6.27.2013
Look Ma, I'm on TV!
1:45-1:55
10 whole seconds of fame! (ok really more like 4)
Isn't work so cute? We have lots of cute stuff, you should all come in and buy it, except also you should buy a wrap of flowers so I can make it for you. Cuz let's be honest, that's the funnest part of work.
Ah, I love my job.
6.25.2013
Quote for 25 June 2013
“I like to see people reunited, I like to see people run to each other, I like the kissing and the crying,
I like the impatience, the stories that the mouth can't tell fast enough, the ears that aren't big enough, the eyes that can't take in all of the change,
I like the hugging, the bringing together, the end of missing someone.”
- Johnathan Safran Foer
Tomorrow.
(!!!)
6.24.2013
Memorial Day [assignment]
For my floral design class, we had an assignment to visit Utah cemeteries on Memorial Day and write about it. This is because Utahns are apparently nutso in the way they [we] celebrate Memorial Day. I guess the rest of you don't put tons of flowers at every grave of every person you've ever known??
Yeah, I guess we celebrate it incorrectly. It is originally (and technically) a holiday to remember those who die in service to our country, but we extend that to remembering, well, everyone. But at least it's pretty! And we may honor everyone who has ever passed, but we still do have special services for veterans and for those who have died in service. So then again, I'd say we just celebrate it extra. Supersize-style or something.
Anyway, part of the assignment included taking pictures, so here I am to share those.
Isn't it such a pretty holiday? My friend from Texas was all weirded out by it, but it's just part of life for me since I've lived here forever. I think it's a possibility that funerals and death in Utah are generally more welcome and open of a topic than in most places (?). I know that talking about death has never phased me, which I attribute to my knowledge of and faith in (and gratitude for) the plan of salvation. Also, funerals are never too somber of an event, in my experience, and in many cases are a great celebration of the life of whoever has passed on. It's just part of Utah culture (by which I suppose I really mean LDS culture, as Utah is gradually becoming more and more diverse) to mourn for a small season and celebrate beyond. This life is not the end! Families can be together forever, so death for you and death for me are nothing more than a crucial step toward that. With the perspective of eternities before this life and eternities beyond, separation from those we love by death is really, truly temporary. And so we celebrate what we had while we had it. And we put flowers on graves to reminisce.
Now I'm curious if it really is a "Utah thing" or not, so holler if you do this where you live. Or if you don't do this. Or whatever. How do you celebrate Memorial Day?
Yeah, I guess we celebrate it incorrectly. It is originally (and technically) a holiday to remember those who die in service to our country, but we extend that to remembering, well, everyone. But at least it's pretty! And we may honor everyone who has ever passed, but we still do have special services for veterans and for those who have died in service. So then again, I'd say we just celebrate it extra. Supersize-style or something.
Anyway, part of the assignment included taking pictures, so here I am to share those.
Some people will just put potted plants (as in, from their porch) at a grave and then pick them up later:
 |
| And some people go Pinterest-style and paint Mason jars and use wildflowers... I do love the look of this yellow yarrow though. |
Others go for simple and sweet:
Most commonly, people will have a mixture of traditional funeral arrangements and potted mums:
 |
| I have no clue who is buried here. We were required to include a picture with our face in it at the cemetery. |
My favorite this year was just a bunch of hydrangea and peonies thrown together:
Isn't it such a pretty holiday? My friend from Texas was all weirded out by it, but it's just part of life for me since I've lived here forever. I think it's a possibility that funerals and death in Utah are generally more welcome and open of a topic than in most places (?). I know that talking about death has never phased me, which I attribute to my knowledge of and faith in (and gratitude for) the plan of salvation. Also, funerals are never too somber of an event, in my experience, and in many cases are a great celebration of the life of whoever has passed on. It's just part of Utah culture (by which I suppose I really mean LDS culture, as Utah is gradually becoming more and more diverse) to mourn for a small season and celebrate beyond. This life is not the end! Families can be together forever, so death for you and death for me are nothing more than a crucial step toward that. With the perspective of eternities before this life and eternities beyond, separation from those we love by death is really, truly temporary. And so we celebrate what we had while we had it. And we put flowers on graves to reminisce.
Now I'm curious if it really is a "Utah thing" or not, so holler if you do this where you live. Or if you don't do this. Or whatever. How do you celebrate Memorial Day?
6.23.2013
2013 Summer Goals
Well, folks, you'll be happy to know that I survived finals.
I've been so busy for the last 7 weeks that I thought I would for sure come out on the other side of spring term with millions of things to blog about and so much to say and so many pictures to post.
That is apparently not the case since finals were actually finished on Thursday...
And I've had a pretty serious case of the lazies since then.
(It happens during the first official days of every summer. I've learned to embrace it.)
