yummy

I was looking at elegantcheesecakes.com today for wedding cakes and I came upon this. With a few changes, it could work.

a decision... for reals

I'd like to congratulate myself on being on a roll this week. I finally figured out what I want! This is the official color that everyone gets to wear. I even picked out the flowers, but no one can see those yet. If you get a skirt or shirt in this color, you can wear it with black or off-white. (I know brown would look cuter, but we're going with black.) If you can't find a dress in this color and you want a dress, too bad. You'll just have to wear a skirt like everyone else.

PS Ann Taylor has some shirts in this color. If you find any other stores with this color, let me know, please.

And then I bought something wonderful

I think Poodle's magentism towards good deals transferred to me today. I've looked at wedding dresses and been disappointed every time-- mostly because dresses in Happy Valley are really poofy, and they swallow all 62 inches of me. I considered getting a wedding dress custom made and it turns out that it would cost at least $900 for something really simple. In a last-ditch effort to find something affordable, I went dress shopping today. And I got one for $200. How do you get a wedding dress for $200, you might ask? Simple-- it was a prom dress. It was ivory, satin, and when you take off the ugly belt, gorgeous. And yes, you can make fun of me for buying a prom dress for a wedding dress.I also got these shoes to go with it for $30. Not a great deal, but cheaper than the almost identical ones at DSW.

We just discovered something wonderful

Yesterday, I came over as little Brandon was watching Fists of Fury. He had the movie on mute while his music played on his computer. Then we discovered pretty much the greatest thing ever:

Bruce Lee fight scene+ the song "You sexy thing"= REALLY FUNNY.

It's almost perfectly choreographed. The durations of the song and the scene align very precisely. If you time it exactly right, you even get Bruce Lee screaming along to the music. Being the nerds that we are, we watched it at least 3 times. Beautiful.

making rugs

I think that I should learn how to make rugs, because I really want this rug, but it is $600.
Luckily, I'm taking a ceramics class, so I actually can make these vases. Mine will definitely look better.

Recipes

Until I get paid, I have tomato sauce, potatoes, penne, and $3 to live on. Anyone have recipes with these 3 ingredients?

My days, these days

This winter semester is going to be much busier than the fall. Since I'm getting married, and I realized that getting married is really expensive, and I officially have $0 in my bank account, I now have to work every day as opposed to just a TTH shift. There are ups and downs to life right now, though.

Ups:
I only work for 3-4 hours at a time, which is great, considering my attention span.
My classes are fun, and Brandon tutors me on Geology.
Brandon, of course.

Downs:
I figured out today that the only furniture stores of any size in Utah are RC Willey and IKEA. Since Brandon used to work construction, he likes to point out all the reasons why their furniture is crappy.
I can clean the kitchen and it will magically be dirty again in a few hours.
My roommate left her curling iron on for 8 hours and left it by the computer, and I just put my hand on it.
I lost yet another cell phone. Brandon can attest to the fact that I only keep it in one of two places, so I'm not sure how this happened. Hopefully it turns up on Monday.

I hate my bed

Two nights ago, I got sick. Headache, sore throat, and achiness were the main symptoms. Normally, I would love this kind of sick. I like being achy and crawling into my bed and sleeping all day. So originally I was pretty excited. Then I got into bed. I usually have trouble sleeping at night since my bed is so hard, and as this night I was already an uncomfortable infirm, I didn't sleep at all. I ended up moving out onto the couch to sleep. The next day I was forced to spend $35 on mattress pads because I was not about to lie awake for hours feeling springs dig into my back again. End of story.

Sledding

Last week my roommates were appalled to hear that I had never been sledding before. Trying to be nice, Brandon took me. Everyone had assured me that I would love it and that it would be "so much fun." That might be true if your idea of "fun" is speeding down a freezing hill of death. Brandon only took me down one time, but I screamed the entire way down, fell off, and got enough snow down my pants to melt and fill a teapot. He was nice and didn't make me do it again.

