Standing Outside the Fire

Sometimes when I listen to music I cry.

I just do, okay?

I was minding my own business on my way home from work today when Garth Brooks came on my cute little iPod. Garth was singing "Standing Outside the Fire".

Oh man.

Oh, man.

Not once in my known memory have I not cried while listening to this song. I remember the first time I saw the music video.
I was in the third or fourth grade.
It was after school, and I was watching CMT.
And I cried.
I bawled.
I couldn't breathe.
I don't remember ever feeling like that before.
But mostly, I was embarrassed and was glad no one had seen me crying at a music video.


Fast forward to the year 2005.
I was living in Idaho, in C4, and I had just come home from work. I was walking through the living room when the music video for "Standing Outside the Fire" suddenly appeared on our TV screen.

I stopped.

I had avoided that video my entire life.
And now, there it was.
There wasn't a soul in the living room.
Just me and Garth.
I stood transfixed.
As the message of the song and video unfolded before my eyes and in my heart I started to cry.
Tears were streaming down my face. I basically knew it would happen. I figured Garth and I could have another private moment. It was about time, anyway. It had been years since I had last seen the video.

As I stood there with my things in my arms, my face glowing with tears, eyes glued to the TV screen, I noticed a slight movement of energy to my left. I turn my head and here comes Tara bustling around the corner. She sees me.

She stops.

She stares.

Her mouth opens just a bit.

She looks at the music video.

She looks at me.

She says, "Are you crying???!"



I have no idea what I did then. I only remember Tara's shocked face. She was astounded, I think. I'm pretty sure Tara never looked at me the same after that.

Anyway, I figure you should probably all watch the video.



I hope this version is okay; I didn't watch it all the way through.

July 19th... so i'm late...

While traveling home from school, we stopped at this rest stop in Utah, where mom saw an absolutely ridiculous sign: "Hazardous Winter Conditions May Exist." She made fun of it as we passed it, and as we came back from the bathroom, she made fun of it again.

As i too doubted the severity of winters in Utah, having just come from vicious winters in Idaho, I still reprimanded my mother for taking so lightly what could be a very purposeful sign. Of course, the sign was so dinky, i would assume that the snow would cover it up in just a few wind bursts.
Anyway, i decided to take a picture of my mother and the sign she was mocking.


Also on my way home from school, we stopped at my friend Kylie's house, and were pleased to discover that we had similar toenail polish adorning our toes.
This is a true testament of our friendship. I'm sure it is.

Graduation

Holy Smokes, look at the graduate!



Mom, dad and I at the graduation luncheon. We keep it real in Idaho.



I took mom and dad to see the sights in Idaho. This is Mesa Falls, and this is the giant root beer in Ashton, on the way to Mesa Falls... although we got root beer floats after Mesa Falls.



And, my last fleeting glimpse at the temple, out of my car window.



I'll give you a better idea of graduation after i get home. Right now i am going to fall asleep on my clean clothes.

Things are sad sometimes

I finally threw out my favorite house shoes. I found a replacement for them, but it's just not the same. I was so sad the day they really officially became unwearable.

And other traumatic news:


Friday night was vomiting night. Somehow, i had gotten sick. So i puked up a storm. In the middle of the night, of course. So i stayed up, vomiting, and didn't get to bed until 8 in the morning.
Because of this, i had a really late night on Saturday. I sat down at my computer, contemplating life, and noticed that the top of my book shelf was wet. It turns out that one of my favorite (not) roommate had left some food storage in the cupboards above my book shelf. She had a gallon of water up there that somehow got a hole in it, and slowly leaked all over my stuff.

Best July Ever

My Relief Society had this huge enrichment-sleep-over-eat-steak-ice cream-soda-cookies-chips-paint semi lame wooden wall thingies.

I thought all of that but the last part was a really good idea.

So there i was, sitting at enrichment, with this blank piece of wood daring me to write something motivating and smarmy. After all, i would decorate my home with this piece of wood, so don't i want it to be great?

Girls were painting their wooden things in Country Cottage Blue, or Deathly Boring Tan.
Then they were stenciling things like, "Let your garden grow" "Return with Honor" "The cook went home" or, "Reach for the stars."

I started my project with black paint. I knew that would be a good start.
After much thought and searching, i ended up with this:

*I have no idea why this is underlined....I can't make it stop. Thanks, Google.
Anyway, i really thought this quote came from book 5, but it doesn't. It's from book 4. Who knew?*


Okay, great news: It is July! That means that the day i graduate is on my calendar!
(well, it's always been there, i just couldn't see it.)


There it is... July 18th. This is my Far Side calendar.


And of course, my High School Musical calendar.


AND--- my count down to graduation chain. Just so you know, it used to be draped down about a foot over by Jesus, and then over Him, past the sun, and to the very far end of the window. I've pulled off a lot of paper.

Oh man, graduation month! this is so great!

BONUS!!! We got our Teton Dam Volunteer shirts this week.

The Great Graduation Race

Including today, i graduate in 23 days. That is only days before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows should be delivered to my doorstep.

Clearly, i have a lot of major things happening in my life.

I remember back in the middle of May when there were only 64 days left until graduation.
That seemed like so long ago.

While i have been tearing off the days till graduation on my paper chain, a few other people have graduated. They include: Tara Griffith, Elizabeth Mallett, Rory Gilmore,and Otto Gustave Umlouf.
(if i have somehow missed an important graduate, please let me know.)
As i have been preparing to enter the big world, i have sought after words of wisdom.
The best graduation advice so far was found on MSN.com.

Does anybody have any graduation advice for me?

