Hope ya know, we had a hard time. :)

So we drove back to Boise yesterday. And almost died. We somehow managed to get all of our belongings in two carloads to my uncle Jeff's and Mike's aunt's house, and then we headed up to Boise. But as soon as we left South Jordan, we totally hit this enormous snow storm! I mean, we were going like 25 mph, and there were cars hitting the walls on the freeway, and people losing control, and it took us like 2 hours to go from Bountiful to Ogden. It was crazy.
We didn't get to Boise until seven, which was too late to go to Emma and Sarah's ballet, so we had our tickets switched for tonight, when we get to go see them. Maybe I'll actually do my hair and wear make-up (first time in a week and a half) to go see them. It will be fun! :)
In other news, it's totally snowy here in Boise. I can't remember the last time there was snow here that lasted for more than four hours. It's AWESOME.
But want to know what is even MORE AWESOME? I'm totally GETTING MARRIED IN ONE WEEK!!!!!!!! . . . !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY BANANAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay. I'm good now.
Merry Christmas!

Who gets Mono right before their wedding?!?!?!

So, I've had a sore throat for about a week now, and it's all swollen and gross and whatnot, so Mike took me up to the health center. A-doctors = not a fun experience, and B- when she looked at my throat, she immediately didn't think it was strep. So she swabbed my throat and sent me to the lab with the swab and had me get a blood test. Turns out it's not strep. Turns out it's mononucleosis. So the first thing Mike says is, "well, that explains why you've been really tired all the time." NOT appreciated. I'm trying to wallow in my misery here.
But it will be okay. I'm pretty sure the fact that he was dead tired ALL the time over the summer and had a mild sore throat and lots of stomach aches meant he had it then, and gave it to me. So he won't get it again. And on Friday when he gave me a blessing it said I would be well for the wedding, and I have complete and total faith in it, so I guess I will be better.
Just no contact sports for now. :)

I'm getting married in 16 days.

Just thought you'd like to know. :)

Sssssshhhh, don't tell anybody. I'm at work right now.

But I got kicked out of my office. I'm totally bumming. I mean, I'm usually bumming when I have to work in the majors lab instead of my lovely corner office with a rolling chair and a window and my very own set of sticky notes...
But today it started snowing, hard. I'm totally psyched, and I don't even get to watch it. It's rather not very fun.
But in other news, this is the last Monday of classes until January. I'm perfectly thrilled. Thursday is the last day of classes, Friday and Saturday are reading days (they just started making Saturdays count as reading days--I think it's the worst idea ever. They should have given us Thursday) and then we have a week of finals--a week from Friday I'll be driving back to Boise to get married!!! Woo! I'm pretty excited.
I do have a lot to do though. I have a few papers due this week, mostly the big fat final papers that the profs want to have graded by next week, and then I have all written finals because I'm an English major and I'm awesome. The worse part of this is the Commonplace Book I have to write for my Brit Lit class on Thursday. I was supposed to be writing it all semester, but I only have six pages because I've been planning my wedding instead. :S I figure, once I get past the Commonplace Book, it'll be downhill. I'm not worried about any of my finals. Oh well.
Other Other news--all of campus is covered in Christmas decorations, all the stores and everything are playing Christmas music, and everything feels Christmas-y. Including my throat. I've totally got the Finals Week. (It's a known illness around here. Everybody gets sick over Finals Week). I just hope I get over it by the time I get married...it would not be fun to be sick on my wedding day...:S
Right now I'm working in the Stats Majors Lab, where everybody else in the room is speaking Math and doing huge assignments on Excel because they have to use Statistics to figure out the meaning of the universe. I, on the other hand, am worried about the African-American literature paper I'm about to hand in in a couple hours. I don't speak Math. I speak Literature Analysis. True.
Well, I probably ought to get back to Sidney Rigdon and his apostate musings about prayer and the Holy Ghost and Revelation (that he stopped believing in...). It's probably the most depressing thing of all. Sad.

I am now a legal voting resident of the State of Utah.

And you want to know why? Because the blankety-blank State of Idaho summoned me for jury duty two days after my wedding. Yeah. I was PLANNING on being on MY HONEYMOON, duh! And they're just malicious. So I very vengefully went and registered to vote in Utah County. So they can't make me. Even if they tried. Muaha.

In other news, we've been sending announcements. You (whoever you are) will probably get one soon? If you're on the list. And considering how the only people who read my blog are, like, Mike, Lexi, and my mother, you're probably either on the list or marrying me (in the case of Mike). So, yeah.

In other other news, I went and saw the Twilight movie this last weekend while we were in Boise. I don't mean to offend any young, optimistic, Edward Cullen- or Jacob Black-devoted readers who fell in love with the film, but I was incredibly unimpressed. #1, I think I'm becoming more and more disillusioned with that whole pop culture wave as I am pretty much ingrained into my own reality, which might be a little better than swooning over some guy who could suck all my blood out and turn me into a cold, empty corpse. Cough cough. and #2, that movie was not very well made. The acting was really awkward--Robert Pattinson was speaking American like he was in pain the whole time, and they didn't even spend the time to fall in love before they were all, like, "irrevocably in love". She sounded very thoroughly like a teenage girl with her first boyfriend. Mike keeps making fun of his lines--"you're like my own personal brand of heroine"--just because they were not very well-put-together. And the whole movie seemed like it was being filmed on somebody's shoulder. I got kind of dizzy.

I'm terribly sorry, all of you. I just had to get it out of my system. I still love you, just...not...Twilight. I'm sorry.

In other other other news, I'm getting married in 26 days. (!!!!!!!!!!). I can hardly stand it.

Creative Writing Field Trip

I'm sitting in my writing class right now, and we're discussing the space station. It was supposed to fly over the Provo sky between 6:50 and 6:54 tonight, so we decided to leave class at 6:47 to go see it fly over us.
So we ran from the second basement floor (the very bottom) up to the fourth floor to go up to the balcony so there would be less distraction, but then the doors to the balcony were locked. So we went down to the square in front of the building.
And saw several planes, but no space station.
Turns out, it was overcast tonight. And when we looked online to see if we could have seen it, we saw that it had passed seven minutes previous to that time, yet was already over California. It was too fast. Oh well.

PS-I've given up on my other story. I'm terribly sorry to you all, especially Amy Briggs, but I'm no longer in love with that plot line. Turns out, I really didn't know what I was talking about and kind of lost the will to force it to keep going. Besides, you try taking three English classes and a foreign language while working 19 hours a week and trying to plan a wedding and keep your sanity all at once. I dare you. :)

Something to make you think

Today I transcribed a news article by Sidney Rigdon in 1839, in response to an article which accused him of writing the Book of Mormon with someone named Solomon Spalding. He spends the first part of the article assuring the readers that he had never heard of this Spalding guy before, and then continues to discredit the adulterous liars that accused him.
But while he's talking about it, he says this:
"It has always been a matter of no ordinary satisfaction to me, to know that my enemies have no better weapon to use against me, or the cause in which I am engaged, than lies; for if they had any better, they would certainly use them. I must confess, however, that there is some constancy in our persecutors; for as truth can never destroy truth, it would be in vain for our persecutors to use truth against us, for this would only build us up; this they seem to know, and lay hold of the only available means they have, which are lies. And this, indeed, is the only weapon which can be or ever has been used against the truth."
As I was reading that, I was just thinking of the times we live in, where so many people take our beliefs and twist them into the "basest lies that human beings are capable of." Sidney Rigdon had to fight off slanderous attacks about the falseness of his religion, and now we have to fight off attacks that we are persecuting others. I think it is very important that no matter what they say, they cannot use the truth against us, but only lies. We are in a very troubling time, and it is now that we need to stand for what is right and not let any of our persecutors find anything true to use against us.
Those are just my thoughts right now.

I just realized I hadn't written anything here recently...

