The Road Trip Rundown

Well, to be short, I'm back in Salt Lake City, and am wrapping up my first week back in class! But to fill in the massive 2 month span of time since my last blog posting....

I worked at the YMCA this summer as the day camp arts and crafts specialist. Much mayhem ensued.

I got a car! A zippy, brand new, Subaru Forester!

Not the greatest picture...but it'll do. 

After all that...Clayton flew out to Houston to drive back to Salt Lake with my dad and me. We saw sooooo many things, I can't even tell you. We stopped at 3 temples on the way back - San Antonio, Albuquerque, and Manti. It was a national park field day, visiting Carlsbad, Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon, Zions, and Bryce Canyon. It was such a wonderful experience and I think the three of us really bonded. Nothing at all went wrong, and everything was just easy and fun. At one point, the thought occurred to me that I was with the two men in this world that love me the most. That was really profound and I'm grateful for them and the time that they took to get to know each other and to help me drive back. I wouldn't change anything about the whole trip. 

Here are a few of my favorite pictures!

Making PB&J sandwiches

Happy hour was a necessary obsession.

Clayton and Lester bonding

The insanely amazing Mexican food at Sadie's in Albuquerque.

We had more leftovers than we ate.

We stopped at the San Antonio, Albuquerque (this one), and Manti LDS temples along the way.

Beautiful sunset on the way out of Albuquerque

Me at the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde - a dream since third grade

Snow cones at the sizzling four corners

My dad got a senior pass to all the national state parks! 

Zion's was breathtaking.

We're kind of in love.

My precious, and excited, dad.

Park hopping on the way back, we hit up Bryce Canyon.

Ten days of nonstop companionship. Um. Yeah.

Still happy.

Pie Sampler in Bicknell! From left to right: oatmeal, buttermilk, pickle, and pinto bean pies.

I'm so grateful for the experience and how many things we were able to see in such a condensed amount of time. Clayton and my dad bonded, and it was a really neat experience to be with the two men in this world that love me the most. I know I've already said that, but it was just so special. I couldn't have been better cared for. Many kudos to them, and to Clay's family for forfeiting him for a little while. It was good to show him around Houston and for my family to welcome him in. 

I couldn't have asked for a better start to my junior year at the U. :)

Day 7 - Maple Syrup and Lester

So today has been pretty darn productive. I donated 3 boxes of old YMCA shirts that I took home yesterday, drove across town, got my horn fixed (again), bought a strawberry rhubarb pie for my dad from Pie in the Sky (which is conveniently just a few blocks from the instrument repair guy), went to work to make a banner, and emailed the supplies I need for next week's camp. However, I have yet to touch my homework. For whatever reason, I truly have zero ambition or desire to even try to study at all. Today, Clayton said that being at home in Houston doesn't help. And that I'm busy working, and online classes are just a pain anyway. I think he's right. He said to just try for 30 minutes a day, and that's an approach I never considered. Then I'll do as much as I can in whatever time I allot myself. I think I'll do an hour a day. That should get me to the end of next week. 

Speaking of Clayton, he's a gem. For cyberspace's information, he is now my boyfriend, and we have taken just one official picture together. Funny story actually...it was taken at the Festival of Colors down in Spanish Fork this past March. I went with Chandra and Blythe, and he (conveniently) was there as well, asking to meet up. In accordance with my hard-to-get-ness, I was strongly opposed to this idea, but knew it had to happen - I'm a nice person on the weekends, and it was a Saturday. (comic relief) So we met up, and this picture was taken:

We're pretty adorbs. I know. Especially for not wanting to take this picture. Well, he definitely did, which you can see in his eyes. But I look pretty happy too! ...But to be completely honest, there's always been something oddly comforting about Clayton. He just calms me down. And even through all of the moments that I've blown him off and pushed him away (our history puts "complicated" to shame) I look back on them, and I can see that when I indulged in a side hug, or sat next to him, or anything that involved being close to or touching him, it just felt good. Yeah, I was too stubborn to acknowledge it, but in hindsight, it's definitely there. It was never this electric rush that makes your heartbeat soar and fireworks to go off. Instead, it was just peaceful. Clayton is just warm, and strong, and comforting. He has the spirit and determination of Nephi - I truly believe that. Anyway, I'm more at peace with my life than I ever have been, and that's all thanks to Clay. Alright. Enough maple syrup.

Day 7: A picture of your most treasured item

This is T. Lester Motz. He's from Macy's department store, December of 1995. I was 4. My sister was registered there for her wedding, and while my parents and I were shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I fell in love with a display of clean cut panda bears wearing Tommy Hilfiger Christmas sweaters. The rest is history. The T stands for Tommy, derived from his original sweater; Lester is my grandpa's (my dad's dad's) name - not sure why I was set on naming him after a grandpa I didn't know too well? But I did. And obviously, he goes by his middle name because I do. Obviously. But yeah. I've had him for 15 1/2 years now, and he's pretty great. He's been my companion during colds and flus, breakups and heartaches, and my big move to adulthood (and Utah). This picture was taken last summer. His silly little smile just warms your heart, doesn't it? 

Well, here's to a happy father's day weekend - the annual weekend of major electronics sales, necktie shortages, and crowded restaurants. :) Have a good day!

