That's me, Miss Milan.

My days in the bat cave are OVER! 

In Laman's terms it means I'm done sleeping in the basement, and I finally have my room back! 

It has been an insanely long process but at 3 o'clock today it'll all be done :)

I parted with all the old furniture in my room. 

I spackled little holes from picture frames, hooks, etc.

I patched a mongo hole from a wall-knee collision. 

Sanded the spackle flat. 

Picked out paint colors. 

Was almost reduced to tears when told to buy paint and paint supplies by myself. 

Convinced my mama to have mercy and go with me!

Period Charm for the walls.

Darkening Sky for the closet interior and stripe.

WHITE for the door and trim.

When I told the guy I wanted white he laughed and pulled out a stack of literally1400 white color swatches. We started going through them, but they were all tinted with black or brown. None were a true white and that was what I wanted. When I said "I want plain white. Is there anything with a name like that?" He pulled one more card out. "White." It even said it on the card so I said I would take it; in high gloss. He looked at me like I was crazy so, maybe I broke one of the cardinal rules of painting by siding with "White" instead of "Sandune." He's the expert, not me. 

After getting Frog Tape, and roller pads it was time to do business!

I learned about this thing called cutting in. You HAVE to do it unfortunately. 

Since the walls in my room were previously green and I was trying to make them yellow, cutting in was a long process but 3 coats later it was over with!

I lived in spankys and a 2xl red t/blue super man one, for 2+ weeks! I didn't want to ruin anything else.

Tape baseboards, doorframes, etc.

Cutting on the walls and ceiling: CHECK.

2 coats of paint on the walls and ceiling: CHECK

Back to Kwal Howel to buy more yellow paint....

Third coat: CHECK

Reverse all the tape...

Paint the door, doorframe, closet doorframe, and baseboards WHITE. Not too strenuous. 

Did get some on the carpet though...whoops. 

Tape baseboards and shelf in closet.

After I finished the cutting in for my walls I had had a hair appointment. While I was telling Jen about about my project she asked if I had heard of this nifty cutting in tool. It's about 4 inches wide, has wheels, and all you do is dip it in the paint and roll it on the wall. I about died after hearing that. I had spent hours manhandling that stupid paintbrush!!! At least I learned an original trick of the trade right? 

Cutting in? Go get the magic roller thing!!!

Went to get the magic roller thing.

Cut in closet.

Make pencil markings for stripe.

This part was nerve wracking to say the least. When you have a 8 inch navy blue stripe going around your room, there is not a chance you want that bad boy to be crooked. The top of the stripe was even with the top of my windows so I used a ruler to measure down from the ceiling; about 27 centimeters, around the rest of the room. I made it all the way around and discovered that the other window wasn't in the same position! It was about one and a half centimeters lower. At first this kind of stressed me out, but when it came time to paint I did some clever disguising and you can't even tell! :) After measuring I taped the stripe with tender love and care and went back to painting.

Painted the closet.

Used the magic roller thing to paint the stripe. 

It was a genius idea to say the least. I didn't want to use a roller and risk getting those tiny dot splatters on the yellow paint underneath, and I didn't want to use a paint brush and risk seeing the stroke marks. So, I improvised. It worked perfectly! 

2nd coat on stripe and closet.

Reverse the tape...

Paint shelf and baseboards in closet.

Take off all the tape!!!!

Annnnnndddddd.......

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When I taped the stripe I hadn't pressed it down hard enough in some areas so there was leakage. Not as much tender love and care as I though...I was so bummed! I was excited to be done painting and now I had some major clean up to do. UGH. Good thing I'm a force to be reckoned with! The second I saw what had happened I got the yellow paint out of the garage and went back to work. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be! Luckily they weren't big drips. Just tiny spots on the edge of the line. I used the few bristles on the edge of the paintbrush and dabbed a drop of paint on. I finished in about 45 minutes and then I was really done!! 

***Que heavenly chorus and church bells ringing***

Next step, dresser assembly.

OH MY.

No one informed me that you have to put Ikea furniture together!! 

2 days and one power drill later, the dresser was a beauty!

Move clothes and other possessions out of laundry room and into dresser.

Move clothes out of storage bins on closet shelf and into dresser.

Move "sentimental" childhood possessions into 1 drawer of the dresser.

Arrange 3 flower vases, 3 books, 2 picture frames, and a tissue box on top of dresser.

Go to Smith's for 3M Command strips

Hang up 3 picture frames and giant mirror. 

Sit on desk and stare at the wonder you have created. 

hahhahhahahhaah

I really did for probably 10 minutes! After spending hours working on my room I couldn't believe I was done! I learned so much in the process, and I was impressed it looks so professional! Now, it being May 18 at about 11:30 am, I have 3 and a half hours until I can FINALLY move out of the bat cave :) The bed delivery/assembly guys will get here at 3, do their thing, and it's home free from there! I already have all the bedding I need, It just needs to be thrown on. But before all that can happen, one last thing.

Move green desk out of room. 

I say it goes. Dad says it stays but goes to the condo. Mom says...? I'm not really sure what she says.

Guess we'll find out when she get's back from the gym.

Basically I am more than enthused to have my room again. I have been living in the "bat cave" for about a month now. I started calling it that because A) it's dark 24/7 and B) it's dead silent. I sleep in until about 10 on a daily basis which is unheard of for me! I'm generally up about 8:45-9ish...

Imma put pictures up of the whole process. Stay tuned! 

Until then...

Adios bat cave, hola dormitorio!

:D

Errands

Today my mom and I ran all over town.

Pier 1 Imports for picture frames.

Target for sheets, flower vases (They are really cups and candle holders!), a mattress pad, and a purse. 

Home Depot for outlet covers and a giant mirror.

Michael's for flowers. 

While we were at Pier 1 it was hoppin. One of the ladies there we saw at target-not such a stretch because it's just across the parking lot. Then I saw another one of the ladies while we were at Michael's having the flower arrangements made over an hour later! Small world right? 

Peeps with good taste know where the good stuff's at.

LBS

10 GREAT things about this weekend.

1. Slumberin it up with Becca and Lauren in Provo

2. Tulip festival. Nothing better than looking at pretty flowers with a pretty friend! It was Gorgeous! Oh my lanta...I would love to take bridal or engagement pictures there someday!

3. Becca's...unique...plies.

"Aaaaannddd, take it to the street! Take it to the street!"

4. It is HOT-3 times.

5. Sunshine! Sunburns! SUN SUN SUN :)

6. BYU baseball game wif ma papa.

7. Walking. We walked SO much this weekend! 2 something hours while looking at flowers, finding our way from the condo to Alpine Village, to Macy's,  back to the condo. Plus the normal walking that is necessary on a day to day basis! 

8. When a certain someone received a phone call from another certain someone. Jumping up and down. Ceaseless smiles. Holding of the stomach (I suspect butterflies). Giddy laughter. 

*spying*

aw...so precious. One day I will find someone that makes me feel that way. One day...

9. I found out that Becca's condo is directly across the street from my apartment!!! YEAH! Maybe not directly...there is one other building in the way but if you had x-ray vision it would be. But still, it would take like 30 seconds to get there-running. 

10. zip, zip, zip, bong, zip, bong, zip, aaahhhsspppaaahhhhhhhhhahahahahhahahahbhhhhaahehuhuhuhahahapshhhhhah

Translation: The evolution of Becca's laugh. 

"That's not how laughing happens, that's how barf happens!!"

Who knew a personal trainer could be your life coach as well...?

Life lessons and important facts according to Zack:

Missionaries get fat.
Some go bald.
A "Dragon Slayer"is someone who goes to dance parties and makes out with the ugliest girl they can find.
If someone offers to buy you a drink, let them.
Don't cut him in line. He needs his Red Bull, his blood sugar is low and he's grouchy...blah, blah, blah.
Some trainers are copy cats, some trainers are just plain stupid and old. Especially Janice.
*He really doesn't like her very much...
Don't get drunk, you'll probably end up pregnant in the back of someone's car.
Don't get pregnant!
Do something useful and let your dad turn your room into a man cave.
Play time is over.