So I'm going to talk about my little sister.
She has her drivers' license. And she went on her first date last week.
My LITTLE sister.
I think I'm getting old. *sigh...*

MY NEW JOB

I have the COOLEST job ever. Seriously. Mike's jealous.
So I applied for this typist position with the statistics department, because I needed a job on campus and this seemed like something boring where I wouldn't have to wear the purple and green polo shirts and smell like fish all the time (I mean, I love the MTC, but seriously...).
So they called me in for an interview. I was like, okay, whatever, I've got a job interview, which is good.
Until they hired me.
I'm working for Dr. Schaalje (pronounced skall-ya), who was asked by the religion department to do an analysis of the writings of Sidney Rigdon. Unfortunately, all they had were a bunch of original newspapers that were kind of hard to read. So I'm transcribing them. You know what that means? I spend all day reading and typing up the writings of Sidney Rigdon, as he calls out sinners and Campbellite preachers in the LDS Newspaper that Oliver Cowdery was putting out in Kirtland. I'm being serious. He writes these five page long explanations of the organization of the church in the days of Christ, and the doctrine of ongoing revelation...and he calls people stupid that don't read the bible and learn for themselves. Yeah. He does. Okay, so actually he called them stupid for listening to their Campbellite preachers and not learning the stuff for themselves. He thought they weren't thinking or learning for themselves, and was exhorting them to come towards the light. It's the coolest thing ever.
My only question: so far, a lot of his letters have been toward this seemingly anti-mormon guy named Oliver Barr. Anybody know who that is? I don't.

Halloween Shenanigans

So, we took forever deciding what to do for Halloween. I knew we had to do something couples themed just for the fun of it, but I couldn't decide between peanut butter and jelly and cookies and milk. Since I couldn't bring myself to represent anything fattening, we ended up being cops and robbers. You can tell who would be the cop. Duh.And we couldn't find black paint that would stay on his shirt, so I had to color it with marker, and I think I made the entire stairwell high with the fumes...
and ps--those handcuffs were really fun :P
Anyways, there were some really great costumes that day. If any of you know who Dr. Horrible is (you should look him up :), I saw three of them on campus, one in his red coat and two in his white. I saw some good Jack Sparrows and some bad Jack Sparrows, several versions of little red riding hood or biker chicks, and some other interesting ones. During the day we didn't dress up, because we didn't have everything for our costumes yet, but in my efforts to look festive, I wore my orange turtleneck sweater and my hair down with a white headband. As a result, several different people in each of my classes asked if I was Velma. I guess I did dress up...:)
So for the dance, we all dressed up. Mike and I had the best costumes, but there were some pretty cool other ones. I'll put them in who I think the winners were:
Second Runner Up: Kyle and Elisa's group as: The Batman Villains
I only got a picture of Kyle and Elisa, but they and a bunch of people got all the villains. There was Penguin, Cat Woman, Poison Ivy, the Joker, Scarecrow, etc. It was pretty cool.

Note: I left Elisa's red-eye in because I thought it would be more effective...:)
First Runner Up: Brandon and various other people on campus as: Ute Fans
Brandon just wore a Utah shirt as his costume, but I saw an even better one where this guy was dressed in Ute gear, but also made himself up with a black eye, several gaping wounds, blood gushing, and a crutch. I thought it was HILARIOUS.
AND THE WINNER (Besides me and Mike) OF THIS YEAR'S HALLOWEEN IS:
The HEathen as: Broccoli

I don't need to say anything else. This is just awesome :)

And now, because Halloween is over, it means it's November. Which means...
I'm getting married NEXT MONTH!!!! AAAAAAHHH! I can barely contain my excitement. It's kind of disgusting. Well, Happy Halloween Hangover everybody!

We got our engagement pictures back.

I'll think about whether to post them here or not :)

Why does nobody ever read my blog?

Please tell me you're out there. Pretend that I'm that sad little kid at their bedroom window wondering if there really are aliens and that you are the aliens. Make yourselves known. :)

We're moving up in the world. Muaha.

So Mike got promoted this week. Now he's a secretary. With his own desk. And girls at the front desk can't flirt with him because they can't even see him. MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Anyways...he also won't have to work nights or weekends, which is very good for me. (I think I'm the one benefiting most out of all this...)
And...I'm still looking for a job...yeah. That's all I'm going to say.
Anyways, life is good. And I MUST tell you about what we had for dinner last night. It was veggie pizza and it was seriously simple to make, but it was delectably scrumptious. Yesh.
And Mike was the one who requested that we put tomatoes on it! Yeah! I'm totally converting him to healthy...ness. Now he likes tomatoes. Muaha.
And he says I'm funny. I mean, what is that about? Seriously...

Did you know that you must have your voter registration postmarked by 25 days before the election?

Because I didn't. And with all the wedding and homework and housing and job and roommates and everything else that I've been doing, I entirely forgot about it. That is until today, when Heather got her absentee ballot for Kansas, so I looked online for the forms.
And it's 22 days before the election. I'm 19, and I'm entirely going to miss my first opportunity to vote. When I first vote for president, I'll be 23. And Heathen says that I'll have 1 1/2 children. Yeah, I feel stupid.
Just thought I'd get that off my chest. You may now all laugh at me.

Wow, Utah weather is crazy.

So Monday, I was like, holy cow it's cold! And Mike and I just took our engagement pictures and I had rolled up sleeves. Yeah. That's what I said, too!
Anyways, so we took our engagement pictures tonight. They are FANTASTIC! I liked them a lot. Mike's friend from work, Jeff, took them, and he's going to give them all to us on a CD on Monday. So I'll post some good ones next week. And then you'll all probably get announcements. Hooray for lots of pictures!!!
And then I officially decided AGAIN that I was going to start taking more pictures of everything. So that my life will be documented. Because...well...it's not so far. I mean, it's not like I was the oldest child and my parents were camera crazy when I was a kid or anything...(cough cough Revenge of the Drool People cough) (yeah, ask my FATHER about that one).
I'm not going to elaborate. Yeah.

How To get a Student Family Apartment through BYU...

1:50-Arrive at campus. Make determined noises with your teeth and practice flexing your clicking finger.

2:50-leave English 293 (in the math building...? It's totally weirding me out. There are all these people with enormous calculators in there... blegh.) and proceed to Library

2:53-Arrive at library. Locate fiance and commence search for available computers

3:05-Finally locate two available computers. Log in and commence watching baseball play-by-play while staking out the computers (this is important)

3:20-Make some impatient noises and then check the scores again--commence sobbing uncontrollably

3:40-Wipe tears. Begin logging into Housing Account and clicking on "Student Family Agreement". Close page and otherwise distract yourself. Repeat.

3:50-Log into Housing for final time. Set filter for 1-bedroom apts only. Practice refreshing the page as quickly as possible while making whip-like sound effects.

3:58-Close all other windows and stare fervently at the screen.

3:59-Begin to hover over refresh key on keyboard and place mouse cursor over spot where apartment will appear. Wait for 50 more seconds.

4:00-Click as fast as possible on the first apartment available. Continue to agreement.

4:00 1/2-Do a celebratory dance in your swivel chairs and high-five.

4:01-Allow your already-late fiance to zip off to work while you fill out the first part of the contract, INCLUDING reading that lovely pamphlet about lead in the home. Yeah, I had to do it.

4:09-Finish, log out, go downstairs and say hello to fiance at the desk before heading outside with car keys.

4:10-Wander casually back to the desk when you realize that you don't actually know where he parked the car.

4:11-Act completely nonchalant as you head out of the library AGAIN and begin the trek to the belltower.

4:14-Move the driver's seat up at least 2 1/2 feet to where you can reach the pedals. You may now drive home.

Yes, this was my day. And we TOTALLY have an apartment to live in next winter. It opens December 30...so we need to figure out what we're going to do with our stuff until we get back from the break...and our honeymoon...and whatnot. :)
Yeah, I know it's crazy. That's life...and apartment searching...and I guess Mike and I really are just crazy :)

The Best Day so far

I totally quit my job yesterday. I'm not even kidding. My soul no longer belongs to MTC Dining. Totally. I was going to give my two weeks notice, but she told me that it could be my last day if I wanted, so I agreed. I'm still going to sub for people until I can start a new job, so I'll still have a minor sort of income. What say you? Aye!!!
Also, I went to the temple. With Mike. And it was awesome, because I had just quit my job, and I felt really good about it. Then we almost got housing, but not quite. We'll do that today. And we went out for milkshakes last night to celebrate, and I got one called Oreo Cheesecake. It was really good. Like crazy awesome.
That's my story.

