More Things I've Done

SO I have a hilarious story to tell you from the library but I will tell it in a different post.

Today I have to tell you 3 count em, 3, things I get to cross off my list!

1. Take a long bike ride
2. Design and make my own article of Clothing
3. Go Kayaking

Yay I did those things 

And soon I will have done 100 hours of service so that will be great too!!

I rode my bike up to Mount Timpanogos Temple in American Fork.  The temple is BEAUTIFUL.  The bike ride there was all up hill and I got lost.  SO I'm not sure how many miles I really went all together but it was a good ride, other than my chain falling off and my handlebars being so ridiculously loose.  Oh Yeah and it was uphill on the way back too.  Don't ask how just believe me because it was.  I promise you.

I made a skirt.  It's not like some new original design but I did it without a pattern.  I used fabric I had from a dress I was going to make years ago but never did.  The sewing is a bit sloppy at some points because my tension wasn't right but everyone who see's it thinks it's cute so it works.

And my friend Scott took me kayaking!  He is awesome.  He had all the things I needed and guess what It was so fun!! And even though I'm not really a lake kind of person it was still really fun.  And the weather was beautiful!!  It was AWESOME!

I will come post pictures of these things soon!

Cheers everyone!

Things to Cross Off

SO I am still pretty stressed about all these decisions that need making and the uncertainty of my future but I thought I should share that I can cross off

See both parts of the 7th Harry Potter Movie

from my 22 list!

IT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME!!

Yeah it was and did you see Justin Beiber in it at the end?

Ok I KNOW it's not him it's just a joke ok!  Get off my back.

 Geez ruin all my fun. 

Wizards and muggles alike enjoying our Harry Potter Party!

Break

Dear Friends,

I am sure you have noticed but I thought I should officially announce that I need a break.  Whilst on my hiatus, please keep me in your prayers for I have many changes coming up in my life as well as things now that seem difficult for me.

I love you all.

Love, Alicia

I'm Back

Note* I wrote this awhile ago but just hadn't posted it because I planned on putting pictures and then I was busy/lazy so here ya go :)

Oregon was awesome!

Tom being Pensive at the beach

It's very green there.  When we were driving to the coast (Oh yeah, we went to the coast) you couldn't see more than a few feet off the road to either side.  It's crazy.  Quite different from the desert where you can see for miles.  It reminded me of the East coast, driving through Massachusetts.  It was gorgeous.

When I was flying in and we were descending it was so awesome to look down, though hard because I didn't have a window seat.  SO yeah it mainly consisted of me sitting up really straight and tall and kinda stretching over the empty middle seat to try to look out the window.  But there were hills and you couldn't see the ground at all!!  Just trees, thousands and thousands of trees!!!!

And also when we were still a bit higher up off the ground it was way awesome to see the mountains peaking up through the clouds.  Pretty sure those are the Cascades but remember I'm only half a geologist so I could be wrong.  But it was totally cool.

When I landed I was really hungry and there was a slight delay in my ride to Tomkins house from the airport so I went to go eat at Wendy's.  And guess what, the girl behind the counter is a member of the LDS church (or Mormon).  Dang Isn't that funny that the first person I meet off the plane is Mormon?  We're everywhere haha

Anyways.  Then Tom came and we went back to his place in the rental car he got for the weekend.  Then we got pizza it was good.  We tried to watch a movie but I fell asleep and Tom fell asleep.  Seriously and it's a movie I wanted to watch too "Big Fish" because I've never seen it but I fell asleep really fast.  Oh well.

Me all happy at Pudgy's

The next day we went to the coast.  (As previously mentioned)  It was great just very chill and relaxed.  We ate at a place called Pudgy's which is fancier than it sounds.  We just had burgers.  Quite good quite good.  And we looked around in all the touristy shops and sat on the beach, even though Tom forgot a blanket...That's right it's totally not my fault.

And then we went back to Beaverton for a ward activity.  There we had hot dogs and played badminton and I met Tom's friends, they're great and it was fun.  By the end of the day I was tired but it was good.

