I Love Life...

Couponing

2011-10-04T23:28:00.002-06:00

OK I know, it is all the craze right now and this is going to be a really boring post to say the least.

I bought one newpaper paper. I looked at the websites. I thought I would try Walmart first. I had 10 things on my list of things to get, I ended up with 3. One brand wasn't carried at my Walmart, one thing was out, one coupon didn't work the way the websites said, I decided to wait on one thing, and they didn't have the right size of another thing, etc.

If you do the math I saved 66% or I only had to pay 34 % of the original price. This statistic makes couponing look really good.

So now lets see what I bought:
Rotel Sauce: only $.18 since Walmart doubles coupons on Tuesdays
Lil' Entree by Gerber: $1.00 with a dollar off coupon
Travel Size Toothpatse: I actually earned $.03 with a dollar off coupon
Total price (before tax): $1.15

Now after looking at what I bought, it doesn't really seem worth it, does it? I can see how having multiple coupons would give you more of an advantage, but still. hmmmmm My jury is still out.

We'll see how I feel when I try using some diaper coupon strategies.

Escalante

2011-04-13T17:58:00.003-06:00

A few months back it was decided that we really wanted to go camping. We have been saying over and over that we want to go camping and we never do it. SO...... we started looking for places to go. Of course we had to go when school was out, which means spring break, this also meant all the "cool" places were taken. So we just kinda looked around, we wanted it to be more south so it wouldn't be snowing or something, and we found vacancies at ESCALANTE STATE PARK.

I didn't know what I was getting. They have the nicest camp bathrooms I have ever seen, they get cleaned everyday and they have showers.... on top of that... they have free wi-fi.

For the record, I actually haven't used the wi-fi, except to the check the weather till now. I have really enjoyed being away from technology. Soeji, however, was NOT liking the wind in the tent or outside so I am sitting in the car with her while everyone else is hiking upper calf creek falls.

Yesterday we went to Devils Garden which was definitely the most cool thing I saw. Below is "Meta Arch." I think.

So we got to camp. LOVE IT!!!

V Day

2011-02-15T09:01:00.002-07:00

Love my husband.
Love Soeji.
Love having my sister around.
Love my family.
Love my in-laws.
Love my dogs.
Love my job.
Love my friends.
Love my extended family.
Love where I live.
Love the kids I teach.
Love the clients I take care of.
Love how warm it has been these last few days.
Love it when my house is clean (maybe it will be clean again someday).
Love the kids I taught last year (still).
Love driving a mini van (borrowed from parents).

Happy Valentines Day.... yesterday. Note Soeji is wearing a Valentines Day appropriate shirt.

THANK GOODNESS

2011-02-08T17:20:00.001-07:00

My sister has moved into our 910 square foot condo. THANK GOODNESS. I really needed the help with Soeji. Because she moved in with us, my mom bought some furniture so that she could have a place to store her things. THANK GOODNESS. I already had in mind what I wanted: MALM collection stuff from IKEA. The only thing with Ikea is that you have to put the furniture together. Normally this isn't a problem because Andy loves to put the furniture together. Unfortunately, Andy and I both had lessons we needed to get done for today, leaving Tasha, my sister, to take care of the baby and no one to build the dresser and nightstand my mom had purchased for us. Tom, Andy's brother, happened to be in town last night, however, and I implored him to help. And he did. THANK GOODNESS. I am so grateful for all the help of my family.

Normal

2011-02-03T18:40:00.005-07:00

I don't know what to say. I feel like my life is pretty normal. I like that my life is normal. My life is do-able. Sure, sometimes things are hard, but I've been really lucky. I haven't had any horrible tragedies (knock on wood).

Tuesday I went to my nephew's birthday party. I can be very practical with gifts sometimes. I knew he needed clothes so that is what I got him. I knew a batman toy would have made him really happy, but he really has enough of those. His reaction when he opened the present:
"I don't want this. I don't want clothes." My nephew has a husky voice and the way he said it was hilarious. It was so funny, I think I might get him clothes again next year.

The other day a 1st grader came up to me and said, "I heard you got birthed." "Yes," I said, "I had a baby." He said congratulations. One of the most fun things about little kids is that they make stuff a BIG DEAL, of course, that can be a really annoying thing about kids too. Most of my students have been so excited for me to have our first child. They also love to see the pictures. It is very fun for me.

Here is new born picture of my little munchkin. She already looks so different.

Only Finals are left

2009-04-24T10:33:00.003-06:00

Well, this has been a busy semester to say the least.
-First of all I switched jobs. I never would have except I need to take a specific math class and switching jobs was my only option. This meant no more boring days and no more internet access at work. It also meant I couldn't do homework at work.
-Secondly, I took a heavier course load this semester. This was so that I could apply to get an internship to teach for the 2009-20010 school year. I really wanted this so I knew the extra class would be worth it.

It's just been busy. My poor grandmother, I haven't taken her shopping since before Christmas. This is ok because she has other help, but she can not get out on her own she appreciates every opportunity.

My busy life isn't ending, however, it may just be beginning. This summer I will be going to school again. This will be my 3rd semester out of 4 of teaching certification. In August I will start teaching 5th grade. By December I will be done with course work. In April 2010 I'll get a diploma and my Teacher's licence. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel....

Adopt Senior Dogs

2009-01-12T09:55:00.002-07:00

I never thought about adopting a dog when I was in the market for one. I don't know why it never occurred to me. But I've decided I want to adopt from now on.

Classes

2009-01-05T15:05:00.008-07:00

Some people were asking what classes I was taking this semester. All of them seem pretty pertinent which makes me pretty excited!! Although I have no idea what Foundations of American Education is going to be about.... this post is not too exciting so I won't be offended if no one comments.

Last Semesters Classes:

Educational Psychology: interesting... I really want to learn more!

Curriculum Design: this is how you write a lesson plan....

Social Studies (little kids history) Methods: blah blah blah (not my favorite class)

Classroom Management I-- get kids to do what you say

Educational Technology -- learn about technology so you don't look like a dufus to the 10 year olds who know more about it that you do.

Creative Arts-- fun fun fun!!! infuse the ARTS into teaching!! we had a whole day where we did dancing activities and another whole day were we did art activities and we got to learn songs we could teach our kids.

This Semesters Classes:

Science Methods: write lesson plans for science subjects

Literacy Methods I: teaching kids to read?

Language Arts (literature) Methods: write lesson plans

Foundations of Bilingual ESL (english as a second language) Classroom: NO HABLO ESPANO. Lo siento. aprende Ingles por favor!! although spanish isn't the only language that may be spoken in a potentail classroom I wish I spoke it.

Foundations of American Education----right because ours is so amazing?

Classroom Management II-- get kids to do what you say and fear you (JK).

Mathematics for Elementary Teachers II -- all the ways to ways to add, multiply, subtract, etc.

we aren't pregnant but....

2008-12-29T09:43:00.002-07:00

... everyone likes to play around with names. Here are some names I like
Boys:
Braum
Dex(ter)
Shawn-- it couldn't be Sean b/c Sean Bean just isn't right
Girls:
Klara
Echo-- this is a family name
Stevie-- I know weird, there was a girl in my class in Belgium with this name.

different

2008-12-05T09:59:00.009-07:00

Once upon a time I lived in Belgium and noticed some things were different

• you have to pay to use the toilet
• ~~you put milk in the fridge after the milk is opened~~ Milk is kept on the shelf before it is opened.
• french fries originated in BELGIUM and you eat them with mayonnaise
• chocolate is a breakfast food
• waffles are a afternoon treat

Then my good friend from Belgium got a job in the US and came to visit me and I found out some other things are different, that I didn't notice before

• Belgians don't eat a lot of turkey, which brings a whole new meaning to my host parents saying, "you really like turkey!"
• Belgian bread does not contain sugar. way to go america lets add sugar to everything even stuff that doesn't need it.
• Belgians don't have cream cheese, cheddar cheese, provelone (apparently these are American Cheeses)
• Belgians don’t have anything Mint Chocolate
Me: I am going to make mint brownies
Belgian Friend: EWWWW Yuck. Mint does not go with chocolate.
Me: wait what? you mean you don’t eat mint chocolate in Belgium? (no)

How did I manage to miss that one?

Internship

2008-11-19T10:21:00.007-07:00

I may have mentioned this before, or maybe just to some people, but I really want to get an internship for next year. However, only 35 people are accepted and there are approximately 180 students in the teaching program.

With an internship I would finish my third semester of classes in the summer (instead of taking no classes) then instead of student teaching the fourth semester I would teach for a year earning half salary and benefits. This would be awesome because ~~Andy could quit his job and start full time on his masters a year sooner~~ scratch that... I would be getting paid to do what I would be doing at school anyway. I don't apply for the internship until march or April which is still 4-5 months away.

Yesterday the Vice Principal (VP) at the school we are doing our field experience at asked my teaching partner and I if we were hoping for an internship next year. My partner said YES! and the VP followed up with, "Well, we think you two are doing a good job, so don't blow the interview."

UVU, the university I attend, has no say in who gets to do the internship. This means I can't ride on the fact that some of my teachers might find me wonderful (dang it... all that brown nosing for nothing). It all comes down to an interview with the district... I am going to start practising ....

"You want to choose ME for the internship because...."

The thing I have a hard time with, is that if I get hired that means I was chosen and my other classmates weren't.