But I do have a few summer goals/projects that I want to share on here for accountability purposes. As of tomorrow, my real summer starts, and I have a whole boatload of stuff to do. WAHOO.
:: Start a habit of pre-blogging. That is, write my posts in advance, when I feel like writing, rather than at 11:30 PM on the day I wanted for the date stamp. I feel like there's a "scheduled post" option for a reason, so I'm hoping I can make this work for me. Then again, I may just learn that my style of blogging doesn't pre-blog! But at least I'll have tried it out.
:: Deep clean and re-organize everything. Mostly my room at my parents' house since I'd like to move out or get married or both within the next year, and now is when I'll have the most free time (this as opposed to in the middle of winter semester when I get engaged or something). (And don't anyone go getting all excited because I said "engaged;" we are speaking hypothetically here, and I'm being prepared just in case.)
:: Take a few volunteer opportunities. I'm not really sure what these might include other than NSO again right before school starts and my normal church-y activities, but maybe something will fall into my lap? I dunno. Really this is a goal to do NSO. I can admit that.
:: Write real letters to my missionary friends. The rule is: Each friend gets at least one letter this summer. The friends include (but are not limited to): Madi, Amanda, Chelle, Brett, and Kelsie. And probably some others which I have missed in this top-of-my-head list.
:: Worky worky work. My new schedule is rockin. That is all.
:: Finish that ding-danged quilt I started one time. And do other creative and cute things.
:: READ. So far my list includes only like 3 Charles Dickens and this book which I recently got from the library. There will be more to it than these when I get a little further into summer. Maybe I'll re-read all of the Harry Potter series! (I say that every year.)
So yeah, there's my summer. One of my goals for the past year or two has been to be better about making and keeping goals, and I think I have learned that there are two time frames--weekly and seasonal--which work well for me and the way I think about things. If I have a short-term goal, I give myself a week and it works out. If it's long-term, usually a season is a good fit. And both of these are demarcated so nicely that I can say either "yes I did that" or "no I'll have to try it again" at the end!
Also, I think there's a good chance that I'll be posting something about changes over the last couple years in the near future. Two years is also a very definite time with which to measure progress...
Picture:
I've been so busy for the last 7 weeks that I thought I would for sure come out on the other side of spring term with millions of things to blog about and so much to say and so many pictures to post.
That is apparently not the case since finals were actually finished on Thursday...
And I've had a pretty serious case of the lazies since then.
(It happens during the first official days of every summer. I've learned to embrace it.)
But I do have a few summer goals/projects that I want to share on here for accountability purposes. As of tomorrow, my real summer starts, and I have a whole boatload of stuff to do. WAHOO.
:: Start a habit of pre-blogging. That is, write my posts in advance, when I feel like writing, rather than at 11:30 PM on the day I wanted for the date stamp. I feel like there's a "scheduled post" option for a reason, so I'm hoping I can make this work for me. Then again, I may just learn that my style of blogging doesn't pre-blog! But at least I'll have tried it out.
:: Deep clean and re-organize everything. Mostly my room at my parents' house since I'd like to move out or get married or both within the next year, and now is when I'll have the most free time (this as opposed to in the middle of winter semester when I get engaged or something). (And don't anyone go getting all excited because I said "engaged;" we are speaking hypothetically here, and I'm being prepared just in case.)
:: Take a few volunteer opportunities. I'm not really sure what these might include other than NSO again right before school starts and my normal church-y activities, but maybe something will fall into my lap? I dunno. Really this is a goal to do NSO. I can admit that.
:: Write real letters to my missionary friends. The rule is: Each friend gets at least one letter this summer. The friends include (but are not limited to): Madi, Amanda, Chelle, Brett, and Kelsie. And probably some others which I have missed in this top-of-my-head list.
:: Worky worky work. My new schedule is rockin. That is all.
:: Finish that ding-danged quilt I started one time. And do other creative and cute things.
:: READ. So far my list includes only like 3 Charles Dickens and this book which I recently got from the library. There will be more to it than these when I get a little further into summer. Maybe I'll re-read all of the Harry Potter series! (I say that every year.)
So yeah, there's my summer. One of my goals for the past year or two has been to be better about making and keeping goals, and I think I have learned that there are two time frames--weekly and seasonal--which work well for me and the way I think about things. If I have a short-term goal, I give myself a week and it works out. If it's long-term, usually a season is a good fit. And both of these are demarcated so nicely that I can say either "yes I did that" or "no I'll have to try it again" at the end!
Also, I think there's a good chance that I'll be posting something about changes over the last couple years in the near future. Two years is also a very definite time with which to measure progress...
Picture:
I guess it's a gypsy proverb? Are gypsies organized enough to have proverbs? Was that a judgmental question? Anyways, YOLO or something.