The Day of the Crazy Miscommunications

So, I was supposed to have a French oral test this morning, at 9:07, I think it was. So first Mike and I are late leaving the house, and I don't get to campus until after nine, then there's nobody in the classroom or in her office, so I go to the library to see if she sent out an email. Turns out she had it in the bottom of the library. So I go down there and we have to reschedule. I'm totally bummed.
So it's like 9:25 and I have a while to kill until my next class, so I go up to the fifth floor to this couch that I like to read until I have to go to Living Prophets. And text Mike, but I thought it was earlier than it was. And I fall asleep. And Mike wakes me up at 10:40. I totally missed Living Prophets this morning. Not even joking.
That's what my day was like. :S

There's going to be a temple in Kansas City.

When President Monson started announcing temples this morning during Conference, we were all mildly interested, until he said "The Greater Kansas City Area" and there were ear-splitting screams coming from the Kansas section of the couch. Heather nearly fell off her chair. Within 30 seconds of his saying this, Samantha (Heather's friend from back home) had run all the way from building 13 and they were both screaming and crying and calling people and...um...we missed the rest of President Monson's talk. It was pretty crazy.
But at the same time, I can understand. This is what it feels like to the people of Panama who used to have to travel across countries, but now have a temple in Panama City, and will have another soon. All of the Kansas-ites will now be able to be at the temple whenever they want, and not have to travel for hours in any direction. Heather might be able to do it in 15-20 minutes, depending on where they end up building it. This is amazing. She'll be able to get married in her hometown. And that's worth crying about. :)

Mike and I went to Boise this last weekend.

And I found my dress!!!! Totally. It's beautiful. And mom's going to make it for me. (Yay!!!) I'm not going to post a picture...because...well...that just "isn't done!" :)
I AM going to tell you a great story though. Or two. I've got some great ones.
Story #1-
The lady who's doing my wedding cake is a friend from the home ward with whom I've sung in many choirs, and she's the sweetest lady ever. When my mom first asked her about doing my cake, she offered to make a practice one so that we could taste it. I expected it to be this little six-inch deal with a little bit of ribbon stuck on it. This is what she made for us, as a "congratulations" :...Except she didn't give me the cute boy. I already had that one. :)
So we totally ate wedding cake on our one month anniversary of being engaged (we're not totally looking for excuses to celebrate, what are you talking about? ;) and it was magically delicious. You guys should all come to my reception because the sheet cakes will be the same flavor. Mmmm, white cake with raspberry filling...mmmmmm......
Speaking of the aforementioned anniversary, something else happened.
Story #2- *FLASHBACK TO BOISE TRIP* Michael may have casually mentioned that I didn't have a vase, so my mom gave me one of hers. *FLASH FORWARD AGAIN*
So, he picks me up from class and on the front seat are one dozen fresh red roses. I KNOW! Man, I love this guy. They are BEAUTIFUL.
This would be the point where you all writhe with jealousy. Thank you.
I'm just kidding...sort of...
Hey, that's the story. I don't really have any other crazy news, except that I think I'm losing my mind with this whole lots of things to do business...but what else is new? Honestly.

So maybe I've had a rather diabolical idea...

All of you who think that you want another section of my piece, I have a proposition.
I have a poem here, that I want to workshop for my Creative Writing class. It is decent, but not good. I want to have something really good. Here's my proposition: if you want to get another section of my piece, you must comment on this poem. I won't put up a piece until I get enough comments. So HA.

The middle of nowhere
is a beautiful place,
you know.
Before one angry town starts,
after another ends,
Right in the place where all is quiet
and the ranch exit is the only thing for
miles and miles and miles and miles
of nothing.
Nothing but golden grass, prairie grass,
Sagebrush lending its sweet scent
to the Nowhere wind,
wind that rages through,
Angry enough to rip through the Earth
but finds no one to blame
and so it quiets, its angry screams
become a gentle whisper,
whispering and whistling,
Whistling where only the whistlepigs can hear
or a patch of prairie grass.

I'm staring out the car window,
watching the dust rise through
the grasses
and wondering why I must
always be on the edge
of Somewhere,
Never tucked safely into the middle
of Nowhere.

Okay, fine, it's true. I'm engaged. :D

Yeah, we're definitely engaged. Here's the story:
So, a couple weeks ago we fasted to see whether we should get married in December or April, and my answer was that as long as I was marrying Mike in the temple, it didn't matter when we got married. Mike said that he had gotten the same answer, but didn't know when. Since I just knew it was right, I left the when up to him. So he told me that he needed a few weeks to decide, and that if I wasn't proposed to by the end of three weeks, we'd know we needed to wait until April. So honestly, I secretly wanted to get married in December, because I was tired of waiting. Okay, so not so secretly. Well, Mike kept up this whole "I haven't decided" thing. It was sick.
So I got back to school (which was an adventure in its own right--what with the tow-truck and the freeway and the 15-seater vans) and Sunday night, so did Mike. I made him dinner, and I was wearing my pearls (I know, all domestic, right?) and it was great. And he was still all, like, ya know, being ridiculous. Yeah...
So Monday we had off, because it was Labor Day. It was all cold and rainy all morning, so we ran errands (getting my books, going to Albertsons, etc.). After we had lunch in my apartment, it was all bright and sunshiny, so we decided to have our scripture study on the temple grounds.
So we go up to the temple, and we're sitting by the fountain reading Matthew 6 (we're in the new testament right now) and we get to verse 21 (the bold are where he had marked in his scripture), "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" and there was a reference to Alma 26:16. he was all, "Hey, this is a really good chain, we should follow it." I was like, "okay, sure, let's do it," thinking it was just going to be some spiritual awesomeness (HA!) so we go to Alma 26:16, and the last part of the verse says "Behold I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." Yeah, all cheesy like. Don't worry, it gets better. The next reference is Doc. & Cov. 49:15, which says, "And again, verily I say unto you, that whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God unto man."
Okay, if you haven't caught on, you're really slow. Those of you who have caught on will understand why it is that I was totally hyperventilating at this point, both laughing and crying at the same time. I went to the next reference for the sake of finishing the question--Phillipians 2...something. Something about joy with the word "me" highlighted. Can you blame me for not remembering? :) So while I was reading it, Mike got down on one knee in front of me, told me that he loved me and that he would for eternity, and asked if I would marry him.
Well, I kind of was crying and laughing all at once, and I threw my arms around his neck, and said yes several times very loudly...I don't know if I waited for him to finish the question or not...so then he pulls out a ring box...
So anyways, I'm engaged. Totally. Here are pics of my ring, you big whiners. Honestly.
Yes. We're getting married December 27 in Boise, then going the next week to Washington to have an open house. Definitely. It's going to be AWESOME.

Sincerely, ALMOST Brittany Morgan.

ps--Mike says it's Phillipians 2:18. I mean, seriously. "For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me." He was going to have 3 Nephi 12:37, "but let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay..." but he didn't think that we would get to that one. Honestly, I don't think I would have been able to see it...:)

Ode to the Underside of a Lawn Mower

I'm going to Seattle in the morning. (!!!!!) And after that, i have a week off just to pack and move back to Provo. No work, no other engagements, other than to pack, say goodbye, and write stuff. Thus, I think I will be able to post a whole bunch of my story up. However, I don't know how many of you still read this thing, since it's been kind of lax all summer. Maybe I'll send out an email.

Right now, I'm going to write a poem. It's called, ahem, "Ode to the Underside of a Lawn Mower"

Oh, thou great and rumbling, green machinery,
What happy times thy rumblings me have caused;
Though moldy grasses thou hast giv'n to me,
When faced with mowing never have I paused.
Yet when the yard is clean and mowing o'er,
I have yet more to do 'fore work is done,
For tho' the grass is even'd out and more,
Thine blades are still entrapped--'tis never fun.
And so the mighty crowbar do I wield,
And bravely laying 'neath thee on my back,
I poke my fearing face beneath thy shield
To give the nasty clippings there a whack.
And then when all is through and face is stained,
I then stand up, although my back is pained.

That is my poem. And yes, it is a Shakespearean Sonnet, not to be confused with the less appealing (to me) Petrarchan or Spenserean Sonnet. Indeed.