OK Number 2

2008-11-11T20:04:00.004-07:00

This time I did two different pictures (three years apart) to see if there were any similarities on the celebrity who pops up. and Honest to goodness Molly Ringwald popped up as my look alike in 2nd place in one foto and in first place in the other. Which must mean we are twins. I am gonna erase the other one because it's just not as cool.

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Free family tree chart - Family origins

moving on...

2008-11-07T06:38:00.003-07:00

So on another note. I am currently in the middle of my "field experience." At UVU they have us go into elementary class rooms for a few weeks each of the 3 semesters before student teaching. This is a great opportunity to try to use the things we have been learning in our classes in real life. We actually write lesson plans and then teach them to real elementary school children instead of to our classmates. We get to see real teachers in action and note the things they do which are effective (and the things they do which aren't effective). Most of all I get the joy of kicking myself for my mistakes after giving a lesson-- but I can do it with out too much stress because, it's only one lesson a day and kids aren't even tested in social studies anyway (math, english, science only... thanks NCLB).

Seriously though, I like it a lot. I am working with 4th graders right now (10 years old). They are adorable.

i said on facebook the other day it wasn't over....

2008-11-06T19:49:00.004-07:00

...and it's not

Protests at the LA Temple:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-prote st7-2008nov07,0,3827549.story.

Planned Protests in SLC

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10918202

People don't just give up on things they feel are their rights.

On a furthar note:

"Before it accepted the invitation to join broad-based coalitions for the amendments, the Church knew that some of its members would choose not to support its position. Voting choices by Latter-day Saints, like all other people, are influenced by their own unique experiences and circumstances. As we move forward from the election, Church members need to be understanding and accepting of each other and work together for a better society."

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/church-responds-to-same-sex-marriage-votes

last night

2008-11-05T08:36:00.004-07:00

I'll be honest last night was interesting for me. 1st of all we don't have TV. So the internet was my only source of info. It's good info too. I found my self constantly refreshing pages to see what the different news sources were saying. CNN, KSL, Guardian, refresh, refresh, refresh, where the heck can I watch where the Utah colleges exit poll is broadcasting? KBYU doesn't broad cast online grrrr. Refresh refresh reafresh, call my in-laws, "what are the saying on TV." Call my parents "what is going on over there?"

When CNN predicted a Utah McCain Majority I wasn't surprised.... but I was confused when the percentage results would say 54% Obama 42% McCain or whatever. What the HECK WAS GOING ON??? then it would change to like 49% Obama 49% McCain. WAIT WHAT??? You see I have this hope that Utah will change. That it wont be so incredibly republican. I think the best things happen when there is a diverse pool of ideas. T me having such an over whelming republican state means there isn't a lot of diverse ideas. This of course isn't entirely true. There are differeing ideas with in the republican party (and we have a libretarians, constitutionalists etc.) hopfully you know what I mean. Back to my point... when I was watching these precentages my hope was totally blossoming... maybe you Utah will change maybe the gap between republican and democrat will lessen. But in the back of my mind I knew, only 30% of precints have reported, only 50% of precents have reported, the pecentages i was reading didn't mean anything.

And now, 63% McCain 34% Obama 99% precincts reported. Utah hasn't changed. Or has it? The Utah Elections Office (which I acutally worked a little with when I interned for the Utah Lt. Govener-- elections office in Utah falls under the leadership of the Lt. Gov) reports the 2000 Results as 67% (r) 26 % (d). SO at first glance I get the hope again, "whoa more ppl voted democrat in this (2008) election." But there is more to look at then just presidential votes. What about votes for state representative? so much data to look at and analyze. I am sure tons of Utah political science majors will write research papers on the topic, no need for me too, I'll just read what they write.

Prop 8 Again, before we know what is decided

2008-11-04T18:37:00.005-07:00

Before Prop 8 Is decided...

I understand People are coming up with all sorts of lies and arguments for and against prop 8.

but I don't get the whole fight. From what I understand...

As of 2007, California affords domestic partnerships all of the same rights and responsibilities as marriages under state law (Cal. Fam. Code §297.5).
Among these:
Making health care decisions for each other in certain circumstances
Hospital and jail visitation rights that were previously reserved for family members related by blood, adoption or marriage to the sick, injured or incarcerated person.
Access to family health insurance plans (Cal. Ins. Code §10121.7)
Spousal insurance policies (auto, life, homeowners etc..), this applies to all forms of insurance through the California Insurance Equality Act (Cal. Ins. Code §381.5)
Sick care and similar family leave
Stepparent adoption procedures
Presumption that both members of the partnership are the parents of a child born into the partnership
Suing for wrongful death of a domestic partner
Rights involving wills, intestate succession, conservatorships and trusts
The same property tax provisions otherwise available only to married couples (Cal. R&T Code §62p)
Access to some survivor pension benefits
Supervision of the Superior Court of California over dissolution and nullity proceedings
The obligation to file state tax returns as a married couple (260k) commencing with the 2007 tax year (Cal R&T Code §18521d)
The right for either partner to take the other partner's surname after registration
Community property rights and responsibilities previously only available to married spouses
The right to request partner support (alimony) upon dissolution of the partnership (divorce)
The same parental rights and responsibilities granted to and imposed upon spouses in a marriage

So I guess I don't get the whole battle. Becuase it seems like they all ready have all the same legal rights in CA based upon Cal. Fam. Code §297.5, Cal. Ins. Code §10121.7, Cal. Ins. Code §381.5 etc.

"I said they very un sensitively, please don't take office b/c of my uneloquence, every thing was meant with love and truely trying to figure out what this is really all about."

It seems like Marrige so far has meant Man+Women and Domestic partner means Man + Man or Women + Women (and Man+ Women if one is over 62) in leagal terms and other then that all rights are equal. So it seems like this whole fight is over is just over leagal jargon. Does legal jargon really matter much?

will changing the leagal jargon change much? It may and if it truely will fine. If it will help ppl to stop hate crimes, and other things against Homosexuals fine. I don't want any of that to happen to anyone or any living thing.

All I know is that this proposition has caused a lot of hate, termoil, strife etc. on both sides and for that reason I wish it were over.

Clean Coal?

2008-11-04T10:36:00.002-07:00

Clean Coal, what is this exactly?
I got this link from a friend. It says that capturing carbon emissions is possible, but that the technology is NOT here yet. MIT says maybe in 2030. Seems a little early for presidential candidates to get any kind of votes from promising it. OH well we'll see tonight what is gonna happen.

Photo Story Project- Fun and easy to use program!

2008-10-27T11:12:00.003-06:00

I know this isn't the most amazing story ever, but the program is still fun and it's free if you have an authentic windows XP operating system.

Utah Trikes: part one

2008-10-22T09:16:00.013-06:00

Problem: my grandma can NOT get her mail
My grandmother lives in Spanish Fork Utah. Not too long ago Spanish Fork was a total HICK town. I mean there is a funny accent from there and everything. But with all the growth Utah has been having sub divisions have popped up there like MAD! My Grandma bought a house in one of them. I don't know who's bright idea this was, but they decided that in all these subdivisions that instead of getting mail delivered to your door, they would have a line of mail boxes and the end of the block something like the picture I've posted. I've heard of this in rural areas. It makes sense there. But in a regular neighborhood? I mean I have posted a plan of what her neighborhood looks like (in general) and it's a regular neighborhood where a mail carrier typically delivers mail door to door. My grandma is 82 years old and will probably be around a while longer, but she can not make it down to the end of the block with out resting multiple times. She has arthritis and it really pains her knees to do it. So for now she has accepted only being able to receive her mail about once a week when my aunt or I go by her house.( sometimes she has gone two weeks with out mail) Realize this means she can only mail things once a week too. So when it comes to bills, it makes things a little more stressful.

Solution: http://www.utahtrikes.com/

So this trike store opened up in Spanish Fork. My grandma, andy and I went to the above store to see if we could get my grandma an electric tricycle so that she can go down the street and get her mail. Yes that red tricycle with the big basket on the back is indeed the bike she wants. (Now tell me that is not the cutest thing you have ever seen. I think it's so cute I want one.) Only it would be powered electricly so she wouldn't have to pedal. People riding acutal bikes powered by something other than a Human pushing the pedals is not something new, it's just not seen as much in the US. But my grandma can't even walk to the end of her block so she probably couldn't ride a bike down there either, so she wants the above bike electricly powered.

Problem: Gas Prices

With gas prices and the current economy EVERYONE wants an electric powered bike. So the motor for the bike is back ordered for months. So my grandma is waiting for the store to get a motor in and mentions frequently that she hopes they get some in soon. My grandma is upset about the mail situation. We've tried calling the post office but they pretty much refuse to make an exception. Now I know there are other ways my grandma could get her mail, but she is pretty stubborn and wants to to things HERSELF. ahh well it looks like I may have to go back to the post office and fight this one out.

lisa reccomended this video to me

2008-10-15T08:59:00.000-06:00

The Lawerence Welk Show
it's funny.

I got tagged, it's true.

2008-10-13T10:24:00.003-06:00

I think games like this were made up so ppl could get into your accounts and stuff, I mean there is enough info on these (not to mention my blog in general) to make it pretty easy. i sound really boring on this ...