Also, I now have a cell phone. It finally came and Poodle was a super helper and got it on the plan for me. And I didn't even have to change my number!

local flavor

Sometimes the fashions at BYU amaze me. Looking around my BOM class, I like to imagine the average boy's morning routine. It probably starts with a 30-minute ritual in front of the mirror (involving 1/2 gallon of hair gel) to get that perfect just-out-of-bed look. Throw on some pre-ripped $58 jeans and a BYU shirt, and you're ready to go share mission stories with your future wife.
And then there's the boy with the mustache who sits next to me. He also wears girl jeans. If he wanted to make a statement, he sure has, and it says "I don't ever want to be kissed by a girl." Or maybe the mustache is supposed to counteract the girl jeans, as if to say, "Don't be fooled; I really am a boy."
Tumors have become remarkably popular among the girls at BYU. I've heard it called many things--the beehive, the Provo bump--but I think its technical term is ratting. These girls "rat" their hair into a huge bump on the back of their heads. I'm beginning to suspect that some girls carry their food/school supplies in it. I can think of a few origins of this phenomena:
The movie Hairspray
Some social diva had a really bad cowlick, and some poor girls started to follow the trend until it got popular
or, Utah girls became jealous of those cool turbans they get to wear in the Middle East and started mimicking it with their hair.
However atrocious these styles may seem, I'm glad that BYU students embrace them. Cougartown really wouldn't be the same without the emos, the glorious ex-APs, and the beehives. I was once that little girl that never showered, and I am engaged to a boy who only recently abandoned the fauxhawk (which Mom calls the "fountain). Keep being weird, BYU.

Just to let you know...

Brandon and I made a wedding blog called lindonswedding.blogspot.com.

It doesn't have much yet, but we will keep adding information as we get it like reception location, maps, registry, etc.

Don't get too excited.

Titles

After all these months of blogging, I finally figured out how to enable my post titles.

Thank you, I know, I'm awesome.

New favorite flower?

I was looking at bouquets on Saturday and fell in love with these peonies. I think it's the texture that makes me swoon.

I like this red variety. What does everyone think?

We have a date!

June 7th, everyone.

And I am way excited to be getting married on 06/07/08.

Disappointing

So, I didn't get into any of the fun classes I wanted. However, BYU made up for this by having me take a class called "Dinosaurs." What more could you ask for?

I'm engaged!

Here is the ring. Everyone look at how pretty it is.

I designed it. How cool am I? Way cool.

I liked the fancy wooden box, too.

Here we are, so happy.

I was looking on allrecipes.com (fabulous website, by the way) and I saw this picture with the caption: Halloween Cakes.
What popped into my head before I read the caption, however, was: Terrorist Cakes.

Am I a horrible person or what?

Mom makes me laugh

Yesterday I had to explain myself to mom after I told her that I went ring shopping with Brandon. She was having a fit because she thinks I haven't known him long enough. This is how part of our conversation went:

mom: You're crazy. You haven't known him long enough.
me: Mom, how long did you know dad before you two were engaged?
mom: I was 22.
me: I didn't ask you how old you were; I asked you how long you had known each other.
mom: I don't remember.
me: You don't remember, or you don't want to tell me? I think you just don't want to tell me, because I remember hearing that it was something like 2 weeks. At 4 months, we totally beat you.

Oh, mom. That made my day.

A few pictures from September

Above: not happy to be awake at 7:00
Below: Some geyser, I don't remember which. And little Brandon having a bad hair day, and one of his little brothers having a worse hair day.
Far below: Sapphire pool. Pretty.

Dear Bexar,

I post way more than you do.
So there!

Love,
Shady

Super-awesome classes that I plan on taking next semester:

Hispanic-American Literature
Hispanic Cinema
Ceramics
International Health
Astronomy (non-mathematical)

Conference weekend

Involved a girl party, going to my grandparents' and getting fed, taking care of a mono patient, and going to a park to look at the fall colors, only to leave 5 minutes later because we realized that it was 45 degrees.