Summer's almost over

And now it's time for getting ready to go back to school. I still have to pack all of my life up and put it in boxes. I'm terribly sorry for my horrible negligence. This summer has been really crazy. I promise, on all that is good and holy, that i will spend the few days that I am alone in my apartment waiting for my roommate to come home writing my piece, and post an incredibly long and beautiful piece of my ...piece to entertain you all. I hope you will forgive me when I give you an entire chapter. Seriously. You betta watch out, fools.

No, I don't quite have the next part of my piece ready

But I have something that will help stall for time. I'll have it tomorrow, I promise.
I recently received one of these forwards from my mother and got kind of bored, so I filled it out. Once you've read mine, you can post your version in my comments if you want, so we can all compare. Kind of interesting...

*A is for age.
I'm totally 19. And I just heard that women hit their prime at about 18, so it's downhill from here.
*B is for burger of choice.*
If I must have a burger, it must be the biggest, fattiest patty you've got, with all the typical lettuce, cheese, tomato, ketchup, a little onion, etc. But I usually don't choose burgers :) Salad! Woo!
*C is for what car you drive.*
I totally drive the old '91 Honda. Stick shift, cracked windshield, fabric peeling off the doors, DADDY license plates, it's AWESOME.
*D is for Dog's name*.
Does a little brother named Sammy count? :P No, I don't have a dog. I don't like dogs. Dogs are gross. If I had a dog, I would name it Captain Poops-a-lot.
*E is for essential item you use every day.*
Big rubber chore boots! Woohoo! Yeah for being the farm hand! Other than that? How 'bout a toothbrush? My GLASSES? Ooh, that's a good one. I can't see without those :)
*F is for favorite tv show at the moment.*
Recently, I've kind of been big into watching old Wishbone episodes. They're so amazing. Oh! And Hannah and I watched this episode of this new show called "I Survived a Japanese Game Show". Can you say ridiculous? It was so funny!
*G is for favorite game*.
Hmmm...I have lots. Top favorites: Curses, Balderdash, Uno, Sorry, anything I can play with people I love and have a fabulous time!
*H is for Hometown.*
Boise, Idaho! woo! I know, I know, ten years ago I hated this place like crazy, but now I don't want to be connected with Utah in any way...don't tell anybody...:)
*I is for instruments you play*
Piano, Cello, Guitar (un peu :), Fife, Parkerphone, Harmonica...do tissue-box banjos count? And of course I sing like crazy, all the time. Seriously.
*J is for favorite juice.*
Kind of big into grape, strawberry lemonade, and orange guava passion fruit. It's yummy.
*K is for who you'd like to kiss.*
Mmmmmm, Mike. ;) Or any fat baby cheeks. Or my dad's whiskery ones.
*L is for last restaurant you ate at.*
Um...no comment? Probably IHOP on vacation. Maybe. I don't remember.
*M is for your favorite Muppet*.
I'm a serious Gonzo fan. Really. He's AWESOME. I've also always been kind of big into Kermit the Frog.
*N is for number of piercings.*
One pair in my ears! Yay for following the prophet!
*O is for overnight hospital stays.*
Um, maybe when I was BORN. Seriously. Nothing has EVER happened to me.
*P is for people you were with today.*
Okay, let's go in chronological order. Hannah, Mom, James (he was the zombie i had breakfast with, right?), Gram, Papa, the driveway paver guys (there were two of them) Aunt Annie, Alec, Trevor, Parker, Hannah, Sarah, Sam, Emma, Zach, Dad. And I talked to Mike for a long time on the phone. Does that count?
*Q is for what you do with your quiet time.*
I usually wish I were sleeping...but I'm usually either reading, playing the piano, or talking to Mike. Most often the last one. Side effect of being TOTALLY in love with him.
*R is for biggest regret*.
Hmmmm, I really don't have any big ones. That I had been more active when I was younger. You know, when I was a kid, I wanted more than anything to be a ballerina, but always thought it was too expensive. Now I'm a writer and musician. I would say that was my regret, but i love my life now. If i had been a dancer, I would be a different person, and that wouldn't be as much fun.
*S is for status.*
SO dating the most amazing guy in the entire world, Mike Morgan. <3
*T is for time you woke up today.*
Ugh. Never. My alarm went off at 6:45, but I think I didn't actually wake up until I took a shower at 4 in the afternoon after work. Gram kept telling me to take a nap while we were cleaning out the barn floor.
*U is for something unique.*
How many of you are farm hands, and own your VERY OWN pair of black rubber chore boots? And don't get weirded out at all when Gram comes around the barn holding two headless roosters upside down and asks you to get the "guts bucket" for her? I didn't think so. Yep, that's my life.
*V is for vegetable you love.*
Tomatoes!!!! Yummy yummy! I love tomatoes. Ask anyone. I also love any home grown vegetables, like fresh peas and carrots and cucumbers, and I'm becoming more accustomed to eating zucchini (that might be because it NEVER ENDS).
*W is for worst habit.*
I think it's my ADD. I'm never focused long enough to clean my room before I'm moving on. (No, I don't really have ADD, but that's what it feels like)
*X is for number of x-rays you've had.*
Dental scans all the time, and I think I had one of my arm once, but I don't remember what it was for. Something weird happened to it? Maybe? I've never broken anything.
*Y is for yummy food you ate today.*
I had some spinach ravioli with marinara sauce, and then had chicken cordon bleu with my dad for dinner. Mmmm, yummy.
*Z is for zodiac sign.*
Cancer. Kinda figures, eh?

Things I have learned while backpacking in the mountains

#1-- Although Hannah has recently acquired sports-induced asthma and was wearing three different braces on her knees and ankle, it does NOT mean that it is easier to keep up with her. That woman is a beast, seriously.

#2-- Just because you're hiking in the mountains in July doesn't mean that you won't need your snowshoes.

#3--Don't ever blame your father just because he made you learn how to set up a tent properly. It WILL happen. Seriously.

#4--When backpacking, a well-stocked First Aid kit is ALWAYS worth the extra weight.

*Note: My hand is fine. I cut it up pretty badly when I fell on the EXTREMELY steep, muddy, and very rocky trail STRAIGHT down the mountain, but now it's already becoming really sweet battle scars. No worries.

#5--When backpacking in the morning (as in, you woke up early to do it...and didn't go to bed very early the night before...) it IS acceptable to take a siesta...that may or may not have lasted 2 1/2 hours...

#6--Giant Pine Beetles CAN and WILL spit on you if you so inhumanely pick them up by their antennae and irritate them.

#7--When you blaze your own trail to the top of the mountain ridge (and we seriously did, I'm not kidding!) it is absolutely necessary to take every opportunity to stand on rocks and take adventurous looking pictures.

#8--It is quite possible for your friends, no matter how cute they really are, to remind you of Kermit the Frog once in a while. (I love you, Lexi!)

#9--When everybody else goes into the lake and swims around in it, despite the cold wind, it is perfectly acceptable to stay on shore in your nice warm sneakers and sweatshirt. While they freeze. Mahaha.

#10--When there is cherry preserve topping to slather it with, even instant cheesecake made with powdered milk and a sugarless crust tastes absolutely delicious!

#11--Eating fresh lake-fish that had just been foil cooked in a fire will NOT kill you (but it still will taste like fish. GROSS).

*Note: Nonny claimed that it was very important for her to document this occasion, to prove to my dad that I had ACTUALLY done it. Seriously. I did. It was gross.

#12--Fish = Gross. Seriously.

#13--When your mother packs you giant glow sticks that are conveniently colored red and blue, it is absolutely necessary to have an epic light saber battle in the darkened tent, much to the amusement of your next door neighbors.
(Seriously, we pulled them out of the wrapper, broke them and shook them, and Nonny immediately said, "Oooh, I get to be Anakin!" in her cheerleader voice. Only a Whiting girl would think of Star Wars FIRST).

#14--Backpacking straight up a mountain is FAR more enjoyable when done sporting a funky hairdo.

#15--Sometimes, you just gotta face it and pull your inhaler out of your backpack.
I love you Nonny!!!