Three names I go by- Kirsten, Eddie, Kirsy (not since high school)
Three restaurants I love- does fast food count? I don't really care as long as I don't have to worry about dinner-- In and Out, Rubios, Einsteins(? i think i am only saying that b/c I could really go for a bagel right now)
Three trips to plan in the next year- CA, WA, NY-- in a perfect world
Three things I want badly- to be done with school, wood or cork floors, new windows
Three pets I have had- dog - shannon, dog- lula, dog- frostbite
Three things I did yesterday- went to a baby blessing, visited andy's bro's new house, watched lion, the witch and the wardrobe
Three fears I have- heights, things I can't control in general, super natural stuff
Three things I plan(ned) on doing today- home work, FHE, ride my bike to work (yea that didn't happen)
Three things I plan on doing tomorrow- I try not to make too many plans during the week out side of doing homework, attending class, and spending time with my husband.
Three favorite holidays- any holiday where I get the day off: thanks giving, x-mas, 4th of july
Three favorite beverages- Water, hot cocoa, juice
Three things I can't live without- besides the basic necessities (food water shelter): church, family, singing

Prop 8

2008-10-10T11:36:00.010-06:00

so how do you feel about prop 8? For Prop 8 vs. Against Prop 8

I'll have to admit I like this argument for it:

"It protects our children from being taught in public schools that "same-sex marriage" is the same as traditional marriage, and prevents other consequences to Californians who will be forced to not just be tolerant of gay lifestyles, but face mandatory compliance regardless of their personal beliefs."

as far as voting against it this is probably the thing that moves me the most:

"Domestic Partnerships are NOT the same as marriage. Domestic partnerships are just legal documents. They don't provide the same dignity, respect, and commitment as a marriage. In a marriage, a paramedic doesn't tell you that you cannot get into an ambulance with your spouse. Married couples can automatically make life or death decisions for each other in these crisis situations, no questions asked."

I am for keeping marriage as only between men and women. I would vote yes on 8. I think we just need to make it so that domestic partners get the same rights as marriages.

so how can I vote for 8 even though I have friends who are homosexual? it's probably similar to why people I know and love will vote for McCain even though I am on medicare. We are all hypocrites. Ok so it's not a logical argument, but that is just more power for the core.

always trying to prove myself...

2008-10-06T12:32:00.003-06:00

Once upon a time Kirsten was relatively... cool.

Driving Lesson

2008-10-01T08:11:00.007-06:00

Taken from the Utah Driver Hand Book Page 14-15

"The following situations are times when you must make a complete stop:

4. If a school bus is displaying alternating flashing red light signals visible from the front or rear, and you are:
b. Traveling on a two-lane roadway, traffic in both directions is required to stop." I totally thought you only had to stop if you were behind the bus. But a really loud HONK this morning caused me to look the bus rules up.

"NOTE: School bus drivers may report vehicles that improperly pass school buses. The report may be forwarded to the local law enforcement agency for investigation. Fines range from $100 to $500; and remember; a conviction for passing a school bus illegally usually means an increase in insurance rates." Great, just what I need a $100-$500 fine and a higher monthly insurance rate. Since I did commit the crime, I can only hope that the bus driver didn't write down the information.

I really didn't realize traffic in BOTH directions was required to stop. I felt pretty bad about not stopping when I got the large honk. It was a feeling of guilt and shame for not realizing what I was doing wrong. But let my pain be a lesson for you. I am sure from now on I will be totally anal about stopping when the red lights on busses are flashing.

I was bound to talk about the election sometime...

2008-09-26T11:56:00.010-06:00

Daddy and I are in Las Vegas this weekend at the Golden Nugget. We are working for the Obama campaign--walking and getting citizens (mostly minorities) registered to vote. Nevada is a swing state and since California is going Obama already, they are sending Californians to Nevada to help out there. We are taking 3 other people with us and splitting the gas. It is a working weekend; but we hope to goof off a little in the evening. We will be back Sunday...

I just received this email from my mom. Am I surprised? Well, not really. My parents, in my earlier life, did A TON of campaigning, but before it was mostly city wide stuff. I remember working at game booths at fairs to earn money for the residents association, walking flyers for different causes or people running for office, picking my dad up after spending all day a the grocery store getting people to sign petitions, staying up really late waiting for election results to come in, parties for candidates etc. etc. etc. Was it any wonder that my first major in college was International Relations? I mean it had to be politics related didn't it?

So now I am doing elementary education totally unpolitical right? WRONG! Education is something my parents are both pretty passionate about. My dad reads A LOT and when I was younger he would "force" us to watch these "really boring" civil war movies and we would get paid for any educational programming we would watch... yea you heard it PAID. My mom was an English teacher by university training and then a school board member for eight years... eight long years. At any rate I will probably be politicking again here soon, especially if my parents DO move to Utah because they will be dragging me to everything. I love my parents and their example to be involved! Now if only UTAH were a swing state ;)

"A Walk to Beautiful"

2008-09-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

Andy and I no longer have a TV, just a computer(s). We weren’t watching TV because the temptations we have to 1) spend hours in front of it wasting time 2) watch things we really don’t feel are appropriate. These are things we, in our ideals, don’t approve of, but with our human nature get drawn into anyway. So when we got our new computer, we gave our TV away—there just wasn’t room for it and a computer can serve as a perfectly good DVD player. We definitely read a lot more because we don’t have TV, until of course we got Netflix.

Netflix has a feature that I love: instant movies. This means if you have a Netflix subscription that you can watch certain movies from your PC instantly, you don’t have to wait for it to arrive in the mail. This has definitely made my Netflix subscription worth it! Although I don’t read as much, I still read more than I would if I had a TV, and boy do I take advantage of the instant movies. The other night I wasn’t quite ready for bed so started to watch “Dr. Dolittle” (1967), a movie I remember watching as a child. When I was tired I just turned it off and went to bed. Netflix saves the spot I stopped at so I can go back later and resume where I left off. I think it’s great.

So last night I had a really good handle on my homework so I decided to watch an instant movie. That is where I found “A Walk to Beautiful.” Documentaries can do such and amazing job of helping you feel compassion for other people. If there is something my heart longs to do, it is to love and "A Walk to Beautiful" helps me love women all the way in Ethiopia. This brings me to learn more about Ethiopia and be concerned for what is happening there. Did you know they are currently having a famine? Did you know there are Ethiopian forces in Somalia? I saw an article on the internet that said there are Ethiopian troops in Somalia because, this is America’s 3rd front in the War on Terror.

I don’t really have a conclusion to this, these are just my thoughts.

If your mormon...

2008-08-19T19:28:00.002-06:00

you should think about checking out this blog:
http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/
I haven't read much of it, but it is funny. It makes fun of LDS women.

If you are really Republican and Mormon you may not want to check out this website
http://www.themormonworker.org/
But if you are republican and have an open mind by all means check it out. Interesting thoughts.

a little break and the crazy continues...

2008-08-14T10:24:00.008-06:00

This last month and a half was a lot of me being anti-social. It was a lot of: Not hanging out with dear friends I adore, not reading and commenting on my friends and family's blogs, not much house work, not much facebooking, not much caring about others, not many family functions, AND WORST OF ALL telling Andy I wasn't going to hang out with him/being his party pooper (I ditched him when he went to see Andrew bird, who I would have ejoyed, etc.). I am admitting I've been selfish. Poor Andy. I've given little to anyone, especially in the beginning of AUG. And I can't say I feel good about that. But I do feel good I'll be starting the education program in a few weeks. That means I'll have my bachelors degree soon.

And after all that sacrifice this last little while, i got a lousy B+ in English.
the lowest grade I have received at UVU so far has been an A-. And now I have to face the ugly B+ on my transcripts from English 2020. I mean after all of my doing nothing in that English class, of procrastinating of turning in papers I wrote 3 years ago about political situations that have changed since then (good thing my English teacher doesn't know much about politics), after dragging my self to class every other day even though I wasn't learning anything.... frankly I DESERVED a C. I would rather have a C than a B+. I know backwards logic, but what does a B+ mean any way? (the website I stole the B+ graphic from is bepositive.org and when I saw the website name I told my self that is indeed what I need to do) None of this really matters I just feel stangely gypped.

In any rate I start school again aug 27th and I can't promise any better attendance to you my loyal friends and family who I feel I have neglected. and I am sorry, and I am going to at least try to be better.

I went camping last weekend and all I got was this lousy picture

2008-07-07T13:28:00.005-06:00

The picture isn't lousy, it just would have been fun to get some more pictures of like the camp site and the people we went with. THe only other pictures Andy took were of some cows and of one of our friends being silly.

The interesting thing about the cows, however, is that they roam around in the hills/mountains eating grass with out any fences untill some cowboy comes and herds them to where they need to go. I don't know when that happens. But having free roaming cows is definately different then my life in LA. One of the cows was making such a horrible noise a few people we were camping with were scared it was a bear at first. Some cows that were around sounded like wookies. We took our dogs camping with us. It was their first time camping and they were great! They didn't want to sleep in the tent. So we had Lula sleep in her crate and we tied frostbite up to the back of the car on a really long rope. I tried to crate train him when he was little, but I just didn't have the patience for it.

school....

2008-07-02T17:24:00.001-06:00

well, I'll have a lot of home work till about aug. 8th. I don't know how often I'll be online.

F to C conversion

2008-06-24T15:53:00.004-06:00

I am going to put these here so I don't lose them.

F= (9/5)C + 32
C= (5/9) (F-32)

Fahrenheit is so weird.

