And the living is easy.

Finals week is kind of a blur. I know that I didn't sleep very much, but honestly I didn't study very much either. Right when Logan starts getting beautiful and people come out of hibernation, school ends and everyone has to move out. So we spent the last few weeks of school cramming in lots of Logan memories, trying not to fail school, and eating out twice a day for a week. It was a great time.

The last night before moving out was pretty Utah State-esque.  We had dinner at Firehouse and then Kait, Mal, and I ran around Logan like crazies. I mean like really cool people.

And I swam in the fountain on campus.

The night naturally progressed to a one a.m. too-many-people-in-the-car Walmart run (classic), last minute cleaning party, and four people ending up in my tiny bed while I recited the state capitols so we could check it off our list of goals. Hilary learns the state capitols: check. Good quality cuddling: check. (That was really on the list.) 
Moving home is always weird. I thought that this year it wouldn't be, because I only have three weeks at home before leaving the country, so it's more of just a visit. Nope, still weird. I love my family and I love being with them, but moving my stuff back into my room in the basement always feels like a step backwards even though I know it's not permanent.  So I've looked for lots of ways to fill up my time, such as:

The Cystic Fibrosis Walk

This is also kind of a blur, because I drove straight to it early in the morning the day I moved out. You know, the morning after staying up all night. It was so much fun though, and my family helps with it every year so I couldn't miss it. This year we walked around downtown Ogden, around Union Station, which is actually a really pretty area.

Funny story - we entered a bunch of tickets into the raffle because we really wanted to win a pinata for our Cinco de Mayo party. I knew that Lauren would win because she seriously is the luckiest kid on the planet. We had like 15 raffle tickets and the one ticket Lauren was holding won the pinata. No joke. BUT she ended up giving it to a little boy who was crying because he wanted to win. I told her she should submit the story of her good deed to The Friend.

Walks up to the reservoir

We like picnicking at this secret spot near our house and looking for frogs. Sometimes while we're there a giant snake slithers across my mom's foot - yeah, that happened.

Going back to work at my aunt's

There is no picture of this because there is nothing exciting enough to take a picture of. But I am so grateful to my aunt and uncle for always letting me come back!

Learning to play the ukelele

I know six chords! Which gives me lots of options, most of which are One Direction and Justin Bieber songs.

Pinterest-ing things 

 

Owl cupcakes! We also tried making these cloud parfaits. We're going to have to try again- ours got a little messy.

Ours did not look like this.

Visiting Delanie!

Sharing the joys of Baby Mama with her and Chris, looking at wedding magazines, and getting lots of cuddle time with Nollie in the process.

Making vereneky

Kaitlin would be so proud. My mom and I visited our neighbor and made vereneky with her.(Her husband is Ukrainian.) It was so good - and so fun to make. Especially with all her cute dogs waiting at our feet for scraps. We also got to hear her sweet story of meeting her husband in Russia - should definitely write a book because it is one of the most romantic stories I've ever heard. Plus they were followed by the FBI when they got here, so it's kind of amazing.

The first hike of the summer

I took my sisters up to Adam's Canyon for some adventuring. The weather was perfect for it. We're excited to make it to the big waterfall another day.

Janie's dance recital

I'm biased, but Janie was definitely the best dancer at her Dancing Around the World recital. Well, she tied with Addie, Delanie's cute little sister! We all went out to Brick Oven afterwards. I would recommend the Jambalaya – yummo!

Watching Endless Summer

School's out, so it was time for the fam to watch one of my/our favorite movies of all time. Endless Summer – the iconic documentation of surfers traveling around the globe in search of the perfect wave. It's from the 70s, so the commentary is hilariously ridiculous. It is not just a movie, it is an experience.

Reading
 

First library trip of summertime! I'm working on Catcher in the Rye right now, and I've got The Thirteenth Tale, Slaughter-House Five and Touching Spirit Bear up next in line. I guess I should mention that Rachel and I also read Justin Bieber's classic novel, Next Step to Forever, out loud to each other in one sitting.

Visiting Rachel at Pace's

Rachel is always either at work or getting ready to go to Taiwan, so I have to visit her during her break in order to talk to her. It is worth it though because the best fry sauce that has ever touched my lips is right here in Layton, Utah, at Pace's.