Poor, poor little Brandon.

He has mono. Which means he has been sick for 2 weeks and will probably be sick for another 2. :-(

Happy Birthday, Fernash!

If I were there, I would make you whatever your heart desired. And I would let you be the little spoon. I miss you!

Happy Birthday to you
happy birthday to you
happy birthday little Brandon
happy birthday to you

For information on more recent adventures:

See Brandon's blog at sweetmrwilmington.blogspot.com

But please, don't look at the last picture.

Purchase of the month:
Pumas. $30. Because I was kicking a soccer ball barefoot and realized I need shoes.

Ashley, we are cool.

My life lately...

I don't post so often these days, mostly because there is really nothing new going on in my life. But for those who want an update (or at least a change in scenery on my blog)...

I dyed my hair brown. It's only temporary, and this picture makes it look darker than it is, but there it is.

I am still dating little Brandon. Here he is at the park with me; how cute.

I love chac mool statues. Here is one I saw at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico.

I also love Mexican popsicles. And isn't mom adorable?

Mom and dad were nice enough to take me to the zoo in Mexico.

And finally, I am thoroughly irritated that Utah thinks it has any right to be above 85 degrees in September. It is NOT cool for fall to arrive fashionably late.

A sad story with a happy ending

I took my beloved laptop to the computer doctor when I got back from Mexico. Sadly, I got a call a few days later with a diagnosis--it needed a new motherboard and would cost $750 to fix. My computer only cost $740 in the first place. Obviously, it was time to say goodbye. And after only three short months.

Here's the happy part. Little Brandon has a friend who offered to fix up a computer for me and sell it to me for only $35. This computer has more than my laptop did (which doesn't say much, since my laptop didn't even have Office.) I now have Photoshop, Office, and everything else I need. This is also thanks to little Brandon, who donated his 80-gig hard drive to the cause.

Moral of the story: Lindsey shouldn't make big purchases. Ever.

Goodbye, Mexico

Tomorrow I am leaving Mexico City, where I have been staying with my parents for the last month. It has been quite a fruitful experience-- I came to practice Spanish, and I sure did. Here is a list of things and experiences that I will so dearly miss when I am back in Provo.

Shopping with mom. Because when she sees me wearing something new she always says, "Ooh, maybe I should get that." And when I pick something up at the store she will sometimes say, "Are you serious?" But she still buys it for me. What a pro.

Getting calls from dad. He calls me from his office every day to tell me what time we will be seeing a house, tell me when he will be home, or ask if I need something printed out. And he always asks what time I woke up that morning, and he always laughs when I tell him. Hysterically. What is so funny about waking up at 1:30?

Hiding in my room when I wake up. Without fail, our maid or her husband is ALWAYS walking around the apartment when I wake up. So I have to wait in my room until she leaves before I can walk around in my underwear. Yes, I could put some clothes on, but having to do that in your own apartment is just ridiculous. But I guess so is hiding.

Pretty much anything that mom says or does. Asking our driver if he could "coger" us, saying "I'm glad I'm not sitting by you on the plane" after I ate some onions, or telling me to chase down a street vendor because a lady just walked by with lime sherbet, and she really wanted lime sherbet. I will have plenty of stories to tell thanks to her.

Fun-filled weekends. Mexico has so much to offer, and I have gone to Tequisquiapan, the zoo, and the National Museum of Anthropology all this month. In Tequis I befriended a delightfully bossy 10-year-old and sang and danced with Mexicans. At the zoo I got to listen to mom giggle because the sign on the exhibit said that the monkeys were classified by colored protrusions on their butts. At the museum today I felt smart because I was able to explain the characteristics of Mayan art. And dad didn't even get grumpy when we made him be fun.