Profile Pic

2008-06-19T13:40:00.015-06:00

Some of you may have noticed I have a new profile pic. This to the left, is me. At least the scooby doo verson of me. Andy drew this for a literary journal he was the Art Editor For. The journal theme was "My Word." When you see that picture can't you just see a little word bubble with that exact same phrase on there?

The Group wanted something for the poster that looked like a Lichtenstein. I guess it wasn't a close enough representation because they didn't use it. He got the cartoony part right. Maybe he should have had me crying or something. It's ok though, he only spent about 30 min on it. But I know what your thinking, he was the Art editor and they didn't even use his design for a poster? Well it's the big bosses that really matter in the business world and unfortunately for artists it's them they have to please.

I was tagged by julie

2008-06-17T14:42:00.005-06:00

1. What did you do 10 years ago? I was a freshman in High School and my Best Friend Moved to England. I did Student Government, Homework, Chatting Online, and I was Glenda the Good Witch of the North in the wizard of OZ.

2. Five items on your to-do list: a. study for a test b. bathe the dogs c. read my book d. figure out something for dinner e. make dinner

3. Snacks I enjoy: string cheese, granola bars

4. What would you do if you were a billionaire? Pay off my, my parents, and my parent in laws debt, including second mortgages. Remodle my in-laws house, remodel my parents house, buy a house. Then visit all my friends all of the US and the world. Adopt children, start an endowment for some really good charity, oh the list goes on....

5. Places I would live: Belgium, Vienna, Brazil, Mexico, NY (but not long), Japan, Southern France.... I would live each place for a few years and learn the language and feel like a native then move on.

uh huh

2008-06-16T17:49:00.001-06:00

! <------- that is a proper math symbol. and there is nothing you can do about it.

the end.

10 reasons why having an unemployed husband rocks!!

2008-06-13T14:52:00.002-06:00

1. the dishes are always done
2. the laundry is always done
3. the house is clean
4. the weeds have been pulled
5. I don’t have to do the grocery shopping
6. I get all the attention I want
7. he makes dinner
8. he uses less gas, b/c he isn’t driving back and forth to work and such
9. we don’t have conflicting schedules
10. I can have lazy days vicariously through him.

just a plug

2008-06-06T15:15:00.002-06:00

I would like to put in a plug for
THE GEEK MOM
b/c she talkes about relevant semi geeky stuff that normal people should know.
You guys should check it out and look through her older blogs too.
if you have a little thing you need help with, she is willing to research it and post about it.

Work

2008-06-03T16:03:00.004-06:00

Once upon a time... like 5 years ago.... I worked for a Youth Volleyball League. I was in charge of the Provo/Orem league. Basically I would go to practice and help set up nets, check kids in, make sure no one killed themselves etc. I was paid really well for it too. So along with my position, there was a Clinician/Volleyball Instructor. His job was to go around to the different teams and help the coaches and players use correct volleyball form, etc. I was just there to be there, he was the one with the volleyball knowledge. Ok, ok, I had taken two volleyball classes at BYU recently, but still the clinician played on college teams, he really knew how to play. So you can imagine my discomfort when he didn't show up for the last part of the season (no phone call or anything) and I was left trying to make excuses to parents... parents who had payed for their children to be in this league. You can also imagine why I might have mentioned something to my boss about his absences.

So guess who they just hired at my current job?

My reaction:
1. Totally surprised-- in a not good way.
2. "Oh crap I have to work with a total FLAKE now."
3. Prayer to God: "Please make me forget about my feelings about this guy from before. Please forgive me for holding hard feelings over something so small for so long. Please help me to act normal around this guy. Please don't let this guy hate me for narking on him about not showing up to work."
4."Awe man! I've gained so much weight since then. Why couldn't he be balding or something?"

Google Maps

2008-05-29T14:33:00.005-06:00

Maybe you already know, but I've found a lot of people don't. See that picture on the Google maps page. that would be a picture of my home. It's the one on the end on the right.

In certain areas, soon to be all areas I am sure, Google is going around and taking footage of all the streets houses etc. So now when you need to find a place, look the address up on Google maps, see what the place looks like, navigate around the neighborhood, make fun of the "old" neighbor hood your friend lives in, and feel confident in getting to where you want to go.

A Poem

2008-05-19T13:39:00.001-06:00

Thank you heaven
I'm out of that bind
Tuition was only two thirty nine ($239.00)

and I really am grateful.

to: cyberspace

2008-05-16T14:22:00.004-06:00

to: cyberspace
from: a loyal fan
it's sad, but sometimes I still seem to judge my self on what i am good at, what I do and who I know--as in how many "friends" I have. blogging and facebook have become my life outside of Andy, frostbite/Lula, and Andy's family. because what I "do" is blog and go on face book I CLEARLY want to be good at it, b/c being good at things makes me feel better about my self. So I find my self thinking:
"ugh the pictures she posts on her blog are so much more artsy than mine"
"they were able to program their own lay out, why can't I do that?"
"i've sooo been blogging longer then them."
"i know more people commented when I was single."
"she is sooo good at writing interesting blogs. what is her secret."

so cyberspace, please make me feel better about myself.

Post from the Past

2008-05-14T16:31:00.001-06:00

Tuesday, August 19, 2003

back: from where my future governeror is hopefully not from.

we have spent the last four days talking like Arnold... well more like me setting up the joke and my dad and brother talking like arnold. we have done it so much they dont even sound like arnold any more and I think that we are ready to to a full bit with out any laughing... which you have to imagine is quite difficult considering is took us three days of arnold b4 it stopped being hilarious; now we know its funny, but we dont laough anymore.

tonight I was going to bed and i thought, "now that I am back in belgium I can check my email," but the computor was turned off and I was sleepily lying in bed. But be fore I knew it I was getting up and hoping my friends`comptor didn`t have a password I would´nt be able to get past thus making the whole effort in vain. upside: I met a friend online who I hadn´t spoken to in a while. But I also had the dissapointment of not hearing back from a friend who at once seemed so eager to keep intouch-- but that made no matter. the first experience over powered the later and I was glad that I had gotten out of bed. I like good ppl. and I like good ppl who make good cookies.... and who do cool things like go to law school.

SO Busy...

2008-05-06T09:53:00.003-06:00

this is me procrastinating doing more school reading. But I really don't have a second to waste. I have a lot of reading and homework to do. January through April was my first full semester back at school and I was working about 25 hours a week also. Now... 12 credits was just too much and I decided I didn't like computers enough to take a programming class anyway, so I droped down to 9 credits. What I am trying to say is last semester wasn't even a full semester and I thought I was busy. This semester I am working still about 25 hours per week. And I am actually taking a full load. WHAT WAS I THINKING???? Every second I have to spare is spent reading. And I am in those classes where they give you a quiz the day the reading is due so I HAVE to read. and I HAVE to take every single class this semester so that I can start the teaching program in the fall. So long lazy life. Hello less sleep. I forgot what real college was like.

PUT THIS IN YOUR SEARCH ENGINE

2008-05-05T17:29:00.003-06:00

So how many people link to your site? wanna know?
type "link:yourdomainnamehere.com" into a search engine (no quotations) and search.

link:kirstennoelle.blogspot.com currently comes up with three websites that link to it... which doesn't quite seem right, but it'll give you an idea anyway.

wanna know more more information on any website Go to alexa.com here you can get:
Traffic details.
Subjective reviews.
"Related links" to other sites visited by people who visited the page.
Sites that link to the page.
Contact/ownership info for the domain name.
A link to the "Wayback Machine," an archive showing what the page looked like in the past.

Cool? I think so.

the black google

2008-04-30T15:45:00.002-06:00

A friend showed me this site...
www.blackle.com

wanna know more?
visit http://www.blackle.com/about/

way to go Sydney, Australia and Heap Media.

First Flash Assignment Ever

2008-04-22T15:11:00.004-06:00

corney, I know. this was done in flash. The last Video was done using sony vegas with some flash thigs thrown in between. Once you get to the white page, the animation is over. THe whole thing is about 30 seconds long.

Enjoy!

Digital Media Class

2008-04-19T12:42:00.006-06:00

I had to do a trailer for a pretend movie. The one below has some sound issues

the link below has better sound, but visual kinks. I ran ot of time. I give up.

click here

thanks everyone who helped.

LAYOUT

2008-04-15T11:50:00.007-06:00

I love layout stuff. Even though I am not enormously proud of this piece to the left, it is the fist document I have done in Adobe InDesign. I love layout (what else can I call it). I don't know what it is about it, but given enough time I will slowly tap things until they seems to be in the exact right space. I will change color after color to try to get my desired effect and the same with fonts. Now this document wasn't really worth that much time. I am not happy with the grid lines, but opportunity cost says--- It's just not worth it for this assignment.

On another note you may notice it says graduation on April 25th. This is Andy's graduation. I've found I am obsessed with Andy graduating. Even though that doesn't mean the end of his schooling. I am just looking forward to one person in our house with no homework and hopefully that means less stress. One person to fall back on and one person to support me emotionally through school. (not that he didn't do it before, I just get to be even more selfish with him) I really need this. I look back on high school and I think the reason I did so well is because my mom was completely dedicated to helping me how ever she could. I mean I do OK on my own, but with a cheerleader, well more that just a cheerleader, I do so much better.