Getting ready to go to Samoa 

Don't worry; I've already figured out where this is and we are going.

 

A couple of days after I got home I got to have a phone conference with the Principal at Pesega High School, the English department head, and...my dad's friend? He works with my dad in Samoa; it's awful that I don't know exactly he does. Anyway, it was nice to hear the voices of the people I'll be working with, especially with the recent change of plans. Our grandparents were kind of going to take care of us – pick us up from the airport there, etc. Well this week we found out that my grandpa has kidney stones and they had to come home immediately. We will be picking them up from the airport tomorrow. It's all weird now, because we planned all our flights around my grandparents – now we have to find people to take care of us in American Samoa and Hawaii. But if we're going to be stranded somewhere...Hawaii's just fine.

Cutting my hair

Saturday morning, I was driving home from Mother's Day shopping and on my way to my sister's dance recital when I randomly decided to pull in to the salon by my neighborhood and cut my hair off. I'm getting more impulsive in my old age. Cutting any amount of my hair off is always a big deal for me , but then no one can really tell a difference because it's still so long. I promise she cut three and a half inches off though.

My hair last week

My hair yesterday

Celebrating Mother's Day

We had a barbeque at our house for Mother's Day. I love my family and I am so glad that my mom is my mom!

family partying

We had lots of sangria to celebrate Mother's Day. My Grandpa was a little concerned
 that we were drinking "Sin Alcohol." That means without alcohol. It's fine.

In other news, all of the money I am saving by living at home is going to be spent on driving all over the state visiting friends. I'm excited to see you all! Happy summer!

Some thoughts about my life.

This week, I got to meet Erin Gruwell - the real teacher of The Freedom Writers!

If you have not read this book...

Or watched this movie...

...please cancel all of your plans and do so.

Erin Gruwell thought she was going to change the world by being a lawyer, until she realized that by the time people end up in courtrooms it's already too late. She changed her course and became a teacher. At the age of 23, she drove 45 minutes from her ritzy Newport Beach neighborhood to the east side of Long Beach to teach 150 students no one thought would graduate. She remembers her principal telling her, "I just hope these students drop out before the standardized tests so that they don't pull the whole school down."

Erin began teaching shortly after the Rodney King riots in LA, and in the aftermath of these riots there were 126 murders in Long Beach alone. Every one of Erin's students had been shot at. They told her they had been to more funerals than birthday parties. Most of them did not expect to graduate from high school. Their main concern every day was getting home to their families alive.

Erin used young adult literature and writing to free her students. When she came and spoke at Utah State this week, she said, "My students wanted to stand up for themselves and for justice, but they didn't have the words." Gang violence is all about people who feel like they have no control over their lives trying to control each other. So they can control SOMETHING.

Language gives people control. Learning to use writing to express yourself is so freeing. It's amazing what one teacher was able to do because she gave her students a voice and then listened to what they had to say.

After Erin spoke, my friend Candace and I hurried out to meet her before anyone else could get to her! She was one of the kindest people I have ever met. I told her that I felt like I already knew her because I'd read what her students said about her. When Candace told her we were going to be English teachers she got so excited/emotional and hugged us. She told us we would do a better job than she did because she didn't even know what she was doing. Yeah, I'm sure!

Erin wrote "To hope!" in the book I brought for her to sign

I think about teaching A LOT all the time, but especially this week. Not only did I get to meet Erin and write a million lesson plans this week, but I'm getting ready to teach in Samoa!  (Some parts of getting ready are fun, like getting my passport in the mail. Some are not, like getting vaccinations. My arms are a bit floppy today.) This week I got an email from the English Department Head at Pesega - the church school where I will be working. She said, "We're excited to use your writing expertise and would like you to give trainings for the whole English department." I started panicking. I can't train teachers! I'm not even a teacher!

I called my Dad and told him that there must be some misunderstanding about my qualifications. He said, "No, you have something to offer them. Let me explain to you what our schools are like." My dad has visited all the Church schools in the Pacific many times, and he told me that I already had more experience teaching writing than most of the teachers. Samoa's traditions are very orally based - they tell oral narratives, and writing is kind of a new phenomenon. Most of the teachers at the Church schools do not have degrees. Plus, writing is hard enough in your FIRST language. Could I write a research paper in Samoan? No. My dad told me that one of his goals has been to have more students from the church high schools go on to BYU Hawaii or other colleges, but that one of the biggest problems students face in going to college is that they cannot write well enough.

