17 november 2009: utah

I am grateful that I go to school in utah.

I will be here in a matter of hours... for a field trip

.

peace.

16 november 2009: i heart my bike

Father was becoming concerned due to the lack of bloggable evidence that I love my bike.

Fret no longer! Here is proof for everyone to see!

can you find my bike?

there it is. green.

I love my bike. Lots. Don't worry pops.

So even though I wont be riding it for a week and a half I am grateful for my bike.

15 november 2009: oh my h-face... FRUIT PASTILLES!

http://www.amazon.com/Rowntrees-Fruit-Pastilles-Tubes-Case/dp/B000HEA8Q0

Go there right now!!!!!

I'm grateful for, I love, I miss, whatever you want to call it...I love fruit pastilles sooo much and I crave them bi-weekly, give or take a craving or two, and if I wanted, for a mere 57 dollars I could have a case imported from england. I probably should close that up until I'm not famished and an think clearly.

Why can't american candy be delicious like they've got it figured in the UK?

16 november 2009: aeroplanes

It's count down time people.
I take off from the slc airport in a mere 136 hours and fifty minutes.
Or in other words, supe early sunday morning.
I. can. not. wait.

There is something about the week of thanksgiving that makes me so happy. I know that life will be crazy when I get back, with limited time before finals and everything else that seems to happen in December and I know that from now until I fly out my life will also be crazy. I should be worrying about my soil sciences midterm in class on wednesday and packing to go on a field trip to moab for one of my classes and we are leaving about 10 minutes after I get out of my thursday morning lab and I have NO idea where my camera has disappeared to and I have an assignment while in moab to create an essay not out or words so I feel like I need my camera for that not to mention documentation purposes and the fact that mom requires documentation so she can live vicariously through my exploring in southern utah and I have hours between getting home from moab and heading up to the house near salt lake where I am staying so I don't have to leave provo at 3:50 sunday morning and tonight I have to go and play mom for that last time which means I can't go and study in the library like I had planned and wednesday I am going back to my lame podiatrist between classes so he can poke my foot again and call himself a doctor.

But really, I don't care. All I'm thinking about is getting on that plane.
The under a week countdown is the best. You get to the point where you think to yourself "a week from now I'll probably be doing this.."
I am a bad student and I skip monday and tuesday classes so I can spend more time at home, even though everyone still has work/school mon- wed. They're such great days. I can head to the gym or go take mom lunch or go hunker down in a coffee shop and catch up on the 60 pages of writing I'm supposed to have for John Bennion by the end of the semester.
Outside of our glorious family traditions and sitting in front of the fireplace with a full belly one of my favorite things about being home in the fall/winter are the coffee shops. I love them so much. I love the hot drinks and the fireplaces and the people watching and the over stuffed arm chairs or the baby wooden tables. I love sitting at the front table next to the sheet of glass that makes up the front wall where it's a little chilly and breathing onto my cup of tea or chocolate when I go to take a sip makes my glasses fog up and I watch people walk buy with red faces tucked into scarves. And I love hiding in the back in one of the over stuffed arm chairs with my shoes off and my feet up under my body lost in the back corner lost in my book. I like going with dad where he pays for an extra coffee for the next person who comes in and orders. I like going with Natalie and catching up on the almost last year of life and remember when we hit up half a dozen coffee shops in an effort to finish our Richard III project senior year of high school.

That is what I am thinking about right now.
Not soil.
Not my camera.
Not finding a sleeping bag that'll keep me warm this weekend.
Not finding the guts to repel off a 200 foot arch.

Just a cold fall day in madison where the sky is overcast and you can't quite tell where the clouds stop and suddenly you realize that it's been snowing for a few minutes, fat flakes, and there are still leaves on the side walk but they have all turned brown and in the morning the edges are tinged with blue frost which creeps down the veins. And as I walk from my car to the coffee shop I pull my bag up higher on my shoulder and hide my face in the scarf mom made me and I realize as I look down that my moccasins are the same color as the leaves still blowing on the sidewalk.
That's home.
That's all I can think about.