Too many tracks, too many don'ts.

I haven't had a lot of experience with tracks in my life. Running is fine...but I prefer other forms of exercise. Last night I decided to run. I'm not exactly sure why, I had worked out earlier in the day, I had already showered, and it was about 9:30 pm. Instead of hittin up Gold's Gym, I decided to take a stroll down memory lane (literally) and I headed up to Mueller Park Jr. High. Oh junior high...some people say the middle school years were the worst of their life. Not me! Though they are bittersweet memories now, I had so much fun that I actually missed those carefree days when your biggest fear was that someone would wear the same shirt to school as you. As I was running my mind began to wander...it circled memories of the field I was skirting, the blood and sweat I ground into the pavement I was on, and the people I held close through the thick and thin of it all. How fitting is it that during my most sentimental moment the song "Remember the Name" came on? I couldn't help it. I laughed to myself. As much as I sometimes wish I could push those memories out of my mind and into oblivion, they are here to stay. And for the first time, I'm okay with that. I realized that people come into our lives for a reason. They come, they leave their mark, and then they go. Memories of planning surprise birthday parties, having fights with giant stuffed fish, getting make overs at the Clinique make up counter and then going ice skating are just that. Memories. Sometimes the people we find ourselves closest with aren't meant to stay. They help you to learn and to grow and just like that, they are gone. Off to meet new people and make new friends, leaving you in the dust confused and disheartened. You'll learn to pick yourself up though. You always do.

I did track my 9th grade year. Want to know why? One very simple reason. It got me out of school, what more could you want?! I was a officer so I was used to getting out of class early, but track was the only exception. For some bizarre reason, they made us go to wrestling meets? matches? but not track. In order to complete my junior high experience, ditching as much school as possible was a must, so track it was. It helped that my best friend did track. She actually liked it though! Most days the track team would meet in the locker room and then walk down to the high school to practice. We would make it all the way to Emerald Hills Drive and then another one of our friend's mom would pick us all up. I don't know how it happened, but we saved ourselves a mile walk just about every day. I still remember the van we rode in; the seats turned around so we could all face each other. By the time the rest of the runners got down the the track we were almost done running our 2 miles. It's not like we would actually run though. At least I wouldn't...I was iPodless and there were hot high schoolers to look at. Why sacrifice my looks for a sport I couldn't care less about? The moment that my friend was done running, we would leave-her mom picked us up. One day while we were waiting we found a wire in the shape of a heart. We called it the "Love Wire"; very original, I know. I'm not exactly sure what we planned to do with it...maybe she was going to hang it on her bulletin board or something. We had a whole stash of random junk to keep track of. One day while I was walking to her house I found a rock that looked like a toe. A HUMAN toe. It was so freaky that that was the first thing I told her about when I walked in the door. You didn't knock. You walked in, took of your shoes, and went down stairs. She thought it sounded cool so we walked halfway back to my house to find the rock. And find it we did. We took it back to her house and painted the indentation of the "toe-nail" red and made up this whole story about how it belonged to a fossilized cave woman. Morbid? Maybe, but it is one of the funniest memories I have of our friendship. We had that rock for ages...I was thinking, although our friendship means nothing now, does the memory? Does she still have the rock? I might not never know.

Some of you know the story, some of you don't. I consider myself in the "don't" category. I don't know how two people can go from being connected at the hip, to being completely alien to each other in a matter of days. I don't know what happened to make things this way, and I don't know that I even want to know. I spent so long placing blame-it was her fault, she stopped answering the phone, she's the one who turned friends against me, it was her mouth that didn't open up to defend me. There were rumors flying about me. Did she start them? I didn't care. I don't care. What I did care about is that she did nothing to put them out. She knew me better than almost anyone, she knew I wouldn't do those things...I spent so long placing blame that's all I know. I tried other things first. Believe me, I tried. A smile and a wave were met with silent stares as we pass each other in the grocery store. Saying "Hi" as we stand in line for Spanky's is met with a backward glance and a smile? More like a grimace. After a while, it wasn't worth it anymore. I put in the effort and she didn't; why bother? That might not sound like the best way to cope with the situation, but for me it was. No contact was better than the bitterness I felt towards her every time I was shot down.  I was so confused. Like I said, I fit in the "don't" category. To this day I don't know what I did.