My dad told me about lots of other problems the students are facing and said, "You might see some really hard things."

Well..to hope! I'm going to spend the next few weeks going through all of my books on teaching writing, talking to other teachers, asking the teachers in Samoa for writing samples from their students...everything I can to get ready to do my best work. Like sweet Erin Gruwell said, I don't really know what I'm doing, but I care so much about these students and their teachers already. I only get a month with them, but I know I have something to offer.

Samoa!

So that is how my life is going. No one ever says, "Congratulations on your break up!" But maybe they should.

When your life falls apart, you get to rebuild it any way you want. There is something very freeing about that. There is meaning and purpose in my life!

When you have a loss in your life, it opens your eyes to all the other sources of love all around you. I am so lucky! I'm already feeling sad about moving out at the end of finals week because I love all my Logan friends so much! Moving out of apt 54...weird! But I'm so excited for the adventures we're all about to embark on!

\
 This summer is going to be magical...so are the next few years. I can feel it! To hope!

My New Favorite 12 Year Old

Lauren turned 12 yesterday! There are no words to describe how lucky you are if you have a Lauren in your life. She makes everything fun and exciting. I can't believe she has been alive for a dozen years! I am old.

12 things you should know about Lauren:

1. Lauren was born on February 25th and thus shares a birthday with one of our favorite Beatles, George Harrison, who gave the world some amazing songs like Here Comes the Sun and While My Guitar Gently Weeps. February 25th is also the birthday of Jimmer Fredette and the actors who play the Weasley twins. Clearly Lauren is destined for fame.

2. We were all sure Lauren was going to be a boy. She wasn't, but she's probably the most tomboy-ish of any of my sisters. Once we found out Lauren wasn't going to be an Isaac, her name was almost Chelsea Olivia. I pointed out that then her initials would be COW. Lauren Grace it was.

3. On the day Lauren was born, my dad started calling her Lollie and never stopped. Everyone else started calling her that too, and it's only been during the past few years that anyone at all has called her Lauren. There is no telling how many times she has had to hear the song, "Lollie Lollie Lollie get your adverbs here."

4. Lauren loves learning about anything and everything. She is the most likely in our family to spend a meal spouting off random facts and sometimes she'll call me just to tell me something interesting she just read about. She is very enthusiastic about animals, the environment, and all things science. Her favorite TV shows are Cats 101 and Untamed and Uncut.

5. Lauren learned to walk on Thanksgiving Day when she was only 9 months old, but she took a while to figure out the whole talking thing. She talked ALL the time, but she could only pronounce about half of the letters in the alphabet. Until she was like 8. So she had a very distinct way of talking for quite a while that I used to be able to imitate.

6. Lauren and Rachel love to write, choreograph, and act in their own musicals together. All their plays have been successes amongst the extended family, but my personal favorite is Puberty the Musical.

7. Lauren's letter to Jane Goodall was published in Time Magazine, and she was recently featured in the newspaper for her involvement in the Junior Fire Corps. Like I said. Fame.

8. Lauren's laugh lights up my whole life. She is always doing something weird and goofy. Like most people in my family, she is not content to sit around. "Let's do something guys!" is her catchphrase.

9. Boys like Lauren because she is funny and "sporty." (She has some boys fighting over her at school, but she refuses to talk about it. We find out from their parents, and then when we bring it up she gets WAY awkward and goes all denial on us.) She loves tennis. And just playing in general.

10. Lauren's teacher thinks she is going to be a politician. Lauren thinks she is going to be an orangutan trainer or a herpetologist. I had to look it up too.

1. Lauren listens to the oldies station on the radio. She loves the Beatles. That's kind of a requirement for being my sister.

12. There are a lot more things I could say! Like, she always wears a jacket to school because she hates the feeling of her skin touching paper. She once had asked a member of the Jamaican bobsled team to sign her arm. He did. She puts ketchup on EVERYTHING.

But my favorite thing about Lauren is that she has never been afraid to be herself. She loves being different. She doesn't let anyone else's attitude affect her intense enthusiasm for life. People love being around Lauren because she is comfortable being herself and letting others do the same.

