by popular demand... video proof!

You asked!  And here's the video proof I mentioned in my last post.  Also, my family's Christmas card from a few years ago.  (Isn't my family the greatest?)  You're welcome.  Enjoy!

Explanation for the videos:
My best friend (and roommate at the time) and I both love HSM.  One day, it was such perfect weather, we decided the best thing would be to have an HSM dance party in the volleyball court.  (One thing we liked to do was sync up our ipods and have dance parties with our headphones in.)  So, the first video shows how we'd sync our ipods.  The second video shows one of our favorite parts of all the songs, all the movies.  The third video is my brother recording us from his apartment.  We didn't really think about how other people could see us or might've been paying attention, so we were completely surprised when he showed us the video he took. :)  We might be crazy, but you have to admit, we're also a lot of fun.

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She's just a teenage maniac [with her] heart out on the dance floor...

"Frequently Baby"

Mêlée

High School Musical and me

"What?" some of you may be thinking.  "How can this even be a post?"

Oh, it can be.  

As some of you may know, I love High School Musical.  All three of them.  I own a shirt, lunchbox, dishes, board game, jacket..... with HSM logos on them.  I own all three soundtracks and movies.  The first movie came out when I was a junior in high school.  I remember there being a ton of hype on the Disney Channel when it came out, and when I first saw it, thinking, "That was fine."  Then as the weeks went by and I watched it more times, I fell in love.  You better believe I was watching when High School Musical 2 premiered on the Disney Channel during my senior year.  I went to see High School Musical: The Ice Tour when I was a freshman in college.  High School Musical 3 is the first movie I ever paid full price to see in a movie theater twice.  The first time was at midnight.  I will never forget how exhilarating it was when the beginning of "Now or Never" started, screen still black, and then all of a sudden Zac Efron's face popped up.  The entire theater screamed.  We were the oldest ones there who weren't chaperoning.  It was AWESOME.  My dream is to see a high-quality High School Musical 4 come out.  

Anyway.  When I was at Girls Camp last week, I learned that many of the girls shared my love for High School Musical.  It was so great.  Impromptu HSM singing, dances, skits, quotes... We spent the entire car ride back listening to the soundtracks - yes, I had them all with me.  So.  Girls.  This post is for you.

My best friend and me during intermission of HSM: The Ice Tour, right after we bought these SWEET jackets.
I'm telling you.  It was so exciting.  It was the only time I've ever been thankful for obese children.  Without them, we could never have bought size 3XL in this jacket designed for young children.

We kissed the tour bus.  That's real love.
Also, Kenny Ortega is so great and his name was on the bus.

Check out that jacket.  IT'S SO GREAT.

We dressed up on High School Musical Day: The Day HSM3 Came Out.
(Remember in HSM3 when Zac Efron's wearing an exclamation point shirt?)

I also took an HSM lunchbox to school that day.

I've never claimed to be good at nail art.
It says, "Go Wildcats."

You guys.  Get a best friend who loves High School Musical.

If you're working at a movie theater the night High School Musical 3 comes out,
shouldn't it be a requirement that you can take a good jumping picture?

I was Gabriella for Halloween.  Check out my necklace!  It's Carrie's.
She's David Bowie, by the way.

That time our best friend sent us HSM paraphernalia from his mission in Denmark for Christmas.
Isn't this what you look like when you're singing "Bet On It"?

My scrapbog.  (It's Danish, remember?)

I have videos, too, but I think I'll save them for another day.

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"Maybe we're being punked.  Maybe we're being filmed right now...  Maybe we'll get to meet Ashton!"

High School Musical

the art of playing

"As kids we're taught to play, and we're never given a reason why we should play; it's just acceptable that play is a good thing... There is no point and there doesn't have to be a point.  As adults, we need to learn that there's no right or wrong way to play."

When I was a freshman at college, two of my best friends from high school were also freshmen at the same college.  We hung out a lot and generally just "played."  I don't know if there's a better way to describe it.  Perhaps (more or less, for the sake of this post and my overall life activities) you could say that someone who plays exhibits a "willingness to play games and generally be silly."  

Anyway, I went on a date that year and casually mentioned that those two friends and I would go on adventures and play.  My date said, "You play?  How do you do that?"  

WHAT?  How could he not know how to play?  Granted, my family is into playing and my friends are also really fun, so maybe I was just spoiled.  Whatever the reason, I decided that I would go on another date with that boy IF I got to plan it.  So I planned one, and it was awesome.  If that date had had a title, it would've been "Teaching D To Play."  I started the evening with an excellent playlist called "Fun!" We then proceeded to color with crayons in coloring books, make chocolate pudding, and tell Laffy Taffy jokes (while eating the candy, of course).  