And the next day we just hung out.  We watched Little Red Riding Hood with Amanda Siefried or however you spell her name.  I was surprised I liked the movie because I'm prejudice against her because she made Channing Tatum cry and that was mean.  I mean I know it was just a movie  (Dear John) but it broke my heart to see him all sad.

Then we went bowling.  I don't remember my score 120-something.  And then we went to Panda Express which was good.  And then we went to watch "The Green Lantern."  In truth it was a bit anti-climactic but it was funny and entertaining.  I liked it but I would wait till it's in Redbox to watch it again.

And the next day was church which we were half an hour early too because Tom thought it started at 1 but it starts at 1:30.  Haha It reminds me of that time I seriously showed up to a class an hour late, so it was over.  It was in the middle of the semester too so I'd been going to this class three times a week for two months.  Really no excuse I just lost my mind momentarily.  Though I think it's better to be early than late.

Also that night we went to game night.  We played Apples to Apples which I only got one card because I seriously had the worst cards ever.  I ended up not even looking at what I was giving the person who was "it" because my cards were lame.  Then we played Taboo.  Oh yeah did you know my family can be really competetive so sometimes it's hard to play in groups?  Oh well I think I was pretty ok.  And I did well at it.

But then it was time to leave and I was really sad because I was having a lot of fun with Tom and I didn't want to go.

I am very happy though that I got to see Tom because he is my best friend and I love him very mucho.  And I hadn't seen him in two years!  That's half of the time we've been friends.  Crazy right?  Well it's true.  Soon too he'll come back to Utah and we can have more fun adventures but now I'm back in Utah and it's back to the daily grind.  

Ah well C'est la vie!

Fake Out Compliment

Today I was riding my new bike to the store, which doesn't exist anymore but that's something all together different from what I'm going to write about.  Anyways I was riding my bike to the store and these two Jr High kids rode up on their bikes.  We were all stopped at a stop light.  SO of course I was doing that stand where you straddle your bike so it doesn't move and you don't roll out into traffic.  But I was also still kind of sitting on my saddle, so my one leg was on my tip toes.  Anyways, this caused my calf to be flexed.

And this one kid who looked like a blonde Beiber says, "You have huge calves." 

And the other kid whispers to himself "Lucky."

No joke these kids were probably 13 at the oldest.  

So I said "Yeah I do."

"Do you ride your bike a lot?"

"Actually I just got it the other day."

"Oh...Do you run a lot?"

"Not really...It's more of a genetic thing"

"Lucky"

"Ha Thanks."

So this made me think about how sometimes people say things and they think it's a compliment but it's really just a fact.  While I don't think this kid necessarily thought that telling me "Your calves are huge." was a compliment, it just is a weird statement to say to a stranger.  Not really the most flattering word choice either. But they are 13 so what can you do.  

My point is though that stating a fact about the way someone looks and expecting some kind of reaction from them is weird.  It's like going up to a person and saying "Oh hey you look like a human."  Which is sad sounding because it sounds like you thought they wouldn't or something.  

I know, I know, you don't mean to be offensive or anything.  Sometimes things take you by surprise and you must blurt out things like "Wow you have red hair." Or "Oh your eyes are blue." Or "Your hair is curly."  But do not be surprised if a person responds with "What the heck?  When I woke up this morning my hair was not red it was black!!" Of course in a quite sarcastic tone.  Or more often they will use my response of no response or "Yep."  

When I used to work at the MTC I would poll the red-headed Elders and ask them if any one had ever told them they had red hair and what their responses were.  Just a random story I thought I would share with you.

And not like noticing these things is bad, but if you like the red hair or the curly hair or the blue eyes it may be better to say "Wow I love your curly/red hair / blue eyes."  Or whatever it is that you may be noticing.

But if you don't like it it might be better to say nothing at all.  Because you know telling someone 

"Oh you have curly hair."  And then staring at them can make them feel kind of self conscience and want to straighten their hair all the time.