Just for Fun

2008-04-14T14:54:00.004-06:00

(Cherry Blossoms)

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Shannon Olds
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) dough doodle
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)k bea
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Aqua Pig
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Noelle Torrence
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) BeaKi
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Silver Punch
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Edwin Blaine
9. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) Vanilla (orange) Slice
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Edith Jonn
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Appel Alpine
12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Spring Tulip
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Pear Flip Flopy
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Muffin Cherry Blossem
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) "The Digital Media Thunder Tour"

Inspired by Julie***

2008-04-09T14:45:00.001-06:00

( Lichtenstein's "Girl Crying")

Inopportune moments of Crying. we've all had them.

when I was younger I was a geyser. No one knew when it would go off.

1. I was in 4th grade for my first play. I was in a group with 6th graders. But we interacted a lot with high school students who were the Leads of the play. My director was chastising the high school kids and I couldn't handle it I let go. Left the room. Apparently I did this on a few occasions b/c I was one of two who were named "crying queens."
2. I remember crying in sunday school once and my teacher asked me if I was crying b/c I was embarrassed that my hair was wet ( I always went to church with wet hair). What kind of weird comment is that? of course I cried a lot in Sunday school. many plan of salvation lessons ended with me in tears.
3. I cried during my employee evaluation at kinkos... and a lot of other times.
4. I used to cry when I saw the beach after my surfboard broke from falling off the roof of my car.
5. I cried after ballet once. why?
6. I cried a lot when I talked to teachers one on one, heck I cried during class and between class too.
8. "your hair is green" (from swimming) I cried.
9. "hey Kirsten, save the whales." I cried
10. "Kirsten your talking too much," said the teacher. I cried.

But then I don't cry when it makes sense to.
1. I don't cry while bearing my testimony, I cry before
2. I did not cry when I got married
3. I did not cry when Andy proposed
4. I did not cry when a customer screamed at me for 30 min at kinkos (it was really really really bad. other customer's at the store actually started fighting the screaming customer for me)
5. I never cried of home sickness while in Belgium

*** Julie also puts cool pictures next to her blogs and it makes them soo much more interesting.

when I saw this I laughed and laughed

2008-04-08T17:55:00.001-06:00

Boy bands made up of people almost 40? Come on, who are their fans? Desperate Divorcee's?

NKOTB
They're Back.
ok I was in love with them. Then.
we had all the dolls.
I liked Johnathon.
I watched the cartoon.

Cannibal and Calvin.

2008-04-04T13:11:00.000-06:00

Cannibal Preist

here is an example of one of Andy's pieces for his art show this month. anyone one who wants a chance at being my best friend will support him by attending. I have been stressed this last week about him finishing it. Stressed about him getting it to look good and stressed about people actually getting there at some point to see it.
I've also been stressed about this project I've known about for a week, but just couldn't start b/c I was scared about how hard it would be. My teacher wants us to animate a Calvin and Hobbes strip in flash. seeing as I've only used flash ONCE and I have to recreate each part of the figures digitally so that I can move them individually, I AM SCARED STIFF I've only finished half of the first cartoon frame and that is only the head and it's due on Sunday. Looks like Calvin and Conference will be combined this year. Here's to procrastination.

cleaning

2008-03-27T09:40:00.000-06:00

I need idea's for inexpensive, effective, bathroom cleaning supplies. Help?

TAGGED AGAIN!

2008-03-24T08:29:00.000-06:00

1) 4 jobs I have had: UVSC testing center, Kinkos, Seagull book, Usher at BYU football stadium
2) 4 movies I have seen:(lately) Mad Money, Enchanted, August Rush, Madness of King Goeorge
3) 4 places I've been: London, China, Barcelona, NY
4) Places I've lived: El Segundo, CA, Belgium, Utah Valley
5) 4 tv shows I watch: Monk on DVD, American Idol (if I happen to be at my in-laws at the right time) and acutally we don't have TV so that is it.
6) Radio stations I listen to: NPR, Last-FM, Andy's MP3 player
7) 4 favorite foods: Ice Cream, Costa Vida, Gyros, Grilled Chicken
8) 4 places I'd rather be: I'll try anything as long as Andy's there
9) 4 things I enjoy doing: Reading, Playing with my nephews and neice, watching my dogs play, seeing my family

Almost

2008-03-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

I AM ALMOST AN "EL ED" MAJOR...

(elementary education)

...Assuming I pass my classes this summer ;)

...and get at least an 18 on the science part of the ACT

( I got a 17 when I took it in 2000 and they didn't teach us anything about science in high school)

...which means I graduate 2 years from april YEA!

the end is in sight.

Venting

2008-03-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

when you tell someone your woes or even your happiness. the thing that makes you feel good is the other person validating your feelings. Just listening. Not advising, excusing, or pitying. Just listening. Have you noticed this is true. Unless advice is asked for or wanted. It's better to smile and nod or look interested and nod. It really is.

California

2008-02-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

We went here.

This is in Palos Verdes (PV), which happens to be relatively up the street from our friends. Andy and Eric actually started at the top of a really large hill in PV and mountain biked down, while Krista (Eric's wife) and I dove down to founders park , which is in the middle of theTrump Golf Course, to wait for them. It was really beautiful and the weather was amazing.

airplane

2008-02-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

YEAH for US!!!

Depart SLC 6:00 PM FEB 15
Arrive LAX

Depart LAX 6:00 PM FEB 19
Arrive SLC

We should have driven, now I am going to spend the whole time worried about my dogs.

Bill Clinton is also supporting ME for president

2008-02-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

BEFOREAFTER
I tried to make myself look old in the above picture to match the skin of Hillary's neck better, but I just kinda look like I got tan and only part of my face peeled. Oh well. Good first attempt at photoshop.

wrist

2008-02-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

My wrists are hurting I thought I was supposed to be done with this.

Damn carpal tunnel
Damn falling on ice and
Damn me for ever thinking dog grooming might be a good career.

this website is funny
http://despair.com/viewall.html

disagree

2008-01-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

My mom said...

Not getting emotional is the key to disagreeing. If you get emotional then you send a negative message (or a judgmental message). Also not getting stubborn about your point of view. If you get stubborn you come across as arrogant--not good. If you are gentle about your disagreement then the other person can absorb the message and not the arrogance.

My mom says that I am good at disagreeing with other people b/c I follow those rules.
I think my mom is good at being a disagreed with, she listens and followes the same rules.

we make a good pair :)

2008-01-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

this is one of a few cacti I have. I took this picture for my Digital Media class. It's soon to become UVSC stock photography.

I can't have any more animals, so I am collecting plants :)

2008-01-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

http://politicalquiz.net/
results:

I AM A Democrat

percentage I agree with:
John Edwards - 88%
Barack Obama - 85%
Hillary Clinton - 83%
Chris Dodd - 83%
Joe Biden - 77%
Dennis Kucinich - 77%
Bill Richardson - 75%
Mike Gravel - 73%
John McCain - 67%
Mitt Romney - 67%
Mike Huckabee - 60%
Ron Paul - 56%
Sam Brownback - 48%
Fred Thompson - 48%
Rudy Giuliani - 48%
Duncan Hunter - 42%
Tom Tancredo - 35%

I've been tagged * 2

2008-01-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

I was tagged twice in the last week, but I am only posting ONCE.

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.

B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

eddie's addendum-- always break rule c ;)

10 years ago: I was a freshman in high school and the best class I took was my biology class. This class had a few of my childhood friends in it, it was last period and we all just had a hoot. I was chosen to do some research on Catalina island, but I turned it down b/c I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up in math if I went :(

5 things on my to-do list today: 1. read chapter 3 in my health book 2. turn in financial aid stuff 3. check email to see if my professor emailed me back yet. 4. read my scriptures 5. pray

I enjoy:1. sleep 2. taking my dogs to a remote location and letting them off the leash 3. reading 4. being with andy 5. Brita Water

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:1. get new windows in my condo 2 . adopt babies 3. have andy and I travel while helping people 4. redo the rest of my condo 5. redo my in-law's house

3 of my bad habits:1. biting my nails 2. not cooking dinner 3. not doing chores

5 places I have lived:1. El Segundo, CA 2. Belgium 3. Provo Canyon, UT 4. Long Beach, CA 5. Orem, UT

5 jobs I have had:1. Dance Studio Receptionist 2. Color me mine-- type store 3. BYU usher for football games 4. BYU Catering :( 5. Adventure Time pre school teacher aide

5 things people don't know about me:1. I am not telling my dad that I am taking the Intro to Computer Science class to avoid the lectures and tangents that I have heard all my life. 2. In 7th grade I wanted to be an astronaut 3. I had an academic scholarship my first year at BYU 4. I was a cheerleader in HS (shh don't tell) 5. The first time I went skiing I was five. Not that starting early helped.

update

2008-01-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

Heritage Web Solutions: got laid off before x-mas. BOOOO!
Segullbook: My visiting teaching companion manages one. She hired me for two weeks for the x-mas holidays. some money is better than no money.
School: decided to go back to school full time, cuz that is what people do when they they are in my position. First day: Jan 3rd
UVSC Testing Center: This is where Andy used to work. They hired me. I start TODAY!!! 26 hours/week
Major: I don't know. I was international relations at BYU, but they don't have that at UVSC. soooooo ..... like I said I don't know.
Classes: Health 1100 (2 credits)-- this is a GE at UVSC they don't have at BYU, so I have to take it. Intro to Computer Science (3 credits)-- my dad would probably cry of happiness if I did computer science as a major. I may as well check it out. Intro to Digital Media(4 credits) -- I really thought it would be fun to design websites after working for a web design company. Intro to Graphic Design(3 credits)-- after working at kinkos it seems important that I have a basic knowledge of Adobe photoshop, illustrator, and Indesign... especially photoshop if I decide I want to design websites.
total- 12 credits.

hair spray

2007-11-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

I find I really identify with Tracy from "Hairspray." NO I've never seen it on the stage, so thank goodness for movies, bring the great show tunes to the poor folk (I doooo get to see the nutcracker for my birthday/christmas though).