Looking at houses with mom and dad. The houses aren't actually the fun part, it is listening to my parents and their stubborn ideas of what they want. And hearing my dad talk about fifteen different houses when we all know that my mom has already decided on one. Also, laughing with my mom about my dad's obsession with getting more square meters for the price. Because my parents obviously need a 5,500 square foot house.

Oh, Mexico. I will miss you.

Things I hate

Computer viruses. Especially when they come on a computer you have only had for 3 months. Even more when you then have to use your moms computer which has a spanish keyboard, so you dont know how to punctuate. But you can write ñ, ¿, and ¡.

How to one-up Poodle

1. Tell her that mom has offered you the pilot when you graduate since she stole the 4-runner.
2. Tell her that it has 3 rows of seats and is therefore cooler.
3. Brag about it all day long. Don't stop until you start annoying even yourself.

Question

What is the best way to have cute hair while it's growing out? I have been battling this dilemma my entire life. A few weeks ago I cut my hair short, and it looked really cute. Now it's already at a longish-awkward length. I don't have the patience to get a haircut every few weeks. What's a girl to do?

It doesn't help, either, that the lady who cut my hair cut too many layers in the front. Now it looks like I'm growing out a mullet. And when I try to put my hair up, all these pieces fall out and into my face. Maybe I should shave my head.

Things that make me laugh...

Hearing little Brandon sing a song over Skype, except when it was supposed to say "Mandy" he inserted "Lindsey."

Hearing him sing another song in a high, falsetto voice.

Seeing him dance to "eat it" on a web cam

And then they offered me a job, too.

I will be teaching a basic-level English conversation class for an hour and a half each weekday for the next three weeks. So anyone who thinks I'm not doing anything in Mexico (Ashley) can kiss it.

Then she made me laugh so hard I almost fell out of my chair

by saying, "people that listen to punk music scare me."

Brag post

Everyone already knows this, but I have the coolest mom EVER. Today she scored a job teaching at one of Mexico's top medical schools. And she didn't even apply for it! Way to go, mom the bomb.

I could get used to this

Tonight my parents and I went out to dinner to get shrimp tacos at a restaurant called Fishers. (We are in Mexico City, by the way.) We went to the counter to order from a youngish-looking Mexican boy. Awhile after getting our food, my dad went back to the counter to get some napkins and said youngish-looking Mexican boy gave him a CD and simply said, "para ella," and pointed to me. So here is my post to say that for once in my life, I LOVE being blonde, if for no other reason than because Latins like blondes and therefore I get free stuff.

I also have to say, if you ever thought Mexicans aren't high-class, think again. This morning I ate breakfast with TWO forks. It was about the fanciest thing I've ever seen.

the short-lived attempt at a road trip

It turns out that our 10-day road trip to Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Canada ends in Idaho. After spending an exciting day floating the canal and visiting the Potato Expo in Blackfoot (yes, Blackfoot's entertainment options are exhausted pretty quickly) Chris wanted to come back to Provo. So sadly our trip ended at that.

Many thanks to Brandon for not being a quitter, even though all our other friends eventually bailed on us.

I am so excited!

Tomorrow I leave on a 10-day road trip to Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Canada. The day after I get back, I go to Mexico for a month to practice Spanish, hang out with my mom, and volunteer at various places. Oh, and I chopped off all my hair and this is what it looks like.

Happy 4th, everyone

In case watching this guy strap fireworks to himself and ride down the street on a tricycle wasn't entertaining enough, I got to see a hot air balloon collapse in the street about a block from my house. Rocket man was great.

I just like this next picture because we all have such attractive facial expressions.

COLORADO!
Who would drive a sixteen-hour road trip just to be with her sister for a weekend? I would. Because I am a nice sister and I am just that fun and I love road trips that much. And I needed an excuse to buy this cute blue dress, and what better excuse than a wedding reception?

This is possibly my favorite picture of Poodle, partly because it's a classic Poodle pose and face, and partly because this is what she wore to go BACKPACKING.