Day 6 - The Temple

I'm sorry that I have been so terrible at blogging this summer. I have things I want to blog about...and then never do. It's okay. I don't have too many followers anyway. And the ones I do have probably don't even navigate themselves to my lovely little corner of the internet. Anyway...on with the show!

Day 6 - A picture that inspires you

Recently, I decided that the Houston LDS Temple is where I want to and WILL get married. For years, I think it has stood as my subliminal messenger that I deserve an eternal family, and those wonderful blessings that come from making sacred covenants within its walls. I used to tell my family that I would get married in the Salt Lake Temple, however, now that I live in SLC, the Houston Temple feels like home. I think it was always the temple that popped in my head when I thought of "the" temple. With my many shortcomings and faults, all temples are inspiring. Each tells a story, as well as each person who enters its peaceful walls. 

I can't wait until I can be sealed for time and all eternity in the Houston Temple, no matter how inconvenient or impractical it may be. It's my temple.

'Tis the end of another year

A year ago, at the end of my first year of college, I made a blog posting about what I had learned over that year. While the list was rather lengthy, there were some very interesting things that I had taken away from a year at the U. I don't know how long this year's will be, but here goes (in no particular order):

1. Rooming with Blythe Enke was so much more fulfilling than being by myself.
2. Taco Tuesday at Del Taco is the best place to be on Tuesday nights.
3. Pie Rush Wednesday at Village Inn is the best place to be on Wednesday nights.
4. Email is the overwhelming, professional communication of choice.
5. Consequently, I wouldn't survive this century without a smart phone.
6. Regular temple attendance (such as once a week) may not noticeably change your life, but when it becomes more irregular again, it's so obvious.
7. Grey's Anatomy is addictive.
8. Just because you face a conflict with your big boy pants on, doesn't mean your adult counterpart will.
9. And rather than being in a stalemate, you can actually end up making it harder on yourself. That's hard.
10. An empty mailbox is a happy mailbox. (sarcasm intended)
11. Marshmallow creme belongs on chocolate ice cream. And chocolate ice cream belongs under marshmallow creme.
12. Diet Coke doesn't keep me awake. But a lack of Diet Coke makes for an unpleasant headache.
13. Turning on christmas lights can be the difference between a dismal day and a successful day.
14. Provo is not a good place to meet boys. But they sure can make some ice cream.
15. No matter how many plans (ie. Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, etc.), you're not entitled to even one of them. They can all fall through.
16. And eventually, that will be okay. Live a little.
17. Nephews are adorable.
18. Ruby Snap makes amazing cookies. (understatement)
19. Do not leave forks unattended in the kitchen while lunch is in the microwave. Hungry people in the music building will actually steal them.
20. Dating is actually fun.
21. I can go a month without doing laundry, and still not offend anyone along the way. At least as far as I can tell. (referring to the act of wearing dirty laundry)
22. You just never know who will come waltzing back into your life. Neither will you know how to feel about that and/or react.
23. Printers do not like me. Correction: my printer does not like me.
24. Las Vegas can actually provide wholesome memories for me.
25. Gaining all the weight you lost sucks. Bad.
26. Jealousy is destructive. It leads to gossiping and passing judgment, even if that's not your intention.
27. Rice really does revive a broken phone. So. Awesome.
28. Finishing musicianship, concert attendance, and keyboarding is as freeing as everyone makes it out to be.
29. I actually CAN read my scriptures consistently every day. Even if it eventually died. But I did it for a while. and can do it again.
30. Living a double life can only last for so long. It's too exhausting.
31. As your parents get older, life seems a lot shorter. Less time to learn all the wisdom they need to teach you. Less time for them to clean up your messes. Less time before you'll turn around and take care of them. But even though it seems like it's one big loss, they're still the same people (except you understand them a little more), and they seem to only love you more. Even from 1500 miles away.

Needless to say, it was a good year. Even after all the heartache and griping. I sure am glad it's over, though.

Pictures of the new house to come!

Day 5 - Jury and Conducting final

Oh hello again.

Day 5: Picture of your morning

This morning was my Jury! I don't really want to talk about it. But at least it's over. For anyone who doesn't know, music majors are required to perform a "jury" at the conclusion of each semester. A panel of professors sit behind a table, and you play a solo piece (usually with piano accompaniment) and they fill out evaluation forms, exchange pleasantries, and usually pass you. It's kind of the culmination of your semester as a music major, and it's a lot easier when it's over. I don't get very nervous for them though. It seems pretty routine.

I also had my conducting final, to which Scott actually said, "you have some natural talent." And if you know Scott, you know that's a mighty big compliment coming from him. So that was surprising. I feel like there is much to be desired when it comes to my conducting skills. I'm not pro by any means. But it went well. I did Irish Tune, by Grainger (which holds a special place in my heart, thanks to Scott McAdow), and Profanation, by Bernstein. :)

Note: I wrote "jury" backwards on that paper so it would show up correctly. Yeah. That's right. I'm a boss. 

Now it's on to studying, and maybe a trip to the temple/Deseret Book. I kind of want to eat at the Lion House too. (I have to hit up Temple Square while I can! I'll miss it when I'm back home!) I have a music history test and a musicianship appointment to study for, as well as a paper to write. Good heavens. Stay tuned for that really great news I mentioned last night.... my fingers are still crossed that it will go through!

Day 4 - Stake Conference and Fake Smiling

I went through my internet history, which is sickeningly full of facebook pages, and found the 30 day challenge I went with. So here is the next one!

Day 4: A picture of where you went today

Salt Lake Institute of Religion

Church! Stake conference, in fact. This week, the Church has reorganized the Salt Lake area's Young Single Adult stakes. Today, we all went to church to hear what new ward we are in. Turns out that I am going to be in the Bonneview YSA Ward, of the Bonneville YSA stake. The student wards and stakes were eliminated in an effort to simplify the Young Single Adult options for church attendance. The whole thing is pretty nifty. And the stake presidency is the same as the old University 6th stake. Which is amazing. I love President Rees.

Anyway, my jury is in the morning. It's finals week, and my eating habits are already taking a beating. Oh well. I could have some very exciting news tomorrow, so be on the look out for that! :)

As a footnote, it is exhausting when your hopes and dreams don't turn out the way you want them to. Sure, my summer plans could be an example of that. But when you have feelings for someone, and all you can do is have all the hope and faith in the world that it's meant to be...it's hard when you realize that you were as crazy as you thought you were. That even after all of the justification (i.e. I must feel this way for a reason. Yeah, it's a crazy long shot, but there's still a chance...) yet still, after comforting yourself to sleep on those sleepless nights, you were crazy. It was, and still is, a long shot. That's hard. 

It's hard to walk away from what has been your motivation to keep going. When nothing else made all the bad things worth it. I'm coming to terms, I guess. Call it growing up. Call it getting real with yourself. Call it whatever you want. No matter the label, it still hurts. And that hurt is exhausting. Because you have a decision to make. Give up now and save yourself more heartache in the end, or keep fighting for what you've hoped and prayed would be your best friend and your everything. Fighting that losing battle takes a lot of energy that I don't think I have. You have to mask the pain and rejection, in the hopes that one day they'll notice you. I think it's time I threw in the towel.

Besides, I'm a terrible fake smiler. 

Day 3 (clearly, I'm slacking in daily commitments)

This just goes to show that I truly do fail at daily commitments. Prayer, scripture study, practicing, blogging.... it's all one in the same. I am a terrible person.

Not really. But I do suck at doing things every day.

So we'll just carry on, and see how many days it truly takes me to finish this 30 day challenge. This could be extremely entertaining. :)

[Insert a failed 25 minute search for the next question.]

Okay, new plan. hahahaha I can't find the one I was using. :( So instead, here is a short list of things that are not okay:

1. People picking me up. Don't do it.
2. The saxophone.
3. How dry my skin is across my knuckles.
4. Professors that don't show up for your final presentation of your final transcription. Especially when it's "Careless Whisper." Who doesn't love George Michael? Or at least his hair. See for yourself:



5. The level of pain that my back is constantly in.
6. Adorable boys that are younger than me that I could look at all day long. It makes me creepy and unstable. Borderline cradle robber.
7. Feet. Any age, size, color, condition, etc. Not. Okay.
8. I'm out of peeps. This is a disaster.

That's good for now.
I wonder what question 3 was.

Day 2 - Earth Day!

Good morning!

As I am NOT in form and analysis this morning........it's time for day 2 of my 30 day challenge!

Day 2: A picture of what you wore today

Rain boots

Free earth day shirt

Explanation: My weather app depicted today with lightening. This is a rare occurrence and the warning must be heeded. Result = rain boots. Yesterday, Blythe and I went to this earth day celebration up by the dorms and watched an hour of Planet Earth (WHICH IS INSANE), signed a petition to recycle at football games (they had some crazy statistic about how much waste is accumulated per season at the stadium), ate Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes, and got these free tshirts! They're pretty nifty, huh? Also, I'm trying to avoid doing laundry until right before I go home... haha

Anyway...Happy Earth Day! Go hug a tree, start a compost pile, plant a flower, throw away some hairspray, or buy me a hybrid car. :)

Day 1

Hello world,

I have decided to take on the 30 day challenge on facebook. However, I will attempt to keep things classy (as usual) and post this on my blog instead. Yes, you are meant to chuckle.

Day 1: Picture of yourself

There's really no story. Except that this is my post-haircut from Christmas break. And that is my Texas bathroom. I just don't take very many pictures of myself. 

As for my commentary of the day? Here's a thought: just because I am too physically and mentally exhausted to transport myself to a lavatory, does that make me lazy? I don't think so. I think it's sign that I am an overworked, stressed out, under-compensated college student. And a music student at that. If it was socially acceptable to live my life with a bed pan, I would. They could be popular. They could come in different colors, patterns, and materials. They could have seasonal decorations. Christmas lights and garland? Then no one would be forced to sit through an excruciatingly long class with an antsy bladder. We've all been there. And when our bodies are too exhausted to get up from our study sessions in the library...there will be no need. People pee in pools. And everyone is okay with that, because we've all been there, done that. Why should our lives on land be any different?

Points to ponder.

The audition of a lifetime!

