Cruisin'

The week we got married, we spent everyday in our new little studio apartment just enjoying each other. At the time we counted that as our honeymoon.  Tim's parents had a better idea.  They bought us tickets to go on a week long cruise to Mexico. 

Mom and Dad Huntsman, Aunt Carla and Uncle Gary, and Tim and I had fun going on vacation together. The airplane flight to L.A. being an exception. I don't know about anyone else, but I was so motion sick that I threw up in the little complimentary paper bag. I feel bad for the guy sitting next to Tim and me.  If I were him I would have joined in the yacking.  He acted like he didn't see, but he could have been pretending out of embarrassment. I thought for sure that the cruise would make me sick, too, but it didn't bother me one bit. Thank Heavens! 

You may be wondering: "How would going on one's honeymoon with one's relatives be fun?" Let me explain. Each couple had their own room and did their own thing a lot of the time, but we did get together to eat, play poker (yup, I learned how to play Texas Hold 'Em on my honeymoon), and/or sight see.  I really enjoyed getting to know my new relatives.

We were on the Carnival Splendor. That was the name of our ship. It was massive.  If memory serves me right, I think it had 9 levels--my favorite being the lido deck. This was where all the food was... all day long. We'd already payed for it with the price of our tickets which made it a buffet 24/7. Sigh. I miss the lido deck. Also, it had a covering that could come over the top of the ship if we hit foul weather (which was 80% of the time). I didn't get a sun burn or a tan because of almost constant cloud cover.

There were shows in an auditorium like room everyday. There was a karaoke room. There was dancing and gambling. We enjoyed swimming in hot tubs and sliding down slides into the pool. Though, I did not enjoy having salt water go up my nose. The pools were filled with ocean water. It was very green of them, but uncomfortable to my sinuses. Yuck.

On the top deck, they had a miniature golf course. Tim and I played through a few times. There was also a sand bag tossing game of which I was horrible at playing.  Tim of course was almost flawless at it, like he is with most games. :)

At night, they'd play a movie on a big screen in front of the patio of the lido deck. Tim and I watched the latest Terminator movie while sitting in a hot tub and then later while laying on beach chairs. Both situations were awesome.

The walls in our apartment complex were paper thin which means we could hear everything our neighbors were doing and they could hear everything we were doing.  On the other hand, the walls surrounding our room on the ship were soooo thick. We could be as loud as we wanted to be while we watched movies or did other things...if you catch my drift. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. this was our honey moon after all, haha.

Moving on, dinner was to die for. We could order anything we wanted and they would bring it to us in a five course meal fashion. By the end of the week we had grown to really like our waiters. They were a couple of funny, charismatic people. belowt is a video of dinner time on the cruise ship, Our waiters and waitresses did a different dance and song each night. It was very entertaining.

As for see the sights, we had several port days which meant that we could go to shore and explore Mexico. We stopped in Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, and Mazatlan. Each place was jam packed with little kids and old ladies trying to sell you something. Even the taxi drivers were in on it.  We had one tell us he would drive us to the playa (beach), but instead he dropped us off in front of Di Jewelers. Eventually we found an honest taxi driver . He took us to a nice pretty much empty plot of beach. There was a little Mexican family playing in the sand, but other than that it was just us.  We road the waves as they flushed onto the shore. Tim was more adventurous than I and he went pretty far out and caught some big waves.  I was content with being slightly pushed around. After splashing in the water, I ended up getting some shell bracelets and 2 sun dresses from a lady who we suspect was in cahoots with the bar above the beach.  Most everyone, it seemed, wanted to sell us something and they know how to work the ethos, too. It is a lot harder to say no to a kid or grandma than a legit businessman for some reason.  Tim was really good at bartering, though, so we got pretty good deals.... I think, haha. 

