One thing leads to another...

I had a fun little experience today after work.  I walked over to the grocery store to grab a few things, one of which included a small plastic basket.  Upon checking out, the cashier started to put the small basket in a grocery bag.  I thought to myself "I probably don't need a bag for that, but she is already halfway done and, actually, it might make carrying it a little less awkward."  I took my few bags and left.  As I crossed the wide parking lot and had made it most of the way to the stop light where I cross to catch the bus home, I watched my bus pull up to the light, and as the light turned green drove right on past, right in front of my face, missing it by moments.  This actually happens on a frequent and consistent basis and is probably the ultimate frustration for me. 

Perturbed, I decided to break my anti-non-necessary spending rule and go get some hot chocolate from a coffee shop on the other end of the parking lot.  It was very slightly chilly, I wasn't even wearing a jacket, but it would kill time.  I get to the coffee shop and I have to wait  a few minutes in line and it is WARM in there, and I am second guessing myself about getting warmer with hot chocolate, but had already been standing in line for a while and I feel weird about just walking out.  Plus there was only one poor worker and I didn't want him to think I was upset about having to wait so long.  (Fun fact about me: this is my actual thought process and the reason I get myself into so many things that I wish I hadn't...I constantly worry about other people's feelings, but not only that I also imagine what those feelings must be and my imaginings are usually a huge exaggeration and distortion of whats actually going on and I worry myself into a frenzy when in reality, he probably wouldn't have noticed if I had slipped out the back. Yes, I am a basket case, and no, it's not something that I can control.) Moving on: I get my hot chocolate and head out, and it ended up being a perfect combination of temperatures once I got outside, in case you were wondering. 

Once outside I debate on whether I should go back to the original intersection I was going to cross at, or walk farther down the street.  The inconvenient placing of the bus stop means no matter what I will be walking for a while (another pet peeve of mine.  the stupid bus stop locations, not walking, I don't mind walking), so I decide to go the other way and mix it up a bit.  As I am strolling along, a person on a bike passes me, and he also has a few grocery bags.  He gets about a 1/4 block ahead of me and stops and I see that one of his bags has broken.  I watch closely as I pass to see if he is able to rearrange his groceries.  He gets everything except a container of juice into another bag, and he looks stumped.  But this young man is in luck because I just happen to have a grocery bag that is serving zero purpose, so I backtrack a few steps and ask if he needs another bag.  He just stares at me, as if to say "well obviously," but I explain that I really don't need one of mine and I take out the little basket and hand him the bag.  He once again stares but this time more out of incredulity.  He honestly can't believe I'm giving him one of my bags.  He begins thanking me and has a thick accent, but says that I am very special, and he will never forget this, etc. It was very sweet, all for a little grocery bag.  You would have thought I was giving him a kidney. 

I move on, but after he gets his things arranged he catches up with me and again tells me how wonderful I am and I find out that he is from Haiti and is studying English at BYU.  I can't understand 25% of what he says but he is darling.  This lasts for a block until I make it to my bus stop and we part ways.  Stupid me didn't even ask his name (something I am terrible at when meeting new people on the street) but it left me feeling great after having thanks and compliments showered on me for a block and a half and he was able to make it home with all his groceries.  I thought it was cool because there were about 800 different variables but everything lined up that I got to meet a cool kid from Haiti.  It reminded me of "Stranger Than Fiction" when a wristwatch starts a chain of events and eventually saves his life.  I'm pretty sure my chain of events stops here but it made me smile for a while afterward.  Sorry, this ended up much longer than I had planned. 

Things I'm grateful for:

Chance encounters
Tide Pens (saved one of my favorite dresses after an unfortunate run-in with a nutella covered banana chunk)
Roommates that keep tide pens on hand
My evil-genius boss who comes up with the craziest stuff to get us to work well together and we always play right into it and it always ends up being perfect for us
Awesome music that you forgot you had (I'm looking at you, Sherlock Holmes soundtrack)
Friends coming to visit and giving me a reason to be extra excited about the upcoming weekend (yay, Trena!)
I'm sure there are more but I'm exhausted so that's all for now!

Sundays

Sunday is easily my favorite day of the week. The only thing that would make it better is if it wasn't directly followed by Monday.  I didn't get to sleep in until 10:30 today but here are some highlights:


Went to church, saw friends, met more people.
Made tacos and ate with the roomies on the porch (a favorite Sunday tradition)
Drove up to Sundance and took family pics with the roomies.  The leaves up there are BEAUTIFUL!
Ate Nutella crepes
Grabbed a blanket and ran to the porch to watch the rainstorm that had started
Moved to the couch when too much of the rain was getting on me
Hot chocolate and reading a weathered copy of "Jane Eyre"

I sure do love my once-a-week rest from worldly cares.It's been a good weekend, I've spent a lot of time with my roommates getting to know them better and feel more comfortable around them and just having fun together.  We cleaned and rearranged our house so that it is cuter and feels more like home than ever.  I think we have a good year ahead of us!

                                  (I just got my hair cut yesterday and am still trying to figure it out, please excuse it)
   
PS Today I am thankful for:

-Rainy afternoons
-Friendly people
-Being at peace (if only on a temporary basis)
-The way the examples and words of others come into my life right at the perfect time to point me in the direction I need to go
-That I have so much more in my life than just the absolute basics I would need to get by, and even the absolute basics are so much more than what others around the world have
                                             

Thankfully

I want to start a habit of recognizing my blessings, so every day I will try to list just a few things I am thankful for. Today it is...

-My parents and the pep talks they give me when I'm trying to make a big decision.
-Beautiful Fall foliage. I saw the most amazing house today with vines all over it that had huge yellow, orange, and tan leaves.  It looked like it fell out of a story book, I even checked to see if some crazy person had decorated their house in fake leaves, that's how good it looked. From what I can tell they are real.
-Saturdays. I shamefully slept until 10:30 this morning. Enough said.
-Haircuts.
-Becoming self-aware.  I've been thinking about everything I have learned about myself over the past couple years, and it is still a major work in progess but every day I'm either learning something about myself or am able to put a name to some quirky trait that helps me better understand who I am and what I can accomplish in this life.
-The Book of Mormon.  This time around I am reading with purpose but no deadline, so I am able to focus better and am learning so much. 

That's just a few for now.  Life is great, isn't it?

things that will put a touch of longing in my eye

Christmas
      I am dying for it to be Christmas! I love everything about the season.  I also love Halloween but can't afford to do much with it this year, and my Thanksgiving will probably be low key as well, so I really really want to skip ahead to Christmas: snow, songs, christmas movies, caroling, baking, lights, general happiness everywhere...I can't wait!

School
     Strange as it may seem, I can't wait for school to start in January.  I have been out of school for a while now and am so excited to go back.  I miss learning, having homework, the feeling of accomplishment that comes with completing a project or taking a test, knowing things, the stress, sense of purpose and progress, everything!

My friends at work
     Along with school comes the fact that I am leaving my job that I have been working full time at for the last year and a half.  I have met a lot of great people there and I am sad to leave, but excited to move on.  I am grateful for the wonderful people I have had in my life!

Temple Square
     I love Temple Square in Salt Lake, and I currently have the itch to go and just hang out for a day or an afternoon.  I've been there a million times but it never gets old and I love the feeling there and the living history.  Hopefully one of these days I will make it up there. 
  
Les Miserables
    Les Mis is coming back to SLC!! I went a few years ago the last time it was here and let me tell you, it was one of my favorite moments in life so far. I. LOVE. THIS. MUSICAL. And seeing it live is incredible and very moving.  The cheapest tickets this time around are...wait for it...eighty-nine dollars!!! I'm pretty sure I paid like $30 last time.  My desire to go back to school cannot justify this (however I am notorious at giving in anyways, we'll see what happens), so if you feel like going and taking me, let me know.

Return of the Blog

So lately I have had the priviledge of following some very inspiring blogs which made me think "hey, I should try starting a blog again!" Mind you, this is my 3rd attempt. I just can't seem to stick with it long enough to actually accomplish anything. Not that I think mine will be particularly inspiring, but it might be kinda fun and good for me if nothing else. Anyway, I went to start up a blog and low and behold, my last attempt was still available so I decided to run with it.


I think I'm at a good place in my life to start up a blog. I am living in a house with five other awesome girls that I didn't know going into it, my other three good roommates/friends having gotten married off one by one and now I am flying solo. I'm liking the house and my ward is nice, although I feel like I don't know a lot of people yet! After months of stressing about it I have decided to leave my job of the last year and a half in December so I can fully resume a student life as I return to BYU to finish up my degree. By finish up I do mean complete at least two, maybe three more years so I have some time left in Provo. Life is one big transition right now, and what a better time to start documenting!


I plan on making this blog a place where I can come to voice my thoughts and opinions on life, express my feelings, and narrate my adventures.