I only ran in one track meet. A few I missed for officer reasons, one I missed because I was sick, but one I completely ditched. We rode the bus to Woods Cross High School, warmed up, stretched, and waited on the bleachers for our race. We didn't want to run though, imagine that. My friend and I made up some bogus story about how she had to go to the doctor or something similar and tried to feed it to Kirby. *Kirby was the the coolest gym teacher ever. She wore bright blue mascara for crying out loud aaaand I saw her break up a girl fight. Scratching, pushing, hair pulling, the whole nine yards. Kirby didn't believe us for one second. Too much experience with teenage girls to fall for that. She told us to wait until we ran our races, and then we could leave. Did we wait? Not a chance :) As soon as we saw my friend's mom's car pull up we casually walked down the bleachers past Kirby and then ran at a dead sprint towards the car; that would be the only running we would do for the rest of the year.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. This may sound like some sob story about how I lost one of my childhood best friends. To you it may be, but as I was running around that track, this and much much more was running circles in my mind. With my body fatigued and my mind even more so, I drew this conclusion. I am over being bitter. I am over wondering what I did to cause such intense looks of loathing. I am over it!!! The last time we ever spoke I was at her house. I had been calling for a week trying to get some of my clothes back but she wouldn't answer. Finally I just showed up. I'm not the confrontational type. I knew something was wrong but I wasn't completely willing to call her out on it. I asked what's wrong, she said nothing. I said are you sure? I told her she had been acting different, she said she hadn't but "Yes Rylie. Everything is fine." And you know what? Everything is fine. For years I though of that as the biggest lie she ever told. But now I think of it as the truth. We were best friends. Why ruin that? Just because the tangible evidence of our friendship does not exist anymore doesn't mean that it never did. I cherish the memories of our friendship! There is a time and a season for everything. Our season just had to come to an end. No more tainted memories. No more wishing I could go back in time and change things because I don't wish that any longer. I love my friends and I would have never met them if I would have stayed within the same group. 


I'm not 100% sure what is meant by a kindred spirit, but I know I have 3 of them. And you know what? There is no "time and season" for kindred spirits. They are with you forever, through thick and thin, rain or shine. They're the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. They're what makes friendship beautiful. 

Nothing.

4 books
5 movies
2 episodes of The Biggest Loser
2 episodes of Glee
I love being home. I don't feel the need to accomplish anything and I love every minute of it. I have done absolutely nothing (except paint my room and the above listed activities) and I'm proud of it. There is something relaxing about finding accomplishment in nothingness.

DarknessFell

The eyebrow waxer lady burnt me.

That is two times now. TWO TIMES!!

No more.

(No more freaky light action either. I thought the power went out. No...? It came back on right after.)

Number One Nails, I'm sorry, but we are through. 

Who knows a good place to go? 

Does one exist? 

I almost want to boycott eyebrow maintenance all together. 

If men can let their facial hair run amok, so can I. 

Joke.

I couldn't do that.

Fun fact, Lauren's "thing" is eyebrows. 

Bad eyebrows are a no-no. 

No weird shapes. 

No penciled lines.

No uni-brows.

Here's to the woman of the world and the pain we endure in order to look our best. 

CHEERS!

Home sweet home.

From one house to another, this is what I have to deal with.

Step one: Pack

All the clothes that didn't have a suit case to go in were exiled to the empty bed. 

Desk full of random crap...

Closet full of suit cases, backpacks, purses, anything that could hold my stuff was put to use.

Step Two: Clean

Ugh. I had to clean EVERYTHING even though I had my own room!