Only D knows if that date was at all as fun as I meant for it to be.  I definitely thought it was, but you never know - we only went on one more date after that.  He did think my challenge to sing all the words to "Curbside Prophet," by Jason Mraz, was boring (when I ask you if you know ALL of the words, you say yes, and I start singing them, it's not time to strike up a conversation), and he decided we should eat the chocolate pudding instead of paint a picture with it, but he was the one who suggested we eat the Laffy Taffy I brought even though we'd already eaten pudding.  

I feel like this entire post is completely random.  There's not really any point to it.  I heard that TED talk today, which reminded me of a fun story I felt like writing about..., so I did.  For the take-home message, let's do this: I have a really fun family who taught me to play, really fun friends who are great at playing, and am thankful I married someone who also knows how to play.  + I hope you never forgot how to play, but if you did, it's never too late to relearn.  

(By the way, if you've never watched any of Improv Everywhere's videos, you should. They're hilarious.)

WARNING!  This is the fine print.  Possible side affects of being good at playing include: the feeling that meetings where small talk is preferred have become stiflingly boring because people don't always want to talk about fun things like playing; the feeling that other everyday / "normal" activities have become more interesting and fun.  

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"[Peter] often went out alone, and when he came back you were never absolutely certain whether he had had an adventure or not.  He might have forgotten it so completely that he said nothing about it; and then when you went out you found the body; and, on the other hand, he might say a great deal about it, and yet you could not find the body."  - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

jobs (other than my own) that I would love: part 3

You don't have to watch all of that, but you'll be in for some great entertainment (and a couple of fun surprises) if you do.  I, for one, am highly impressed with her ability to pull out so many different dance moves in just five minutes, even if she does make extensive use of the model walk.  

Oh, and I sang that song in my fifth grade musical.

But back to the point - I would be such a good store mascot.  I've always thought it would be soooo fun (except in the boiling heat) - AS LONG AS I had a head.  If there were no head to go with the costume, I would probably be just like most store mascots, but if there were a head and I was allowed to listen to music (whether on a loudspeaker or an iPod), I would be great and it would be super fun.  Everyone driving / walking by would totally come into my store / buy a mattress / pizza / insurance / fried chicken from me.  Whaaaaat!

(I was going to insert a video from "The Middle" where you find out that, when Sue is the mascot, everyone loves her, but I couldn't find it.  You'll just have to imagine. :)

So, that's pretty much it.  I would enjoy being a grocery buggy collecter, a tutor, and a store mascot.  As for jobs that I don't have enough to say about for them to get their own post, there's just one.  It's "teach you how to go grocery shopping"er.  I'm good at going shopping and living on a low grocery budget, I think.  I wouldn't teach a class, necessarily, but I think I could do a pretty good job going into someone's home, looking at what they like to eat, helping them learn to look through an ad, and then going shopping.  That kind of thing.

Oh, and high school choir accompanist.

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"Which of these adventures shall we choose [to describe]?  The best way will be to toss for it.

I have tossed, and the lagoon has won.  This almost makes one wish that the gulch or the cake or Tink's leaf had won.  Of course I could do it again, and make it best out of three; however, perhaps fairest to stick to the lagoon."  - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

No wise man has the power

I grew up listening to oldies.

KOOL 106.1 - All oldies, all the time.

I'm not sure why.  I don't think it was because of my parents because my older siblings listened to current music.  But for some reason I only listened to oldies.  I didn't really know who *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and 98 Degrees were, except for a couple of their songs that my friends sang.  I knew who Hanson was because my best friend loved them.  But I remember, after I turned 14, being excited to go to stake dances each month because I would hear the current songs I liked.  Why did I wait for stake dances instead of just listening to non-oldies stations on the radio like everyone else my age? 

As a result, some of my all-time favorite music and artists continue to be from the Golden Oldies era (and into the 70's).  They put me in a good mood like current music still can't.  The other day, J and I were listening to the radio and the deejay said, "Coming up, music from the very best decade of music, the 80's!" and I said to Joel, "The 80's? That's ridiculous.  Everyone knows the best decades of music were the 60's and 70's."

Side note: Randomly, Carrie, who's my best friend, also grew up listening to only oldies (although she started transitioning into the modern day sooner than I did. she knows all the words to "Ice Ice Baby," people.). 

Anyway, 

I LOVE THIS SONG.