Mom Huntsman had bought tickets for her and Carla to go horseback riding in Mazatlan, but for some reason, Tim and I ended up with them. We rode a bus and passed through some really poor looking ghettos to get us to the horses. Surrounding us as we rode our horses were little huts made out of branches and people surviving somehow in boxes and the like. It was an eye-opening experience. This was a completely different Mexico than we saw in each tourist-ville. On the ride, we were accompanied by armed policeman to prevent any harm or robbery from happening to us along the way. We were in the thick of it. Albeit we saw loads of litter and poverty, the land was beautiful, luscious and green. Plus, I got to ride a horse! That, in and of  itself, was a party.

In Cabo San Lucas, I had my first experience snorkeling.  It was traumatic, let me tell you!  I'm not a strong swimmer, first of all. To go along with that, I couldn't seem to master breathing through that tube.  I stupidly thought that clasping my teeth around the mouth piece would keep water out. No, no, no, no, no. Clasping my mouth around the mouthpiece would have made more sense. I apparently was a one woman show to everyone on the beach as they laughed at my shrieking and flailing about. Oh, and trying to walking in plastic flippers.... that is difficult.  I'm sure that aided in the hilarity of my performance, haha.  I can laugh, now, as I look back on this memory, but it was not funny at the time. Eventually, I got the hang of breathing and Tim pulled me along in the water so that I could see some crazy colorful fish. I saw a few and that was enough for me. Maybe one day I'll try it again. Hopefully, I don't epically fail like I did that day.

The moral of this story is that cruises are fantastic and I want to go an more of them (them being plural on purpose). MORE, please. :D

      

An Up to Date...ish

An excerpt from a recent email to friend is below to fill you in on the recent happenings of my life (Reader's Digest Version.... haha).

I've loved almost every moment of Christmas Break. I'm sad to see it coming to an end. I know, I know... I should be glad for the lengthy amount of time that I had off (especially when [blogging to people] who [have probably had] less time than me) and I am, but it is just that school is not the most pleasant of thoughts after such a glorious vacation! Do you now what I mean?

I read, spent time with buddies and family, slept, and filled the Brookometer back to full. Oh, and guess what?!?!?! Patrick and Christine are going to have a baby!!! I'm going to have another niece or nephew by August. [My family] is getting bigger everyday!

During the past few weeks, I've done a lot of buying and selling books on half.com. * $$$* It has been as fun as selling and buying books can be. I've been needing to get rid of my old textbooks. They were beginning to take over my closet and book shelves. It feels good to have a few of them out of my hands and to have space for the new-comers that are assigned with this semester's slew of classes. I'm signed up for 12 credits (the bare minimum that I need in order to have financial aid). I'm hoping that cutting down my load will help me do better in my classes. I've had some not lovely past semesters and want this one to be all about the good grades.

I'm still teaching piano/violin lessons and love it!!!!! I'm trying to plan a recital for February, but we'll see if I can organize one with all of the varying schedules that I have to deal with. Haha. It should be fun! I'm also still working for E.N.C.O.R.E by playing for musicals. I've accompanied "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and am lined up for "Seussical the Musical" in the spring. I can't wait! I love being able to use music in my life and jobs. Good times, let me tell you!

Road Trip Creativity

Road trip ideas are always the best. I'm the only writer in my family so our creative genius comes out in film productions instead of novels. We make crappily amazing movies and have a lot of fun. I know that some of our best movie scenes were thought up on long car rides to family reunions (and other vacation spots). Such epics include: Lord of the Toe Ring, Attack of Sponge Bob, The pioneers, Thumpdrag, Guess that Film, The War, Saving Private Ryan II, and the list goes on.

And More of My Past...

6/25/07

At Dave's wedding (which was in California), I had as much fun as girl could have.... I suppose. My new sister-in-law was pretty much a scary bridezilla, towards the end of the festivities the poor thing was probably stressed out of her mind). Throughout the whole planning process, she has wanted everything to be just right (and by "right" I mean that everything had to be the perfect shade of baby blue). It was nice to get away from my everyday surroundings and see a few relatives, though.

