So...all morning my brother has been annoying me by constantly holding up his fingers in the what I thought was a peace sign and then the number one. It took me some time to figure out why he was doing this. (And he thought that was hilarious.) Later he wrote a big 21 on a piece of paper that he had a friend hold up during class so that I could see it. That silly kid.

On top of that, when I came home today I found a little note on my door from another guy friend of mine in the ward that said something along the lines of happy 21 days till. That was fun to receive. Who knew this countdown would be such a success?

For anyone that may have forgotten,
it's 21 days till my birthday!...just so you know.

I did a little baby sitting last night. During the course of the evening, with all the games and feedings and pink princess pajamas, I came to an interesting conclusion. That conclusion would be: I love nine month old babies.

There were two: a nine month old and a two year old that will be three this July. They were my best friend’s sister’s children. I found that through out the evening that I loved the attention I got from the curious nine month old. She was a handful, always trying to eat everything, and she had a magnetic pull towards anything made of paper that she could destroy. She wanted to climb and crawl on everything, and you could see that she is anxious to walk. While my friend ran around and played hide and seek with the two year old, I was content to sit and hold the other little one. She made the cutest little grins with only two small teeth on the bottom. Her tongue seemed to be always in action, and she must have drooled on nearly everything in the apartment. She was so adorable.

The experience reminded me of the time I spent this past Christmas up in Wisconsin with my friend, her husband, and her baby. I believe her child was also nine months old and quite the pleasure. Maybe I’m just generalizing as I only have two cases to work from at the moment, but I dare say my favorite is a nine month old. They are still babies, cute and lightweight. Yet, they have their own personalities, they grin at everything, crawl and climb and explore. You can see them learning and wanting to learn. It was all so incredible to behold. Everything is new. Everything is splendid. Not a bad way to behold the world around you. At nine months no one is yet jaded. Oh the wonderful gift, to see life like a little child.

p.s. 24 more days till my birthday!!!...just so you know:)

I went to a wedding reception for a dear friend of mine last Saturday night. It was a hour and half drive through nasty slushy rain but completely worth it. The bride was beautiful, and might I add, they had the best most delicious chocolate and peperment cookies I have ever tasted. In the above shot there are nine of us posing for one last picture before the bride and groom depart. (And if you care to count, guest number nine is hiding and peaking through next to the bride's left sholder.)

In this picture (above) one of my friends is in the middle of a hand fisted, arm pulling back - elbow jab, mouth open, very enthused "YES!"...as she had just caught the bouquet! This is probably one of my favorite shots of the night. My friends look so terribly happy.
As for myself, I did not join my friends to catch the bouquet as I opted out to take pictures. I've been to numerous weddings and have collected a few bouquets already. As of yet they have not worked their magic so I am content to keep the ones I have.

Below are a couple of small group shots. I call them: 'Enjoying the bouquet with Friends' and...

'Enjoying the delicious chocolate peperment cookies with Friends'. Mmmm.

What a delightful evening it was.

So...I absolutely love St. Patrick's Day! I am of course wearing a green shirt and blasting out my favorite irish tunes. No one can complain. Not today.
I am most looking forward to teaching my art class today. I think the children will be terribly funny. I've got a little St. Patty's Day game prepared for them. What fun we will have.
Anyways, I just wanted to wish each and every one of you a splendid St. Patrick's Day! Hope you didn't get pinched :)

(p.s. 30 more days till my birthday...just so you know.)

I'm just letting you all know that it is now
one month
till my birthday!
Let the count down begin. :)

(And I'm still looking for ideas for my birthday bash this year, please leave a suggestion if you've got one.)

Some things I forgot:
While cleaning out some old forgotten school notebooks from my sophmore year, I came across a couple pages of quotes. Apparently I used to write down quotes I liked quite often (though I had forgotten that I had ever done this). Here is a particular quote that seems relevant to my life as I'm sure to many others. My notation say it's from a movie called "Shadow Lands" (which I don't remember watching) by C.S. Lewis:

"Now I have no answers...but this I know,"
"I was given the choice twice in life: As a boy I chose safety; as a man I chose suffering..."
"pain is part of the happiness,
...that is the deal."

I sort of wish I could remember the movie or more of the context from which this quote was taken, but I do love the feeling I still receive from it. It seems to me to be about a choice...chooseing between those things which are safe and easy and those which may seem more difficult and even be more painful yet may and can give us, in the end, the fullest reward of true happiness.

Twenty - 24 - Four

Amazing! Probably my all time favorite.

And I’m not talking about the sitcom on tv…I am talking about my age. Well, My soon to be age.

My birthday is coming up on April 16^th and if you know me at all, you know how much I dearly enjoy birthdays. And not just my own, if you want a big to do done with you then give me call and let me start planning.

Now back to the number 24. For some reason, unbeknown to me this particular birthday has carried with it a certain fantastical delight promising fulfillment ever since my early childhood years. I always saw 24 as my golden birthday; the birthday when all would happen. The birthday to look forward to, the birthday to remember...

Yet, I fear as it roles nearer that there is nothing in my life so remarkable as to make this birthday anymore memorable than the past birthdays have been. However, I still feel a sense of excitement…that this is it! What it is, I have no idea what so ever, but it is exciting.