14-15 november 2009: on my mind

this is what is on my mind right now:

mason jennings concert last night and

cooking delicious foods with my roommates.

and I am grateful for them both.

Last night we filled up carol ann's mini van and headed to the mason jennings concert in slc. 

here is a blueprint (probably not the right word) of the car:

carol ann mike

(driving)

me ma'ila (really sticky sliding door)

emily elise gina

It was really great. 

I had never heard of the opening band before, nathaniel rateliff and the wheel, out of denver, co, but they were really great. I shook his (nathaniel's) hand after they played and before mason started, after a couple of my friends had said hi. I shook his hand and said something awkward along the lines of "yeah, I don't know what else to say, but you were really great.." but he was gracious nonetheless and asked me what my name was and told me his was nathaniel. 

And then mason played.

And it was great.

And he game us two encores.

Yeah.

My camera is missing somewhere in my house, so I don't have any pics, ma'ila took a few so I'll snag her pics and put them up later.

So last night, before the concert, carol ann and I were chilling in the living room, she was working on lesson plans and I was working on a fertilizer work sheet (can't stop thinking about nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium ratios..) and we were pondering dinner and decided on the most delicious sandwiches with focaccia bread carol ann made, dried tomato pesto that I made, and sharp cheddar, tomato and cucumber... so yummy. 

Then this morning carol ann and I slept in and both woke up around the same time and were chatting in our bunk beds and discussing  brunch options and settled on banana pancakes and delicious purple hash browns. 

So now I am lying in my bed with a full belly.

joy...

fav wheel song (one man version)

Nathaniel Rateliff + The Wheel Field Recording Test 1 from Rod Blackhurst on Vimeo.

three fav songs (at the concert) from mason:

Mason Jennings - Be Here Now (Official Music Video) - Funny bloopers R us

13 november 2009: THIS JACKET!

I love it. I love it so much. It kept me so toasty warm on my camp out last night where we woke up to snow..

sort of 12 november 2009: sort of really cool ships...

So I really like cool ships.

Like this:

I love the movie Master and Commander a ridiculous amount, especially when compared with how much I hate russel crowe. Yeah, he's a jerk. And right now I am reading Endurance, amount Shakelton's voyage down in the antarctic and part of me was so sad when the ship finally sank (not a spoiler the whole book is about the fact that their boat ) and it wasn't just because that meant they were all sort of screwed in the middle of no man's winter land, but because how sad that that cool boat that had never before been used was ruined and broken and now at the bottom of the sea. Dang.

So I don't know if I can really say I'm grateful for such ships since they aren't really apart of my life. (But mom and I did tour the U.S.S. Constitution in Boston, does that count for something?)

(Proof...

)

So yeah, I really like cool ships, happy november....

11 november 2009: fam damnly

Look at this cute group of hooligans with matching hats.

I am grateful for how superbly cool my family is and how hilarious and kind and funny and quick witted and yeah, I love them.

I am grateful for skype that made tonight's conversation and this picture possible.

Home in 11 days.

and mom only has 4/5 of a face, ok? don't bring it up, it's a bit of a sore spot in the family right now. stop being hateful and judgey.

playing mom

Long story short...
The Donaldsons lived in Madison for x number of years when Jack, father of the family, was in grad school. Now they live in Orem. Tricia, mother of the family, works for a non profit, trekking for kids, and she goes all over the world hiking in cool places and then helping orphanages. This is the first time Jack has gone with her. They are both in Ecuador for two weeks. I am the fill in baby sitter for 4 different nights when various grandparents and uncles/aunts were busy. Tonight is one of those nights.
The children:
Sahalie is 12
Tess is 9
Eli is 6.
The highlight of tonight comes from Eli when he was trying to brush his teeth.
Apparently he left his toothpaste at his grandparents. I told him he could use some of mine.
Apparently he doesn't like mint.
I asked him to just smell it, give it a try. He smelled it and made a very horrible face while giggling a little bit.
He asked if he had to use it everyday.
I told him he didn't and it wouldn't kill him to use minty toothpaste tonight.
He walked out of the room (with mint toothpaste on his toothbrush) and headed to the bathroom saying:
"My teeth are going to be stinky...
I am going to be so disgusted."
There followed lots of gagging and he yelled to me that he put it on his tongue and it was horrible, so I came in and told him it would probably be better if he put it on his teeth and not on his tongue.
Next he asked me to help him floss his teeth. With one of those little plastic floss things.
As I was flossing his teeth I was telling him how I've never flossed someone elses teeth before. He proceeded to say " I ont ant oo ave aviies."
I stopped flossing his teeth and asked him to repeat himself.
"I don't want to have cavities." In a sort of, isn't this obvious, tone of voice.
I assured him that I didn't want him to have cavities either.
When I was done I asked him if I had gotten them all.
He put both his pointer fingers in his mouth pointing to his back molars.
"id oo et e ones ach ere?"
(removed his fingers)
"Did you get the ones back there?"
I assured him that I did and all was well.
Here's to dental hygiene.

