First Gift of the BirthDAY.

(Besides the sweet wishes and comments here, on Facebook, and on Twitter)

A boy just tripped off his longboard in the middle of the street while I was watching from the dining table, where I'm eating my homemade strawberry-banana and peanut butter oatmeal after my daily 30 Day Shred workout and twenty minute run. (Cos I'm tuff.)

Then he got back on all cool and stuff and took off zig-zagging down the asphalt... Not before checking surreptitiously behind him to see if anyone noticed.

Haha boy. Shoulda looked to your left instead. You would've seen a girl grimacing in pain from the laughter cos her abs hurt so bad from getting shredded. (Cos she's tuff.)

Dear Will and Kate,

For every anniversary you celebrate, just know I'm twenty-three birth anniversaries ahead of you. Happy hitched-ness!

Love,
The Birthday Girl

The Life Story -- Fred: Part II

Now Fred worked hard for two years, walking miles and miles, sweating gallons, and preaching the gospel in Spanish. He learned to love the people of Venezuela and hoped that he would one day be able to return to live with them. 

But in September 1977, the two years were up and it was time to return home and to the real world. He went back to BYU for a couple years of engineering courses, sang in the A Cappella Choir, and taught Spanish for a year and a half at the Missionary Training Center (MTC). 

Unable to stay away, Fred worked and spent the summer of 1980 in Venezuela, after which he transferred to the University of Utah where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. Though he took the many beginning courses in Design and Architecture, Fred decided he wanted to be more independent and involved with people, so he turned to language education. 

One of his former Spanish students invited him to spend the summer of 1984 in Taiwan, so Fred got firsthand experience in teaching English as a second language. He had a good time and was praised for his teaching abilities, so he took up TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) training at BYU that fall. One particular class, How to Teach English Grammar to Foreigners, had an interesting young lady in it who immediately caught his eye. And crazy beans, she had spent time in Taiwan too!

And if you're thinking the young lady's name might possibly be Trudy, well, you would be right.

To be continued...

My Ideal Date...

Is not April 25th.

Because it's not nearly hot enough. 

And it's way, way too cold.

I need way more than a light jacket, 

which I found out too late this morning. 

And I'm still cold. 

Ten Best-er Bucks to whomever correctly guesses the movie reference first.

Feels Like Home...

I get to go hang out at my old mentoring job this week. It's party time (mostly because it's the end of the USU'S school year) and nothing but fun is going on!

Today: Paper ball fight.

It's exactly what it sounds like. Old homework assignments crumpled into balls, desks and tables overturned to create forts and barricades and everyone is split up into teams.

We take no prisoners. It's intense. And it's wonderful.

I didn't realize I missed my kids so much. The happy excited grins on their faces when they saw me come through the door made me want to cry. In a hysterically happy way, of course.

Can't wait for tomorrow!

PS. Welcome to Birth Week everybody!

Happy Easter!

A beautiful Easter Sunday deserves a beautiful message. 

Perhaps in a beautiful song. 

I hope you'll watch this and enjoy.

He is Risen!

I truly believe that.

Changes...Maybe...

I'm thinking of changing the URL of this blog to match its title. In like a week. Maybe one day it'll means it will be easier for somebody to find this blog and sing my praises. That's all I really want in life. But maybe it's more trouble than it's worth.

I don't know. Maybe I won't make the change. Stay tuned.

Birth Month Adventure...

Yesterday, my roomie and I drove to Idaho Falls because she had three interviews for teaching jobs. I stayed in the car and read and studied, but before we did all that, we went to....

Bodies: The Exhibition

{click title to learn more}

Hands down, one of THEEEE coolest things I have ever seen. EVER. If you ever are near it or a similar show, go. It's absolutely fascinating and worth every penny you pay. 

The end.

PS. Sorry I'm behind on the story. I've been busy. But even if it's not done in a week, that's okay, because Birth Month has been a total success!! 

Something Happy...

Yes. We stuck a mustache on her.

The background on my phone.

*smooooooooch*

Happy Wednesday!!

Footnotes on BYU and Why Its Name is a Swearword Unto Me...

Disclaimer: This post is not meant for current and/or former BYU students. That includes those students I know and those I don't. You know who you are, and even though I think you made a grave mistake in your collegiate decision, I still like you anyway. I just don't like you enough to transfer. Heaven help me if I ever have children that want to go there. I'll be a failure as a mother. I'll know I didn't love them enough. Haha.

People often asked me, when I was still a student sans my extremely powerful bachelor's degree of Literary Studies, "Chessie, why did you move from home to go to Utah State University when you lived so close to the University of Evil?"

I would look them dead in the eye and say, "Is that not enough explanation?" Every one of them smiled and nodded in understanding.