My parents, grandparents, and siblings shared two rooms at a really cheap motel. When we weren't helping out with reception preparations, we got a chance to do our own thing. During the beginning of our Californian adventure, we did a lot of window shopping. Chino certainly has a collection of little malls!

Also, My eldest brother, his wife, and I skipped church to go to the San Diego Zoo, see the ocean, and party. I hardly ever get to see those two and it was awesome to finally have a chance to hang with 'em (<--- is my rationalization for breaking the sabbath day, haha). The next day, before we headed back on the plane, we (the same siblings just mentioned, my parents, grandparents, and I) took a quick run through of Downtown Disney. My mom and I even looked through the ticket gates, into Disneyland. We couldn't see much, if anything, but it was a free bit of excitement. Okay, okay. It wasn't exactly free. After all, I did end up spending some mula on a Tinkerbell key chain. I wasn't going to spend a dime (I'm trying to save up enough cash for a car, ya know?), but it was gorgeous and I figured that I might not get to go back to LA (let alone Disneyland... not that I was even inside the real thing, but hey...) and I wanted a little souvenir.

We were home for about three days when my pop decided that we should go to the Lott family reunion. So, that is where I have been all weekend. My grandparents have a ranch up in northern Washington (basically on the border of Canada). Every family reunion, that I can remember, has been held there. I have so many good memories of hiking up the mountain, messing around with my cousins, playing on the beach of the Colombian River, shopping in Canada, running around the RV park (that my grandparents own), having bonfires, going on hayrides, doing service projects, feeding the animals, watching and being apart of family musical ensembles and skits, making movies (of course... :)), and the list is pretty much infinite. This trip just wasn't the same, though. All of my brothers are grown up and couldn't come (due to jobs and honeymoons) and all of the cousins, that I am close to, weren't there (except for a few who showed up on Saturday). I had a hard time connecting with most of the kids. I did, however, enjoy my time with all of the adults, which is a new thing (for that side of the family). It is good that-- because I am constantly around adults-- I can now enjoy real conversations with my aunts and uncles, but I seriously need to keep in better contact with my little cousins. I hate awkwardness, especially with members of my own family!

We left Boise on Friday morning, bright and early, and arrived about 10 hours later. The car ride to North Port is hard on person's rear-end and legs... "ouch". I was crammed in the back of my dad's pickup truck. By the end of the road, my southern half was starting to go numb! It was a long trip to have only stayed one full day, but that is just we did. Saturday was slam packed day full of the usual family reunion activities. And on Sunday, before everyone went to church we had a family photo, picked up a piano (my dad is never way from his job, I swear), tied it down in the back of the truck, and headed home (for a long 13 hours of travel time). With the piano in the back, we had to be extra careful, and so... "put, put, put," we went, around the windy mountain roads. "Slow and steady wins the race", or-- at least-- that is what they say. :)

Anyways... Like I mentioned previously, it feels like heaven to be home.

Early Morning Predicaments: Segment III

Here Cometh the Flood

Falling in and out of a freezing and uncomfortable slumber, Brooke began to dream. She could the see headlights of a car coming up the road. It was stopping in front of her house! In the haze of her subconsciousness, she excitedly watched as a young man walked up to the truck. Jason, one of Brooke's friends (who was leaving for BYU), had come to her rescue!

"Hey!" He said. "So... I kept getting this really random image of you dressed as Princess Leah and calling out, 'Jason, you are my only hope.' I figured that, since I couldn't get your princess Leah-ness out of my head and the roads are kind of slick, I'd better check to see if you made it home okay."

"Jason! Princess Leah, huh? Telepathy really does work!!!" she happily spouted.

"What about Telepathy?"

"Umm, never mind"

"Ok...?" he replied, looking slightly confused. "But, if you don't mind my asking, what are you doing in there?"

"Oh, you know," she sarcastically answered. "A girl can't help but enjoy the luxury of sleeping in a Ford pick-up, once in a while. The Ameritel Inn charges a bank-load for one night in their 'Hitch-hiker's Abode' room, but I'm all about doing the real thing for free. First class dirty towels, old t-shirt coverlets, plastic arm-rest pillows, a glorious windshield view of the night sky.... It's the perfect sleeping arrangement!! NOT!"