#16--Sometimes, you just gotta scale a rock.
"It's like spending a year as an Amish--you just gotta make some butter! You just GOTTA climb a mountain!" --Julianna :)

#17--Happiness = "Steve's Cafe, Location 8300 ft."
Okay, so there are other things that are a lot happier. Such as the fact that Mike is coming to see me again on Friday!!! Hurray!!!! *dance in a circle just because you can, oh yeah!*
But seriously, you have no idea how happy I was to have real food. Seriously. Sun Chips = yummy.

#18--No matter how far away from your brothers you are, or how dead your light sabers have become, you can never completely avoid Star Wars.
Yeah, it's the Death Star. I'm not even kidding.
But I got really good reception as long as we were next to it...

That's all for today's show. Thanks for watching.
*Author's note: I will post my next installation of the piece tomorrow night. My fingers are kinda tired right now. I will MAKE SURE to get it done before Mike gets here. Definitely.
And this new part? Never been read by anyone but me. Not even Nicole or anybody. Seriously. It's AWESOME. Okay, so just more character introduction, but who cares? :)

"Wow, it feels good to be wearing my own underwear!"

Says the Parker-man, as we drive away from Grandma's house. I don't think I'll explain that one. It's funnier without it :)
Yeah, there have been some funny things going on. And I've been pretty busy. I will have a big fat catching-up post with pictures and everything sometime in the not-too-distant future. Have patience, my dear bloggers.
Oh! And I'm writing more of my story right now, this minute, as soon as I hit "post". Seriously.

I have recently been informed that I have no excuses...

I think that is incorrect.

This is my excuse.

Keehee!

Piece: Part IX

He smiled as he locked the door behind him and shrugged his jacket on, then lazily strolled down the hallway to where she stood. “A little impatient today, are we?”
“No, just bent on keeping both of our jobs,” she sighed as the doors slid open and they stepped inside the elevator. Inside a man in a dark coat stood staring at the ceiling, holding a black briefcase in one hand and a leash in the other. On the other end of the leash stood the largest Rottweiler Matthew had ever seen. The dog eyed him and immediately began to growl. Maya didn’t even seem to notice the dog, pushed the ground floor button and leaned on the side railing.
“So, what were you doing last night, Matt?” she asked him warily. “It’s not like you to sleep late like this. Don’t tell me you’ve fallen into bad habits and I need to start an intervention.” He knew she was only partially joking. The ends of his lips curled in a half-smile, and he turned to her, away from the growling monster.
“Naw, last night was just hard. Did you see that accident on the news? Big one, on the freeway,” he tried to change the subject. She didn’t buy it. “No, but that’s too bad. Stop trying to avoid me. I’m worried about you. Ever since Ethan’s…accident…you’ve been so anti-social. This has got to stop,” she stood up straight and strolled out of the elevator as it opened. Matthew followed after, looking back at the Rottweiler. The man and his dog stayed in the elevator, both staring after him. A chill ran down his spine as he turned back and followed Maya’s brisk pace.

Piece: Part VIII

**AUTHOR'S NOTE** I know what you're all thinking. You're thinking, "geez, Britt, how long does it take to get situated back in your parents' house? I mean, seriously!" And you know what? You're right. Absolutely right. I'm being ridiculous.
This particular section is not particularly exciting, it just comprises of my standard exposition and introducing another main character. Since I don't imagine it being as dramatic and riveting as the entire rest of it so far (yeah, this is definitely a first draft, it might go slower later in the process), I want you all to comment on your first impressions of this character so I can get a yea/nay on her before I keep going--I'm getting to that lovely point where I have to start twining together and making it a real story. Seriously.
And thanks for all your angry comments. Seriously, guys. I love you too. :) PS-I'll post pics of our Portland vacation later, after I have appeased the angry story vampires. *cough, cough, AMY, cough* :)**
**OH! I just thought of something. Because I KNOW that some of you are going to get the wrong impression and judge her in a stereotype *cough cough AMY AGAIN cough*, Maya is NOT the love interest. I haven't even decided on how that's going to happen yet. So there.**


“Matthew? You gotta wake up, kid.”
He grunted and rolled over, but heard the heavy, determined footsteps walk around the bed and yank the blinds open. Matthew groaned and squinted and pulled the blankets over his head. Two long, thin hands yanked them off his head and he looked up into a woman’s thin, wrinkled, and freckled face.
“Get up, kid,” she demanded. He groaned and rolled to the edge of the bed, swung his feet over, and tried to get up, only resulting in his closing his eyes and falling backwards again. She pulled his arms until he was standing on his own, his eyes still drowsy. He looked her square in the face, held her shoulders, and shook his head.
“That’s it, you’re fired,” he growled in his morning voice. “How did you get in? Did you break any windows?” She just laughed a low, throaty laugh that matched the deepness of her eyes and her short, spiky haircut. Maya had been his friend for years, but he had never given her a key.
“I’ve been coming here for as long as you’ve lived here,” she countered. “Geez, kid, I probably know your doorman better than you do.” She was already digging through his closet and pulling out socks of different colors, comparing them to his two pairs of dress pants. “Raphael just let me up.”
“Remind me to talk to the landlord,” Matthew muttered as he went into the bathroom. Maya stood in the doorway as he shaved and combed through his hair, an impatient look on her face. When he finished, she threw his coat and laptop bag into his hands and stormed toward the door.
“Come on, Sleeping Beauty,” she demanded. “I don’t want to be blamed when you get fired.” She tromped down the hallway to the elevator and stood next to it, arms folded, eyebrows raised, foot tapping. “Let’s go!”

There's just something about moving...

I have not been able to be on the internet ever since I moved back home last week. And my wireless is not working. (This is me being on the 'rents' computer). (And for those of you who did not understand that because I kind of talk/type weird on various occasions, I'm at home on my parents' computer :)

PS **TO ALL READERS OF MY STORY**
I had every intention of posting the next piece of my...piece...last night, but alas, my wireless is not working. And the document on which my piece is located is on my laptop. And I can't find my flash drive to transfer it. And I can't email it because...my wireless is not working. Thus, the next installment will happen when I can get this darn thing working again. My sincere apologies, all.
ALTHOUGH--I SERIOUSLY appreciate the comments. They are amazing and wonderful and I feel all LOVED. THANK YOU. YES, I'M FEELING KIND OF ALL CAPS RIGHT NOW, HOW COULD YOU TELL??? :)

Piece: Part VII

That night Matthew didn’t go out. He hadn’t in a while, but everyone had been expecting him to bounce back. Instead, he threw a frozen dinner into the microwave and flipped on the news.

The apartment was simple. Having had to work on and off to afford school, he was still finishing his undergraduate degree at Boston University in Broadcast Journalism. As a result, he lived simply in a fourth-floor apartment off the Charles where he only had to catch one train to get to school, one more to get to work. His room looked more like the studios you see that were the very first of somebody famous, with bare wood floors and whitewashed walls, with paint speckles on the windows. He had minimalist furniture and a kitchen that seemed too clean to be that of a man. Everything was black and white with Matthew Carter. His apartment reflected that.

He sat staring at nothing, eating his Hungry Man chicken and potatoes, when a story caught his eye. It was the story of the accident he had been passing. The anchorwoman introduced it as a tragic mistake, passing it on to the on-site reporter, who explained that a glitch in the brake system of the semi had caused it to lose control, slamming into and instantly killing a young girl in her car, which then rolled into three different cars, killing three more people. The girl had been eighteen and a college student, and had been going home to New Hampshire for the weekend. The other three victims were all business people commuting home after work, two older women and a young man. Four different families now had to go through what Matthew had just gone through.

He clicked off the television and stared at it, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. The semi’s brake system, the woman had said. That is exactly what had happened the night Elisabeth died. She had also been hit from behind by a “glitch in the system” and had rolled over other cars. A family of three, another young girl and an older man going to his son’s house had also been killed because of the accident. The details were strikingly similar.

But it was dark and rainy that night, Matthew thought. I should stop letting my imagination get ahead of me. He tumbled off the couch and shuffled back into the kitchen to dispose of the plastic plate and fork. Besides, how could the two be related? They were both accidents…only accidents…

Matthew shook his head and looked at the clock. 9:00, he read, too late to go back to work, to early to get out. But I didn’t want to go out anyways. He brushed his teeth, locked the door, took a couple of Tylenol to get him to sleep, and fell into bed. He fell asleep almost instantly.