10 november 2009: these boots

I am grateful for these boots

and that they are on my body right now and probably will be for the rest of the week.

9 november 2009: dried tomato pesto

I am grateful for this recipe. 

Yummmmmmm...

8 november 2009: oops, yesterday

I am grateful for days when church is real good.

I am grateful for brunch and pumpkin pancakes.

I am grateful for the Donaldson children.

I am grateful for quiet Sunday evenings.

I am grateful for Pres. Uchtdorf and for rebroadcast CES firesides. 

P.S. I am grateful for Kristin and her home and her foods and her conversation...

don't think I didn't see that comment removed by the author..

7 november 2009: today

I am grateful for Friday nights where I have fun with my friends AND go to bed early.

I am grateful for International Cinema

I am grateful for raking service projects on pretty fall mornings.

I am grateful for my cool house and great roommates.

I am grateful for free lunch and breakfast.

I am grateful for home made apple pie with local apples that I bought for so cheap because they were "seconds."

I am grateful for Rachel and making pie with Rachel.

I am grateful for my bike and that it's not in Orem any more.

I am grateful I have the Donaldson's truck for two weeks.

I am grateful I can drive stick.

I am grateful for biking barefoot.

I am grateful for hulu and ugly betty.

I am grateful Kristin lives 11 blocks away.

I am grateful for cold pizza.

I am grateful for our hot water heater.

I am grateful for paying bills online.

I am grateful for my glasses.

I am grateful for dental floss.

I am grateful for this comfy red couch.

I am grateful for NPR and CBC podcasts.

I am grateful the crack in my foot from England is SO totally gone.

I think that's probably good for now...

birthday ode

Momma,
Happy Birthday!!!!!! The big 45. Man, I remember the good old days when I was a divisible of 9. 

For now I'm stuck with 7, which isn't too bad.

I thought about sending you flowers, like that one time two or three years ago, but flowers die and in November it's not really wild flowers season which is what I would want to give you. So instead I'm trying to write you an essay. I'm glad that I can say that and you know what I mean and that hopefully makes you happy and not bored. Sometimes the word essay still gives me flashbacks to reading The Great Gatsby my sophomore year and struggling to find something to say that no one had ever said before. I felt that that task was impossible. But now that John Bennion has thought me what as essay should really be like, I have plenty to say that no one has said before and that no one could say because no one else is your first born in the wilderness.

I told Katy Anderson today that I was going to try and write something for you for your barfday and she told me she had been wondering about that because of the things I had written about Daddy and the things I hadn't written about you. But the truth is that for some reason it's harder. Maybe it has something to do with the first nine months of my existence that I spent growing inside you. That's the kind of thing you can't really describe. Well maybe you could since I was such a huge little thing, but yeah, even now I don't really know how I could begin to write about you.

Maybe I'll start here. Do you remember that one time when I was sick, I think it was in 7th grade, right before my appendix exploded, and I lay on the couch while you read to me whatever chapters I wanted from The Goblet of Fire? Well, almost. You refused to read the chapter about S.P.E.W. because you found it annoying. Or maybe the truth is you were just being extra sensitive because you knew I might spew at any moment, a fact made made manifest by the shiny stainless steel mixing bowl resting on the floor next to the couch, next to where Winnie was lying because she knew something was wrong and wouldn't leave. I'm sure you remember. When I was sick the other week I wished you were here to read to me about the Yule Ball and I could close my eyes and pretend like I had been asked by one of the triwizard champions.

