Kleenex, M&Ms, Guitars, Fussy Neighbors, and Lifesavers.

Almost one week later, I am finally getting a post up about Jelina's party. Three words: Super Fun Party. Jelina is possibly the most adorable person EVER and she planned out all these fun little games for us to play. Let me tell you....we're a competitive bunch. But that's what made it fun. I would like to thank all for your patience with the camera lens that was constantly two inches from your face. You may now reap the benefits of your patience and see the pictures I took! I've tried to caption them with the game name, but found that to be difficult. Disclaimer: the names are not clever in any way. Oh well. Enjoy!

Kirby and I

Jonathan being Jonathan. 

The M&M Game. I think....Jeff won?

The Pull-the-kleenex-out-of-the-box-as-fast-as-you-could-go Game. 

Kirstin won, but I thought this picture was way too cool not to post. 

The Pass-the-lifesaver-with-a-toothpick-in-your-mouth Game. 

Jena was having a seriously rough time with this one. haha.

The Pick-up-the-abnormally-short-brown-paper-bags-with-your-teeth-and-don't-touch-the-ground-while-you're-doing-it Game. 

I may or may not have knocked my jaw out of place after shoving Jake during this game. 

May. Or may not.

How velociraptor-ish of you, Dakota.

Bending the rules, are we?

The Wiggle-the-cookie-into-your-mouth-without-using-your-hands Game.

The Pass-the-orange-in-your-neck Game.

Heather, Thomas, and Handro

Dakota and I. Slightly blurry...still love the pic. 

#69 Invent a New Recipe

This recipe was not meant to be intricate or in any way difficult. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could throw some different ingredients in a casserole dish, and pull it out of the oven as a delicious invention for all to enjoy.

That's just what we did.

With the assistance of Peri, I pulled some chicken out of the freezer (the thawing of which proved to be more eventful than needed), put some frozen veggies on top, sprinkled a nice herb & spice mix on the meat, then squirted a little extra virgin olive oil on the top. We figured it needed some moisture, and that was the only other thing we could think of beside chicken broth. The chicken turned out super moist, and the vegetables were delicious. We stuck the final product on top of some rice and MAN was it good. It might have been especially good because we felt the accomplishment of creating it, but still. I think everyone thought it was yummy. I sure did.

Thawing malfunction. 

The chicken cooked a little bit while it was in the microwave.

Just a little though. 

Before it went in the oven...

The finished product :)

Dang. What a pretty lookin plate. Yeah...I invented that. 

I am happy. Because of these 25 things.

1. I have comfy slippers.
2. I just got to read From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. It was delightful.
3. My baby book is ALMOST finished.
4. It's Friday. And I'm in desperate need of a weekend.
5. My roommates and I are going out to dinner tonight. I love them so much.
6. Modern family this week cracked me UP.
7. I could take a nap right now, if I wanted to.
8. I found a parking spot directly in front of my apartment.
9. I got to go to the gym last night. And I'll probably go again tonight. Hallelujah.
10. I have been gluten free for exactly one month. Again....hallelujah.
11. Midterms don't start for another week.
12. Amber Duke comes back to the states in two weeks. Terrible for her and everyone in Ecuador. Awesome for the other 3 of the Fabulous Four. We're selfish.
13. I got off work early last night.
14. I ran into 3 different girls from the drill team this week.
15. My hair worked today.
16. I got to eat breakfast for dinner.
17. I've got a Mom and Pops who love me very much.
18. I currently have enough hot cocoa mix and marshmallows to last me the whole semester.
19. "Say Yes to the Dress" was just on.
20. I wore my new favorite owl earrings today. Thanks Mom.
21. Emily came to my Physical Science lecture today. We giggled excessively.
22. A boy on campus got my # this morning.
23. Almost all of my laundry is done.
24. My perfume still smells marvelous to me. I'm always afraid I won't like it after a while.
25. I found my Natural Ice chap stick. Before it got thrown in the washing machine.

Yeah. Life is so good.

Announcement, Announcement, ANNOUNCEMENT!!

You guys. The Amazing Race is doing a second chance season for Season 18. ALL OF MY FAVORITE TEAMS IN ONE RACE. All the teams who I wanted to win are going to have a chance to win again! I can't even wait until 8:00 on February 20th.

I have one thing to say: Brook and Claire had BETTER win this time.

Right after Claire's melon ricocheted and hit her in the head. 

She didn't let that stop her. What a champ.

Brook and Claire...I am your biggest fan.

I will be on that show someday. I WILL. Just gotta find a teammate really quick, and once I turn 21 my application is so in. Until then, I will live vicariously through the other teams. I will watch the episodes religiously, and strategize like I'm actually racing. CBS isn't going to know what hit 'em when the Zipper rolls into town. Watch out baby. WATCH. OUT.

ReadySetGo!!!!!!

The Zipper has returned to P-Town people!