Isn't this gorgeous? Seriously, it's something you would see on a postcard. BEAUTIFUL. And Poodle just had to include me putting my hair up.

Another gorgeous picture. My first backpacking trip, and it was fabulous.

10 things I will miss about Ashley

1. Having someone who loves to jump on me and to be jumped on
2. Singing monster ballads, Bon Jovi, and Roger Creager
3. Not being able to find my clothes in the morning (wait, that's a lie!)
4. The notes she writes to me on our etch-a-sketch
5. Tucking her in
6. Telling her about all the awkward/embarrassing moments of my life and thinking they were worth the trouble just because she is so entertained by them
7. Having her scare away boys, friends, and aquaintances because anyone too weak to handle our family isn't worth my time
8. Being asked who is older
9. Being bossed around
10. Salsa dancing

I am so sad!

This blog makeover is dedicated to Mom the Bomb.

The tiles on my blog title are the same ones which I used on the table I built a year ago. When I was showing these tiles to mom, this is what she said about them:

"oh, look, they have a uterus."

Apparently the white designs between the tiles look just like a uterus and the fallopian tubes. You rock, mom.

If I (by some miracle) have to go on a fancy date this summer, I will wear this.





However, the chances of that are about as slim as my chances of spending $438 dollars on those shoes. Still, that's a cute dress. Maybe I should convince one of my friends to get married so I can wear this to their reception.

Sometimes I forget

that there are people in this world who have only my blog to update them on the events in my life. So I apologize that this is a late notice.

I changed my major to Spanish and my minor to International Development. I figured out that the humanities are not for me, because I will never really try at any classes that I can BS that easily. As stated in a quote my Humanities teacher read:

"The key to success in a Humanities class is to say things that no rational person would ever say. Any sane person would say that Moby Dick is a big white wail. Not so for a humanities major- he would say that Moby Dick is fate, masculinity, or the future of America."

Obviously, this was not for me. I rediscovered that I really love Spanish while I was helping someone with a literature paper. I ended up explaining more than needed to be in the essay, inclding the history of the author and the Spanish revolution. And I liked it.

I thought international development would be cool just because I really want to live in a shack for the rest of my life.

I feel like this right now:



I finally have "gumption."

If you haven't seen the Holiday,I don't expect you to get it.

I thought this was funny. Sean is so in love with his legs, he sent me a picture of one.

On Sunday I got the best surprise of the summer-- I found out my soul sister Emily is coming to stay with me for a couple weeks in June. So, in order to officially make this the coolest vacation ever, I am taking suggestions for things to do while she is here. I've started the list, and I'm counting on my blogger buddies to finish it.

go to the Spanish Fork hot springs
take a road trip to either Moab or Yellowstone
go to that place with the mechanical bull; ride it (Poodle, I need your help with this)
go mountain biking
go fishing
go night rafting (I will need my friend to hook us up with that, but I think he'll do it for me)
and basically have a blast.

My Birthday Party

It was actually a blast. I used to fear that I could never be a good partier because nobody would ever come to my parties. Well, that's because nobody is as cool as these people. For example, in the above picture, Wes and I are showing off our birthday bling. (He's wearing the ginormous ring I just bought.)



This was a priceless Sean moment. I saw him with a hot dog in each hand and one on his shirt and I had to take a picture. I think he ate about 5.



And at last, Mary, Chinese Chris, White Chris and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean at midnight. And yes, Mary made us all dress up as pirates. I think I look more like a house cleaning lady.

And best of all, I am writing this blog on my very own laptop. Yeah, kiss it.

Don't let my big blue eyes fool you

Jay Bishoff once told me, "You look like a really nice girl until you open your mouth." This isn't the first time I had been told that, either. I'm pretty sure that if a guy ever knew what he was getting himself into when he asked me out, he would never do it in the first place. The thing is, I really like it that way, and my friends seem to enjoy my eccentricities as well. I happen to be very proud of the fact that I was on the spelling team in high school, that I saw the Lizzie McGuire movie in theaters twice, that I can listen to both 90's grunge and Texas country, and that I have the uncanny ability to make people feel extremely uncomfortable if they haven't grown up around doctors. I am a bundle of surprises, not for the timid-hearted.