She explained the truth of her situation to him and they shared a laugh as he proceeded to open her door. She was free, at last! Stepping down onto the icy pavement, she thanked him. "What a gallant thing for you to do, kind Sir... opening a lady's door and all." She giggled and enthusiastically hugged her liberator.

After their joyous embrace, Jason's nose suddenly began to shine. It beamed brighter and brighter, until his whole body was gone. It was as if, due to a case of spontaneous combustion, he had been reduced to nothing but fire. The next thing she knew, the setting and objects in her mind mutated until the ceiling of the truck blurred into view.

Waking from her dream, Brooke was glad to know that Jason hadn't really burst into flame. All lovely thoughts of him and his rescuing her were smothered, though, by the sad reality of her early morning predicament. Having found tape, in the jockey box, she had decided that sticking a piece of cardboard over the cab light would block most of the glare. This had assisted her in sleeping more comfortably. Apparently, though, her tape job had failed and the cardboard barely dangled above her. Having the light revealed again, disturbed her dream and she was anything but pleased. "So much for sleeping in darkness, not that I was really getting much sleep."

The inside of the car was cold enough, when she was exerting energy, but the chill worsened as she lay still. Wondering if a change in position would do her any good, she sat up. The vertical movement brought an unexpected pressure upon her bladder and she knew that, unless she could find some way to relieve herself in the next minute or two, the future of her dad's truck interior would not look or smell very pretty. She had managed to forget about her full bladder, until now. At this point, though, no manner of mind-control tactics could spare her.

With crossed legs, she looked about for some sort of container that would be suitable for the task that she dearly wished to perform. Boxes would not do; she was not about to deal with soggy cardboard. Plus, thoughts of the stench from an open box full of urine was enough to trigger her gag reflexes. The cranks of her creative brain were turning at high speed. Every object in sight suddenly became a science project. Could she somehow transform a flashlight into a toilet... ish... object. "No." How about a camera case? "Not really." Perhaps, a water bottle would do the job. "Or not," she snapped, wishing-- for the first time in her life-- that she was a boy. "If I could only aim!"

Concluding that her inventive skills lacked, she decided to give prayer another chance. After all, she had done what she could and was now in need of a serious miracle. "Please, Heavenly Father, I need your help!" she whispered. "Surely you love my daddy enough to save his car from an explosion of my bladder. I need to pee, like no other, and I need you to help me get out of this car before it happens! PLEASE!!!!!!!" She closed her little prayer in the name of the Savior and then tried her lot at using faith. Grabbing the handle, she took a deep breath, and pushed against the door.

Even without the use of thee's and thou's, Brooke's prayer was answered and the door flew open as if it were never jammed! Her response: "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!! I'm free... I have to pee, but I'm free! Yes!!! Bathroom, here I come!"

It may be hard to believe, but-- with the stinging wind-- the temperature outside of the truck felt lower than that of her previous imprisonment. She would almost prefer to remain huddled on the seat of the truck, but she knew that she needed only to trek to the backyard, through the sliding door and into the house to be warm and one step closer to emptying her gallons.

"I'm almost there" she encouraged herself, as she waddled over the icy ground. As she reached patio, snow began to fall. "Please be open," she pleaded, yanking on the sliding glass door. It flew open as easily as did the door to the truck (after her final prayer, anyways) and she felt a hint of warmth as heat found its way past the blinds. Her hands reached in, to move the blinds out of the way, and felt that a chair was blocking her path. "Are you kidding me?" she murmured. "Honestly!" Crouched on the ground, with every muscle in her body devoting itself to the cause, she wasn't sure if she could spare enough strength to push anything out of the way, without losing control.