I was discussing this idea briefly with a friend of mine, and he suggested (I’m sure just on a whim.) that I go hot air ballooning for my birthday. This idea for some reason has been stuck in my head this last week and half, and as silly as it may sound, I actually got online last night to look at balloon rides. The idea, in reality, is very thrilling. I can only imagine how splendid the scenery would be. Soaring high above the ground with the wind and beauty it would be like taking a walk through the heavens. It actually reminds me of a song by the group Celtic Woman called “Walking in the Air” which if you have not heard you should take a listen to some time.

Now back to my point, I found while researching balloons rides that they generally cost $175 a person per hour which is entirely out of my price range. I found one website that boasted $164 a person, yet that too seems a little steep to me. So, unless I have some rich benefactor or someone has a wad of doe burning a hole in their pocket that they are just dying to spend on a hot air balloon ride with me; I am sad to say that it appears that ballooning will not be the splendor that will mark my 24^th birthday.

So…what to do? I throw that question out there to you all. Please send me your most fun, wildest, but realistically cheap ideas that could make this birthday one to remember. I’m excited to hear what you all would do to celebrate. YAY for 24!!!

I received a wedding invitation today from one of my all time closest friends. He and I met back in middle school and have been the best of friends since high school. He is getting married this April. I would give anything to go to his wedding. He used to say that he would never get married…I used to tell him that was impossible; he had to much love to give. I remember that he loved to discuss music, his passion, and we used to have the most interesting religious discussions. We were of different faiths, but I never felt so respected. He is getting married on the 8^th of April. I’ve been looking at plane tickets but they are far out of my price range at the moment. I like to pretend...make plans that I am actually going.

They’re wedding is taking place in Charleston, South Carolina. If I had to choose one place to spend a weekend in South Carolina, it would be Charleston. It is a wonderful place, full of art and beauty and culture. It is on the coast and there is a street known as Rainbow Row where all the houses are painted in different colors. You can take a carriage ride past rainbow row for a small fee. It also has the most delightful black market. Given its name because slaves were auctioned off there, it now houses the goods produced by a culture once enslaved. You can watch the making of and buy handmade sweet grass baskets at inordinately high prices. Booths line the streets with handmade crafts, necklaces and rings, rock candy in all different colors and sizes, the most delicious fudge you’ve ever tasted, crystals and pet rocks, clothes, toys, a potpourri of tourist mingling about looking for the best deal and feeling like somehow they are taking away a bit of culture with them. Along the coast you can visit the old battlements. In the city there is great dining and museums and music. Every summer they hold ‘Spoleto’ which is a week long artistic assemblage. I went to my first Opera down at Spoleto. There are jazz concerts and bluegrass, a field full of paintings, ballets and concerts. Show after show…street venders selling their craft…A truly magnificent experience for the artistically minded and culturally curious.

Of course this all comes from the memories of happy past experiences and could be distorted in fact, but oh how I long to go to Charleston again. But mostly I long to attend my friend’s wedding. He will be there making one of the most important vows of his life, and I want to celebrate with him. My other best friend shall be in attendance as well. I think of how pleasant the whole event will be. I play out the conversations in my head and the flowers and the dresses and friendship. I want to be a part of it. But alas travel by plane from Utah to South Carolina is not cheap. It may end up just playing out in my mind and never in reality, but either way what a splendid event is shall be.

I thought I would post most of an email that I sent to a very dear friend of mine tonight...sort of my thoughts and theories on love stories. :)

Alright, so I just got home from watching Pride and Prejudice with my roommates, and I have to admit that unlike most girls I have never seen the longer version or read the book (though I feel I must now go read it).

I loved that movie. I loved everything about it. I was shaking with excitement when it was all over. Having not any clue as to the story plot going into it tonight I was taken away with the language and beauty of it all. I want that. I want all of that. That happiness. Anyhow, I fear I am now the same sentimental fool that every girl I’ve met seems to be about this story, but it was unavoidable. It is funny how watching two people fall so deeply in love can be so rewarding even if it is just a fanciful fairytale.

My father was telling me tonight that my serotonin levels must be low as I was telling him how I've been in an emotional slump lately. He said that someone did a study about the effects of doing good deeds, service, kind words and such on an individual physically, and they found that when you do something good for someone else that the serotonin levels in your brain increase causing a sense of well being and actually making you a healthier person. The person that you did the good deed for also receives an increase in serotonin as well as (and here’s the interesting part) any observers of the situation. Now…this is my theory, that this is why we love feel good movies and why watching a “chick flick” or a truly delightful love story can make us feel so deliciously delightful inside. Honestly, even now, I am completely tickled.

I love being happy. How silly that a movie could produce such an effect…but all the same it did. My roommate said that watching something like that makes her just a little bit sad that she does not have someone…but I find it quite the contrary in effect. I feel so wonderfully hopefully about life. The movie may be fiction…but the underlying story, the idea of true love is so very real. It whisked me off to another world and when it brought me back left me with a hint of magic. The kind of magic you find in catching a glimpse of a shooting star overhead or the perfect moment when the sun setting casts the most calming shades of reds, oranges, and purples across the horizon or delightfulness of a evening walk with a very good friend… How enchanting are the small things, the moments nearly missed, the magic all around us.