Crap or get off the pot.

Easier said than done. I kinda like the pot.
I used to think I was good at making decisions. Wrong. I suck at it. How can I be so sure of something for so long but not even know how I feel about it when the time comes to make a decision? It's a vicious cycle. I try to step back and analyze situations logically but it's impossible to make a good judgement when I am too freaked out to act normal. I am officially clueless.

On a brighter note, I finally ordered my Chacos- and I'm getting them for $54 instead of their original $95. Not that it matters, since mom and dad are paying for them, but I feel good whenever I save money. Now I can sport hiking sandals and nail polish on the same feet.

My summer (the beginnings)

Here I am with Ashley at her graduation. Four (or more) years of tests and lectures and all people want to do is take pictures and sit through a boring ceremony. Seriously, who invented graduations?

After a tiring day of shopping, Emily, mom, and I went to the Cheesecake Factory. I bought 2 shirts from Anthropoligie, one of which I'm wearing in this picture. Poodle would be proud. I have to say, I'm much more willing to buy there when it's on mom's bill.

Caroline thought my cowboy hat was way too much fun.

You might think that I'd wear cowboy boots in Texas. Wrong! These are none other than my dewberry-picking boots. Sexy knee-high rubber ones. This way I can stomp all though the thorns and not get hurt.

Here's Caroline.

I don't know how I feel about it but tell me if you like it, Bex.

Masques feel so weird. They also make you look like a freak.
But what makes you look like a freak even more is going to Smith's in one. Yes, this is what I did this week on a dare. But my friend in the top picture did it with me so I wouldn't feel too awkward. It was probably the first time I was dared to do something since about 5th grade.

Okay, Mom, this is my shady lamp before

And this is my shady lamp after. And don't worry, the skirts are still wearable, just a little mutilated.

Correction on the last post

As you all may know, internet personality tests suck, so I took the real color personality test and got completely different results. Here is my profile:

I am a white. That surprised me more than anything. Apparently, I am flexible, but more stubborn than people think, because I won't be bossed around. I work well with other people but I shut down if they are too demanading. I am willing and eager to talk about myself, but I don't give information out unless someone asks for it, so I'm usually very quiet. My major weakness is lack of motivation, and I will probably never be a very carreer-oriented person.

I also have some strong blue traits, which make me a high-maintenance girlfriend. I seek to be very close to people in relationships, and I always want to do everything together. If a friend doesn't want to spend every waking moment with me, I can easily feel neglected.

In decision making, some red shows through. I am always sure of myself and I am very independent. I'm also more logical than most blue-whites.

Congratulate me,

Because I finally have friends up here. And the best part is that I'm going to be living with them this fall. I was with them last night and we watched Swiss Family Robinson, Mr. Smith goes to Washington, and did some weird quizzes online, from which I found out that:

I was most likely a skunk in a previous life (there might be some validity to that statement)
If I were a mythological creature, I would be a centaur
And finally, in the color personality test, I am a yellow. Possibly the only one in my red-dominated family.

When your mom calls you "Shady," you know you're socially awkward

I recently found out that some people think I'm rude, shallow, and even slightly unintelligent because I'm quiet.

I guess they didn't get the memo about my nickname being "Shady," my unnatural fear of talking to people, or the fact that I never left my room for the majority of my teenage years. Or heard the story about how I worked 3 hours with a 102 degree fever because I was too shy to ask my boss if if I could go home. As far as I'm concerned, I've come a long way.

My apologies. Next time I see you, I'll make sure to give you a big fat hug and ask your how your day went, and if you would like some homemade cookies. That'll prove I'm smart.