I think I even dreamed of dancing on TV as a youngun, much like "girls just want to have fun." I also dreamed of being the star of a play.... TRACY would be PERFECT FOR ME!!!! Why didn't we do this show when I was in HS? or yeah probably because the rights would have been a lot.

Thanks giving was great! it was a lot of Andy's extended family. I admit I kinda wish I had visited my extended family. It hard to visit my extended family when Andy's family is right down the street. Ah well. HAVE a great weekend everybody, and wish me luck at a future interview I might/hope will be having :)

2007-09-19T08:11:00.000-06:00

You just have to get yourself prepped for a life changing event sometimes, you have to wait until you are ready. Sometimes that preparation takes many years. One such example is a mission. Parents teach their kids from the time they are little to serve a mission when they grow up. And then your hear it in church etc. etc. When the time comes to serve a mission you do it or maybe you don't. Maybe your like my Andy and wait until you are REALLY prepared even if it's a few years later than other missionaries.

College is a great personal example of years of preparation. I vividly remember the stress I felt in 6^th grade about doing well in class so I could get into the advanced High School classes so that I could get into a good college. SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THAT. I dropped out of the “good college” I got into and now barley go even to the local college. But that is OK because when I am 25 I'll do it for real. But what as all that anguish for as a twelve- year- old? Bottom line... sometimes you can only do things when you are ready, so at 24, I finally don't bite my nails any more. And that my friends, is something you have to be ready for.

Iguanas and service

2007-09-10T13:05:00.000-06:00

Some things to me are simply amazing. Like the Lady who helped my mom on her topazshelites.com website. She volunteered to help my mom do it. She also took a lot of pictures for my mom with her amazing camera. She did it just to help out. This same women is dedicated to helping iguanas. She helps the IRCF and is involved in her local chapter to rescue and help iguanas. Now I never pictured my self ever caring about a lizard, but through her love for my mom I love iguanas and am willing to help them in any small way I can.

At work people are willing to show me things I don't understand-- they don't leave me to struggle and find out for my self. I monitor the people at work, like as a job, and they are helping each other figure out problems with in our office. It just makes me so happy. Sometimes people see a need and fulfill it, other times all you have to do is ask and someone is more than willing to lend a hand. If only we could take these attitudes and apply them in every aspect of our lives.
Example: instead of calling the lady who is taking a long time at the light a “Hoe” enjoy, the sun and the song that is playing through your MP3 player. Besides we've all been guilty of driving the way someone else would prefer we didn't drive. And the less negativity we succumb to, the better life is.

I am just so grateful. It seems like most people really do want to help people and animals.

PUPPIES

2007-08-24T11:39:00.000-06:00

www.topazshelties.com

CHECK OUT OUR PUPS :)

Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery

2007-06-28T03:45:00.000-06:00

I am only 24 and I've had Sugery for Carpal Tunnel.

Carpal tunnel Syndrom Facts

The lifetime risk for CTS is around 10% of the adult population

more common in women than it is in men

it can occur at any age, but has a peak incidence around age 42

the most common comment people have when you tell them you've had/are having carpal tunnel surgery is "oh yea, my grandmother had that."

symptoms

numbness and paresthesia

Difficulty gripping and making a fist, dropping objects, and weakness (you can never seem to turn the lock on the door at work)

in early stages of individuals often mistakenly blame the tingling and numbness on restricted blood circulation and they believe their hands are simply "falling asleep". I decided to go to the Doctor after my hands were asleep for 12 hours straight.

I should post...

2007-04-20T19:20:00.000-06:00

and maybe something that someone might want to read. But what do people find worthy to read? Colby says (I think anyway) that because one is an individual, they have something individual to express. What is written here must be worth while to read because no one else is expressing that exact same thing, to the same audience, at the same time...OK moving on.

Today at work a guy in a Ferrari pulled up. You think we are going to give him any kind of break on copies? Nope. Now there is a guy with a mercedes in my store making copies, do I want to give him a break on copies...he opened up his wallet and had many, many hundred dollar bills... Nope. Nope. I don't worry about charging people who drive expensive cars the price I am supposed to. But the akward girl. She came in to make 11x17 color copies for the suicide aweness walk...she pulled out all the bills she had, in the many pockets of her purse, then dumped the change from the bottom of her purse out to make her payment... I want to give her a break.

Happiness

2007-03-29T12:23:00.000-06:00

CHARLIE BROWN:
I'm so happy. That little red-headed gril dropped her pencil.It has teeth marks all over it. She nibbles her pencil.She's human! It hasn't been such a bad day after all.

Song:
Happiness is finding a pencil
Pizza with sausage
Telling the time
Happiness is learning to whistle
Tying you shoe For the very first time.
Happiness is palying the drum In your own school band.
And happiness is walking hand in hand.
Happiness is two kinds of ice cream...
Knowing a secret...
Climbing a tree.
HaPPINEss is five dif'rent crayons...
Catching a firefly...
Stting him free.
Happiness is being alone ev'ry now and then
And happiness is coming home again.
Happiness is morning and evening, Daytime and nighttime too.
For happiness is anyone and anything at allThat's loved by you.
Happiness is having a sister
Sharing a sandwich
Getting along-
Happiness is singing together when day is through.
And happiness is those who sing with you.
Happiness is morning and evening,Daytime and nighttime, too,
For happiness is anyone and anything at allThat's loved by you.

2007-03-12T13:29:00.000-06:00

Hello!
for those of you who don't know, Jesse Stuckey passed away sunday march 4th. Most of you who knew him know he has been sick since coming home from his mission. Due to complications with the mediciation he was taking he passed last sunday in his home from a blood clot. He was living in Utah working for Sorenson Capital. He is survived by his wife Angela who is currently 7 months pregnant with twins. here are the messages leah elison has been forwarding me. please forward this information to others who would like to know.
-kirsten aka "eddie"

Hi friends,

I called Sorenson Capital and they gave me this information about Jesse's funeral:

Funeral: Saturday, March 10, 12pm noon
at the LDS Church, 615 N MacAurthur Boulevard, Coppell, TX 75019
Public Viewing: Saturday, March 10, 11am

Funeral Home: New Life Funeral Home
1835 Pearl St. Carrollton, TX 75006
(972) 323-9191

>From:
>To: ,,,,,,,,
>Subject: Donating to Jesse's family
>Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 10:43:57 -0500
>
>Hi friends,
>
>Sorenson Capital sent this out yesterday. I got it courtesy of Micah
>(who, now that I'm thinking about it, most of you probably don't know):
>--------------------------
>There are two ways to support Angela. First, an account has been set up
>for those wishing to contribute directly to Angela and the babies (and
>the family requests donations be made in lieu of flowers). Donations
>should go to the following account: Chase Bank, Angela Stuckey, Acct
>#744902099. You can walk into any Chase Bank and deposit money into the
>account; make checks payable to Angela Stuckey. Additionally, if you
>prefer to send the money online, the routing number is 122100024.
>Second, Sorenson Capital is raising a college fund for the twins.
>Details on how to donate will be forthcoming.
>--------
>Erin (Taylor) Nelson and I will be in Dallas for the funeral.
>Lots of love,
>Leah

Oh no!!! OK GO!

2006-09-04T13:42:00.000-06:00

Alright kids. eddie can be fun sometimes. you know less dramatic and serious.

check out:
OK GO
scroll down do the "million ways to be cruel" dance.

I really like this video. I like it better than the one that you see on top "here it goes again." although I have to say the "here it goes again" video is pretty amazing. so I think you should watch them in the order of.... "million ways to be cruel" then "million ways to be cruel" like 5 more times and then watch "here it goes again." I really think it's worth your time.

Dramatic

2006-08-10T20:52:00.000-06:00

I alway think it's wierd when I go "all dramatic" like in the last post. I really am quite dramatic, but Jealous is not something I get very often-- and what I mean by that is that I have never felt the last blog before in my life. I was so green (with envy) soooooo incredibly jealous, it was dark and I knew it wasn't right, but I also didn't understand what I was feeling till now. I simply can not express the ickiness of jealousy I felt and now that I really know what it is, I am on the look out to stop it sooner and more often. I mean blah!!!

Brother=Baker, Sister=sad

2006-07-15T10:37:00.000-06:00

There must come a time in life when everybody is confronted with their past. for good or for bad there is always some lasting lesson learned from these incidences. One encounter I had a few years ago was with an ex-best friend. We had obviously had a falling out and I had not seen him AT ALL, despite the fact that we hung out in the same crowds, for about two years. But like most things in life, it was our turn to make amends. We ran into each other; he apologized. I tried to be friends again, but we were in two totally different worlds. The lesson I learned then was the Lord blesses you even when you think the world is falling apart. Because that friendship "break up" was very hard on me at the time, but I am grateful that we stopped being friends when we did.

A few nights ago I got out an old tape that I hadn't listened to in YEARS. It was a soundtrack for a little play called Metaphasia. Yes, if you go to the link that is me singing the song "changing" at a ripe of old age of… oh maybe 13. Anyway, I was playing this for Andy and after proceeded to weep and wail. I am not kidding when I say that this must have gone on for at least two hours. It was emotional upheaval for having turned my back on something I loved so much, something that was such a huge part of my life. I left abruptly and was never involved with theater again. Ok…. well I saw some plays but my hands didn't even touch a stage again. How can some one just drop and change directions so quickly? I don't know but like all things in life you come to a point where you reconcile for the choices you have made. In to the Woods....... to be continued.

wedding

2006-06-02T13:41:00.000-06:00

Ok it's been a while. Last time it was "a while" I lost most of my readers, but I know the ones who really care will make there way back to me. I was writing an email to Leah Elison and sent her some photos so I decided to share them with you.

I am so completely, enamoured with my husband. He is just so awesome. oh and the thing with grandma didn't work out. we bought a condo. we love it. we have two rooms so you can stay with us if you ever want to visit utah.

Story:
I was getting out of my temple clothes and putting on my wedding outfit when I realized, I didn't have my wedding shoes. it's a good thing that temple slippers are white because they had to suffice. they were pretty wet and dirty after all the pictures around the temple. but you know what, forgetting my shoes and wearing slippers around is so me. so in the end I am pretty glad that it happened. another important thing, I felt like my wedding outfit was me-- simple, not to froo froo. I think that is the best part about going to events-- not that the event suits your fancy but that it fits the person who it is for.

Grandma comes to town

2006-01-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

for a long time the plan after I graduate ahs been to move to Long Beach with my grandma, get a job and take care of her. Well when I decided to get married I got a little worried about this because what if he didn't like CA or my grandma, but he does and he does. problem solved. then I got really anxious when my grandma lost sight in her right eye and now has to wear a patch and grr like a pirate. We thought she would have to move to a home. BYeBye Ca and bye bye getting to spend more quality time with grams. BUT GUESS WHAT-- the nasty neighbor next door to her has bothered so much, she is packing up and moving to UTah. and I get a say in where we live, and now I don't feel as pressured to rush through school, and now I have have a party and all of you can come. I'll let you know when it is.
love, eddie

NO birthdays?

2006-01-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

Apperently no one has a birthday. I just want to be able to wish you a happy birthday when it comes around-- I am not asking you to buy any makeup.
-eddie

Birthday's

2006-01-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

OK, lets get something strait here people. It is my pleasure to be able to offer you Mary Kay products at 40% off the month of your birthday. Not just one product, BUT ALL THE PRODUCTS YOU BUY THAT MONTH. Since I am only just begining my business I don't have all your birthdays entered into my data base yet. So please for your advantage and so I can wish you a happy birthday, please enter your birthdate in the comments so that you can take advantage of the FABULOUS opportunity of 40% MK products. Even if you think you have given it to me before. or if your birthday was last week and you think I should remeber, write your b-day in the comments. EVEN IF YOU ARE A BOY-- b/c there are BOY products and your wife, mother, significant other, may want something that you can get cheaper.

note:advertising to just anybody about this is illeagal, but since only my close friends check this, it's ok. But this offer does not apply to JUST anybody unless they are already my customer. But FYI becomeing my customer is quite easy email me if you want to become so keshyviolet@hotmail.com

no other brand

2006-01-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Don't even think about using another brand, the more I learn about Mary Kay the more I like. I mean what other company would offer you a full refund if you USED a product and decided you didn't like it? not many. so guess what I decided to be a Mary Kay Consultant, and if you don't already have a personal beauty consultant, I would love to be yours. Check out my site: www.marykay.com/kebean
So basically I think that everyone in the world should use Mary Kay b/c they are a company based on good principals, they are the #1 brand for the 11th year in a row, and it's cheaper than the other brands it compeats with. Other than that MK has helped out a lot so far. It's reminding me how much I like meeting new people and being with people, it's helping my self esteem, it's reminding me that I used to be a pretty out going confitdent person and that I can be that person again. So let's hear some whoohoos for me!!!!

I am getting Married

2005-12-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

You are all invited, whether you got an announcement or not. I had some problems getting these mailed out so, PLEASE don't be offended if you didn't get one, it was probably a mistake. check out our humble wedding page: http://www.sprangle.com/andy_kirsten.html
love you all!!!

Pippi

2005-10-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

I used to love the Pippi long stockings movie. I really really did. you remeber when she goes over the water fall in a barrel and skates around the house on srub brushes to clean? So I was rather pleased today when I realized I might be able to make a Pippi-like costume for my self. what are you for halloween?

Phone Messages

2005-10-24T15:01:00.000-06:00

“hey andy, it’s eddie. I know your at work, but I wanted to tell ask you if you could count how many vases your mom has that we can use for center pieces at the reception. oh yeah and call those photographers we wanted to look at. Oh and I think there is something else oh well I’ll call you back later.”

“hey andy, it’s eddie. My grandma sent those knit hats she made and wants to know if you like yours. I’ll just tell her you said yes.”

“hey andy, it’s eddie, um how come you didn’t answer your phone? call me back… TALULLAH COM BACK HERE. LULA! LULA. Bark bark bark bark bark bark. Click”

“hey eddie, it’s andy. I just wanted to tell you that for some reason at home, my phone wasn’t getting reception.”

In a world of cell phones it seems most people don’t answer.

news

2005-10-10T13:35:00.000-06:00

OK it’s time to just come out with it,

I am getting married.

Dec. 20^th at the Mount Timp Temple.

2005-09-29T13:54:00.000-06:00

I am helping organize this. If you want to have fun for a cause, you should go!

another food issue

2005-09-23T10:10:00.000-06:00

Ok I do like food, but this is not why I keep writing about it. I keep writing about it because of this awful situation I keep finding myself in. HUNGER. At school I get hungry and instead of being able to go the fridge/pantry/whatever I have to find a place where I can get food and a place where I am allowed to eat it. Well today while speedily typing away my assignment that was due two hours later, I noticed I was hungry. I ignored it because obviously something’s are just more important that your stomach given certain situations. But has the hour rolled on I couldn’t ignore the hunger. It was that- I am going dizzy, I am starting to shake, if I don’t get something soon I think I might faint hunger. So I pulled out my coin purse and started to count the change. I luckily had enough to grab a bagel and milk. So I left the computer lab and sped walked to the nearest vending machine, scarfed my bagel and returned to my computer before it signed it self out. I was sooo thankful to not feel dizzy any more. I started back on my paper and realized that once again I was having problems concentrating. WHO THE HECK IS LISTENING TO CELINE DION SO LOUD THAT THE WHOLE FREAKEN COMPUTER LAB CAN HEAR IT???? Geez I am hungry and in a hurry and listening to that crap makes me even more irritated.

Skipping class

2005-09-16T13:01:00.000-06:00

Well monday I really didn't feel like going to my first two classes. On wed. I ran into Steve Hernandez and missed my last class. Today is friday and I am trying to make/ convince myself to go to my last class.

This is a very bad sign! we are three weeks into the semester and I have already given up on reading and class. today I neglected to hand in an assignment (it's ok I can drop it). Part of this is because I am tired. For some reason it dosn't matter what time I go to bed the night before, I am tired the next day if I don't sleep until 6:30 or 7. This causes a problem because I usually need to be on campus by 7 to do the homework for the day.

5:00 AM I woke up and took my dogs to the park, then made it to school by 7:15.

this is a boring blog, but like I said. I am tired and I don't want to go to class. maybe some chocolate will cheer me up.

: )

2005-09-09T08:31:00.000-06:00

- once I met a boy I thought was cute.
- we were friends for over a year.
- now I can't contain how happy I am.
why?
because Eddie+ Andy Bean = Love
some things just sneak up on you.

hungry? why wait?

2005-09-01T10:29:00.000-06:00

(things in quotations were actually said out loud.)

I try to get to campus early so that I can study in the morning, which is my best time to study. But when you eat early in the morning, you usually get hungry earlier in the day. So it's no wonder my tummy started rumble before lunch time. Luckily there was a vending machine close to where I was studding and in it sat my favorite candy bar (for the time being), snickers. So I pulled a dollar bill out of my pocket and proceeded to rub it back and forth on the corner of the vending machine to flatten it out. I had to attempt to put it the machine 3 times before it would take, but it took my credit read $1.00. so I punched in A0 for snickers. The dollar came back out. “WHAT???” I stared at the dollar hanging from the machine. The machine already said I had one dollar credit. Annoyed, I still wanted my snickers and since I had gotten so close the last time, I decided to try the machine again. I rolled my eyes, “Fine!” then took the dollar out but rubbed it on the corner of the machine again to flatten it. Once again the same thing happened. I was totally confused and stared at the vending machine and started to tap on the glass. Next thing I knew, “’Soo’ Hungry. ‘Want to’ buy a snickers.” Came singing out of my mouth and if you have seen Billy Madison (I think it’s that movie, it may be a different Adam Sandler movie) you know the tune and rhythm to which I chanted. I rubbed the dollar bill and tried a few more times to get the snickers, to no avail. So I look and the other vending machine, “Ice cream it is.” Thank goodness it’s not winter.