For those of you that weren't aware, for the past 13 months, I have been gearing up for my audition for the Disney College Band. In short, it is an internship-like position, with a weekly stipend. Disney houses the band at the Resort, and they perform Tuesday-Saturday for roughly 8 hours a day. It's about an 11 week program over the summer, and I knew I would be competing for 1 of 2 spots in the band. That being said, I knew I was up for the challenge. I've never wanted anything so badly. (Except maybe to be in the BOA Honor Band for the Rose Parade in 2008/2009. But you get the idea.) 

Well, you guessed it. My audition was today! I arranged to have my sister and brother-in-law put me up for the weekend, and reserved the plane ticket. I flew into Burbank on Friday evening (with a brief layover in the beautiful Oakland! road trip now, please...) and have been hanging out with my adorable nephew all weekend. On to the actual audition!

We left not-so-bright and early this morning and journeyed to Anaheim. (Important note: I ingested 2 capsules of passionfruit under Blythe's prescription. Google it. It totally calms you down.) Finally, after some run-around to find the location of said audition, we ended up on "Cast Lane," waiting outside of some fancy, high security, yellow building that houses sacred secrets to the magic of Disney. Probably. But it did have 2 things I'd like to note for my own personal amusement:

1. Uptight old men, dressed as security guards. There's something non-threatening about official badges with Mickey Mouse ears on them, however. Not too intimidating. Try again, Disney.

2. MY FAVORITE SOAP. Now, if your name is either Blythe or Alyse, you know how much I have been obsessing about my favorite kind of soap for the last couple of days. To make a long story short, the big yellow building had it. I knew it was meant to be when I discovered it. Disneyland is truly magical.

So anyway, I was waiting with a growing group of auditionees for further instruction. Around 8:45 am, "Marie" came to get us. I liked her shoes. Her voice, however, was kind of similar to Kristen Chenowith's voice. High pitched, questionably peppy, and eventually just flat out annoying. She was definitely cute though. After counting us and getting us access past the Mickey Mouse Club security guards, she took us past the gate, where we stood some more. It was the epitome of "hurry up and wait." This is where I struck up a conversation with the horn player next to me. Not worth explaining - just know that we ended up hanging around me for the remainder of the day. He was a less awkward version of Stephen - a Clarinet player at the U, from American Fork. 

Eventually, we were herded farther backstage (to where I went back when I did the Rose Parade and the band performed at Disneyland, actually) and a nice loud man (named, Hans) debriefed us on where individual auditions would take place, how to sign up for them, and everything else we needed to know. Luckily, saxophones and horns/mellophones were in one room and everything else in another. This meant that our line was SIGNIFICANTLY shorter. I signed up for my time after Stephen's twin, which was 10:15. At this point, I had a little over an hour until my audition. People in the back of the other line got times as late as 3:30 pm. (As other people arrived, the times were later and later. When I left, the latest I knew of was 5 pm. And it was a girl from BYU! Crazy.) 

I chilled out, met some people (not past first names and schools), and waited to warm up. I was one of 4 horn players (at the time, at least) and the ONLY one that also brought a mellophone. A lot of auditionees came in groups from their respective schools. It reminded me a lot of region band in high school - everyone together in their cliques, sizing each other up, and pretending to care about fine details of strangers' lives. When there was a little over half an hour to my audition time, I went around the corner to the open parking lot that was designated for our warm up area to warm up and run through my music. Afterwards, I made a quick trip to the bathroom and also filled up my water bottle. I meandered back to the warm up area and gathered my instruments to head inside.

Waiting by the room, I witnessed the Stephen look-alike go into and come out of his audition. He was at 10 am, right before me. I wished him luck, etc. When he came back out, rather quickly, he looked very unhappy and attributed it to the fact that Rick (who auditioned us) didn't ask him to sight read anything. He assumed that meant he wasn't worth his time, and was obviously disappointed. It was really sad to see him. I wished him luck and tried to reassure him as I went in for my audition. 

I went in to the sound room, and Rick had stepped out for whatever reason. As I situated myself, I felt confident and tried to focus on being excited. This was the moment I had been waiting over a year for! I just needed to have fun, and let my enthusiasm show. There was a small collection of Wenger chairs in front of the stand, and I pushed them out of the way. I was going to stand. Rick came back, and asked me for my name, hometown, and school. As I mentioned the University of Utah, he rather unenthusiastically said, "oh, [pause] so you know Brian Sproul?" and I enthusiastically answered, "yes! I work very closely with him! I'm actually flying from here to Las Vegas to meet him for a basketball tournament." His responses skipped a few beats. He slowly told me about their camaraderie back east, and, to my surprise, mentioned his divorce - OF ALL THINGS. What?! But I nodded and shared his sad sentiments. Rick couldn't remember his wife's name, and I prompted him, "Marty" as he asked who has custody of Jeff! ...what?! I said that he is usually with Brian, but Marty still lives in the area, teaching junior high band. Anyway, after this odd exchange, I introduced the Mozart I was playing. Went through it, played Rhapsody in Blue, and then he stood up and walked around the room a little bit. I think he was going to move on, but then motioned to my mellophone as an afterthought - "Oh, did you want to play anything on your mellophone?" I answered that I had prepared some Stars and Stripes Forever, and proceeded to play some. He ended up motioning to me before I was actually done - which was totally fine. I take it that he didn't need to hear much more. He sets this MASSIVE binder on my stand for sight reading. Literally MASSIVE. He opened to an Earth Wind and Fire medley. Thankfully, I didn't bomb it. The second one was a mysterious piece with a questionable title. Weird syncopation. Different key. Awkward. The last one started off pretty poorly and eventually came out to "When you wish upon a star." Unfortunately, I missed the F# from the key, and he said "oh no. Mickey's not happy..." and pointed to the key. Even though sight reading was overall a little squirrelly, I smiled through it and tried to be charming.

