Gilgal

Ever see a Joseph Smith Sphinx? Welcome to Gilgal Gardens. Hell-a creepy.

We were thinking about having our reception there. It makes for a great bridal throne, dontcha think?

What's more sacrilegious? The fact that I'm kissing Joseph Smith, or the fact that there is a sphinx of Joseph Smith.

Aw so cute and creepy simultaneously.

Edit*** So I was reading the Book of Mormon on Sunday and stumbled upon 3 Nephi 9:6 which reads:
"And behold, the city of Gilgal have I caused to be sunk, and the inhabitants thereof to be buried up in the depths of the earth..."
And there it is. