I don't THINK I'm anti-feminist..

Sometimes I want to do things just because I'm a girl. 

No other reason. 

I'm a female, and I. Can. Too.

Is that weird?

Dear Followers,

Thank you for following me. And though I don't know many of you, and seldom see most of the rest of you, I feel an odd sense of companionship and support from the fact that you read and follow my blog. Even if you're not a "public" follower (i.e. displayed on my actual blog) - I seriously appreciate the fact that you stop to read about me, my life and the things that make me feel delighted.

Someday, perhaps, I'll meet you. Then I'll blog about it. And I'll feel even more delighted.

In the mean time -  thanks for getting to know me. I'll try hard to get to know you, too.

Love,
Lizzy

Why This Weekend Has Been WONDERFUL!!

Made an Easter decoration (in absence of a tree for an "egg tree.") 

Used my happy, new sewing machine for the first time!!

And I hemmed our curtains and sewed a new one for the kitchen!! 

And Spencer made the YUMMIEST Sunday lunch :)

Meilo So and The Secret Life of Bees

Betcha never heard of her, huh?

Well I have. Because I was looking at the cover of "The Secret Life of Bees" (by Sue Monk Kidd) and thought to myself, "Gee, I like that book cover. I wonder who illustrated it?" So, via google books, I was able to read the first page of the book (that no one ever reads, I am sure, because it is all the legal mumbo-jumbo) and I found the words "Illustrations by Meilo So." 

So I googled her, too, and found other wonderful delights such as this:

and this:

and my most favorite, this:

(which is now happily displayed as my desktop background!!)

I just love the vibrance, life and color in her work. Whimsical, yet relatable!

 Hooray for Meilo So!

Please, visit her website!!

New Pictures!

I was lucky enough to work with my coworker (and friend!)'s brother and his lovely fiance. They are s

so sweet and in love!!

If you're interested: My Portfolio. (Oh heavens, I must get my website up!!)

Spring Inspiration

Dear Spring,

I love you. I love that you make the days brighter and warmer. I love that you make things grow and cause the birds to sing and be glad. Thank you, Spring.

Thank you for inspiring me to do pretty things and like pretty, Spring-y things like this:

Terrain

Woolly Pocket

Martha Stewart

I am so looking forward to long days, bright weather, capris and flip flops, sunscreen, projects, badminton and other such delights.

Love,

Lizzy

The Delights of a Child

I may be crazy, but there is something about 1) pastel colors and 2) cute animal characters that make Easter themed* M&M's far more enjoyable. I always feel like such a kid when I delight in munching on "a lamb-y" or "chick-ie" instead of "an orange one" or "a brown one." But - I promise - they're more delicious.

Literally.

Perhaps I should conduct an experiment. 

*If you don't celebrate Easter, I'm sorry. That wasn't politically correct. I mean to say "Spring" themed.

Weekly Wrap Up:

So so so fun. You all must come to see it if you're in the area. It will run from April 23 to May 8th at the SCERA theater in Orem!! I'm having such a blast doing the Spanish Panic!!

Saw Alice in Wonderland last night. SO BEAUTIFUL.  Burton is fantastic.

Good news - Spencer and I have food, again. Lately we've been living off of dregs of cereal, Pirate's Booty and Spaghetti-o's. Now we're upping the ante

 to Raisin Bran, and frozen pizza.

New baby fish! See previous post. (We concluded that Kokoum and Roscoe fought each other to the death. You know the drill - mom has babies, dad wants to eat the babies, mom protects the babies from dad, mom and dad start fighting, and the both die? Probably.)

I successfully wrote a 1400 word book report, did two crazy statistics assignments, said "yes" to way to many things so now I'm ever so slightly overextended (what else is new?) but looking forward to a night of home-made Thai food and a clean apartment!!

Tragedy Strikes Again!

If you were wondering - that's what it looks like for a platy to give birth.

Platys! You know, like the two fish we have.

And by two fish, I mean the 
AWESOME BABY FISH 
that Spencer spotted in our tank. 
I've never been a Grandmother! Nor have I ever seen a baby fish before! SO COOL!
But, no, we didn't see them give birth. Hence why you're watching a video filmed by some Shmoe back in 2007

Buuut now you're doing the math and you're real confused - because you thought we had Roscoe, and Kokoum (you never met Kokoum - we just got him over the weekend) and now we have the two babies, right?

Wrong.

The reason Spencer spotted the two new babiess is because we were staring at the tank, inspecting the dead bodies of BOTH Roscoe and Kokoum. 