Ha, I just went back and saw that I've written about this song before! I guess that proves how much I love it. :)




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"It is the nightly custom of every good mother after her children are asleep to rummage in their minds and put things straight for next morning, repacking into their proper places the many articles that have wandered during the day.  If you could keep awake (but of course you can't) you would see your own mother doing this, and you would find it very interesting to watch her.  It is quite like tidying up drawers... When you wake in the morning, the naughtiness and evil passions with which you went to bed have been folded up small and placed at the bottom of your mind, and on the top, beautifully aired, are spread out your prettier thoughts, ready for you to put on." - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

In the leafy treetops, the birds sing, "Good morning!"

More like, "In the leafy eaves of the porch, the birds sing, 'Get away from my babies!'"

My friend Carrie wrote a blog post recently about birds having babies on her porch and the parents hating her.  Well, guess what - the same thing is happening at our house right now!  We had some birds build a nest outside of our front room window and lay eggs - we knew there were eggs because all of a sudden, the birds hated us - but we were dismayed one day to find the eggs broken all over our porch.  Yes, for some unknown reason (perhaps the eggs were duds?) the parents had pushed their eggs out to sudden destruction.

But then!  A new couple moved in!  They built a nest in front of our front door and also laid eggs!  AND THEN THE EGGS HATCHED!  We now have the most adorable things happening all the time outside our front window, and we love to watch it.  The parents hate us.  In fact, when we went on a walk last night, they followed us for a full block screaming at us to leave their babies alone.  Anyway.  For your and my viewing pleasure, I took some videos.  Now you can see just how cute they are!  I have included only the most action-packed scenes.

At about :45, Joel walked into the front yard.  You can hear the mom and dad scolding him for it for a couple of seconds.  It went on a lot longer in real life.

Why, yes, at 1:00, that is a piece of poop scooting out!

1:55 is one of my most favorite parts, when he snuggles up and puts his arm around his brother.

Can anyone contest that seeing tiny little baby birds stretching out their cute skinny necks and gigantic beaks to be fed by their mommy/daddy is not one of the cutest things in the world?

I love these little birds living on our porch.  Sadly, their constant scolding and poop are both annoying enough that we probably will not let them live there again.  But I love them for now :)

The boy who lived

The first person who introduced me to Harry Potter was my grandma.  She sent our family the first book.  I'd heard of it, but didn't know many people who read it and had no interest, really, in reading it.  But hey, free book!  Why not read it?  Since then, there have been four (I think) midnight book releasings and two midnight movies.  T-shirts, hours of conversation, hundreds of hours of listening and reading and watching, Harry Potter food experiments, nicknames, reenactments (with and without sparklers), magic wand finding, and party planning.  Although it may sound dramatic, it is 100% completely true that my life has never been the same.  I owe you big, Grandma.  :)

I may or may not have just spent a lot of time looking at Harry Potter-related videos, interviews, pictures... you get the drift.  I love it, you guys.  Seriously.  I LOVE Harry Potter.  The books, the movies (except #6), the actors, J.K. Rowling... They hold such a huge place in my heart and in my life that sometimes I can hardly stand them not being real.  Get over it.  Yes, I may be obsessed.  Not that weird.  Anyway, if you've never read them, READ THEM.  or LISTEN TO THEM.  and WATCH THEM. (Notice that's not an "or" - you should always read them, whether or not you also decide to watch them.)  And ponder on the greatness that is J.K. and the amazingness that is her creation.

I could keep gushing.  Really, I could.  But I'll allow you to keep the amount of respect you still have for me regarding my love of fictional ideas.  (That should be an insanely huge amount, considering how great these fictional ideas are, but I know some people just don't love them as much as I do.)  So goodnight.  Sweet dreams.  I hope they're about a boy in a scar who finds out he's a wizard.

a day for celebrating

Not only was yesterday a day for celebrating thankfulness

and tasty food,

but it was also a day to celebrate the birth of

Carrie O'Dell,

who happens to be my best friend,

awesome,

and probably the best roommate in the world.

(I wouldn't know exactly because I haven't had everyone in the world as roommates.

However, I'd be willing to bet that there should be no "probably" in the sentence.)

In backwards order...

Reasons why she is the best roommate ever:

1. She is easy to get along with:

I can count on zero hands the number of times we got in arguments.

2. She is an excellent cook:

We were in a dinner group together. Tasty foods.

3. She is clean, but not the kind of clean that makes you feel guilty:

We tended to have messy days at the same time,

so we actually inspired each other to clean up.

4. She likes to do social things, but not always:

We did social things because they were fun, 

but we also knew how to stay home and eat brownies.

5. She has excellent taste in movies:

Harry Potter and all the High School Musicals. 