6.17.2013
Haiku is the only poetry I can write
My life is real fun.
I would blog about it now,
but here come finals.
Blogging hiatus!
Plus also: no fun for me
before Wed-nes-day.
But just so I have some motivation to get me through tonight and tomorrow and the first half of Wednesday, here's the fun stuff coming down the pipes:
:: Manti's Mormon Miracle Pageant
:: tending the neph
:: SUMMERTIME
:: ward pool party
:: Strawberry Days
:: new work schedule next week
:: and a trip to the airport next Wednesday
So, I mean, life's going to be awesome as of two days from now. Si me puedo!
If y'all get bored (unlikely, cuz it's summer, but whatev), feel free to enjoy this meme which describes my math class perfectly:
Signing off now. Adios amigos!
I would blog about it now,
but here come finals.
Blogging hiatus!
Plus also: no fun for me
before Wed-nes-day.
But just so I have some motivation to get me through tonight and tomorrow and the first half of Wednesday, here's the fun stuff coming down the pipes:
:: Manti's Mormon Miracle Pageant
:: tending the neph
:: SUMMERTIME
:: ward pool party
:: Strawberry Days
:: new work schedule next week
:: and a trip to the airport next Wednesday
So, I mean, life's going to be awesome as of two days from now. Si me puedo!
If y'all get bored (unlikely, cuz it's summer, but whatev), feel free to enjoy this meme which describes my math class perfectly:
Signing off now. Adios amigos!
6.13.2013
BRETT
I didn't blog about last weekend, but I need to because it was incredible.
Here's the thing: I have this friend named Brett. He is a really good kid with a huge long list of excellent qualities. He has a great sense of humor, he's very respectful, he's a very loyal friend, he's really smart, he cares deeply about the things that matter to him, he's a family guy, and he has long been at the top of my list for "people to call for help." He's pretty much the closest I've ever gotten to having a brother (beside the fact that I do have a brother-in-law of course), and I love that kid to death.
For a long time, Brett didn't plan on serving a mission. Serving a mission is, well, service (and therefore optional). It is an individual decision, but most LDS young men grow up simply planning and expecting that they will dedicate their two years to a mission when they reach the age of 18 or 19. I believe Brett was likely in that boat with all of the young men his age until he reached 19 and decided he should actually stay home to continue school and work.
After high school, most of Brett's male friends scattered around the world (Mexico, Georgia, Argentina, New York, Colombia...ok maybe just North and South America), so he became great friends with us females from the high school clan. I don't know about everyone, but I know many of us were very much hoping and praying that he would choose to serve a mission eventually. But Brett mostly just clammed up anytime the subject of a mission was brought up, so we learned to leave it alone.
Fast forward almost two years, to when I received a text which said that Brett had received his mission call to the California Roseville Mission and that he would be leaving June 12. I FREAKED OUT. The little sneak didn't tell any of us that he had submitted his papers! But obviously it was wonderful news, and I don't doubt that anyone was more excited about it than Brett. In his words:
"Some people know that I wasn’t planning on a mission. It was not in my plan. But God knows me. He knows that I love others, He knows that I love to share the gospel, He knows that I love to serve. And when I knew those things, God let me know that I was to serve a mission and that it was the right time."
Brett gave his final talk before leaving this last Sunday in our home ward. I sobbed like a baby through the whole thing because a) he did a wonderful job of inviting the Spirit, and b) I am apparently going to miss him more than I originally anticipated! But seriously, it was possibly the best pre-mission talk I have ever heard in all the friend farewells I've attended. He really does know his purpose in serving a mission, and he will most certainly change lives.
That kid is going to do incredible things in Roseville. I can't wait to see his success as a missionary, and I'm so so grateful for his friendship and example of Christlike service. Like our bishop said, "I wanna be like Brett when I grow up."
6.12.2013
Operation: Missionary Stalk
Word on the street is that the MTC is now too full to hold all of its missionaries in one place anymore.
You know what that means?
They're traveling to the Marriott Center for MTC-wide devotionals and such until the end of summer.
And they're doing it Army of Helaman style.
I mean, I'm not one to be a creep, but this is just screaming my name.
Do you know how many people in my life will be passing through the MTC this summer??
I guess I'll be parking my car in the Marriott Center parking more often than I earlier supposed.
Commence Operation: Missionary Stalk.
(I jest. Sort of.)
You know what that means?
They're traveling to the Marriott Center for MTC-wide devotionals and such until the end of summer.
And they're doing it Army of Helaman style.
I mean, I'm not one to be a creep, but this is just screaming my name.
Do you know how many people in my life will be passing through the MTC this summer??