After all the playing, he asked, "So how long is the flight out here?" Seemed like an unnecessary question to me. I'm sure he didn't really care. "I had a brief layover, but about 3 1/2 hours. Not too bad." He nodded, and then asked what I think was the perfect ending question - "and did you come with a group?" I answered with the negative, and was happy to report that it was just me. He nodded and possibly commended me for coming out by myself. I thanked him for his time and wished him a good day. 

And that was it. I was escorted out, and met back up with Dawn, John, and William. I feel really good about the whole situation. For everything I prepared, there's not a thing I would change. Sight reading really couldn't have gone any different. I wish I would have mentioned that I know Katy Stearns (whom he knows from 2009, and whom I know from high school) but I forgot. That's okay. I'm confident that I have a fair shot. And it was such a great feeling to be all alone, as silly as that sounds. Not knowing anyone there was such a strength to me. Just as Rick alluded to on my way out. There are so many coincidences and little tiny connections that I have noticed over the past year that make me feel like it's meant to be. Or if it's not quite meant to be, then it's at least now or never. 

I'll hear back in 2 weeks. 

Stay tuned. :)

Click here to find youtube videos about the audition process and to learn more about what the band actually does! 

Sleep patterns.

Here is my day in a nutshell:

6 am: Alarm goes off. Overall feeling = exhausted.

6:50 am: Emerge from bed. Overall feeling = exhausted and pissed to be awake.

7:30 am: First class of the day. Overall feeling = exhausted and apathetic.

11:35 am: Finally lunch time (if I'm lucky). Overall feeling = exhausted and stressed.

2 pm: Rehearsal. Literally falling asleep. Overall feeling = exhausted and senile.

4 pm: Done with rehearsals. Time to practice. Overall feeling = exhausted and unmotivated.

6 pm ish: Dinner/homework/sporting events and pep band. Overall feeling = exhausted.

11 pm: Get home. Overall feeling = awake and unproductive.

WHAT IS THIS?!

People, this is not okay. My generation suffers from a problem. Yes, every generation of college students before me has their midnight stories of fun and awesomeness. The problem with my generation is that instead of stories, we're ON FACEBOOK. Wasting precious time that should be spent earning our overpriced undergraduate degrees that serve merely as a stepping stone to any actual wage-earning degree. 

And here I sit. Blogging. I'm a walking example of this ridiculousness. I spend all day, every day, utterly spent, just wanting to come home and crawl in my bed. Now I've crawled in, and it's a joke. 

Absurd.

Speechless

Adele is flawless. Always has been. In celebration of her new album, here is a live version of my favorite song from 19. She is impeccable. I love you, Adele.

Stay tuned for my favorite song from 21.

Get her music. Now.

Whilst transcribing...

I decided that I needed a break from transcribing Eleanor Rigby. I was on "lonely people" overload. And what does Amberley do when she needs a break from music? Shops online. obvi.

So I went to www.thelimited.com and selected an adorable dress on sale that I had asked for for my birthday. (bonus: they don't have limiteds in Utah, therefore no one else will be sporting it. ha!) Anyway, I had a genius idea to google for a coupon code, and I came across the most amazing website ever! Retailmenot offered me a free shipping code, and a 20% off code. I tested both to see which would save me the most money, and ended up getting $10.21 off with the 20% off coupon. How fantastic is that? Of course these codes aren't advertised on the website, which makes it all the more exciting. The pressure to "buy now before the code expires on Monday!" (or whatever the websites catch you with) is completely gone. You can find coupons for everything from Domino's pizza to Victoria's Secret. It's genius. There are printable coupons, grocery coupons, and of course, coupon codes. And people comment on certain codes to say that they just used it, or that it didn't work - so some are more reliable coupons than others.

It's definitely a must try before any online purchase. :)

Enjoy!

Let's get real: Public Restroom Ground Rules

Here's what I'm thinking. Over the past couple of years, I have used public restrooms almost every day. As a functioning adult at a world class university, I have also noticed patterns of human behavior within these public restrooms. (as well as caught myself falling into some of the same patterns) Allow me to explain a few of these.

1. The wait-it-out: You enter the restroom, and there is already someone using the facilities. You pick a stall, and go about your business - but you can't help but notice the dead silence that has engulfed the restroom. I call this the wait-it-out. Especially in a workplace or school, the person obviously does not want to take the chance of finishing their business and running into you at the sinks...in case you are indeed acquaintances, or worse yet, colleagues. This would be obviously embarrassing (or so they assume) so the best solution is to pretend that they're not there.