Probably they died giving birth?

Or it's just like in "Pushing Daisies" where if Ned makes something come alive then (if it stays alive for more than a minute) something of "significant worth and in close proximity" must die in it's place.

Yeah it was probably that.


Needless to say, we haven't named them yet. They're pretty in-differential at this point.
Also we haven't removed Dad & Dad's (thought they were both male....*) dead bodies because I have a false hope that they're just sleeping. I know I'll be disappointed, so shut up and let me feel hopeful, okay?


*At first I almost had a heart attack and thought maybe ROSCOE died a couple weeks ago and here we've been living with Liv all the time!! But, you see, after watching the "birthing" video more closely, I noted how pronounced the fishy's fins were underneath her - and, since she was giving birth - it was definitely a girl. Now, Kokoum - when we picked ..him.. up from the store had VERY pronounced fins "down there" which we were told is fish lingo for "I'm a male." I have now deduced that we should flush Kokoum under the name 'Pocahontas' because those fins, my friend, just probably meant she was PREGGO!

Note: the hazy, golden speck in the center of the picture.

Note: hazy golden speck 1 in the center-ish of the image and hazy golden speck 2 near the bottom of the water filter tube. I'll tell you how to find that one. See the vertical black line on the left side of the picture? Loooook at iiiit!!!!! - and then point at it on your screen from the left edge straight down - even beyond where the black part is - and the 2nd hazy golden speck is in line with that, about a finger's width away from the end of the actual black colored line. It's near the aquarium wall, looking towards the filter.

My Prediction for the Future:

Ever since I was young, I (and, admittedly, my sister too) I/we have this bizarre capacity to be trend setters. No one would actually look at us and say "Wow! You're setting an upcoming trend!" But allow me to provide you with some examples: 

Note: Me as John Lennon for Halloween in THIRD GRADE. The very first CD I owned was The Beatles' HELP!

The Beatles, while they've always been hip, became cool in the last few years due to the Beatles' LOVE show in Las Vegas and the movie Across the Universe.

Ahead of the times, people!!

Another example, though I don't have a picture, is the fact that my sister and I were wearing crocs (and NO I don't care if you think they're hideous) before anyone else in Utah. See, we got them in Portland, Maine one summer and - considering the croc trend started in Canada - they were pretty new, even to the East Coast. Dazzled by their comfort and bright coloring, we bought some and wore them endlessly. At first everyone said "What the heck are those?!?!" But then they all started wearing the crocs.

SEE!?

So my prediction for the future is "comfort." 

In this rapidly changing world of technology and what have you, I think people are going to relapse into the desire for all things comfort. You know, sipping tomato soup on a rainy day while reading "Pride and Prejudice." Or Funeral Potatoes. Or cozy sweaters that are your favorite and you wear them even though they may or may not be hideous. This will be reflected, I think, in style and design. I think people are going to soon tire of the "mod." (Heck, they already are.) Yeah - There is already a small trend towards it - go looking for it! You'll see! Think of things that look like John Mayer's voice sounds. 

 But it will happen and is happening, mark my words. Just like the switch in general-American preference from Punk-Rock bands to Coldplay. People get bored and tired of the clamor and clutter. 

You just wait and see...

Squirm!! Cake!

CakeSpy

Go ahead. Click it!

Just came across it and nearly peed myself out of excitement.

There, my friends, you will find such delights as:

50 Ways to Kill A Twinkie 

Cereal Treat Smackdown

Grilled Cheesecake

and

The Cookie Cake Pie.

Kill me dead and send me to heaven. 

Oh wait - i just found it.

Ever Wanted to feel like a Transformer?

Try Snowshoeing.

See - Husband and I spent part of the week in Wyoming.

And by part of the week I mean about a whole of twenty minutes.

We went to stay with some friends in this secluded apparantly-somewhere-near-the-north-eastern-missing-chunk-of-Utah cabin. To get there, we had to drive past the "Welcome to Wyoming" sign, through Evanston, and then again past the "Welcome to Utah" sign.

What did we do there?

Well - it was GORGEOUS, first of all. Make no mistake about it. And we got there around six pm, ate delicious food, and then went on a  night-time snowshoeing escapade down a big hill and through a ravine.  

As for the landscape? I haven't seen a sky so clear since I was in Maine last summer. I'm talking milky-way here, people.  

As for the snowshoeing? It was a little awkward, but there's something about having ginormous sheets of plastic attached to your foot that enables you with a great degree of confidence. And minor knee pain.