I guess I'll be parking my car in the Marriott Center parking more often than I earlier supposed.
Commence Operation: Missionary Stalk.
(I jest. Sort of.)
6.11.2013
A fish, get it?
My friend Shannon got her nursing license in the mail last week.
My response was, "Oh my gosh, congrats! You're, like, offish now!"
Which was, of course, an abbreviation for official.
But it sounded like "a fish" when I said it.
Anyways, I think I'm going to start making cards and t-shirts and balloons and mugs that say this (the balloons will be in the shape of an actual fish, of course). They're great for friends who are graduating, children who have just been born, and people whose nursing license just came in the mail. So if you'd like to buy one, plz comment!! I really need this business to take off quick, get me out of a few jams.
Thx, e'eryone. Luhh you all.
[Aaaaaand this feels like it needs to be said: That last bit was a joke, in case you don't know me well enough to know that "luhh" is my pet peeve and I have nothing to my name which would even put me in debt.]
My response was, "Oh my gosh, congrats! You're, like, offish now!"
Which was, of course, an abbreviation for official.
But it sounded like "a fish" when I said it.
Anyways, I think I'm going to start making cards and t-shirts and balloons and mugs that say this (the balloons will be in the shape of an actual fish, of course). They're great for friends who are graduating, children who have just been born, and people whose nursing license just came in the mail. So if you'd like to buy one, plz comment!! I really need this business to take off quick, get me out of a few jams.
Thx, e'eryone. Luhh you all.
[Aaaaaand this feels like it needs to be said: That last bit was a joke, in case you don't know me well enough to know that "luhh" is my pet peeve and I have nothing to my name which would even put me in debt.]
6.07.2013
Miracles happen
One time (an hour ago), Jenna G-chatted me and the following ensued:
[Make sure you click on that tumblr link that's like 9 lines up!!]
So yeah, we're basically psychic. Or something.
We both literally had no clue where to find that dang song at the beginning of this venture.
|
| Jen | |
| http://24.media.tumblr.com/ | |
| Alyssa | |
| ah how appropriate | |
| Jen | |
| also: i have 7 tabs open trying to find that song | |
| seven | |
| Alyssa | |
| i'm blogging this conversation right now | |
| Jen | |
| that is seven different ways | |
| that i was trying to remember | |
| oh how i love this song |
| Alyssa (11:43 PM) | |
| no prob, anytime, etc etc etc |
[Make sure you click on that tumblr link that's like 9 lines up!!]
So yeah, we're basically psychic. Or something.
We both literally had no clue where to find that dang song at the beginning of this venture.
Overall time elapsed: 44 minutes.
#winning
6.01.2013
SMASHing
I've used a few cool tricks that may be worth mentioning for anyone out there who scrapbooks? I dunno, maybe I just want to remember them for later.
:: STAMPS. Stamps are the gateway to inspiration for me, for some reason. If it's boring, I stamp something on it. I actually have used pretty few stamps in these pages, for some reason, but they helped big time in the bottom left and top right pages.
:: Junk. I have kept the ugliest junk to put in this thing, and somehow it's all kinda worked itself out. A few examples: the doily in bottom right was a soup coaster from Mimi's Cafe, the tie-dye cloth is actually a Kleenex from Mariah's recent painting adventures (was going to be thrown away), the "Be happy" wood was a broken keychain, and the smaller of the two Zion's logos was cut out of a paper sack that held my postcards. Oh! And that brown stuff held on by the blue paper clip is MEXICAN TOILET PAPER (unused, duh). Not much sentimental value in these things as they are, but they make for super fun accessories.
:: Good adhesives. When you are sticking things like satin bows and plastic credit cards onto paper, you gotta go for the real deal on "stick." I believe in glue sticks for paper on paper and everything else is fair game. I do not believe in double stick tape for pretty much anything because I have yet to experience a success story with ours. Brads, staples, and sewing stuff on = fun ways to add interest as well as hold something tight. Oh and paper clips! I do love paper clips.
:: If a page stands alone, leave it. This worked well for both of the right hand pages in both photos on row 2 above. If I were to add anything to either of those, it would probably be sparkle glue outline of the binoculars or something. But I definitely won't be adding any extra stuff to those since they offer a good rest from all the other busy-ness.
[Side note: Every time I try to say busy-ness, I first write business and then spend 5 minutes trying to figure out why it's not conveying what I want to convey. Yeah, I know English, don't judge me, ok?]
It's been a blast to capture big events alongside daily life with very little rhyme or reason in this little book. I still highly recommend the SMASH system (by which I mean the record-whatever-you-darn-well-please system) to anyone and everyone. It's probably one of the most freeing activities ever. And think how much your posterity will love it! In the meantime, I'll keep you all posted as I finish more pages.
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