I may have gotten home at 6:30 this morning...

Today was awesome. Church was great, life was great; I mean, it didn't even matter that I got home at 6:30 this morning. :)
Yes, I will tell the story of yesterday. Which was even more awesome.
It began when I got up at about 8:30 and began making food for a picnic. Mike came over and helped me get it together and in the fridge, and then we went to American Fork to go to my cousin's baptism (this cousin being Jessie, the older sister of baby Sophie). He met all of my mom's family (none of my immediate family was there), and Aunt Marlene talked to him for a half an hour about jeeping in the mountains before the food was ready. This was because I was in the kitchen making shishkabobs with Aunt Sarah :) It was way funny.
After the baptism, we took off back to Provo to change and get our stuff together, and then hit the road for St. George. We made chicken salad sandwiches (with pita bread), grapes, oranges, yogurt, vitamin water, and delicious other things, like...water.
We drove through the desert for like, three and a half hours (we made pretty good time, actually) and got to St. George at about 7:00 pm, where we walked around the temple and had our picnic sitting on the trunk of his car because the park was totally full of people. And I spilled stuff all over the ground because my pita broke. It was tragic.
After we ate and kind of goofed off, we drove out into the rocky desert to the Tuacahn Amphitheater, and saw Les Miserables! It was SO GOOD!!!! Oh my gosh, I loved it.
But there's more :)
When we bought the tickets online, there were only two left in the cheap seats section, and they were on the very very last row. When we get there, it turns out that we have ....drumroll please....the handicapped seating :) Yep, we were in the seats that have no armrests and are three feet apart from each other. Seriously. Mike was totally whining about not being able to sit next to me, and kept saying that we'd just wait until it started and then find some seats that hadn't been filled. What he forgot was that we had gotten the last seats...
Well, after a while--and after Mike had filled his whining quota--we were sitting there waiting for it to start, when the old couple next to us--in normal, close-to-each-other seats--asked if they could switch, because they both had replacement hips and such and needed to get in and out easily. Needless to say, Mike was all happy and holding my hand the entire time. It was pretty cute :)
The show was AMAZING. I was the only one in the area we were sitting in that knew the story at all (and I was mouthing the words along with practically all of the songs...:) so when intermission came, everybody around was like, "is it over?" and of course, at intermission the revolution hasn't even started and Cosette and Marius are just barely being separated, so if it had been the ending, it would have been the lamest ending in all of existence. I had to tell them all that it was only intermission so they would see the really awesome ending. And it was awesome, I assure you.
They ended the show with fireworks and such, since we were out in the red rock desert, but Mike and I kind of bolted at the end so we could get out before traffic. We watched the fireworks from the parking lot. :)
So we got out, and we were driving, and driving, and driving, and I was getting seriously tired. And I had told him that I would help him stay awake by staying awake with him, and it wasn't working. Soon enough, he was getting tired too, and neither of us felt safe to drive, so we pulled over at a rest stop, to get about a half hour of sleep, so we'd be awake enough to drive home. We wrapped ourselves in SEPARATE blankets with the ARM REST between us, and fell asleep.
I woke up really suddenly, and realized first that it was kind of cold. Then I looked over at Mike and noticed, past him, that the sun was coming over the mountains...
I kind of freaked out. I woke Mike up, he said "what?" then turned around and said "oh." We took off. It was 5:30 am. I was still wrapped in a blanket, but he was just driving for his life. We were both kind of freaked out that we had been asleep in the car in the middle of nowhere for three hours together, but I think we're okay. Can I just say that the fact that that happened and that Mike and I are still worthy and safe and alive means a lot? In fact, I think this one's a keeper :)
We got into Provo at about 6:30, and into my apartment at about 6:45. I was in bed by 7.
And then I woke up at 10:30 and took a shower to go to church at noon.
That is my story. Please don't judge. :P

I totally played hookie today

And went with Heather and her friend Julianna (from Kansas) to Salt Lake. We showed her Temple Square and saw the Joseph Smith movie, and then went to the Gateway Mall and spent all day shopping.
And I didn't find anything. Really depressing.
And I got totally sunburned. Extra depressing.
And now I have to write my Frankenstein paper without the counterbalance of a new thing that I found. Extremely depressing.
Thanks for listening to me whine.

Piece: Part VI

*Author's NOte* I'm making this a Tuesday thing now. Every Tuesday, there will be an installment of my piece. But I want opinions. If you read it, tell me what you think. All of you. *

“That was the stupidest thing you have ever done.”

Ethan slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to see the doorway, where Matthew stood with his hands behind his back.

“And I know some pretty stupid things you’ve done,” Matthew continued. Ethan relaxed a little when he saw that the tiny smile lingering on his friend’s face. Matthew was having trouble hiding his relief, still remembering how he had felt when the nurses had come out to him in the waiting room to tell him that his friend would pull through. He noticed the tray of mostly-eaten jello, half a turkey sandwich, and an untouched salad sitting next to the bed. “Well, you’ve been able to eat. Guess you weren’t as lost as you thought,” he chuckled.

Ethan blushed sheepishly. “Listen, Matt, I’m really sorry. I…I mean, that was really stupid.” He lowered his eyes. “I loved your sister, but it’s not worth going to hell for.” He let his head hang, not daring to look up at his friend. Matthew just looked at him, his face expressionless.

“No, Ethan, it’s not,” he finally agreed. He sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair. “Listen, I just stopped in to see how you were doing, but I have a meeting I have to get to. Looks like you’re doing just fine,” he eyed the baseball game running on the television, “so I’m just going to go. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sure,” Ethan slowly raised his head and looked up at the game, watching Colorado cream Los Angeles. Matthew left silently, knowing that he wouldn’t get any more from him. He went straight over to the nursing station and gave the older woman behind the desk a questioning look. She smiled knowingly and shook her head.

“Compared to most attempted suicides, he’s pretty happy. I don’t see what would have made him want to kill himself,” the nurse looked back at Ethan’s room with a perplexed look. She shook her head and looked back down at the paperwork in her hands. “Well, at least he’ll bounce back okay.”

Matthew smiled. “Yeah, sure, he’ll be fine. Thanks for all your help.” He walked slowly away from the desk and toward the elevator.

The freeway was a mess on the way home. He sat in line behind a guy in a giant diesel-fueled pickup as traffic inched past an accident involving a semi and a three-car pileup. The paramedics were darting around, the firemen trying to find ways to get the victims out of the burning cars. Matthew could see several stretchers that had bodies on them, sheets pulled over their heads. To the side of the accident, a young-ish looking woman with dyed blonde hair sobbed uncontrollably into the shoulder of a young, very uncomfortable-looking police officer. The man looked as young as Matthew, yet still had to be a part of such a tragedy. You and me both, man, Matthew thought bitterly. As he finally got past the accident and down the off-ramp, he shook his head and tried to forget it.

Can I just say how much I love babies?

Yesterday, I went to a baby shower for Rebecca Sharp, my mother's cousin's wife. I was invited by my Great-Aunt Julia, and went with my Aunt Sarah (she's so awesome, I got to drive the mini-van :)
In the morning before the shower, I took the bus to American Fork because my cousin, Jessie, was having her eighth birthday party and Jeff and Sarah (my uncle and aunt) wouldn't be able to come get me from Provo. While I was there and Sarah was doing crowd control (besides Jessie and the swarm of little girls, they also have four boys, ages 2 to 10), I got to hold this little angel.
She was born on March 26. Her name is Sophie. Isn't she the most precious thing ever? This dress was the runner up to be her blessing dress. She was actually blessed in this really long dress with eyelet lace, but this one is pretty too. Oh my gosh, it was amazing. She smelled all yummy and had the hiccups, and I TOTALLY got the "baby-hungries", as my mama calls them. :)
The shower was great. I didn't know anybody besides Sarah, Aunt Julia, and a couple of my mom's cousins that I hadn't seen since...a long time ago. But we played all those great baby-shower games like guess that baby food flavor, the Price is Right with baby stuff, and we all had to cut a piece of pink yarn to guess how big around Rebecca's stomach was. I failed at all of them, as--in case none of you have noticed--I have never had a baby of my own ... :) I just sat there being the young, single, non-mommy there. It was fun.
Can I just say again how much I love babies ?