Figuring that the chair would need to be moved for her to enter the house, whether she wet herself while moving it or not, she stood up. In a matter of seconds her muscles seemed to give up the fight. It was as if a dam had broken! A flood of pee burst forth with great force and in one full and continuous flow! A warm wetness rushed down her legs, darkening her jeans and forming a yellowish puddle in the snow. She was sure she'd never urinated so much in her life. If she hadn't stopped soon, her back yard might have become one very large frozen pond!

She was much relieved, when her tank had fully emptied and-- looking down at herself-- she easily converted feelings of embarrassment into gratitude. She would have preferred the comforts of her warm bathroom, but decided that it was definitely better to have a puddle of frozen Brooke Pee on the patio as opposed to a mess of nastiness on the carpet of the hallway.

The extra warmth felt nice, at first, but her clothes soon started freezing to her skin. Before any icicles had a chance to form, she stripped off her soaked clothes, pushed the chair out of her way, and streaked upstairs. Desperately, she hoped to remain unseen. In her opinion, running into her father (while sporting nothing but her birthday suit) would have been quite disturbing. "No thanks!" she thought, quickly tip-toeing to her bathroom. "I have had enough excitement for one morning."

After tossing her dirty clothes into the tub, she rinsed them and herself off with soap and water. She then readied herself for bed, peeled out her hardened contacts, and jumped into her gloriously soft bed. "It's over," she sighed with relief.

The clock on her bedside table read 6:04 a.m.. It had been hours since she had said goodbye to her friends and headed home. As she lay there, wrapped in three fluffy comforters, her thoughts replayed all of the events of the night. She smiled as she remembered how God had heard and answered her prayers. She had been very blessed. And what a story she would have to tell, if ever she was to give a talk on the power of prayer!!! Closing her eyes, she could picture her frozen puddle of pee and it made her laugh. "Try and catch me complaining about cold toilet seats, ever again," she whispered to her pillow as she hugged it tight and slipped peacefully into a restful sleep.

The End.

Home Sweet Home

I am finally back from from my summer travels and have decided that there is definitely no place like home! I enjoyed the majority of my trips to California and Washington, but they both had their stressful moments.

As I mentioned, in a previous post, my brother decided to get hitched. Little Davey is now a married man! Can you believe it? I wouldn't be able to, were it not for my presence at the temple and their receptions.

...Sorry, but this post is being cut short and by "cut short" I mean that it is done.

Would you like an explanation? Well, let me just say that time's been a tickin' and I've been a slackin'. Because of the amount of time that has lapsed from when I first started typing, my creative juices are pulling me on to bigger and better (or, at least, more recent) topics.

To the Lake and Back Again: A Boating Tale

I fried myself at the lake, today. You may be asking, "Brooke, is this a good thing?" Of course it is! In fact, I had a blast while doing so. I know, I know, I need to be careful about too much sun. Skin cancer is a very real disease and one that I would prefer to only hear about (and even that is disheartening).

Anyway, a few of my friends have a boat and all of the needed gear for hours of playin' in the water. After getting up early, readying things for the day, and traveling out of town, there is nothing like lathering on the sunscreen and hanging out on the lake.

We packed some scrumptious food. So... if we weren't on the boat, we could gobble down all sorts of goodies. On the boat, though, was where the real excitement occurred. We took turns tubing, wake boarding, and water skiing. I have had some not so enjoyable experiences with water skiing, though, and ended up opting out of that particular activity. I need to take a jump of courage and get rid of this little fear. Maybe, on my next boat outing, I'll be brave.

Story time...

A long time ago, when I first attempted to water ski, my small body was nothing but skin and bones. That's right, I had no meat and by meat I mean muscle. I was one weak little girl, that is for sure! I could have gained some muscles, I suppose, had I continued my efforts in perfecting the art of water skiing, but one try was all the sport got out of me.

Because of a lack of muscles, I could hardly lift myself up enough to even really ride on the skis. As quickly as I was up, I was back down. In my youthful stupidity (or, perhaps, it was the shock of my crash into the cold water....take your pick), I clung to the rope and was dragged behind the boat. I remember being in a really pathetic state and thinking (as gallons of diseased water entered my sinus cavities), "why aren't they stopping?" Luckily, my logic kicked in and I was able to let go. Let me just say that that trip to Lucky Peak is not on my list of favorites.

Every time since has been lovely, but (like I already said) I never again tried on the water skis. The idea of wake boarding also has a bit of a bite to it. I'm sure, by now, that I have matured enough to pull myself up and/or let go of the rope. I do need to get over my issues. Yes, yes I do. Okay...Ready, set, go! I am, as of this moment, setting a goal to overcome the previously mentioned retardedness. I will take on a set of water skis/wake boards. I love tubing and am now determined to spread such feelings to other boating activities. Wish me luck!

...And we're back from one of my tangents.

Today, we arrived at the Lucky Peak Reservoir early enough to snag an awesome dock. Along with being able to gorge down gobs of grub, our dock provided us with many other surprises and luxuries. We were attached to a spot of land that had a shack. Complete with toilet holes and paper, it was quite the edifice (that is if you were able to look past the broken bear bottles, the animal/insect habitations, and the bullet holes). Ah bathrooms (or outhouses, in this case)! Ya gotta love 'em.

Our dock was the home of many beautiful butterflies. I was fortunate enough to have three huge monarchs land on me. I think they were attracted to the bright colored polka dots of my swim suit. Then again, maybe I'm just amazing like that. If I were a butterfly, I'd want to land on the gorgeous Miss Brooke-- especially if she was in a swim suite. Ooh la la... ;)

We were also visited by two families of geese. I know that humans aren't supposed to feed wildlife, but I couldn't resist the temptation and ended up breaking apart a few pieces of bread and tossing them, one by one, into the rippling water. I love the enthusiasm of animals, when it comes to food intake. They always rush to the catch and fight over the crumbs.

We, as wealthy humans, take advantage of the abundance of food and other resources. Can you imagine life without the comforts of a grocery store? If we were to take care of ourselves, like animals, fighting for our lives would be a battle of survival. In my mind, I can picture my own family as a flock of geese. It is an interesting scene and meal time would definitely be exciting-- feathers flying and everything... Weird.

So basically, it has been a grand day. This blog is as blogged as it is going to get and I am now off to go and coat my soar skin with aloe vera. MMM good.

In My Own Little Corner

In the Rogers & Hammerstein musical Cinderella, the lyrics of one of my favorite songs go as follows:

I'm as mild and as meek as a mouse

When I hear a command I obey.

But I know of a spot in my house

where no one can stand in my way.

In my own little corner in my own little chair

I can be whatever I want to be.

On the wings of my fancy I can fly anywhere

and the world will open its arms to me.

I'm a young Norwegian princess or a milkmaid

I'm the greatest Prima Donna in Milan

I'm an heiress who has always had her silk made

By her own flock of silkworms in Japan

I'm a girl men go mad for love's a game I can play

with cool and confident kind of air.

Just as long as I stay in my own little corner

All alone in my own little chair.

I can be whatever I want to be.

I'm a slave from Calcutta, I'm a queen in Peru.

I'm a mermaid dancing upon the sea

I'm a huntress on an African safari...

it's a dangerous type of sport and yet it's fun

In the night I sally forth to seek my quarry

And I find I forgot to bring my gun.

I am lost in the jungle all alone and unarmed

when I meet a lioness in her lair

Then I'm glad to be back in my own little corner,

All alone in my own little chair.

*******

As most of you know, Cinderella is the story of a girl whose father dies and leaves her with horrid step-relations (a mother and two sisters). She sings the above song when she is away from their nagging and in the comforts of her own space. Isn't it splendid?

*******

I'm afraid I am losing the vivid imagination that I once had and am unable to conjure up situations, identities, and places (without assistance from some sort of media) like she does. It is kind of depressing.... sigh. I do have "my own little corner," though. Well, I suppose I have several of them. My refuges are areas, away from the harshness of life, where I can enjoy being me and doing my favorite things .

