind of a boring post since most of the people that read this are married family members, but I thought I'd let you in on what I learned.

On A Roll

Fact: Our apartment goes through toilet paper amazingly fast. I mean, we usually average a roll a day. How do we do it? I have no idea. Even though we are five girls, we still should not be going through it that fast. We've been this way from the beginning, but I'm especially peeved because I've been the one to contribute the majority of the t.p. this week (and times before). Four rolls. It's ridiculous. I'm annoyed because I'm not the only one who uses the bathroom. Everyone uses toilet paper, so everyone should chip in a roll or two. Or five.

Another complaint I have is that someone doesn't know how to replace it once it's gone. It's happened three times this week, which is why I end up being the one to replace it. If you use the last of the toilet paper, how hard is it to put a new roll on the dispenser? I mean, really. It's frustrating to go the bathroom at  3 a.m. (or any other time) only to find there is an empty toilet paper tube that delays me from doin' my thang. Not cool. Just replace it. If you don't have toilet paper to do so, get a roll from someone just this once and GO BUY SOME. Is this too much to ask? This happened last night actually, but there is a legitimate reason and the culprit has been forgiven.

Early this morning, around two, Arianna was having abdominal pain and was throwing up (she used the last of the t.p. and was in too much pain to remember to replace it). At first she thought she was just nervous for her test. She even dreamed about trying to find the volume of her bed. What a nerd :) At four, she finally decided to wake up Rylee and they went to the emergency room. Turns out she had a kidney stone. Two guys from the ward came over and gave her a blessing when she got back  around 7:45. I thought I heard guys this morning and thought it was too early for them to be here, but I was tired and remained oblivious to the situation. I didn't find out until later in the afternoon. Anyway, they blessed her that she would have a speedy recovery (the doctor said it could take a week) and she passed the stone a few hours later and feels much better now. She has it in a little sterile container for taking to a urologist. 

I looked at it and that thing is tiny! I'm talking maybe 2mm, size of a nonpareil sprinkle tiny. Everyone that's seen it (we had a get well visit from friends) can't believe such a small thing could cause so much pain. Manju couldn't get over it's size either. She compared it to the size of a small mole on her arm (and a sesame seed). We laughed pretty hard at that. 

Side story: When Arianna called her parents when she realized she wasn't just nervous over a test, her dad told her to immediately go to the hospital because it could be appendicitis. Her mother told her to wait a little and not jump the gun. Apparently her brother once had bad abdominal pain and thought he had appendicitis and went to the ER. Turns out it was just constipation. Funny story right?

Arianna, Manju and I ended up watching Sydney White tonight (I love Amanda Bynes) because Arianna wanted to watch a movie. She deserved to just relax. I hope everyone's Friday was a lot less chaotic.

Luck O' The Roommates

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Did you remember to wear green? I didn't until I got on good ol' Facebook. Lucky for me, it was right after my shower so I was able to change before getting pinched. So, Rylee is from Dublin, OH. It's not Ireland, but they still take St. Patrick's Day just as seriously. I don't think I've ever seen someone so decked out in green. She even had light up earrings. Just how serious does Rylee take march 17th? She dyed all the milk in the fridge green! And dinner was green pancakes in the shape of leprechaun hats (more or less) and green eggs. Yeah, I live with pretty cool people. Be jealous.

Rainy Love

Today it was raining and I loved it! It's been starting to feel like spring, which is nice, but I like the unexpected spring showers. Outside my window is the covered parking for our complex. It's metal and I LOVE LOVE LOVE listening to the sound of the rain hitting it. It's nice to fall asleep to. It almost feels like home. I love the sound of the rain hitting the skylights in my old room. It's pretty relaxing. I've decided my future home will have skylights. If I don't end up in Oregon, I will be somewhere that experiences all four seasons. Ugh, rain makes me feel homesick. Tonight I really wanted to just run outside and play in the rain. True Oregonian right here. You have no idea how badly I wanted to, but I think I'm developing a little cold (don't know how I got it). At first I thought maybe allergies, but I don't really get allergies. So I decided to play it safe (boring) and stay inside. It was such a bummer.

P.H.O.T.O.S {2}

It's another day where I really don't have anything to say, so here is round two of pictures I like.

                                            

Left: Original  Right: Edited and quote added. I kind of want this in a frame on display in my apartment. Maybe I'll do it.

I thought this was cute. Talk about growing old together. Adam Sandler singing Growin' Old With You from The Wedding Singer popped in my head when I saw this. It's a ridiculously cute song.

This is my favorite. It would make a cute poster and would look good in my room with my other posters. The problem is walls space.

~

These next ones aren't really pictures but I liked 'em when I saw 'em.

True words.

This happens to me ALL THE TIME. I try to fall asleep and my brain just won't quit. So annoying when I'm tired and I just can't fall asleep because of my never ending thinking session.