2. The embarrassing-noises cover: This situation is much like the first one, however the sound ceases only until you flush. The ruckus of flushing is a perfect cover for any embarrassed restroom patron that needs to make any kind of attention-getting noise. (Think: sanitary products, flatulence, or even the ever-embarrassing second or third flush to prevent a plumbing disaster.)

3. The toilet-paper crisis: It happens to the best of us. We carefully select a stall to use, not realizing it is out of toilet paper. The gutsy ones will ask someone next to them for toilet paper. The rest of us wait it out, until the commotion has died down or until we have finished panicking, and consider (as I assume) retrieving some from the next stall over. Many times have I used a public restroom and figured that the patron in stall B is in crisis.

4. The oh-no-I-clogged-it panic: Have you ever flushed, only to realize that it's just not your day? Maybe this has happened right after your movie at the Mexaplex got out, the symphony is at intermission, or your flight just landed - either way, the restroom is packed. You can't just slink out of the restroom unnoticed. There is a solid, never-ending line of women waiting for YOUR stall. Obviously, the only thing you can do is wait until the restroom has cleared out a little. Showing your face is out of the question.

These circumstances given, I pose the question: why? Why do we do this? As the infamous childhood book instructs, "everybody poops." How, after all these years of evolution and intellectual exploration, are we still embarrassed of our bodily functions?

So. Funny.

Just something I noticed. :)

My life is dismal. Here is the result.

Wedding plans.

This is happening.

I'll have you all know that I am not one of those girls that have dreamed about their planned wedding since they were 5. I was too busy just hoping for a boyfriend. This whole wedding craze is an extremely recent thing. The moral is...this is the first dress that I've fallen in love with. And it took forEVER to find this one that I was remotely excited about.

It wouldn't let me transfer a picture: http://www.latterdaybride.com/romana-details.php

Also, did you know that J crew has wedding dresses? What a FIND!
http://www.jcrew.com/wedding/Wedding_Bride.jsp

AND the limited! I'm in love with these two:

http://www.thelimited.com/category/apparel/weddings-events/wedding-dresses

As far as bridesmaids go, here's what I'm thinking: I don't know how many I'll have, but they will have the option of pencil or A-line skirt. Probably black or grey herringbone. They'll have matching blouses and cardigans, with cute heels or flats. Functional, classy, and comfortable.

Skirts: courtsey of The Limited.

 

Blouses: each gets a different color of a generic blouse like these, from The Limited and J Crew.

Sweaters: cardigans, in the appropriate color or colors (shown, from Gap and J Crew).

I couldn't find any inspiring patterns, but the blouse would hopefully be some kind of stripe or cute pattern. Wedding colors? I'm thinking pink, yellow, and black. :) 

Shoes? Payless or Target black pumps would do the trick. But what if they had TOMS instead?! Genius, I know. 

Needless to say, it's going to be awesome, classy, low key, comfortable, and relatively inexpensive. and if the bridesmaids conveniently turn out to look like me...well, so be it. :) I think it'll be a lovely mix of timeless style (pencil skirts and pearls) with fun and silly touches (toms and...I don't know? personality?)

You are cordially invited. :)

I'm a ski bum. and you should be too.

I finally feel like I live here! and this is how! Skiing at Brighton is probably the greatest deal in Utah. There are student tickets you can purchase at the union - $55 for all day, $27 for night. On top of those sweet discounts, there are weekly night skiing deals that even top those. Check it out!

Every Tuesday cause it's Truth about Tobacco night. If you go to fighttheugly.com you can print off a coupon good for $17 night skiing.

Every Wednesday is Arctic Circle night. If you buy a value meal at Arctic Circle you will receive a 2 for 1 coupon for night skiing.

Every Friday is X96 night. If you have a X96 Workers Union card, and you present it at the ticket booth you will receive 2 for 1 night skiing.

These pictures are from last Friday, but we've already taken advantage of night skiing too! :)

On the way up the mountain.

Ski lift fun.

Do it!

Brighton Ski Resort Website

Found: Soul mate! But not for long.

Remember Chandler? The mystery boy from the past Monday evening shuttle ride? Guess who I spotted on the shuttle yesterday afternoon!?

Here's the sitch:

Alyse and I got on a shuttle to go back to our dorms at approximately 2 pm. I had a concert that evening, and she had to get ready to go to Lehi for her usual Thursday trumpet class (which she teaches). Anyway, we got on with some other people we knew, and I was chatting (and standing. ugh) with one of them. At the trax stop, a load of people got off, and I took a seat next to Alyse. It didn't take long before her eyes landed on a lovely tall young man in a camouflage uniform. (Alyse has always taken a liking to men in uniform. It's in the blood.) Well he was standing, and she commented on how cute he was (nothing outside of standard procedure with us) and I agreed. A couple stops later, it dawned on me.

This cadet in the United States Air Force was my Chandler.

Well, needless to say, I freaked out, quickly told Alyse what was going on, and the whole situation was so comical. It all happened so fast. I looked back, and Chandler was looking me, so we did the whole looking-and-looking-away thing all over again, (see past blog entry for details) except this time, Alyse was there to say "he's looking at you" multiple times.

Unfortunately, he got off a couple stops later and we saw him cross the street towards the Huntsman Center (basketball arena). But the good news is, he wasn't a figure of my imagination. I was beginning to worry. Also, he got the Alyse Mourdock stamp of approval. Which is pretty much only second best to Oprah's.