*******

Wonderful Places in my life (in no particular order):

1.) THE LIBRARY. I spend rather lengthy amounts of time in the BSU library, otherwise known as Albertson's Library. I love libraries and consider any building full of books as a heaven on earth. It would be nice if the homework aspect of my library experience was edited out, but (even with its tortures) I find that my days under the roof of un(a) bibliotec(a), are usually enjoyable and beneficial. Usually, with a book in my hand and a comfortable arm chair (preferably a recliner), I am good to go.

2.)NATURE. My family and I used to live with my grandparents in the Sun Valley area of Idaho. There was a hill in our backyard that dipped down into a forested area. It was beautiful! I remember being a little girl and having a blast with my cousins and brothers by playing night games (no bears are out tonight, jail break, war, etc...). When I wanted time for self-contemplation, on the other hand, the swing-set (in the forest..of course) was the perfect location. I love nature and, with the smell of the river and the landscape of glorious aspen trees, swinging was almost a spiritual experience! I miss that house.

3.)MY ROOM. My room is decorated with an antique/pioneer girl style. I love being in mi dormitorio! When things are spick-and-span, especially, I love to lay on my bed or just sit in my chair. Reading, writing, drawing, listening to music, and thinking about life fill my many hours of joyous alone time. Also, I have a lot of inspirational paintings and poems hanging from my walls. Because of this, it is wonderful to simply look about my room and be uplifted. If I am having issues in my life, it helps to see a picture of the Savior. There has been many a time when an eternal perspective or a feeling of peace have been prompted by simply looking about. Yippee for my room!

That is all I feel like typing, at the moment. There are other wonderful places I could mention but perhaps I'll keep those to myself... :).

A Week of Big Plans

~OYEZ, OYEZ, OYEZ~

Spring Break has finally arrived.

Yippee! Hooray! Hallelujah!

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I am one who is constantly making lists. I have lists of words that need to be looked up, lists of "to do's" and goals that need to be accomplished, lists of adventures that need to be written in my journal (when I get behind), lists of positive affirmations that need to be said regularly (positive thinking is awesome!), lists of subjects that I want to learn about, lists of books I want to read, lists of lists I want to/already do make, and so on. It sounds ridiculous and can get completely out of control, but so is my list making fetish.

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This can, of course, be a bad thing. Though and thus far, my obsessive habits have tended to come in handy. Because of said lists, I am one who gets things done (or, at least, attempts them). Writing things down on paper provides me with a constant reminder of everything that would otherwise be jumbled about and eventually lost in the abyss of my brain. Also, I shan't be an old lady whose lost her marbles because I will have made a list of every one and its specific location. :) List making could almost be considered a self-made insurance policy, per se. Please take note that the word "almost" is used in the previous sentence. Thank you.

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Occasions like New Years, the start of a new school year, the start of a new job, the beginning of summer (new beginnings, in general), and breaks (i.g. SPRING BREAK!!!!) are ideal times for list making. All a person has to do is whip out a good writing utensil and a desired paper product. After that, one can chicken scratch to one's heart's content. Its' a simple 1-2-3 step process. Remember the 3 P's:

1. Pencil/Pen (depending on preference)
2. Paper
3. Plan (I was going to say prospectus, but I'm a fan of informal lists)

Let's repeat that... Pencil/Pen, Paper, Plan. Get it? Got it? Good.

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This week's agenda is full/overflowing with big plans, as is indicated by the title of this blog. Motivation fuels my mindset! I want to allow myself plenty of relaxation time, as well as cross off "to-do" items. I have a couple of midterms to study for, a science paper to rough draft, scholarships to apply for, people (missionaries, friends, relatives) to write, instruments to practice, musical pieces to perfect, journal(s) to catch up on, friends to hang out with, dates to go on, shelves to dust, carpets to vacuum, a house to scrape (in preparation for a new paint job), muscles to exercise, food to eat, air to breath....

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I have big plans, my friends, big plans!