My desk was so empty! The only things I didn't pack: Stereo-I needed it to listen to the songs for my Music 101 test, computer-also necessary to study, phone and grapefruit juice-necessary on any given day, and text books to sell back. Time to jet :)

Step three: Unpack

Since I am re-doing my room the only pieces of furniture I came home to were a desk and chair. Needless to say it made unpacking a little bit difficult.

Minus the storage bins my closet ended up looking pretty good!

As of now I have 5 lists.

"Things to do with Evan"

"Things to get done"

"Things to buy/do for room"

"Where is my stuff?"

"It's June! Don't forget it!"

Lists are just the greatest aren't they?

Your older than my mom. Shouldn't you have manners?

Uhm...okaaaaay? I just don't understand some people.

I was eating my pineapple and frosted mini wheats (Final meal in the canon. I went all out :P) when this middle aged woman walked over and placed her plate of half eaten mac and cheese bites on my tray. What. The. Heck. Does my half empty bowl send some foreign signal that I'll put away your dishes too? Am I a garbage disposal? Do you want me to eat them...? I'm sorry they didn't measure up, but if I wanted some of my own I could have gotten them. I looked down at my plate and then proceeded to stare her down. All she did was look at me and then go get line for salad. No joke, I thought I was being punked and it was one of my friends moms. I glanced around to see if anyone else noticed what just happened and the girl next to me was busting a gut. She asked if I knew her and I just shook my head with a look of bewilderment on my face. I kept watching mac and cheese lady to see if she would look back or offer any sort of explanation for her behavior, but no. She just chatted it up with middle aged woman #2 leaving me more than slightly confused. Joke's on me. No one gets punked in Provo, Utah. 

Meet my new arch nemesis. The leopard sweater, khaki pants and cute satchel are very deceiving. 

Because I have been given much

The other day I was joking around with some friends and mentioned that coming to BYU has given me a heart. Before coming to college, I would only cry if I was really mad and they were tears of frustration, or if I was hurt. Now everything makes me cry. Everything. It is ridiculous! On Sunday I realized why. It is not because the Canon Center spikes their food with absurd amounts of estrogen, or the air in Provo is so polluted my eyes water uncontrollably, it's because of where I am. Not necessarily Provo, Utah 84604, but where I am in life.

These past 8 months I was blessed to live with the least dramatic, most sincere, loving girls I could have possibly wished for. They have set the bar high not only in their actions towards me, but in the way they live and bear their testimonies. Because I have been surrounded by such righteous sweet spirits these past 2 semesters, I have become more aware of the Lord's hand in my life and the companionship of the Holy Ghost. 

During testimony meeting on Sunday, a girl in my hall made a point that I loved. She relayed an experience she had while in one of her classes: Before taking a test the professor reminded the students that even if they got all the questions right, there was still one thing they could do to fail. By forgetting to write their name on the paper they would fail to get credit, and would discount themselves of the rewards for finishing the course. She then went on to relate this principle to Christ. How often do we do all that is required of us, but we do not write Christ's name upon our hearts? It was at this point that the cogs started turning, and the tears started flowing. While being at BYU students are expected to obey the honor code, attend church, fulfill callings, get good grades, have a job and maintain a stable social life. At some point during this past year I started doing these things not because it was required of me, but because I wanted to. I found enjoyment in reading the scriptures; it became more than an assignment for a class. I didn't mind following the dress and grooming standards; I found a new confidence in myself and was able to look upon others less critically. When I found myself looking at others in a derogatory light, I tried my hardest to revert my thinking and pick out only those things that were nice, and that I wouldn't be embarrassed to say out loud. At some point in this past year, I truly wrote Christ's name upon my heart. As I came to this conclusion while sitting in the BYU 250th ward's final fast and testimony meeting, I was extremely humbled and glad to be in the position I was. Humbled to know that throughout the year I had become increasingly receptive to the spirit as I would act upon the guidance and direction I was blessed with. Humbled to know that as you strive to be accepting and care for those around you, God will send immeasurable amounts of love that will fill your heart. Glad that the meeting had gone 25 minutes over just so I could hear what I needed to hear, and glad to know that there is nothing wrong with tearing up every now and then. It's what I do. 