P.S. His uniform informed me of his last name. Horn. His last name is horn. I can't escape music to save my life. However, it does pass the one-syllable-last-name test that I've been harping on for years. (My name just doesn't sound good with more than one syllable of a last name!)

I'll enclose a plea to my lost-again Cadet Horn. Please distribute to anyone matching his description.

Dear Mr. Horn,
Will you be my valentine?
Fondly,
Amberley

Someone needs cheering up...

...and his name is Brandon Koch! This handy dandy envelope is equipped with a 1 1/2 page letter, hand drawn portrait of the man himself, spiderman bandaid, various photos, and an assortment of silly bands. If this doesn't make him smile, then there really is no hope for the people of Brazil. Just kidding. But really. :)

Love you, B!

Holy applications.

Spring semester is like 2 semesters in one. You have to live the current semester, while planning for the next. Applications and their deadlines can go jump off a cliff.

Not really.

I need scholarships.

But you catch my drift.

While boys are gallivanting on missions...

I have 12% battery life. Let's do this.

So being an LDS young woman in a prominently LDS area/school is interesting. I came to college just like any other doe-eyed 18 year old, with dreams of pizza, dating, and extra long twin beds. After a successful year of independence and way too much stress, the summer returns and we all parted ways until the next semester.

At least the female portion of my age group did.

The males, however, had persevered through the tedious process of submitting their mission papers, and receiving their personalized mission calls to faraway (and some not so faraway) lands. During the summer, they each departed for their 2 year adventures one by one. Upon my return, they were (of course) all gone. As I tried to resume my normal college life, it was hard to forget those people with whom I spent every day. To liven up the ordeal, a fresh shipment of newly returned missionaries returned to school to reacquaint themselves with the pizza, dating, and extra long twin beds that they had left behind before I even showed up to campus.

Thus we have the LDS cycle. But what about the girls? We watch them all come and go. We reflect on all those adolescent/teenage young women's lessons about supporting the priesthood, and supporting our peers to serve missions. What are we doing? While I'm stuck (abandoned, really) in school, stressing about ridiculous classes and some ambiguous future that will never happen exactly how I'll ever plan it, they're off on missions in Brazil, New Zealand, France, Costa Rica, and South Korea. A mission is no walk in the park, but come on. I don't think I realized that the 18-19 years are the last years that I'll ever really be on the same level with the opposite gender. By the time they get home, we're such completely different people, and so many have come and gone, that there's a fairly slim chance that we'll return to normality as we knew it.

And what about when you have your heart set on one? In two years, all of my day to day struggles will be laughable. Most of the time, all I want to do is talk to an anonymous person about my dismal lifestyle because I know that he's pretty much the only person that is so removed from the music department and everyone with whom I associate that all he'll be able to do is listen. And that's what I need. Too bad he's in an anonymous place.

But what's worse is that I'm here in Salt Lake City, betting my future on a boy that I've met one time, and who isn't in the frame of mind to understand my intentions. Let alone the fact that I can't just unload my issues on him. So many girls have this conflict. Until some newly returned young man dashes in and sweeps them off their feet.

Listen, young men. There will be no sweeping. I'm committed to living my life from random letter to random letter for the next 19 months.

btw. I'm married.

I forgot to mention...

I'm married! (Says facebook.)
You may now refer to me as Mrs. Cheston Bransford Newhall. :)

What a goober.
Side note: this was taken at band banquet. I got the award for most valuable vet musician. cute :)
Additional side note: this is the dress from a few postings ago! love it.

Happy almost-halfway-done-with-the-week day!

Lost: Soul mate. Reward: A collection of silly bands?

Fasten your seatbelts. You have a first class ticket to a glimpse of what my life has come to.

This evening, around 5 pm, as I was having an enthralling phone conversation with Alyse, I made my usual journey to the shuttle stop in front of the music building. On the bench, sat one young man whom I had never before seen - let's call him Chandler. Equipped with a grey backpack (a sign of intellect), and sporting a brown hoodie, black track pants, and white athletic sneakers, he glanced in my direction as I approached the stop and sat down on his side of the bench. I would be lying if I said I didn't consciously notice him between every "yeah" and "really?" of my phone call. The shuttle soon came, but not before Alyse and I talked about going to the temple sometime this week, debating which one to choose, and what time they each closed. I couldn't help but notice Chandler's sideways glances when I started to use the Mormon lingo. Yes, he was definitely Mormon as well. (Check mark #1) As Alyse and I hung up, the shuttle pulled up to the curb.

We climbed the shuttle steps, (In the brief "after you" moment before getting on, I desperately searched for a visual on the coveted left ring finger. The mission was a failure. Potential check mark #2) and I headed to the back where there were several open seats. After sitting down, I looked back towards the front. Unfortunately Chandler hadn't followed me, and chose the one open seat I had passed. Between text messages to Blythe, I continued to glance in Chandler's direction - mostly trying to make the final judgement call. Was he cute or not? In what seemed like the same moment that I decided he was, our eyes met. Thus began the awkward eye contact (Check mark #3) across the shuttle.