I think it's the fact that I can tell you anything that makes this hard. There's nothing left.

Remember sophomore year when my rugby coach wasn't going to let me go to the playoffs and I failed my biology midterm and I called you as I walked home from the testing center and I was yelling and crying because nothing was going right and I hated my apartment and my best friend was on a mission on the other side of the world?
Remember last Saturday when I called all jelly legged to tell you that I had in fact defeated the mountain and finished my first half marathon despite having swine flu and I felt like I could do anything?
Remember when you opened my BYU acceptance letter and tried to pretend like it was nothing important and so I read it and was so confused?
Remember the New Years Eve where we came up stairs and all our homemade left over pizza was lying in slices in the wooden cutting board and you made two into a beak and started walking like a chicken around the kitchen and pecking at me?
Remember that one time I went to Zumba with you and I felt awkward and decided next time I would just use the elliptical?
Remember when I went to Panera to pick us up lunch last Thanksgiving bread but the man at the counter thought I just wanted half orders of each thing for myself so we ended up splitting a half sandwich and a half salad for lunch?
Remember when you came to my first rugby game and there was a foot of snow on the field at Utah State and I actually got to play and when we got back to my dorm I took three Ibuprofen and collapsed on Megan's bed you lay on my bed and we watched a movie?
Remember when we went and saw Mamma Mia! on opening day and it was after Dad and I had finished paddle and portage and you were embarrassed by the fact that I was wearing a t-shirt with my skirt and by the fact that I had my three liter camelbak with me in an attempt to rehydrate?
Remember how we used to listen the The Erythmics Greatest Hits album when we cleaned the house on Saturdays?
Remember when I got detention for a week for hitting Jesten Bell and you weren't mad?
Remember when you and Ian and I went to Hubbard for dinner and I had a broken big toe which was throbbing and I was starving and Ian kept bugging me and I told him I would break every bone in his body?
Remember when we went to Boston and one day we were so tired we just stayed in bed and watched bad movies like Where the Heart is and didn't go out and get dinner?

Remember when Dad and I were being slow at Sentry, and speaking Italian and you got mad and told us you wouldn't push the cart anymore?
Remember when we went to Paris? Oh wait, that hasn't happened yet.

Well I sort of hate that that's all I have to say, but there's nothing else that needs to be said. When we lived in the old apartment I remember when I was two or three being horrible for my baby sitters and making myself cry until I threw up because all I wanted was you to come home and then scratch my back while I fell asleep on my futon that was on the floor, just to ensure that no crocodiles attempted to take up residence there. And I remember this summer lying on my futon on the floor of my green room with the door open and calling you in to come tuck me in when you were on your way to the bathroom. I think that has something to do with why I don't know what to say. It's like how I don't have anything to say about breakfast. I love breakfast and I need it everyday partly because I love eating every kind of breakfast food and partly because my body needs it. I guess you're like breakfast. A nice balance between want and need. I like for you to come and tuck me in and say good night. And sometimes I need it.

A hope you had a good birthday.
Love you,
whitney

6 november 2009: camelbak

I am sitting in the library with my camelbak. Well, with one of my many camelbak. This time I have my orange/red bottle. I always have it with me, or one of them. I've really fallen in love with drinking water. As emma likes to say, I always have a camelbak in my mouth.
I guess she's not that wrong...

hiking dutch peak, May 2008

hiking in the Lancashire district of England, May 2009

And yesterday morning I had it with me in my soil analysis lab, or course. At one point I had to add water continually, and slowly to three funnels with a filter paper and 40 grams of soil for 10 minutes. It was all about measuring soil salinity... anyways... I was thirsty. So I had my camelbak in my mouth as I squirted my syringe into the three funnels. At one point my camelbak fell out of my mouth and landed loudly on the table and my lab partner started laughing at me.

So, moral of the story, I love my camelbak. I am grateful for my camelbak.
Hydrate or die.