I don't like that school. I started filling out the application, but then their recruiters came to our high school and treated us like dirt beneath their feet. I tore up the application, got a scholarship to USU, and I've never looked back. And it was the best decision of my life up until now.

I don't like how big the campus is. I don't like the holier-than-thou attitude of the majority of the people who go there. I don't like that my tithing helps pay to run it. I don't like that religion classes are required for graduation. I like to study the scriptures because I WANT to and so that I can enjoy them. I have problems with some of the stipulations in their honor code.

It's distasteful to me that people go there just to get married--the whole education thing is the unfortunate past time. (My own mother sort of did that, but I reserve the right to defend her, because, though she had been previously married, more importantly, as a new member of the Church, it was where she would be able to find someone who shared her newfound beliefs. Plus, she already had her bachelor's degree and was going for her Master's/PhD, and she did want to go to Cornell first.)

I don't like their housing restrictions, because I didn't have a curfew when I lived at home, and I certainly wasn't going to abide by one in college. Furthermore, I think it is perfectly fine to have friends in your bedroom and in your bathroom, whether they are male or female. And what if I want to wear shorts and flip-flops? Or clacky heels? Or grow nasty long hair and a beard (if I were a man)? And nothing makes my blood boil like an Aggies vs. Cougars basketball game.

I have to stop typing. It's turning into an angry post.

Now, you may say I'm acting holier-than-thou with all my dislikes, but frankly, this is one of those times where you have to trust me when I say that you would understand if you lived around here. You'd pick my school too.

The end. GO AGGIES!

The Life Story -- Trudy: Part II

Trudy was living it up in Taiwan, at first studying Mandarin at the university level. Temping at Taipei American School and helping teach English at a Chinese elementary school revealed a natural affinity to teaching English as a Second Language. After a couple of years, she decided to make it rich by teaching English classes in her own apartment. By the time she left Taiwan, she had over one hundred students, some of whom had been with her for three years.

But she hadn't left yet. In 1981, two young LDS missionaries, Sister Bethers and Sister Lin, knocked on Trudy's door. She let them in and received an unforgettable message in return. It touched her heart and after reading the Book of Mormon, Trudy decided to be baptized a member of the Church.

A year after joining the Church, she thought she'd go to Cornell University in their combined Master's/PhD program. But then a friend said, "Trudy, the man you want to marry may be at Cornell, but chances are that he's at @$#." That's supposed to be the name of a particular university, but it might as well be a swear word. For the sake of your knowledge, the name will be written once, and only once.

Brigham Young University. BYU.

Now forget you ever saw it and you should probably wash your mouth out with soap if you said it aloud.

Trudy, relieved that as a twenty-eight-year-old graduate student "[she] would not be with all the dippy freshman girls giggling in the Cougareat" (Oh Joy, 276), headed from Taiwan to Utah by way of Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Russia, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. You know. The scenic route.

And, finally, after four and a half years in Taiwan, she was in Utah.

To be continued...

You Know That Big Tree in Front of the Sorority by the TSC?

Last week, I was walking home from Institute and these two girls wearing their matching sororital (I made that up) shirts--or were they very tight tank tops?--were perched up on the big branch extending over the sidewalk, yelling some obnoxious nonsense to a guy that was on their doorstep.

I came to the tree just as one girl said loudly, "If I sit in this tree long enough, will I get a boyfriend?"

As I walked beneath her, I said conversationally, 

"No."

Some Footnotes (If You Want)...

I realize that some of you reading this may not know a lot of the religious references I've been making in the last few posts. So thanks to the questions asked by a wonderful and loyal reader, I will clarify a few points regarding missionary work in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In our church, one of the responsibilities and duties of young men is to serve full-time missions of two years when they turn nineteen years old. They are assigned to preach the gospel in hundreds of different places, dozens of countries, and to speak in many different languages. Young women may also serve missions of eighteen months, though they are not actively encouraged to do so like the young men. Retired married couples also serve missions alongside the young men and women.

Missionary work plays a monumental part in my mom's story, my dad's story, our story, and ultimately mine. So I hope this helps if you were confused, and please feel free to comment or email me (if you're shy) any questions you may have. I always have a listening ear and will try to respectfully and fully answer your questions to the best of my knowledge.

Stay tuned for "The Life Story -- Trudy: Part II" because it's gonna be good!

Have a great week everyone!

Some Mo' Gifts...

I bought my cap and gown. Weeeeeeeeirrrrd.

Winning my FIRST prize ever in my life in a raffle at the country swing dancing closing social! I would've gotten Tangled, but it had already been claimed. Boo. I got Casino Royale instead. Never seen it.

Wings with and new music from Jake.

Watching TV for the first time in months (with Jake, Matt, and Seth).

I have been doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred for the past three weeks. Between that and watching what I eat, I've lost five pounds. Heehee.

I cleaned my room!!

Katy came up to spend the weekend. She is one of my bestest friends in the world. She and Cort came with me and we went to go get pizza with Kate and Andrew. And then we watched Modern Family. Such a great show.

I get to live with Kate for free this summer. Kate is my "most involved follower who is not actually a follower" (Kate 04/15/2011). She checks my blog every day instead of doing her homework. What is more flattering than having a stalker who will be your roommate?

Hiiiiii Kate!!

Everybody say hi to Kate!!

Bold Fringe Giveaway!!!

My friend Julie from high school is an amazing hairstylist. I haven't seen her since high school A Capella choir, but believe me when I say I always admired her hair. Always shiny, always perfect.

She has a cool new blog called Bold Fringe where she gives fun hairstyle tips, product reviews, and teaches you how to take care of your hair so it looks the absolute best it can.

Today she is having a giveaway for a shampoo and conditioner set, and I think it would be really great if you would all go over to her blog and look around and enter the contest. Follow it too, if you like it as I do!

Good luck!!

The Life Story -- Fred: Part I

Fred was number five in what would eventually be a family of seven boys and six girls. That's thirteen, just in case you missed elementary math. Of course, nowadays, it seems everyone has missed elementary math, but that is beside the point.

He was born in Utah in 1956 to a young doctor and his wife, a homemaker. Fred was born with three kidneys, but these days, he sports a big scar on his back where the second and third kidneys used to be. When he was two, he got a whopper of an infection and had to get those suckers taken out. Since he didn't die then, when he does eventually die, he's donating his body to science.

You're welcome, University of Utah.

Fred grew up in Layton until his fourteenth birthday, the day his family moved to Orem to live in a new house with big cupboards and a huge sandbox that needed an entire dump truck to fill it. His main love was food and a majority of his mishaps included some sort of ingestive item.

Fred was involved in choir and musicals in high school--a school which shall not be named as it is not important or even thought of highly--and he was the tiger mascot for sports events. But most important, more than graduation, more than completing a year of general studies at a certain university (which does not deserve to be named either), was the moment he turned nineteen years old. Fred knew, after looking forward to it his whole life, it was finally time to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

He would spend the next two years teaching the gospel in the country of Venezuela.

(I bet you thought it would be Taiwan)

To be continued...

Cowboys vs. Princesses...

If my friend is reading this, I'm sorry. But I will beat this into the ground in all of the social networking forums with which I am affiliated.

The day we went to go get wings, the boys were talking about the new True Grit movie. I haven't seen it. I haven't seen the original either. I don't necessarily care to. I told them I don't pay money to go see movies in the theater.  They said, "Chess, it's at the dollar theater."

I said, "I know. I went to go see Tangled."

I never saw such looks of disgust on faces that are supposed to adore me.

"You could've seen a movie about cowboys, but instead you chose to watch a movie about a princess? You--You're such a GIRL!!"

Yes. Yes I am. 

How did we miss this very important point during our friendship? I may watch movies of death when I hang out with you and thoroughly enjoy them, but I am fully allowed to watch princess movies whenever and wherever I want.

And do you know what a girl who is accused of being a 'GIRL' does?

She goes home and watches Sleeping Beauty the next day.

:)

The Butterfly Circus...

It's a short film, only twenty minutes long, 

but when it's over, you'll wish there were more.

Just a little something special for this Sunday, 

to remind you that YOU are special.

Because during Birth Month, I can do whatever I want,
and what I want is to celebrate YOU too. 

The Butterfly Circus - HD from The Butterfly Circus on Vimeo.

The Life Story -- Trudy: Part I

Once upon a time, somewhere in Taiwan, a little girl was born on April 29, 1988. 

But before 1988, there was 1956. That year in Utah, the fifth child in what would eventually be a long line of thirteen children (seven boys and six girls) was born. A little boy named Fred.

But even before 1956, there was 1955. That was the year the youngest of four little girls was born in Guam. Her name was Trudy. And since she's the oldest of the characters in this particular story, we'll start with her first. 

Trudy was the youngest daughter of a Methodist minister and his wife, a schoolteacher. Her actual name was Gertrude, but after an elementary school health class, where a lesson on personal hygiene featured a poem about an unkempt little girl, "Dirty Gertie go away. Dirty Gertie, you can't play!" well, Gertrude was no more.


Growing up in upstate New York, Trudy loved climbing trees, getting into trouble, and riding horses. Whenever she was asked what smelled good to her, the answer always was, "Horse sweat and leather." She was also a self-proclaimed Boy Scout. Trudy and her best friend Reba joined a karate class full of soldiers for the sole reason that they would be the only girls in the class.