And after a long walk, a string of unsuccessful minutes trying to convince Trevor (the friend) that Orion really does exist with a rad horizontal belt, and a bow/shield/what have you, and the long walk back, we went to bed in the attic of the cabin in the pitch black, quiet wilderness.

In the morning, we made a stupendous breakfast consisting of eggs, pancakes, hash browns, Sunny D and sausage.

We then left for a three hour showshoeing escapade where we:

forged trails

admired typefaces

discovered a "yurt"(a circular tent of felt or skins on a collapsible framework, used by nomads in Mongolia, Siberia, and Turkey - but we weren't in Mongolia, Sibera or Turkey. Just "Wyoming.")

destroyed snowmen (they were melting and needed to be put out of their misery!)

and saw beeeeeaaauitful views

Ahhhh - to stay in "Wyoming." It comes highly recommended.

This Week: Wrap it Up!

This week has been:

Sleep deprivation

Tests

Warmer weather!

High Kicks

Snowshoeing

Fish care

Curly hair

Melatonin

Wyoming

Sunny D

Hot Bath

Josquin des Prez

Pictures

Rain

Rehearsal

Love

How about yours? Do tell!

Nostalgia

It seems like I want to find life's big, magical "Pause" or "Rewind" buttons when I realize I forgot a once-close someone's birthday.

Or when I realize I've changed - in both good ways and in ...other ways.

Or when I realize just how precious time really is.

Or when I continue pondering what the heck to do with my life and still have no clue.

Or when I understand that I've been taking sleep for granted my whole life.

Officially Stoked for an Adventure

So - I'm in Synthesis at BYU ("Brigham Young University's premier jazz ensemble!!")

Two summers ago, I was able to go on a tour of the UK with this ensemble.

Last summer I  was able to tour South Korea and Japan with the Wind Symphony.

This summer I will be able to tour Scandinavia with Synthesis.

The Husband served a two year religious mission for The Church of Jesus Christ in Latter-day Saints in Sweden just a couple years ago and would love to go back.

Could this be any more perfect?

After some "hemmimg and hawing" and gradually desensitizing ourselves to the reality of what an enormous expense this could be, we've decided that Spencer will come to Copenhagen (the tour's last stop) on the last day or two of my tour, and we will stay in Europe when the rest of the ensemble goes home. We debated about all the things we could do - stay in Sweden for ten days - hop on to another country while we're at it? And, basically, we've decided to take a "when in Rome" mentality and try to hit it all! We'll go to Stockholm first (just an hour and a half ferry from Copenhagen!), and then wander our way over to London somehow and fly out from Heathrow Airport (hopefully).

Current plan? Denmark to Sweden to Poland to Germany to France to the UK.

Sunday Dinner

Mmmmm... Gotta love eating like a kid.

*Sunny-D

*GoldFish

*Canned Peas

*CordonBleu Sandwiches: 

(Broccoli, Swiss Chees, Feta Cheese and Ham in a biscuit and baked :)

Delicious!!!

Things I like today:

From: The Husband. 

He's so sweet and thoughtful and they're so lovely.

From: RiteAid

Mmmm pastels, eggs and Easter! 'Tis the season!

From: Good friend/Old Roommate

Gotta love people who don't do that whole "stereotypical" thing.

From: caws.org/PetSmart

See previous post :)

Today I Fell in Love

My mom called me while she was at PetSmart. This was a bad idea because, after hearing the dogs barking in the background I realized it was dog adoption day (which is good.) So I convinced Spencer to take me over to see them - delaying my seriously-needed study time (which is bad.) But the puppies ABSOLUTELY brightened my day (which is good.) I wanted to adopt them all and take them home with me. (which is good/bad.) Spencer did, too. Especially the brother sister, 1 and a half year old black and yellow lab combo - Fred and Ginger. 

I have tried contacting Lost Paws Inc. about adoption opportunities. They have yet to respond to me :( But the CAWS (Community Animal Welfare Society) seemed very open to me and my interest to be a hands-on-more-than-just-cleaning-cages volunteer. Oh yes I will volunteer. I was especially fond of her use of the words "yes, we need foster homes, too!" Oooooh how I was born to be a foster home for sweet, old, deaf dogs who need love and spend most of the day sleeping, anyway so it's okay that Spence and I are gone most of the day. I just need to do something with animals. My whole life I've always had such a soft spot in my heart for dear, dear fuzzy creatures. And for years I've felt a need to do my part in helping to take care of the many homeless, helpless pets out there who love endlessly and need some in return. I resolve to do whatever I can to help.