As we sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" I began to tear up. Again. Leaving the dorms will be a bittersweet experience! I have made so many great friends and memories it is difficult to imagine that things will never be the same. Our boys are headed off on missions all over the world leaving the girls with nothing but off campus housing and RMs to get by. They are spiritual power houses-every one of them! I can honestly say it was an honor to befriend the boys of Budge 3200 and 3100. As they go off and serve missions, they will bless not only the lives of individuals, but entire generations to come. The knowledge of the restored gospel is an irreplaceable gift just waiting to be given. To close relief society we sang "Because I Have Been Given Much" and once again, I got teary eyed. After just contemplating how much I have been blessed with these past 8 months, this hymn really hit home. I have been blessed with a wonderful family that loves me more than I can imagine, the opportunity to attend the most unique uplifting university, and the example of friends, acquaintances, and even strangers who give me a yellow brick road to pattern my life after. Even though life goes on and things change, I will never forget the people I met, the memories I made, the lessons I learned, and the impact you have had.

Don't know what testimony meeting, relief society, a mission or the Holy Ghost is?

Check it out here! :)

GI Upset

I should be listening. I keep catching phrases about vitamins, diabetes, lactation, GI upset, lipids, phytochemicals, and obesity...blah, blah, blah. I don't need this stuff! I need to review the most recent stuff. I have been reviewing the old material all semester! This TA is doing great though, props to her. In the whopping 9 months that I have been here, I have learned that girl TA's aren't that great. They take things too seriously, they tend to be monotone, and they talk quietly! That is a big no no when you are in a room with 200+ stressed and semi chatty students. My hat goes off to you Miss Nutrition TA. Only 56 more minutes and you will have kept everyone awake and entertained for 2 whole hours. Keep it up :) While she's doing that, I'm going to keep making neat discoveries. Did you know you can see how many people look at your blog!? I had no idea. Want to know what else I found? I have views from Switzerland, China, Guatemala, Ireland, Denmark, India and the good ole U.S. of A. My friend Eleni lives in Guatemala so I know her, but the other ones...? How did they find my blog?! They must be the ultimate cyber stalkers haha Are they(you) reading this? Can they(you) read this? It is in English after all...haha kidding! The 3rd and final, but most hilarious/sketchy/disturbing/questionable find of the day: you can see what people searched for on google that led them to your blog. Want to know the one result I have so far?

"Brides close up view of panties"

Um...that's cool I guess. Why would someone be looking for a close up of someone's panties?! I'll just have to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one. Maybe they are getting married(not in the temple!) and are looking for the latest underwear style...? Maybe...? Whatever the reason, it sounds debatable to me. It's sunny outside, school's almost done, cuddle puddles are great, the church is true, and my ramblings are much more wholesome than a brides panties. Just sayin.

Not. So. Mysterious....?

I LOVE summer...

 

I LOVE my best friends...

I miss lacrosse....bad.

Glittery?

Here it is, my very own blog. I guess only time will tell if blogging is all it's cracked up to be! So far, this technology thing is kicking my butt. Sure I want my blog to look cute, but seriously?! There are about a zillion options to choose from. I thought I just pick a template and then I'm good to go. But no, no, no. I have to choose fonts, colors, and positions for EVERYTHING. Me and the concepts of design and decoration have a love hate relationship. Heaven help the man who will one day share a home with me...

I love the idea of love, just sayin. If you are looking for advice on how to wrangle some guy (or girl...?) into your grasps, this probably isn't the blog for you! As much as I would like to think I know what I'm doing when it comes to boys, I really don't! They still have cooties in my book of life. 


If I were to guess the top 5 things I'll post about, they would be:
1. College Adventures
2. My Family
3. College Boys
4. Boys In General
5. Life in General


The more I write, the more excited I get to blog. Who would've thought.