6. She has extensive knowledge of movies:

Ever laid awake or gone crazy trying to remember what other movies someone's been in?

This will never happen with Carrie as your roommate.

7. She has good habits:

Namely, my nighttime teeth-brushing

and daily showering + hair-doing

were at an all-time high while living with Carrie.

8. Etc.

Four years ago on Carrie's birthday when BYU beat the U.

Reasons why she is awesome

COMBINED WITH

Reasons why she is my best friend:

1. Her mom made us be friends.

(Shout out to Sis O'Dell!)

2. She is hilarious.

3. She has an excellent sense of style.

4. She likes to do fun things.

5. She is one of the most excited people I know:

--> She makes everything more fun.

--> If you ever have something exciting to say and are expecting a good reaction,

she will never disappoint.

6. She is supportive.

This combined with #5 = 

I seriously would've gone crazy at some points during my sophomore year

if it weren't for Carrie.

7. She went on a date with Greg.

That was awesome, people.

8. She calls it a je'taime. 

And that is just cool.

9. She likes my husband.

That would've been ridiculously hard.

10. She doesn't do mean things,

like making people feel stupid,

belittling,

or otherwise being negative.

I could say 1,000,000 more things, but I won't.

 

Dear Sister O'Dell,

Thank you for making me share a tent with Carrie, 

even though I didn't like you at the time for it.

She is the best best friend in the world.

 

 Dear Carrie,

We have been best friends for 10ish years.

I feel like we should be sisters or otherwise related,

and that we should be neighbors when we grow up.

You are excellent

and I'm so thankful for you!

Also, I don't hug much or say this very often,

but just so you know,

I love you!

You are awesome.

and I'm glad you had a good birthday!

P.S. I like your watch.

You're the assistant! Figure it out!

an excellent day off

FREE AT LAST!

What time is it?

SUMMERTIME!

Harry Potter

I have already talked about this a little, but let me explain.

Carrie is my best not-my-husband friend.

The fact that we are friends is her mom's fault.  (more about that another time.)

We are doing something awesome.

Called a Harry Potter marathon!

I'm definitely excited.  I love Harry Potter so much.  I have a t-shirt claiming that I am Hermione, and I also have a magic wand that is so perfect for me!  I found it at Girl's Camp.  You know what they say - the wand chooses the wizard.  Anyway, when the books first came out, my grandma bought our family one of them, and we've been reading ever since.  They're the reason one of my sisters now enjoys reading.  Our family went to Walmart at midnight for the last 4-5 books so we could have them right when they came out.  Mom read them to us as a family, so no one ever knew what would happen before anyone else, and we always finished after the rest of the world.  But it was fun.  Mom would sit in her big chair, get a cup of water, and read a few chapters.  Sometimes one, sometimes two or three.  We often asked for more chapters than she read, but it makes your voice tired to read three chapters of a book out loud!  Especially a book with Harry Potter-sized chapters.  

I was talking to Carrie about Harry Potter a couple of weeks ago, and we decided it'd be fun during the summer to have a Harry Potter marathon/book club.  We're reading the books at the same time, and then every time we finish a book, we watch the corresponding movie while eating food inspired by the book we just finished.  And we usually spend the movie watching it, but also critiquing it and talking about which parts we wish they would've left in the movies, etc.  We hope to finish the seventh one at the time the seventh movie comes out in November, but let's be honest - we'll be done WAY before that.  We knew we would be, so maybe we'll just end up waiting until November to read the seventh book. I don't know.  I just know that it's fun!  I've been listening to them at work because someone has kindly uploaded them onto youtube.  Forgive me if it's illegal and I love it - but I would've just checked out the audio version at the library anyway, not purchased it.  It's been interesting, though, how much it helps me concentrate at work.  It works much better than music, for some reason.  

Moral of the story: Harry Potter is awesome.  And don't be surprised if I put up random quotes or things I'm thinking about while I'm at work listening to Harry Potter.  

Also, this post format is dedicated to Carrie because she usually doesn't write her blog with left alignment or whatever it's called.  Usually it's in the middle, sometimes it's on the right, occasionally on the left.  So I decided to try it with right-hand alignment.  I'll be honest - it's kind of fun.

dashboard

I used to think that in order to get to your dashboard on blogger from your blog page, you had to click "New Post" or "Customize" and then once you had gotten there, you could click "Dashboard." This got pretty old.  Especially when I used to click "New Post" every time, and it would always be like, "Are you sure you want to go away from this page?  You might be losing stuff that you've typed into your entry!"  Except I hadn't even written anything in that box yet.  

Anyway, I was corrected today by Carrie.  I am happier.  :)