I love you, Lauren Grace!

 Lauren's reaction to SeaWorld

Read Lauren's blog! Click HERE

Lauren reading the dictionary. In her orangutan slippers. With the Uruguay flag painted on her face.

Thank you, Mr. President.

The long weekend began on Abbie's birthday!

Sisters make the best best friends!

The day started off a little chaotically, with me running from class to the store to buy balloons in time to decorate the car and then head up to my Service Learning meeting/fancy lunch.

I love being in Service Learning Scholars

After spending about an hour trying to be involved in conversations that went exactly like this...

"What are you doing this summer?"
"My husband and I are going to be in Africa helping build sanitation systems in villages."
"Awesome! I'll be in Peru volunteering with an eye doctor who gives free services to peasants in the mountains."

....I picked Abbie up and made her pose with her balloons.

Immediately, I could tell it was going to be a magical day. When we went to pick up Abbie's friend Logan, we saw a bunch of quail walking through the parking lot! And then on the way home, a giant flock of birds swooped down over our car. Which was a different kind of magical: the scary Larry kind. But then I changed lanes twice without Abbie telling me I should! This is a big deal for me.

When we arrived at home, we walked up to the door and found this sign:

I'm sorry; I'm kind of computer illiterate and I don't know how to rotate pictures on here.

And then our four younger sisters ran out of the house dressed like this:

 When we asked why they were dressed in 80s garb, their explanation was, "We didn't have school today." They had spent the day choreographing dances, which they quickly performed for us before we headed downtown.

Rachel and Janie wore their 80s outfits all over Salt Lake City. Rachel had a brief panic attack when we got out of the car at my dad's office building and she realized we might see a general authority. But other than that, they wore them with pride.

Our first birthday celebrating stop was our favorite bookstore, The King's English. I want to live there. I think that combined we probably spent over $100 there. I got a copy of The House on Mango Street, which is dear to my heart. Being in bookstores is like a spiritual experience for me. I'm serious! I just walk around running my fingers across the spines of the books and feeling lucky to be alive!

Miss Abigail

book lust...

I'll take this room, thanks.

 After quite some time, we met our dad at his office where the present opening was held.

Abbie and her new ukelele!

We had to pry the kids (when I say kids, I'm including Rachel) out of the board room where they were playing "business meeting" in order to go to dinner.

We had dinner at one of our favorite places, Litza's Pizza. Yummo! Since we were seated in a semi-secluded area of the restaurant, Mom made the kids (Rachel is involved again) perform their dance for our dad. They actually got up and did so for about 45 seconds before Rachel got super embarrassed.

So we decided to go see some people who weren't afraid to perform for us. We saw CSI Provo at the Desert Star Theater!

 

Fun times. There are some very talented people doing very random things out there in this world. And luckily some of them wish Abbie a happy birthday in public by teasing her about how there are no boys her age around. 19...get it....?

What a lovely February 17th. I wish I could say that I remember when Abbie was born, but I was 1 and a half. Instead I will copy Mallory's idea and tell you some facts about my sister Abigail Rose.

1. Unless you are Harry Potter himself, she knows more about Harry Potter than you do. At our Harry Potter party this summer, she won the trivia contest by correctly answering the question, "What was Hermione's score on her Muggle Studies OWL?" It's debatable whether J.K. could even answer that question.

2. She has a ginormous imagination. When she was little, she would spend all day pretending to be a certain character. This would change daily and get a bit confusing. Sometimes she would say stuff like, "Today I'm pretending to be Dumbo who's pretending to be Belle." 

3. When she was like 6 she wanted her name to be Roxanne. She made the primary sing the Happy Birthday song to her using the name Roxanne.

4. She is always the most willing to swim out into the ocean with me.

5. She is wicked smart at every subject. Her brain is a sponge. For a bit, she even went to a different elementary school than I did because Virginia Run was just not up to her speed.

6. She taught herself to play the guitar (and she's really good) and then taught herself to play the ukelele like a pro in about twenty minutes.

We like to play dress up.

7. She has performed in a wide range of plays, including but not at all limited to, Beauty and the Beast, Christmas Carol, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Scarlet Pimpernel, and something about bugs. The title escapes me, but she was an adorable cricket.

