on-campus to off-camps shock

The New Heritage Halls were wonderful. (Click to see pictures of them). They were beautiful and I have nothing bad to say about them ever.  We were the first ones to live in them. They were spacious and clean and wonderful.  Never-been-slept-in beds, never-been-sat-on couches, never-been-flushed toilets, and never-been-used showers.

Then I look at my off-campus apartment for this year - much, much cheaper in rent - and we're gettin that quality.  I have to say when we toured the apartment I did not think it was all that bad.  It looked pretty clean and livable.  Probably because we didn't look in all the nooks and crannies.

I am scared to SHOWER in the bathrooms.  Seriously - how many people have showered in there?  How much hair has been lost by how many girls in those drains? I'm also taller than the shower so I have to bend my knees a whole lot :(  How would boys shower in those? (well, tall boys).
The carpets have apparently been cleaned but they don't look like they've ever been replaced in the last twenty years.   There is this apparent odor throughout.  The air conditioning is slightly....NOT WORKING. Luckily this isn't Arizona or I'd be out of there in a heartbeat. Even though it does feel like it's 95 degrees in there.
There are areas of this apartment that don't look like they've ever been dusted.  How did the previous people ever get away with cleaning checks?  The inside of the cupboards are all stained.

Last night I made a Target run (while getting lost multiple times along the way) to pick up some necessities for the apartment.  Like a fan, shelf-liner, air fresheners, and some basic cleaning supplies.  We bleached all the insides of the cupboards.  I don't even want to touch the showers.  Guess I'm going to break out those early morning custodial skills once again!

Now onto the good part.
This apartment is very close to campus so  I can walk no problemo.   Everyone that we've talked to says the ward is very social and fun.  I get to live with all of my same roommates from last year.  Once we turn this apartment into a home we'll be all set.  We can make this apartment wonderful and make our experience fun because WE are wonderful and fun.  There is an upstairs where all the bedrooms are so if I want to go to bed earlier there will be less noise.  And, there are much worse apartments out there.  For the price we're paying, we really can't complain.

Pictures to come soon...

Have you ever lived in an apartment that wasn't very livable?  How'd you make it your home? Stories and suggestions please :)

Clark Kent

I've had this blog-post sitting in my drafts folder ever since I watched all four Superman movies featuring Christopher Reeves and the 2006 version Superman Returns with Brandon Routh in California with Seth, Isaac, and Aunt Sarah.  After that movie marathon I fell in love with Superman.

this is Brandon Routh with his "hipster" glasses
see - he's just as attractive as superman!
haha - he IS superman.

See, something I've always found fascinating about all superhero movies in general is that the public needs a hero.  Gotham needs Batman.  Metropolis (or the whole world, I suppose) needs Superman.  These heroes are their Saviors.  And although there aren't any superheroes around these parts flying and catching reports and helicopters, we have everyday heroes that mean so much to us.  We find hope in our heroes.  And since we put so much hope in our heroes, we need to have good heroes.  Not the amazing basketball superstar Kobe Bryant or baseball legends that end up being on steroids.  We can find our heroes in the good people around us.  Our grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, mentors, professors, siblings, prophets, and pastors.  And we can find the hero in ourselves, too.

My favorite superhero is Superman.  I love Clark Kent too.


I fell in love with the movies featuring the 6'4" Christopher Reeves (I mean, 6'4" tall, dark, and handsome - I'm not gonna complain).  I fell in love with the superhero Superman - he's now officially my favorite one.  And I also fell in love with Superman's alter-ego Clark Kent.

Christopher Reeves as Superman.
His only disguise - glasses. It fools Lois Lane.

I mean - some people need a superman in their lives, but give me a Clark Kent and I'll be happy.  I find his hipster glasses quite attractive, actually.  I never quite understood what he saw in Lois Lane, either.

Superman's only weakness is Kryptonite.  He can take a bullet to his eyeball.  You can shoot him with anything and he'll be fine.  He can pick absolutely anything up. And, that's pretty cool. I also think he's the one with the most good in him.  Every hero has his tragic flaw, and his is Kryptonite.  Which Lex Luther uses to his advantage every time.

Clark Kent is just adorable. He's smart (well, the glasses make him look smart at least), kind, caring, and sensitive.  And underneath all that is the Man of Steel.  Clark Kent is like the kid next door who's quite attractive but you never give him the time of day because he's just too nice.   And although Clark is quite clumsy I find that quite endearing.

And yes, I know Clark Kent/ Superman doesn't exist in real life. But someday I'll find my Superman.  Or my Clark Kent :)  Yes - someday I'll find my Clark Kent.

some quotes and some change

do you like the title of my blog?  because I'm considering changing it.  I love my title, I just don't know if people can remember it because it's in Latin.  But the more I think of it, I'll just keep it :)

My mom found this quote, and I think it describes just what I'm trying to do on my blog.

Emily Dickinson: "Forever is composed of nows."  I'm writing about the different "nows" I am experiencing in life.  So, if I suddenly have a new blog that has something to do with that quote, don't be surprised.

Another Emily Dickinson quote I like:
"I dwell in possibility."  My Grammie always says that.  Life presents so many different possibilities, and by dwelling on all of them we remain open-minded.

This is what we call the real world, children.

I feel like I'm being pushed into the real world all at once.  Yes, I know I already went through my first year of college.  But somehow, my second year seems to be more of the "real world."
Like paying for something that equals weeks worth of labor.
Submitting health insurance information - I know nothing about my health insurance, I'll admit it.
Researching credit cards.
Figuring out all of my tax information.
Talking about setting up a type of 401k plan.

But, there's still a long way to go before I'm really in the real world.  I realize that.

Some outcomes of my summer

All of these things have a story behind them.  Deeply personal stories, but these are the outcomes.

This summer has reaffirmed some things for me. Such as:

- I know my major! (Anthropology, as it has always been)

- I am going to backpack Europe sometime in the future. 

- Someday, I will have children of my own.  Just not all at once.

- I love Seth, Becca, Isaac, Rachel, and Jack.

- California weather is heavenly when you live right next to the beach.

- I can do hard things.

- I crave adventure, but I fear it.

- I have been living in another world.

- Life is short. Embrace each moment.

- Be a listener.

- Just be myself.

Heavenly Father answers prayers, even if we don't expect Him to.  And learning of all of these things, in some roundabout way, has been an answer to my prayers.

Some Pictures with The Little People

Complements of Photo Booth