Summer Reading

So many awesome updates for you all.

Remember how it has always been my dream to work at a library?  Well guess what...

I got hired at the P-Town Library!!  

You may all do a celebratory dance for me now.  

Which speaking of books...

I'm doing this new thing in order to A) Get to know those people I care about better, B) Expand my horizon intellectualy (ok I guess that isn't a word but you can see why then I need to do this), & C) Enlarge the number of books I have read. 

See what I'm doing is asking people what their 3 favorite books are and then I will choose one that I have not read and read it.

So I started with my oldest brother Aaron.  He said

1)The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 

2) MacBeth and 

3) Jurassic Park.  

I had already read MacBeth and Jurassic Park so I am currently reading The Fellowship of the Ring.  It's quite good so far.  I think having seen the movies before hand has helped because I could see myself getting bored a bit if I hadn't. 

And now there's some purist out there who's like "For Shame!  The books are infinity times better than the movies!!"  And duh there's hardly an occasion where they are not, BUT sometimes books can be a bit on the boring side.  For me If I can imagine all the little details or things that will make it more fun while I'm reading it is better.  

Have you ever read Treasure Island?  It's an awesome book right?  Well The beginning is a bit slow.  So When I read it I imagined the characters were Muppets, like from Muppet Treasure Island ("I've got Cabin Fever!" "I've got it too!" hahahhahahahaha).  And that helped me get through the slowness of the beginning of the book,

You're still mad, but you'll get over it.

Besides I've heard tons of people say that the Fellowship is a bit slow so I'm not the only one who thinks so.  :P

I'm not usually a purist when it comes to things like movie adaptions of books.  I can just appreciate them as different forms of art.  But I am a purist about the Wizard of Oz.  Don't get me wrong, I love both the movie and book.  But I don't like it adapted as a play and I really don't think I would like Wicked.  I know I'm awful, everyone loves Wicked.  But I seriously think it would make me super angry.  I also don't like to hear about the political undertones of the story.  Anyways...The point is
don't mess with Oz or I'll punch you.

And you might think I'm a purist with Harry Potter, and while I do hate the 3rd movie, I can appreciate the occasional Potter Puppet Pals

Ok The End.

Except oh yeah I'm still sick and I don't think it is mono, but my voice has been gone for over a week now.  So that's pretty interesting.

Who have you been kissing?

That's what people ask me when I tell them my symptoms.

I've been sick for 2 weeks now.  Tired all the time, and not just my normal tired all the time, but like getting my 8 hours of sleep and then taking 4 hour naps during the day.  And then this constant headache that can't be because I'm dehydrated because I'm not, I'm quite hydrated.  So then I stopped being as tired and now I've lost my voice.

Is that my voice? oh well hahahaha

But I'll tell you a secret, I like the sound of my talking voice when I have a sore throat.  IDK why.  Maybe it's because it's fun to sound different sometimes, or to pretend you have one of those raspy sexy voices.

Anyways so people hear my symptoms and say, it sounds like mono.

And I get really hopeful that I do have mono.  

You think I'm strange but I think it's brilliant.  

There are plasma donation centers that will give you $500 for your plasma if you have mono.  I could use $500.  I think it's worth it but not many people do.

Mono is also known as the kissing disease.  So that's why they grin and ask me

 "Who have you been kissing?"  

And I have to say 

"no one as of late.  And I suppose if I really do have mono I won't be kissed anytime soon." 

And then I have to make a frowny sad face.  

But it's all just for comic relief.  Mono is most commonly picked up from sharing water bottles and things like unto it.

So you're like, well Alicia if you think you might have mono and you think it's worth it to have it to get $500 why don't you go to the doctor and have them take your blood and find out for suresies?

Well that is because due to some mix-up I do not have any Health Insurance.  Lame I know.  But I think I will buy BYU's health insurance and go soon.  

Because it is totally worth it.

Moral of the story: Get mono and make $500 dollars in a few hours and do it more than once and make more than $500.