Note: Alexander. Who would not LOVE this face!?!?! To me, it says "Why hello, old chap! My name is Alexand-ah. I'm from a place named Wellingborough, just East of Northampton. I enjoy crumpets and tea, and - oh please don't mind the teeth. Orthodontia is considered "cosmetic" here in the UK."

Listed as: "Needs Foster Home!!"

I vote - if you can - get in touch with caws.org and volunteer! Give these friendly, wonderful little guys the love and attention they all deserve! 

iwtgbldifubpseirhpq24tpyeiwrughaeog@!!!!!!!

I LOVE DOGS!

Title

I do very much like the title of Tielman Susato's book: "The third little music book published in our Nether-Dutch language, wherein are included all types of dances, that is, basse danses, rounds, allemandes, pavanes, and others, with also fifteen new galliards, very enjoyable and easy to play on all musical instruments."

Isn't it cheerful and quaint? Doesn't it make you want to leap out of your seat, purchase a lute, start strumming yourself a galliard while shouting "Thank you, Tielman Susato! Thank you!!"

Hooray for the composers of the late 16th century!

Science and Dishsoap

The whole bit about the toilet stall got me thinking about Science and petri dishes. You know - could I swab toilet seats and stall locks to prove that the first stall really is the cleanest!?

Similarly -

I now live in an apartment where I must wash my own dishes. I am my own, personal, dishwasher. This isn't a bad thing - and I certainly don't mind it, considering I usually listen to Coldplay, or the brilliant podcast "Stuff You Should Know" where I've learned about things like how Pirates, Braile, and Witches "work." What's great is that sometimes we let the dishes build up in the sink, and I get a full 45 minutes to an hour in of dish-washing, which means I can listen to a full podcast or two!

I know, I know, you're thinking "My gosh! 45 mintues or more of dishwashing! It simply can't be so!!" Well - it's so. But, the problem isn't (usually) a HUGE ammount of dishes, no, but it's that I get fairly obsessive compulsive about getting everything clean.

Which makes me think about science.  Is the process of washing dishes by hand with something like Dawn, Joy or Palmolive as effective as the process of immersing your dishes in a swirling vat of steamy, soapy unbearably hot heat and water for a half an hour or more?

Something makes me doubt it.

Gosh I wish I had some Petri dishes.

If my last name were Ockeghem...

I would probably appreciate Franco-Flemish composers.

I would probably enjoy the taste of cherry tomatoes.

I would probably like to spend my time doing crossword puzzles and reading the National Geographic.

I would likely be a fine chef, with an aptitude for identifying and appreciating good wine.

I would grow a beard (naturally - I'd be a man) and cross my legs and smoke a pipe - all at once!

I would probably attend mass every Sunday.

I would also probably be dead at this point.

I just like the name "Ockeghem."

Once Upon A Time...

I auditioned, on a whim (sort of) for a show called Once Upon A Mattress.

I got cast!

And I'm thrilled. There have been reports that I don't seem like I'm thrilled. Let me assure you this is due to a few unmethodical factors:

1. Lack of sleep and general tiredness (doi.)

2. The delicious taste of Crystal Light "Energy" - which I usually call my "happy water" - because of its mild caffeine content which is nice for a quick headache fix. However, I've become so fond of the flavor that I've been drinking it just ...because! And caffeine wears me out. So, again, see #1. 

3. It's the middle of the semester. Seriously.

So - despite those hindering lifestyle factors - I'm So happy to be in this show. I got the part of "Lady Larkin" who, in the 2005 Disney movie, is played by Zoey Deschenel.  She and "Sir Harry" (who will be played by my adoringly sweet husband, Spencer, and is played for Disney by Matthew Morrison - Will Scheuster of "Glee") are in love and want to get married but can't. Why? Well - you'd best come to see the show!

Also my mom is the overbearing Queen. HUZZAH!

Bathroom Stall Vindication

Remember my post? About the random things I think about? I.e. the fact that I prefer to use the first stall in a bathroom?

Well last Saturday - I was doing a same ol' same ol' Costco run and while picking up some necessities (Orbit Sweet Mint Gum, Lactose pills, and frozen beef) I was overcome with an urge.

So I took off to use Costco's Ladies' Restroom. As is typical, I had to wait in line. And by the time I got to the front of the line - CAN YOU GUESS!?!? - I found the first stall to be empty. Turns out, it was empty the whole while I was standing in line. Did you hear me?!
The first stall was empty!!

Oh faithful first stall - how I appreciate you and your cleanliness!!