8. Kids flock to her. I don't know what it is. Yes I do, she's amazing with them.

9.. She reads an average of 2 books a day. That is an estimate, but not at all an exaggeration. She's been known to read while walking down the stairs.

10. She's been cut in half in a magic show.

11. When she makes Kraft macaroni and cheese, it comes out a million times better than when anyone else does it. The same goes for her amazing brownie making skills.

12. She is the best friend anyone could ask her. She is genuinely happy when her friends succeed, and she takes secrets to the grave.

I know I will think of like 80 more while I'm trying to fall asleep. Basically, she's the best. I love you, Abracadabra! 

Saturday, I went to lunch at Zupa's with Delanie and Candace. It was a try something new sort of day, so I tried a new soup AND a new sandwich, and both were wins (their new crab sandwich and the Wisconsin cauliflower soup - in case you go to Zupa's sometimes.)  We sat in Zupa's for two hours talking talking talking about EVERYTHING. 

Then we crossed the parking lot to Petco to look at animals because it happened to be adoption day! 

The rest of the day was kind of a blur of mostly Just Dance.

Sunday morning, I woke up to my dad organizing a balloon volleyball tournament with my sisters. Sunday mornings are going to be a little different since he's been released. Sundays at my house = lots of food and tons and tons of games. Someday I will win Ticket to Ride. Someday.

President's Day morning, my parents made Aebleskiver!

 We got this Aebleskiver pan in Solvang (a lovely Danish town west of LA) like six years ago. And this was the first time we made them. They were SO good!

Then I took Lauren on a date for her birthday, which is this Saturday. We went to see this:

Lately, I have been going to the theater WAY more than I usually do. But Lauren loves all animals, I love John Krasinski, and we both love whales. We went in our sweats, because it was morning, and who goes to the movies in the morning besides us. Well, apparently EVERYONE. Lauren LOVED this movie, and I thought it was pretty good too. It took me all day to get over the baby whale dying, though. Really.

Later that day Abbie and I watched The West Wing for a while with our parentals. We'd been planning this for President's Day for a while because we are that clever. The West Wing is very significant in our family because it is honestly the only TV show my mom has ever cared about. We would vote for President Bartlett in a heartbeat.

That night I got a new swim suit! It was the fastest swim suit shopping moment of my life. Thanks, Target! I am now fully ready to head to the beach. A trip to Jamba Juice and Barnes and Noble tied the weekend all together. Hooray for President's Day!

Things I Am Excited About.

2012 is going to be a good year for blogging! This is the third time I have blogged this year. UNPRECEDENTED. I guess I have more to say in 2012.

Spring semester is off to a good start. I love my roommates, and I love having my little sister up here. We are all exceptionally busy, so at times it's like pulling teeth to get everyone or anyone out of the apartment. But I am determined to have an awful lot of fun this spring. Most people post on their blogs about things they have already done. Well...I don't, apparently. Here is a list of things that make me excited about this semester! I am excited to...

Celebrate Holidays

In just a few hours, we will be celebrating Groundhog Day! Spring semester offers many opportunities for holiday fun, including but not limited to, Valentine's, President's Day, St. Patrick's Day, April Fool's, Easter, and Cinco de Mayo. I LOVE holidays. 

Go to Basketball and Hockey Games 

Aggie sports get me through the cold cold Logan winters. The last home basketball game is this month, which makes me tear up a little. And I very want to go to the BYU hockey game!

Find Something Epic to Do For Abbie's Birthday

I love birthdays. Last year for Abbie's birthday she came to Logan and saw Brian Regan with me and Melissa, and the year before she had a Harry Potter party, both of which are hard to top. I think I've asked her about three times a week for the past months, "What are we going to do for your birthday?" and she never knows! I always have my birthday planned 2-6 months in advance. I am determined to think of something for hers!

Help With Interesting Volunteer Projects

This semester I haven't been able to go to all the volunteer meetings I usually do because of work. But I do have some interesting events I'll be helping with. For my multicultural education class, our professor signed each of us up to join some kind of club without telling us which club it was, just basing it off of our schedules.So I am now part of the Native American Student Council, which means I get to help with the pow-wow! I'm actually pretty excited about it. Also, I may or may not be working a SAAVI table at this year's showing of the play The Vagina Monologues. All the proceeds go to the local women's shelter, and women's shelters are dear to my heart. This may be one of those things I have to drag my sister to, because I'm guessing no one else loves me THAT much.