Man Made

The Rexburg temple is nearing completion. They just have to landscape, I think.
Supposedly, the temple will open in October, but nobody has sent me out an official email or anything.
About a year ago, the Idaho Falls temple opened it's door for walk in baptisms. Prior to that, you had to drag about 5 men out of their beds before 6:30 in the morning to do baptisms if you didn't have an assignment.
But, for the past year, i was able to go do baptisms every Friday at a normal hour, without finding men and dragging them along.


This is the baptistery entrance. They put up that doorbell sign about 4 months ago... apparently, no one could ever find the doorbell.



The 'mates.
Actually, left to right: Shalyn went home for the rest of the summer (home is 2 hours away) so we aren't actually roommates when we took this picture. Jenna was just visiting, and had moved out for the summer, which was in April. Then me of course, and Kathleen is going home tonight. Moving out of my room. It is so sad. But she is putting in her papers, so that is good.

i don't know why i took this crooked picture. I should have taken a straight one.





The Falls. I know... stunning...
Apparently, Idaho Falls was originally called Eagle Rock, after an Eagle was seen sitting on a Rock.



The name was changed after they made these Falls for energy harnessing.

The DAM Run

The Teton DAM run is a pretty big deal here in Southeastern Idaho.
We originally signed up to be volunteers, because all the volunteers get these really great orange shirts that say "DAM volunteer" on the back, a highly coveted item.
We didn't get shirts. Apparently, our shirts are on their way, but we didn't get to wear them at the race. Because of this, we used the word "dam" with as much vigor as possible for most of the day.
You'll find other people enjoy the use of "Dam" too.
One early runner, who was not in the race, but just cruising by...(we were in the middle of Sugar City... look at it thriving...)




oh yeah, the runner who was just out for a jog looked thirsty, so we offered him some water... and he said, "I don't want your Dam water,"
and then other runners would say, "Where are your Dam shirts?"
or, "Please give me some of that Dam water... do you have Dam Gatorade?"
And later, there was kinda a party at the park for the runners and family and people would say, "This is a pretty good Dam party."

People just go wild for the Dam Marathon.
I'm fairly certain that the runners would think of witty "dam" things to say when they passed us... We heard some good stuff.

Hatchet day

For FHE this week, we had a campfire and roasted hot dogs and had s'mores. It was really a lot of fun. The guys were in charge, but they didn't have any kindling. They did have some cardboard, and they had some wood, so out came the pocket knives and a hatchet.



"A hatchet?!!" you say? Yes, a hatchet.

"Hey dad, i totally forgot to pack my hatchet when i came up to school, would you mind sending it to me? Thanks."



Kathleen was in charge of lighting the fire.
It took about 957 matches before the flame became FIRE.








After a slow start, the fire remembered that it wanted to be FIRE, so it got to business and began to BURN. (P.S. if you want to see a kinda funny accident, sacrilegious photo concerning this fire and some wood, let me know.)


Kathleen thinks hatchets are funny. This is a grave mistake: Hatchets are not funny, not funny at all.

Idaho

This is the snake river. Idaho is semi pretty only in the summer. Some people may argue that it is pretty in the winter, but i don't notice it. I am usually overwhelmed by the frigid temperatures, treacherous icy walks to school with the wind blowing me around on the sidewalk and the general depression i get in the winter to notice anything kinda pretty.

A field.



Me and the field. (this is all Idaho is. I would show another really great landscapy picture, but it would just be another field. In the winter they are brown and dirty white.)



A creepy old house next to an Idaho field.


This road is called Pole Line Road. And it really is very very straight. It goes forever. So i took a picture of Kathleen, and then i thought, "Hey, this road is rarely used, and i have a timer on my camera, i want to be in the picture too." So i set up my camera, and just as we run down and get posed, this truck comes barrelling around the corner onto Pole Line Road, apparently oblivious to my car with it's hazard lights and us in the street. Anyway, we had to sprint after the camera, and we got there barely in time. But we got a cool picture out of it. It was my favorite one that night.

Today is May 22, 2007. MAY.

I woke up this morning, and saw this:


I would have stayed in bed, but i wouldn't get credit for my term paper if i wasn't there to hand it in at class time, dang it.


The poor flowers, but the park across the street was pretty, with vivid white and green.
I can't believe it snowed. Last year, the latest it snowed was mid April, and that was shocking. Oh well. It will probably snow on my graduation in July too.

Wheat and Skulls

When we were growing up, Mom liked to grind wheat. I would often find myself waking up to the grinder noise, and in the coming days find myself face to face with a wheat pancake. They were disgusting. Absolutely the worst thing ever. I couldn't understand what people were talking about when they spoke favorably about pancakes.
I think i was about 13 when i discovered that not all pancakes are nasty, i just happened to grow up with the nasty kind. To this day i hold no grudge on the pancake community, for i now know there are good amongst the evil, just trying to fight for their yumminess for the benefit of all man kind.
A few days ago i heard the familiar wheat grinder, as my roommate makes homemade bread every once in a while. I came down the stairs and discovered that my roommate had made me a wheat pancake, her favorite (somehow), weighing about 10 pounds and full of little pieces of wheat. I tried to eat it, but i got tired and bored. It filled me up after three bites. I ended up making an "M," and finishing it after a little break. I didn't eat for two days afterword.






Oh, also i got these really great skull shoes.

Mom, I shot a gun.

Tonight for FHE, we went shooting. I guess that is what happens when all of your FHE brothers are from Preston, Idaho. It was fabulous. We had a really great time, and no one shot their eye out.

We drove out to the middle of nowhere (not hard in Idaho) and spent the evening shooting at things.



The guys let us shoot the most, but you can tell they are really in their element.


This is Kathleen in her element. She thinks guns are funny. This is a grave mistake: guns are not funny Kathleen, not funny at all.