Piece: Part V

“No, Ethan,” Matthew groaned. “No…” He lugged the deadweight body out of the driver’s seat and pushed him into the back, then jumped into the front himself. His fingers were shaking as he turned the ignition and felt in his jacket for his phone.
“911? My friend…” he began, but stopped as Ethan slumped over and made a gurgling noise. “NO! Ethan!” He caught himself as he began to swerve off the gravel road, and then pulled to a stop. “NO!” He fell out of his seat and crawled over to get Ethan’s door open.
“Sir?” a concerned female voice said from the phone he had dropped.
He scrambled to pick it up. “Yes, my friend…he shot himself. I don’t know how he got the gun, but his chest…blood…” his words were interrupted by his heavy breathing as he felt for a pulse, made sure that Ethan was still breathing.
“We’ll send an ambulance right away,” the voice said. “Where are you, sir?”
“North Street Cemetery, near the entrance,” he managed to stutter. He slumped against the side of the car, letting the gravel get in his shoes and socks, the dust all over his fine black suit. He new they wouldn’t leave him alone, but he had no words. The hand the phone was in fell to his lap, and he just sat there, staring at the sky. What am I supposed to do, he wondered to himself.
He sat until he heard the sirens pulling in, and then allowed the paramedics to pull him up. He felt all kinds of hands checking his vitals, shining lights into his eyes, trying to ask him questions. He could vaguely see the bright white uniforms and the stretchers being rolled out of the ambulance. They tried to put him on one, but he shrugged them off and stumbled away.
“I’m not hurt,” he mumbled. The paramedics eyed him warily. “I’m not hurt.” He said it again, louder, trying to convince them. He knew they didn’t believe him, but they turned to Ethan, who was quickly losing blood. They got him onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. Several of the medical technicians looked back at him expectantly before they closed the door, but Matthew just watched them go.
As soon as they were gone, he stumbled back to his own car, blood-spattered and in shock. He slumped into the driver’s seat and put the key into the ignition, but didn’t turn it. Straight ahead of him, he could see the spot where the three headstones of his loved ones stood. He had somehow, in the terror and excitement, forgotten everything that had happened. Now, as it all flooded back to him, he let his head fall into his hands, then looked at them in horror as he realized that they were covered in Ethan’s blood. He franticly dug through his glove box to find tissues, which he used to scrub off the sticky red blood from his face. He scrubbed and scrubbed until his hands were red not from blood but from pressure, and his face felt raw. As he threw the wad of stained tissues onto the floor of the passenger’s side, his fear subsided, and he began to cry, great wracking sobs, as if he had never cried before in his life.

I think they're trying to get us married...

So, the boundaries for BYU-approved Single-Student housing are shrinking. If you're single, you have to live within a one-mile radius of BYU campus boundaries. Hmmmm, ulterior motives? I think so. :)

I climbed a mountain today

Literally. My ward decided to hike to the summit of Squaw Peak. Not the part you drive to and do scandalous things in the dark, but the hiking trail. We started at about 10:40 this morning, and didn't get back down the mountain until 4. We climbed from the base to the very very top. As in, we couldn't have climbed any higher because there was nothing left. We were at the very top.
The hike was beautiful. At the base, there was a river that the trail crossed back and forth across about five times, and all along the trail there are blue and yellow wildflowers that make everything smell delicious, and the birds are everywhere, and you're really annoyed at the guy a few yards beneath who won't stop singing really loud just to show off, even though his voice isn't that great. Then you stop, and it's just you and your boy and nature, and everything is so quite and still and you look down and ants are crawling all over your shoes, so you decide to catch up to the guy who has your water bottle in his backpack :)
At the very top, you are standing on large boulders, and you can see everything for miles and miles and miles in every direction. The wind is strong enough to blow you off the mountain, so you cling to the shrubbery and sit in the blazing sun that is twice as bright when you're several thousand extra feet up. The air is so thin that you can't breathe, and then it blows at you so hard that you can't breathe the air that is there. It was so beautiful.
I wish I hadn't forgotten my camera.

Just so you all know...

Mike and I are officially dating now. It happened Thursday. And since I am having a girls' night tonight with my friend who recently lost a boyfriend, he is helplessly lonely tonight. It's super cute how...cute he is :)

Did I ever mention what a huge crush I have on my boyfriend? :P

Piece: Part IV

Okay, I succumb. :) Here's the next part.

“You don’t even know what love is,” Matthew growled. “You just wanted your pretty little girl to come whenever you called. You just wanted my sister for a booty call. You don’t even deserve to say her name.” As he spoke, the young man hung his head, ran his hand through his tangled hair.

“Listen, Matthew, I don’t care how much you hate me.” As his voice got louder, he began to stand up straight, to look Matthew square in the eyes. “I don’t care that you never approved, or that you think so little of me as to expect me to want something like that from Elisabeth. All I care about is that I loved her. I still love her. And I came here to say goodbye to her, the same as you have.” Matthew reached in to quell his anger, but knew that he couldn’t restrain himself. He took a menacing step forward, and opened his mouth to threaten the man, when he heard a gunshot.

It had come from the parking lot. He stared blankly, taking a few steps in that direction, then remembered what had been happening. He turned back to the headstone, but the dark young man was gone. Trying to push it out of his mind, he turned and ran to the parking lot.

He ran straight to Ethan’s car, where the man sat in his front seat breathing heavily, his chest oozing with blood.

Sometimes the air conditioner is broken...

Yeah, I had to work all day today, and the air conditioner in the MTC Cafeteria is broken. It was so gross. I was on the Wall of Salad, where it was a raspberry spinach salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing and raspberry glazed rolls on the side. I looked like I had gotten out of a war zone. And I was sweating like crazy, because it was a good 95 degrees out here today, and I was stuck in a room with 1200 missionaries, give or take.
This is one of the few reasons why I am glad that I work breakfast :)

Okay, seriously, guys.

I was searching for my friend's blog to read, and then out of curiosity, I searched my blog to see if I could find it on Google. With "majoring in genius", I searched through the first 400 results. Nothing. You know what that means? ...I'm not sure. I guess it means Google hates me.
Or not enough people read my blog. Que triste.

ps-I will leave you all on your own to read the story from now on, and only post new sections after I have received feedback on the last one. That is how it will work.

Congratulations, Nathan!

Our dear friend Nathan Rodriguez has recently been called to the Calgary, Alberta, Canada Spanish-Speaking mission. He enters the MTC September 3, 2008.
We won't mention that he had never heard of that place before and had to go look it up. . .
and then proceeded to research the demographics, political policies and public opinion, the climate, the population, etc. . .
We love you Nathan!

Piece: Part III

* AUTHOR'S NOTE* Yay! Comments! So I hope you all read the very first part, under my "Yes, I really began to drool" post, or a lot of the drama is not going to make sense. I'm only going to post a little bit of it at a time, so I have sufficient time to keep writing it. I already have the first chapter done.
...and I'm glad you guys are hooked. I may just throw a few curve balls ;)
*ON WITH THE STORY!*

After the service, when Elisabeth had been placed in the ground, Matthew stood silently in the old cemetery, staring at Elisabeth’s newly-made grave. A strong hand gripped his shoulder, pulling him out of his stupor. He turned to greet another mourner, and looked into the eyes of his best friend, Ethan. He could feel his heart pull just a little bit tighter as he saw the look on Ethan’s face. Such sadness filled his features as could not be borne by anyone else. There were enough words in his eyes to tell the whole story, but he spoke it anyways.

“You know, Matt, I never told you,” he began in a broken whisper. “I told her, and she tried to let me down gently, but you never get over a girl like your sister.” He covered his face with his hand and cried. Memories of their time in elementary school, with Elisabeth tagging after them flashed through Matthew’s mind. No one had ever said anything, but he had known all the same. He tried to say something hopeful, comforting, but Ethan just waved his hand, turned, and began to stagger back to his car. Matthew turned back to the grave.