I HAVE EMURGED

2005-08-29T13:43:00.000-06:00

After about two weeks of no internet access, I have come back.

I am back in Provo, I am finally semi set up in my apartment, I have started school, and I feel alright.

I live in Provo Canyon, please call me 722-9095

I have plans of being a hermit so if I am not very responsive please forgive me.

Life is good. will write more and later date.

all? NO, ALL!!

2005-08-05T12:59:00.000-06:00

ALL: Allroy Saves

EDUCATED IDIOT
Alvarez

I recognize the pieces but I don't know where they fit.
I know exactly just enough to analyze the universe to bits.

I know all there is to know about nothing at all.
I'm all messed up, nowhere to go.
Ask me my address, I can't recall.
It's my fault.

I'm an educated idiot,
I'm smart enough to know
I don't know.

"We interrupt this song to bring you a special newsbullshittin' -
Everything you know is wrong."

"I think, therefore I think I am. I think."

I know how an engine works, I don't know how to drive.

I know where Old Zealand is, but barely know my left foott from my right.

I recognize the species but I'm not sure if I fit.
We know exactly just enough to analyze the universe to bits.
I quit (me too).

I'm an educated idiot,
I'm smart enough to know.
An educated idiot.
It sure is good to know I'm not alone.

www.allcentral.com

Some people are nice...

2005-08-01T15:12:00.000-06:00

I was on my way to the Long Beach Court House this morning when I watched a lady, who worked at the court house, give a homeless person his week-daily lunch she prepares for him. While filing the papers which prove that my grandma's neighbor has received his restraining order papers (been served), a Latino women with a small English vocabulary needed a pen. She was very flustered and didn't quite know how to acquire one. So an observant lady near by sought one out for her (she didn't seem to have one herself). While I was in the police station giving a police officer a copy of the neighbor’s restraining order, a man apologized for having accidentally cut in line. In a crowd of frowns a lady returned the smile I showed her.

I thought about the kind acts I had witnessed on the way back to my grandmothers house. When I pulled into my grandmothers' drive way to give her finalized copies of ALL the papers which were needed for the restraining order to be fully effective, I noticed a baseball sized hole in her front bay window. I found a large rock on her window sill and knew the damage was deliberate. Cracks reaching to every side of large glass were enough to make the 79 year old cry. I had to remind myself at that moment that some people are nice despite the neighbors harrasment.

July 4th

2005-07-06T11:34:00.000-06:00

The 4th to me
= day of school/work whatever
= lots of food
= town fair/activities
= awesome town fireworks

I think the 4th may be one of those days where I completely forget why it's important with out reminder. So it was a good thing that while channel surfing I happened across the History channel. They were doing a spot on Ben Franklin. Then I remembered, oh yeah Independence Day, founding fathers, our own "free land." We should celebrate. We won war against England even considering their super power status at the time. Way to go US, we won a war against England!

So I was glad that I had come across this spot on the History Channel b/c it was going to tell me all the warm fuzzy ideals this war was about--- WRONG. The part of the presentation I stumbled across focused on Ben Franklin leaving his wife to die in the Americas while he had a mistress in England, his falling out with his son and his son's illegitimate child. Oh so this must be what America is all about, I've been mistaken all these years. And here I thought I might learn something inspiring instead of hearing about another American soap opera. This whole situation made me scowl.

I think I'll move to Australia. At least there they admit criminals started their country.

SLOB

2005-06-17T11:44:00.000-06:00

I am finally starting to enjoy my laziness. I am finally starting to be ok with myself even though I am less productive then at other times in my life. I forgot what summer feels like. SUMMER IS GREAT!!!!

update

2005-06-13T17:47:00.000-06:00

Sunday: Talk was fine. My friend who was the national public speaking winner in high school (or something like that) said organization is the key, he said it was good b/c I was organized. I just went up there and said what I know to be true, the rest you have to leave up to the people who listen right? 10 min. wasn't as long as I thought. Thanks guys!!!

TALK

2005-06-07T19:51:00.000-06:00

So let's just say stuff like this makes me a little nervous. I feel better when I A) act/read something written by someone else B) say something more impromptu.

The last time i gave a talk in church, my talk made no sense. Luckily I was still calm and composed. The talk I gave before that made sense, but was read directly from my paper. My only hope is that people were getting a lot from their own spiritual pondering b/c I doubt anyone got anything from my inspired ramblings. I know I don't really listen when people's talks don't make sense or are read from a paper.

Two church talks are all I have given. People if you happen to think about it, please pray for me this Sunday? 10 min. is a long time to speak in front of people and I am scared.

Disneyland

2005-06-01T03:52:00.000-06:00

It's amazing how all my giddy childishness manifested it self at Disneyland. I guess it just brings it out of you. I have to admit I wasn't very excited to watch the 50^th anniversary parade, but it ended up being one of my favourite parts of D-land day.

I squealed with delight when the different fairies led the parade. I was very proud to name ALL the fairies and sing their songs (if they had one. If I remeber correctly, the blue fairy just has that twinkling noise). I suppose this is how guys must feel when they know all the Star Wars characters and their space craft. Even though I know much of this myself, I don't think these boyish things have ever conjured the same feelings the Disney people did.

It was a great day.

Conversation

2005-05-24T11:11:00.000-06:00

Conversation:
It's a talent. Like any talent, with out practice you loose your ability. Or maybe it would be better to call it this type of talk “chit chat.” I have recently lost my ability to chit chat. You know you meet a new person and you try to chit chat for a bit. Get to know them a little. Or then there is chit chat with an old acquaintance or even someone you may at one point called “friend.” Chit chatting can be a very important skill to have. Part of it is having questions to ask and knowing the right responses and follow up questions.

Part of my problem, I think, maybe I have just been reintroduced to a culture I haven’t really had to interact with for 4 years; the culture of the real world. I am just caught off gaurd.

Conversation at my singles ward:

Me: Oloka how have you been? I haven’t seen you since girl’s camp.

Oloka: oh pretty good, just taking care of my daughter. She is over there.

Me: oh great! I think I’ll go to sacrament now.

-- I was totally caught off guard--

Conversation at home:

Me: hi Alex! How is your play going?

My Brother: (silence as he walks right past me and goes into his room)

-- oh I forgot you are in your resentful 20’s period, try not to take that roll so far next time…. Geeze actors--

Part of my other problem is I have nothing to say:

Holly: How are you?

Me: fine thanks.

Holly: what are you up to back here in El Segundo?

Me: nothing.

Holly: oh nothing? Not home for the summer to work? Or anything?

Me: nope.

Part of my problem is I don’t care:

Holly: well me and (old friend) and (old friend) are going to Sharkiez bar tonight if you want to come.

Me: thanks, but I should probably stay home tonight.

Holly: oh you should come (old friend) just turned 21 and we are going to party. Her new BF is going to be there and so is (old friend).

Me: yeah no thanks

--I really don’t care to talk about the El Segundo gossip while everyone gets smashed. I really just don’t care about what you have to say. Especially where you will want to say it.—

Cases of being caught off guard, having nothing to say, and not caring make for really uninteresting chit chat.

don't know

2005-05-05T22:16:00.000-06:00

Don’t Know

I know I am currently at my parents in CA.

I don’t know how long I am going to be staying.

I don’t know when I am going to be taking classes.

I don’t know all the grad schools I want to apply to.

I don’t know when I am going back to Provo.

I don’t know if/where I am going to be “working” this summer.

I don’t know your cousin’s daughter who goes to BYU, a school with 34,000 students.

I don’t know why I am not dating anyone.

I don’t know why you need to know the answer to all these questions.

I and most of all I don’t know why all these questions bug me so much.

But don’t worry, I’ll let you know when I know.

2005-04-28T17:10:00.000-06:00

The poor house:

Let’s be honest, I am nowhere near poor. I am still able to grab an occasional bite to eat out of the home. I don’t buy the cheapest bread. I haven’t given up driving my car. But this year has had its toll on my finances.

1^st I backed into a really short poll (in the PT) during the summer, which caused a nice bump that needed to be fixed.

2^nd I got a HUGE speeding ticket going home to CA. This has cured me of speeding, but made a huge hole in my pocket.

3^rd I bought and paid cash for my first (used) car.

4^th I bought a pet. She is an assisting therapy dog. (Yes I am talking about Tallulah—FYI her barking is actually a good thing b/c it warns me when people are coming in and out of the house and lets me know I am protected— though she probably does it a little too much. She has other characteristics that go along with the therapy process as well.)

5^th and the biggest issue is I have been doing internships. This means I make $0 an hour. Any savings I have disappears at an astronomical rate. Don’t you just love college? You pay money to go to school and then you either don’t get paid or have to pay to get “experience.” Geez!! It’s like the whole apprentice thing from the dark ages, only worse.

Life has been a little expensive. So I thought I would finally get rid of some the nice clothes I have been holding onto in hopes of fitting back into them sometime soon (I’ve had this hope for the past year). Since the nice clothes I have are from banana republic and are in really good condition, I decided to sell them to Plato’s Closet. Can you believe that I only got $11.30 for a blouse and a pair of trousers?? You know how much they go for at BR???? Gosh! I guess they have to make a profit somehow. At least now I can go get a haircut (at pual mitchell the school). Ahhhh luxuries of the poor house. I LOVE IT!!