Approaching the institute, I shot a text message to Blythe: "There's a cute boy on the shuttle. We keep looking at each other. If he gets off at the institute, I'm getting off."

He didn't get off.

At the stop right before the Heritage Center, a large group of people got off. I had my fingers crossed that he would stay...and he did. But then I notice him grab an item from the floor, leaving his backpack behind, and bolts off the shuttle. I quickly look out the window from my terrible angle, and I get a visual of him handing a girl this item that she has apparently left behind. (Check mark #4) Chandler gets back on the shuttle, makes eye contact with me again, and the bus driver takes us on to the Heritage Center.

It's time to exit the bus, and at first I thought Chandler had crossed in front of the bus in direction to Officer's Circle (where I reside). He had gone out the front door, and I the back. Once I got my bearings, I saw him walking towards the HC, and opted to go follow him there for any potential interactions or introductions - rather than go home as planned. I needed to check my mail anyway. To make a long story short, we lost contact as he went upstairs to grab a meal. I wasn't hungry and figured I'd pursued it far enough, so I just checked my mail (Good thing! I got my order of silly bands!!) and headed home.

Which brings me to this: If you run into a clean cut, intelligent-looking, tall and slender Mormon between the shuttle stop in front of Kingsbury Hall and the dorms....I'm offering a reward. One of every kind of silly band that I own. If you know me, you know that's awesome.

I suppose that if this was BYU, our eye contact alone would have been a marriage proposal. Alas, this is what my life has come to. I'm blogging about a boy that makes ambiguous eye contact with me on a moving bus. Obviously, I'm stable.

The answer.

D&C 71:5-11

awesome.
good night.

Ghost hunting adventures!

On Saturday night, Alyse, Blythe and I set out on our first planned paranormal adventure in Salt Lake City.

The Smart House

With google on our phones, we started with a search in the avenues for Elizabeth Smart's house. It's located in Federal Heights, which is right next to campus. We knew it was next to the medical center, along the mountainside's big, flashing U. We drove up and down Federal Heights Drive, turning off onto Federal Heights Circle. At the end of the circle, there was a large stone fence/gate, with a security guard house and a "no tresspassing sign." It was tempting to just drive right in, as the gate was open, but we opted not to. Returning to our first path, we turned onto Fort Douglas Circle. This street seemed like the closest we'd gotten, and at the very end culdesac, we may have found it. Maybe we can go back in the daylight and get a better look. My gut tells me it's behind the huge gate, though.

Salt Lake City Cemetery

Next, we drove past the Salt Lake City Cemetery, which sits on top of the Avenues. Every prophet of the LDS church is buried here, along with many other prominent people in church history. It's truly a massive cemetery, spanning some insanely large amount of land. Well...we were on the search for this lunatic of man who sits atop his wife's tombstone every single night (in rain, sleet, snow...anything) in a white robe. Alyse had gone to see him three times before Saturday night, once in a blizzard, and he's always there. She told us that she goes back in the morning, and he's gone. If you drive up to the fence, you can see him about 3 or 4 rows in. The scariest part is first laying eyes on him. It's so insanely creepy. This man is truly insane. He has apparently been coming to the grave every single night for 10 years. People allegedly attempt to communicate with him, or bring him hot chocolate and blankets, and he completely ignores everyone. Even if they leave it at the fence, the hot chocolate will be untouched in the morning, and the blanket still folded. If you look really closely, you can see him occasionally moving his arms and being crazy. Alyse rolled Blythe's backseat window down a little bit, unannounced, and Blythe screamed. Even that didn't get the man's attention. He's psycho.

The Old Mill

After we were thoroughly spooked, we set off to Cottonwood Heights, about 15 minutes south of campus along the Wasatch, in search of the abandoned Old Mill. This was by far the most difficult establishment to find. I googled the address several times, and could never find anything concrete - only intersections that it was near. After much circling the area, and driving into a couple different national parks....we finally found it. It is apparently haunted by two men and a dog that were killed in the mill's first fire. I was particularly surprised by how close it is to the road. Many people venture inside of its fences and walls, but it was condemned by the city in 2005. There is also a $500 fine to anyone caught trespassing.

Gravity Hill

Our last destination for the evening was Salt Lake City's own Gravity Hill, next to the capitol building. The story is that back in the day, teenagers, etc would race along it's bendy U-turn shape, and lose control along one of its turns, killing themselves in a fatal crash. At a certain turn along this crazy hill, it's custom to stop the car and put it in neutral. The ghosts then supposedly push the car uphill, and out of Gravity Hill. We attempted this last semester, under Blythe's directions, and actually were pushed uphill (or so we think). On Saturday night, however, we decided to put baby powder on the back of Alyse's adorable Mazda and check it out after exiting Gravity Hill to see if there were any handprints from pushing the car. After putting the car in neutral, etc, we stopped in front of the Conference Center (good lighting) and checked it out. There should be some pictures on facebook. It was pretty interesting. The baby powder was all over the hatchback...from the ghosts? :)

Baby powder experiment

Needless to say, it was a fun, sketchy, and thrilling evening. You should give it a try! Our next adventure will be to find the old Children's hospital that burned down. I heard that you search and search and search for it, and then it just appears. Crazy!

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!