She had been laid next to her father’s three-year-old headstone, which stood in turn next to the small, mossy stone that stood for their mother. His eyes lingered on this small stone, engraved simply with the words “Leanne Hansen Carter, 1962-1987.” He had been barely two years old when she had died, from complications in the birth of his sister. Their father, Steve Carter, had been a rough outdoorsman, who knew nothing about raising children alone, but he had managed. Between his clear-headed son and a daughter with bright red hair who kept him on his toes, he had managed. Matthew still hadn’t forgiven him for the cancer that had taken him away from them. He still remembered how Elisabeth had picked up her high school diploma from the school, preferring a funeral procession to a triumphal one.

Remembering, he fell back into his sobs. He knew that faith was supposed to make him feel better, understanding where they were going, but he couldn’t help it. All he knew was that he was alone in mortality. Elisabeth had been free-willed, wild, and even a bit crazy, but she had always kept him going. Her hope and cheerfulness had always had them going strong, even after their father died. Now he didn’t know what he was going to do.

He heard a crackling behind him. He spun and found himself face to face with the figure from the church. Expecting to find anger, he saw that the young man’s eyes were swollen and bloodshot. His dark suit was mud-spattered, and his shirt and dark hair were mussed beyond repair. He kept his hands in his pockets, his face dark as he stared at Matthew with a look of obvious hatred. Matthew returned the stare.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded. His eyebrows knit together and his fists tightened, his knuckles white.

“What do you think I’m doing?” the young man muttered. His voice was barely above a whisper. “I loved her.”

Piece: Part II

Matthew straightened his dark black jacket as he stood up, walked to the lectern. The stand in the old church building was covered in white roses and lilies, purple lilacs, and tiny Queen Anne’s Lace, her favorite flowers. In front of the podium was a silver-framed photo of a young girl, her curled hair swept up behind her, her green eyes glistening.

He cleared his throat as he reached the microphone. “If there’s one thing I know, it’s that my sister Elisabeth was the sweetest, most kind-hearted, and the smartest girl I’ve ever known. She was brave yet calm, strong yet gentle, and wise yet humble. My whole life I’ve tried to be just like her, to be able to stand next to her proudly for my father, but she was always just one step ahead.” His choking began to become outright sobs. Several very loud sniffles were heard from the few front rows, where all the doting aunts and grandmothers of the neighborhood took up residence. Their netted hats shook with their quiet crying.

Matthew stood there for a few minutes in silence, his head bowed low. I can’t do this, he thought bitterly. How could they ask me to do this, when he’s sitting right here? He could feel all the impatient neighbors’ eyes looking at him expectantly, swallowed his tears, and stood up straight. He stared directly at the back of the chapel, avoiding anyone’s gaze as he finished the speech he had previously memorized.

“All I know is that she’d better be in paradise, ‘cause if she’s not, then I’m going to Hell too.” A few of the more prudish old women gasped slightly, then resumed crying as Matthew stepped down. He stood back, staring out into the audience for a few seconds, just to get his balance. His eyes finally focused as he noticed a dark figure on the last row get up and leave. His eyebrows narrowed, but he walked calmly to his seat in the front row and sat down, his fists clenched, slow tears leaking down his cheeks.

Yes, I really began to drool.

Guys, the official Twilight Movie Trailer has been released. All of you should see it. It is at http://screenrant.com/archives/first-twilight-trailer-feature-1622.html
Oh yeah.

In other news, I think I may give y'all the first part of my story so far. In fact, I'm about to email y'all and let you know about it, and ask you to read it. I want feedback from people who aren't psycho English Majors. Real, actual, honest-to-goodness normal people who aren't grammar Nazis or overly concerned with the style of my character development (No offense to Nicole or any of the Inquisition that happen across this). Holy mackerel.

Kay...well....here it is. Just the prologue, mind you.

There was an accident on the freeway. As she noticed the taillights crowded in front of her, she finally snapped out of her daze to ease on her brakes. The car lurched to a stop in the third lane, rain pouring down her windshield. In a desperate attempt to see, she turned her wipers up to full power for a few seconds, then gave up. Realizing the inevitability of it, she sat back in her seat, leaned her head back on the headrest, and closed her eyes.

As she sat in the cold car, she forgot why she had even come on this trip. She hadn’t even come up with what she was going to tell her boss on the phone in the morning. Names, faces, memories began rushing through her mind, filling her with a flood of emotion, and a single tear ran slowly down her face. Ethan… Matthew… Maya… David. Their names meant so much, and yet so little. What would they think of her now?

She opened her eyes and looked around her, through the rain-soaked windows. The other cars and drivers were a giant blur, their faces, colors, lights running in a steady pattern but never falling away. She looked to her left, and saw in the car next to her a middle-aged, balding man, looking at her with a look of immense tiredness in his face. He looked behind her and suddenly his eyes grew wide. Her head snapped around and she faced two enormous headlights coming directly at her, not stopping…

So I'm really bored

I'm officially creating a contest. It's called:
"Create a list of really crazy things that can be done in Provo with at least two people, preferably three or more"

I'm seriously bored, guys. I can sports it out, but what do you do at night? Somebody think of something that's not movies.
This is now a contest. Whoever wins gets...well, probably my serious gratitude and devotion, and maybe a hug upon my return to wherever y'all are.
Yesterday, I slept for six hours after my breakfast shift at the MTC simply because I was so bored. I have a couple of friends whose apartments have officially become mine because they said I could crash when bored, but I need things to do. Seriously.
Now brainstorm, people. And give me some lists.

Today I watched the Sandlot

at a baseball stadium, wrapped in a blanket. It was beautiful.
Before that I wrote. And wrote. And erased it all. And wrote some more.
Before that I woke up at 3:00 in the afternoon after taking a six hour nap because I worked at 6:30 this morning and had been up for eighteen hours straight the day before. Also beautiful.
That is my Saturday. Tomorrow is Sunday at 12:00 pm with my brand new ward and I really love my hair.
It's going to be a good day.

So I've written something...

And I sent it to my friend Nicole. I'm terrified. I'm going to put just the very first part on here, to tempt you all, see what you think. But not yet. I want her to look at it first.
Thank you all.

If you want to know how great Microsoft Word editor is...

Just now, while typing, my Word software honestly tried to get me to replace "I'm" with "I is". They have no excuses anymore.

"Brittany, we have the GREATEST rock garden in the WORLD"

--sayeth the Heather as she stares blankly out the window at the Rocky Mountains.

Moving Shenanigans

This is an official depository of all the pictures from the move. This is the story of what happened last week.
Once upon a time, there were three awesome roomies who were finished with their finals.
It kind of went to their heads.

Anyways, as finals were finishing up, all of their friends began to move away, leaving them sad and lonely. It was quite dramatic.
*sniff sniff* I miss Tom!
Well, after saying goodbye to all of their friends, these three roomies were faced with packing all their stuff. Unfortunately, they needed cardboard. Thus, as follows:

Fortunately, the end result was good.
They began with packing all of their stuff and moving it into the living room. This was far more easily said than done.
In fact, it was an adventure just to get to the front door.
After stuffing it all in, they managed to empty out the rest of their house and prepare to clean everything. Unfortunately, they needed some much needed rest, and managed to get it in while in the oddest places.After waking up, they managed to get everything done in time to let in their RA for the CLEANING CHECK.
She was quite shocked at the state of their living room, but somehow they managed to pass. Oh dear. After nearly passing out with exhaustion, they all went to Denny's (at 11:30 at night) for some much-needed refreshment. (seriously, guys, we were STARVING).


They were quite tired and bored... and just a little bit slap-happy.



The next morning, after saying a tearful goodbye to beautiful Jessica (we miss you tons Jessica!!!), the very sad, pathetic Heather and Brittany sat around in the sunshine getting sunburned for a very long time (Brittany's sunscreen accidentally got packed) before loading everything into their friend's truck to move across Wyview.
Here's the first half ...

And here's the rest of it.

It was quite an undertaking. But now they live in a happy land called Building 4 (which kind of smells gross and we don't have a kitchen window and our bedroom faces the street--gross) where they can sit in the sunshine and sip Jessica-missing-smoothies.
THE END