When Making a Decision

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

Sometimes You Find Yourself in These Random Places

So that morning you wake up, expecting to go on a nice long solo road trip back to AZ.
You miss the turn.
You call your mom, feeling really stupid.
Your Uncle calls you to give you directions.
You decide to take the Vegas route.
On your way on the ramp down into Phoenix you make a little mistake.
You panic because the ramp has a sharp turn.  You graze the side.
You panic again.
So you over correct your turn.
And smash your car into the other side.
Then the air-bags go off and you think, is this really happening?
Then you say a billion little prayers in your head -simultaneously.  This IS possible.
The car comes to a stop.
You realize you're not injured, you're completely fine.
The car, isn't, though.
You follow what you learn the first day you can talk - call 911.
You don't start crying until you say the words "I got in a car accident."
They say, "Where are you?"
You tell them - but you're not from Las Vegas, you're very confused.
They re-direct you to highway patrol.
They're coming.
You call your mom.
You don't want to scare her since she's so far away but you don't know what else to do.
Luckily, you have another uncle that works 10 minutes away from where you are.
He comes to your rescue.
You feel really, really bad.  Because you just totaled a car.  And you thought you were a good driver.
Your neck is scraped from the seat-belt.
The policeman is really nice and says, "you're safe. it could have been a lot worse."
You have a ticket.
The car is towed away.
You go with your uncle, who takes care of you.
You go to work with him.
He buys you lunch.
You eat it a yummy salad with oranges and almonds and drink water and take deep breaths.
You go to your uncle's architecture office.
You think, I was not expecting to be here today.
You get a call from your dad, making sure you're okay.  Telling you they'll take you to the doctor just to make sure everything's okay.
You still feel really bad.
Because you're 19 and you wanted to prove that you were grown up and could do a road trip by yourself.  And this is gonna cost a lot of money.
You drive back to your uncle's house and are welcomed by a loving aunt and cousin with delicious dinner and homemade chocolate chip cookies.
You calm down.
You put some Neosporin on the scrapes you got on your neck and on your knee.
You talk about college and try not to think about the traumatic day.
You get a flight home from Las Vegas to Phoenix.
You sit in an airport and write about your traumatic day.
You think, I should have just flown home in the first place.
And you're eternally grateful for families who take care of you always.

Sometimes, you find yourself in these really random situations.  Doesn't that make life interesting?

Neal A Maxwell On Finals

When in situations of stress we wonder if there is any more in us to give.  We can be comforted that God, who knows our capacity perfectly, placed us here to succeed.  No one was foreordained to fail or to be wicked.  When we have been weighed and found wanting let us remember that we were measured before and found equal to our tasks.  Therefore, let us continue but with a more determined discipleship.  When we feel overwhelmed let us recall the assurances that Go will not over-program us.  He will not press upon us more than we can bear.

- Neal A. Maxwell

We read this in my Italian class in honor of finals week, and I thought it was quite applicable:)

A Good Day filled with Random Ideas

I should be studying for finals today, right now in fact.  But I'm so ready for my long-awaited summer vacation, it's hard for me to focus.
Today was a good day.
I woke up early.  I ran a 5K.  Jasmine ran a marathon.  So, I really feel quite unworthy of even saying that I ran a 5K.  But honestly, that's the farthest I've ever ran (without walking).  And that's embarrassing but it's a milestone for me.
Then Ellie, Hannah, and I went to go cheer on Jasmine as she finished her marathon.  It was amazing, seeing all those runners, knowing that they have been training so much for it.  It was inspiring, really.  Seeing people push through and not give up - mentally, physically, and emotionally.  And then to see people finishing and getting their medals and thinking they deserved so much more than that.
Then Ellie and I went to lunch, yum :) And then we talked at Jasmine's house for a couple hours, which is a lot of fun.  We talked about lots of things.  We talked about real things.  About life and love and the gospel and economics and the government and "what-if" communism actually worked and ideas.  Great people talk about ideas, not things, not people. (Eleanor Roosevelt?)
Then we watched Becoming Jane.
I love that movie.  It's real life. You know how it's going to end - it's Jane Austen.  While the movie might be fictional, the story is much different than any of Jane's characters' stories.  They're in love, but life won't let them be together. And her and her sister's pain is almost tangible.
Then, I went to dinner with my friends from my Italian class.  I ate bruschetta and gelato and tiramasu. Very, very delicious.  We tried to speak in Italian to each other the whole time.  And it was just so much fun.  We laughed and ate delicious food (which makes any situation amazing, right?) and talked more about life.  I felt young because two of the girls will be leaving on missions soon.
Life has so much more to offer me and so much more to come.
I'm excited.  Really.
Because I love life right now.  And although I hardly have my future figured out, my life right now is just wonderful.

Grazie, Ciao :)

Delicious Sweets I'm Determined to Enjoy

Courtesy of Pinterest :)

Orange Creamsicles

Reeses Brownie Cookies

Homemade Reeses Bars

French Toast Bake

Nutella Fudge Popsicles 

Lavoro, Gelato, e Italiano.

Today I worked for 8 hours. Oggi ho lavorato per otto ore.

I took a break in between for thirty minutes.  Mi fermo per trenta minuti.

I ate BYU ice cream. Ho mangiato il gelato BYU.

Yum. Delizioso.

In other news, Italian runs through my head all of the time.  I'm starting to realize how hard it is to switch between different thinking processes.