5 november 2009: swimming and such

sorry I was too sleepy to post last night but this is what I was thinking about.
I went swimming with my roommate last night and it was so great. I really love swimming.
So, I am grateful for:
the RB pool
my goggles
my swim cap
the first time you go underwater and push off the wall
the feeling of taking off my cap and putting my head underwater when I'm done swimming

my ankle has been bothering me. I think it's from walking funny after my half marathon. whatever it's from it's sort of pissing me off because I want to go running but don't want to screw it up more. so I plan on swimming a lot the next week. also I signed up for an evening intermediate swimming class next semester which I am excited for. hooray for swimming.

4 november 2009: dance dance dance

Tonight we had another 30 minute dance party. I always hate the first song because no one wants to come on time so most people come for song two. But once I got over my awkward worried phase it was so great. I love dancing and I love dancing in my living room and I love dancing with my friends. And this was the first time my play list was exactly 30 minutes. Exactly. Must be a sign that I picked the right song.

And Rosie, song number one... you could be a sweet dream, or a beautiful nightmare. 

Well I'm going to dance my way over to my bed. 7:00 am lab...almost done with it, thank goodness. 

I didn't actually play any girl talk, but check this out. It's pure mash ups, but tons of songs in one, none of this two or three songs.

 

3 november 2009: catching up

The past couple weeks I've run into my friend Gina from the dorms more than I have since she lived a few doors away from me. Part of this is thanks to a complicated series of events resulting in my roommate being friends from home with her roommate and the both of them being vegetarian and me being in a vegetarian dinner group with them that sometimes meets at Gina's home. Anyways. I got a text last night from Gina seeing if maybe this week we could see each other on purpose sometime. 

We decided that she would come over tonight for some tea. We sat in my living room drinking Twinning's Peppermint and talked. We talked about missions and boys and graduation and writing and europe and travel and mexico and squash soup and everything and anything that came up. 

I love so much when I run into an old friend and it's easy. Sometimes there is nothing to say even though you have some two or three years of adventures since the last time you really talked. There's no easy way to begin so there's no easy way to talk and as much as I try and pretend like it's not, it's awkward. But that wasn't the case with Gina. Gina and I got along great freshman year, we bonded over our midwestern connection, but we weren't bff. But somehow being friends now is easy. Two coups of tea, three hours and one apple crisp later there was still plenty to talk about but chemistry homework was waiting for her and I had a few essays calling my name. 

So when I wave good bye from my front porch and I say next week we should go to that new coffee shop with free internet and she says she wants to come to the Mason Jennings concert I know that we mean it and we wont only see each other accidentally now. 

I am grateful for those people that make talking and not talking easy, that make being friends easy. And I am grateful that they are my friend. 

2 november 2009: shower curtain

Maybe this is sort of ridiculous, but I love and am grateful for my shower curtain. I haven't had an interesting shower curtain since I was in elementary school and it was covered in fish. But now my cute little bathroom has a world map shower curtain. I'm trying to brush up on my geography. Lately I feel like I have a much better understanding of south east asia and the pacific.

disclaimer: this is not my bathroom and not quite my shower curtain, but hey, I'm sleepy so why take a picture and upload it when there is this handy thing called google images.

1 november 2009: moleskine planner

I had been thinking about this for a bit and was confirmed today when my bishop's wife stood up in church and commented on how sometimes we seem to skip from Halloween to Christmas and we don't really think about Thanksgiving. But she implored us to remember November and remember to be grateful. I could have stood up and stared clapping. I love Thanksgiving SO much. (Home in three weeks, but who's counting?) So what I'd been thinking about was posting everyday about something different I'm grateful for. And here we are, November first already, sheesh, and today I am grateful for my moleskine planner. Oh so grateful. 

I am amazed and disgusted by the number of planners that have an inefficient use of space and are uuuuuugly. But this little guy is perfect. There is space for each day but then a page for notes and lists and what not which is great because some days need more writing than others. Plus the pages are simple and pretty. I basically get happy whenever I write something in it or cross something out in it. I love you mr. moleskine. You done me good. 

p.s.

also pretty grateful for this song right now, thanks ingrid