After growing up a bit and ditching her high school wardrobe of long hippie hair, men's dress shirts, and combat boots, Trudy decided it was time to go to college. Running her finger down a list of offered majors, a crazy sort of daring took over and she impulsively said, "I'm going to study Chinese!" A decision that surprised even herself, and which baffled all who knew her. 

"Why that?" they all asked.

"Why not?"

And she did. But it wasn't enough just to study the language. So after graduation, even though she was terrified to leave all that knew, Trudy packed up her belongings and hopped on an big airplane to fly to the tiny, but populous, island of Taiwan, where she would spend the next four years teaching English and living Chinese.

To be continued...

More Gifts...

Yesterday's first gift:

Somebody text me. Right now. Get me out of this house.

Buzzzzz. Buzzzzz. Ding.

"Wanna come get chicken wings with us? They are cheap and delicious." Such friends. Always looking out for my welfare and my taste buds.

Thanks Jake, Alex, and Matt. You introduced me to the wonderful world of wings. I never ate them before. I'm sorry I made you wait because I was eating the last of my measly ten buffalo wings seven minutes after you each downed "Ten buffalo, five fiery."

Second gift of the day:

I couldn't find matching red ones. Sue me.

The First Gifts of Birth Month...

The best night of dancing EVER. This school year, anyway. No, pretty much the best night of dancing since I started country dancing three and a half years ago. Wow.

Annnnnnd....

A winged pedestrian.

Oxymoron, you say?

Oh, quite.

Welcome to Birth Month...

Birthdays aren't enough.

Birth week isn't enough.

I know people who celebrate birth fortnight. That isn't enough either. I like to go big and, to me, big means Birth Month.

So... April's planned posts are all about ME. As if every post before this weren't already. A blog is just an excuse to be totally narcissistic in a very socially accepted way. My dad has always wanted me to write my life story. I guess my blog sorta is, but he wants me to write down the before part. The part that people get to know when we are super awesome friends. I think we're to that point now. And it's a cool story, you know! I think you'll like it.

But I don't quite have it written today, so I'll leave you with this opening line:

Once upon a time, somewhere in Taiwan, a little girl was born on April 29, 1988...

Stay tuned...

Spring Break: Part IV -- "Goblin It Up"

Sorry folksies. This weekend, I've been drinking in the joy that is General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Oh, it just makes my heart happy and it makes me even more determined to strive to be a better person, somebody God would be proud to call His daughter. Eight hours of listening to prophets and apostles and feeling the Spirit, and oh, I wish there could've been more! Can't wait until October when we do it all over again.

But... the final installment of my Spring Break report. However, I must address the people who are concerned that it's unfair for me to celebrate Spring Break when I'm not a student anymore.

I say to unto you, oh doubters, that I have no need to justify myself. So there. :)

At the end of our trip came Goblin Valley.

Remember this scene in Galaxy Quest?

image found via Duke Magazine

image found via Electric Dragonfly

That, my friends, is Goblin Valley.

aka THEEEE coolest place I have EVER seen.

Also, the most amazing place to play Hide and Seek.

I don't care what anyone says.

Utah is the coolest place ever.

Drive two hours in any direction, 

and you're in a completely different world from where you started.

For serious.

From here the goblins (aka the rocks) look tiny.

But they're NOT.

The Roomies:

Let's play a game called Spot the Chessie.

Can you find her in the picture below?

Meditating about life beyond this universe:

Do you remember this optical illusion?

Well, I found the rock the hag was modeled after:

Gettin' our Goblin on, ANTM-style!

The closeup: 

Secksy.

Then, to round off a wonderful day,

what more could one ask for than a human sacrifice?

All in all, a pretty GREAT trip:

The Gang after hiking to see the Rochester Rock Art Panel.

I'll say it again:

Utah is the coolest place ever.

Spring Break: Part III -- "Rock On"

We climbed lots of rocks. And by climbed, I really mean we took a leisurely stroll on top of them in order to see other rocks.

This is not a rock.

This is a cow we saw while on our way to see a rock.

Click on her to see my favorite cow in the world.

The first rock I climbed on, I danced on as well.

Click on my rear end to see the video.

Surfing on a rock.

Smiling on a rock.

Does this, or does this not, look like

Stitch from Lilo and Stitch

and/or Yoda?

Pretending to fall off a rock:

Standing under Corona Arch

Pretending to be sexy under Corona Arch

Guys, Delicate Arch is not that big.

See?

Haha, just kidding.

Stay tuned for

Spring Break: Part IV

"Goblin It Up"