After 4 of the best months of my life, I am now back in school. I really do love school. There's nothing better than buying fresh new notebooks, new pens so full of ink, and textbooks that...oh wait I definitely do not enjoy the textbook aspect. New planners rock, though. I think I'm the only student who enjoys the syllabus days of school. It's such a fresh start. You are caught up on everything, and have an A in every class. And it's the perfect opportunity to use that brand new planner. Can't beat that. 

My classes this semester should be wonderful. I love Doctrine & Covenants, as my teacher is uncannily similar one of my favorite seminary teachers from high school. Critical Inquiry and Research Methods will be...well it will be Critical Inquiry and Research Methods. Children's Literature was doubtful at first, but once I found out that we would get to read about 100 books and not have to respond to ANY of them, I was pretty exuberant. There's a really beautiful thing that comes with just reading for the heck of reading. Statistics...well that class is during my nap time. Uh-oh. And finally we have the greatly procrastinated although dearly loved GE we all know as Physical Science. My T.A. is quite convinced that we'll all switch to the geology major once we're done with the class. Um....thank goodness I will have Emily in that class so that we can study together. 

The ward seems great, although I haven't gotten to know very many people yet as I am admittedly still a bit socially awkward. As we walked into church I felt like some really large person snuck up behind me like I was a little bug, simply flicked me off a cliff with his index finger and thumb, then watched me tumble into a freezing lake of cheesy pick up lines, daily ward activities, and unenjoyable dinner groups. 

I'm sorry...I shouldn't be so harsh. Optimism, Olivia. I have truly loved being back with my friends. I am so grateful to be busy with school again. I've seen a lot of high school and freshman year friends who have come home from their missions, which has been such a joy. I am looking forward to getting to know my ward, as I can tell that there are already so many kind, fun, and incredible people. 

I'm trying new things, and it's working out just fine. Imagine that!

It's cliché, but I had to.

Happy New Year to all! I'm usually one to avoid clichés, especially that of New Year's Resolutions. These goals are admirable, but also cursed with the idea that they are, in fact, New Year's Resolutions. Does anyone ever actually accomplish them for more than a couple of weeks after that oh-so-significant stroke of midnight? I get so annoyed that the gym is so full through January 15th-ish. I am consistent with my gym attendance, and when the rest of you all of a sudden decide that you want to lose 100 pounds I am left waiting a half hour for a treadmill. Grrrrrr.

Anyway. Now that I have clarified my hatred for New Year's Resolutions, I would like to share with you my NOT New Year's Resolutions. I have declared myself exempt from the consequences of the inevitable curse because I am setting my goals on January 2nd, NOT January 1st. Sure dodged that bullet.

For a few weeks now, I've been working on a "100 things to do in 365 days" list. Problem #1...I only have 69 things right now. My first request from all of you followers: give me your recommendations of little things that I absolutely should not live any longer without experiencing. I'll blog about them as we go throughout the year, and you are welcome to read about all my adventures. Preferably these things shouldn't cost a lot of money, because I don't have any.

So, on this very random and insignificant day of January 2nd, I am beginning 3 items from my list.

• Write in my journal every single day. 
• Read my scriptures every single day. 
• Set a self improvement goal every week. See how it goes. 

My goal for this week: Be open to new things. The next few days will be full of many opportunities to pull me out of my anti-social Ecuadorian shell, and I am not going to allow myself to sit in my apartment looking at pictures of my babies and keeping warm on my mattress that is not shaped like a bowl. It's time to move on and that is exactly what I'm going to do. 

Wish me luck!

 

A Tender Mercy

There once was a young woman who went to Ecuador and took care of orphaned babies. She loved them like they were her own. Coming home was devastation at its worst. She let her thoughts be consumed by their faces, and silently prayed for them always. Her normal life at home just wasn't enough.

She had learned just how precious children are. They are perfectly loyal and in every way pure. Their love is unconditional.

One night, she was working a seemingly never-ending shift of 13 hours. It felt as though her frequent nightmares of waitressing had come to life, as everything was going wrong. And she was so exhausted. If she could just hug one of her babies for a quick moment, she would feel the confidence that she could make it.

So, when she saw the little girl at the salad festival happily loading up her plate with dozens of cheese bread balls, she couldn't help but tell her that she loved her dress. She honestly did. She wore a black velvet top with a big bow in the front, a layered skirt with lots of sparkly ruffles, and her hair was on top of her head in a very princess-like creation. Her name was Lola, and she was beautiful.

They became friends instantly. One friend turned into two when Lola's miniature clone casually strolled over to her big sister, because she also wanted to meet the young woman. Her name was Gala, and she was beautiful, too.

They talked for a while, and eventually the young woman needed to get back to work. But the girls had one more question.

Was she a Mom?
No, but why would they ask?
She looked like a Mom.
What did they mean?
Well, they thought the young woman had pretty eyes.

I think they could see it in her eyes, but they had no other way of describing it. I wonder if they could see the infinite love she would always have for her children who were so many miles away from her. I hope it always shows in her eyes, because the world should know what those children mean to her. They are her strength, they are her courage, they are her confidence. Yes, they are all of these things and more. But to put it as simply as possible, they are hers, and she loves them.