Celebrate Justin Bieber's Birthday

March 1st, 1994. This must be celebrated. We will be wearing purple and watching Never Say Never. You wish you had thought of that.

Spend Spring Break in San Diego

One day a couple of weeks ago, I got an email from the service center about a trip to San Diego. So I went to my dear roommates, Mal and Kaitlin, and said, "Hey guys. Do you think in the next few hours you could rummage up 175 bucks and then get up early to make a deposit in the TSC so we can go to San Diego, help old people, and go to SeaWorld?" And they, being the adventurous souls they are, said, "Sure." I am so excited. I have been to San Diego seven times. It is one of my favorite cities. It's unfortunate that the ocean and I are in a long-distance relationship, but it sure makes trips like this exciting. I'm also excited because I firmly believe that travel is one of the best things for friendships. You get real close to people you travel with. And I love Mallory and Kaitlin! 

See the Hunger Games

 I finally read The Hunger Games over Christmas Break. I read it in one day and complained loudly to Abbie and Rachel the whole time about how stupid Catniss was to not trust Peeta. It wasn't in my top five or anything, but that book was written to be a movie. It's going to be great! I'm going to need midnight premiere tickets for sure! I love midnight premieres.

Go to The Festival of Colors

I fell in love with the Festival of Colors when I went last year. It is so beautiful and crazy, and it's just such a random interesting event for small-town Utah. It's a cultural must. 

Visit Hot Springs

 Here is a picture of people in a hot spring. I apologize if they are naked; I really can't tell. I really don't know when we are going to visit hot springs, or which hot springs we will visit. But it is on the list of things to do which hangs on our apartment door, and I think it is one of the more intriguing items left on the list. Especially now that we've crossed off "wear turbins."

Watch My Students Succeed 

 

I have two education students in the writing center this semester, which is really different because I meet with each of them 2-3 times a week. It's been more work but really rewarding already. One of my students especially is so nice to work with. Today she said, "People keep asking me if I'm annoyed that I didn't get into the education program, but I just tell them I'm really not because I've improved my writing so much and I have a great tutor who like...believes in me!" Yeah, she is pretty much too good to be true. I am really looking forward to watching them pass the writing exam...here's hoping at least! Of course I also have my SI students, and I love watching things click for them. Crossing my fingers for all of my students!

Go to a Concert 

 The other day I realized that I haven't been to a concert since freshman year, not counting We the Kings at The Howl. I guess that counts, but still it's been more than a year! So Abbie and I are contemplating getting Ingrid Michaelson tickets for April! Abbie and I have never been to a concert together, and we both love Ingrid deeply, so it would be grand. 

Swim Faster

 Yes, that is Michael Phelps. No, my goal is not to be as fast as he is. I just want to get my 500 under ten minutes. I'm pretty close. My swimming class this semester is more intense, even though it's the same class. Half the people in the class are training for a triathlon, and the instructor is a lot more into sprints and timing. It is good for me.

Find Out About My Dad's Mysterious Plan 

 

The other day my dad texted me and said, "You know how Abbie and I went to NYC because she'd always wanted to see a Broadway play? Well, what have YOU always wanted to do?" Mind racing. I pondered for hours. There were many things to consider. For instance, I have always wanted to see Maroon 5 in concert, but is that something I want to do with my dad? Not really. The fact that I fully plan on making out with Adam Levine when I meet him is only one of the reasons. After having Abbie perform some careful research, I told my dad that what I've always wanted to do is swim with dolphins. He said, "Good choice." That is all. Now, sometimes my dad gets REALLY excited about things for like two days. One Saturday night he said, "We should rent a houseboat!" and I woke up on Sunday morning to him yelling upstairs to my mom about all the houseboat deals he was finding online, and her yelling back, "Are you serious? Do you even know how to drive an average-sized boat?" So, I don't even know if this paragraph counts as something I'm excited about. Just crossing my fingers that this swimming with dolphins things is not a renting-a-houseboat thing.

Either way, it's going to be a great semester!