Mi piace l'Italiano.  Oggi, ho studiato per l'esame con la mia amica.  Abbiamo studiato e abbiamo parlato per un ora.  Quando prendo l'esame,  sono nervosa perche devo scrivere una storia :O
Ho fame per i cibi dolce. Zucchero...gelato. Delizioso!
Sto stanco, ma non posso dormire. Dunque, scrivo in Italiano per voi :)
Domani, io lavoro. 
Voglio viaggiare in Italia.  Devo viaggiare in Italia.

Thanks for reading my Italian and probably putting it into Google translate ;)  Those were just some basic sentences right there.  Learning to speak a language is difficult.  Latin is helpful, but speaking is opening up a whole new area in my brain.  It's amazing.

Hopeless

Confession: I'm a hopeless romantic.
Yes, it may be cheesy.
But, if I was in it, I'd love the cheesiness.

Why am I a hopeless romantic?
Because I watch scenes from Downton Abbey over and over again.
Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors.
Chick flicks are my favorite movie genre (there, I said it. Except really thought provoking, deep, philosophical movies. I like those too.)
I love love songs. Cute ones.  Deep ones.


I dream up cute dates I want to go on.  I want to be kissed in the pouring rain.  I want to be kissed in the snow.

Someday :)

A Couple of My Favorite (Secular) Things at the Moment

And yes, these favorite things at the moment may not be "hipster," but that doesn't mean I still can't like them.  And some of these may be dumb and slightly cliche and slightly out of character for me.  Still doesn't mean I can't like them.

Gotye's "Somebody that I Used to Know."
This may be the top song on iTunes and on the radio and on the charts, and it should be.  Why do I like it? It's so different.  The lyrics, while confusing, are pretty much awesome.






While I'm not quite a fan of the song, the lyrics from the song "Titanium" are catchy and sort of empowering(?) I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose, fire away, fire away.  Why I like these, I don't know.  Fire away at me? I'm not sure.

Phillip Phillips.
Especially two of his songs: "Home" and "We've Got Tonight."

And of course, I still don't go a day without listening to Adele's "Someone Like You."  But don't worry, I'm bulletproof ;)

Now on from music.
Downton Abbey.  Oh my goodness.  I love it.  I've re-watched two scenes over and over again.  Guess which ones?

My job.  Yes, I love my job.  I love talking to parents and students on the phone explaining the ins and outs of BYU's online system.  Yes, BYU has one of the most complicated websites out of all university websites in the United States.  But really, I do love my job.  I feel like I'm making a difference - I'm really helping people.

Spinning.  I'm in a spinning class, and while it's extremely difficult, it's really fun and kind of addicting.

Italy. Don't even get me started.  I WILL go to Italy.  I will visit everywhere and eat all of the delicious foods and see all of the historical sights and visit the Italian countryside and a cute little shop overlooking the sea.  Voglio viaggiare.   Devo viaggiare.  Devo viaggiare in Italia.  

Maps.  I like looking at maps and dreaming about going different places.
My pink/coral pants. These are some of the most comfortable pants that I own.  Nevermind the color.  They are comfortable.  I know I wear them every day, but they are comfortable.  Don't judge :)

Little things in life can make me happy.  Like an old map, a dream of traveling Europe, and a catchy song.   Oh, and Downton Abbey :)

An English Garden Party

A couple of weeks ago we had a "tea" party.  (It was really just lemonade.)

It was very fun.  We had a variety of delicious finger foods to choose from.  We had a real china set, compliments of Grammie, flowers, a fountain, and fancy English hats.

You see, I think it's wonderful that this is how my friends and I entertain ourselves :)  This is our kind of party.  We drink lemonade instead of tea, the music is the sound of the fountain and the wind, and our outfits are tasteful and English.  It's wholesome, uplifting, and fun.  Our conversation was lovely.

Afterwards, we watched BBC's movie version of Jane Austen's Emma.  It's four hours of joy.

I often say I was born in the wrong century.

But, as romantic as it seemed, women didn't really have rights.  So I'm glad I live in the current century :)

If you ever need the perfect setting for an English Garden Party, Grammie's backyard is the place.  The flowers are in bloom and it is beautiful.

The Menu:

- Strawberries and Cream

- Pizelles

- Cucumber Sandwiches

- Tarts with Lemon Curd and Raspberry Jam, topped with Cream and Berries.

- Peach Upside Down Cake

- Blueberry English Scones

- Delightful Mini Frosted Cupcakes

It was delicious, fun, and quite successful. We will definitely do it again some time.

Money, Money, Money.

Managing money is difficult.
I make money. I have a job.
Then I spend it.  I don't spend it on useless things. They're things I need.
Like gas.  And shoes. (No, I really do need shoes.  I've been wearing the same pair of shoes to school for the past year.)
I'll spend it on food, or lunch for myself.  Well, not very often, but sometimes.
I spend it on things like flashcards to memorize Italian words!
Oh, and then I had to pay my rent for next year ahead of time.

I have enough money to live, but I want to save my money for too many things on which I have to decide.

I want to travel Europe on my own.  Well, with about 6 girls.  (If you're interested, please let me know.  I want to backpack/ Eurail it.)
I think it would be way cool to do a study abroad/ field study in Italy (pricey).
I am preparing to serve a mission in a couple of years.
Someday, I'll get married, and I'll need money to do that.

But, there aren't enough hours in the day to earn money for all of these things!
It's okay, I'm not complaining.
As my dad reminds me, "We're weaning you into independence."  I guess money is where it starts...

This is life. I'm growing up.  And I can do it :)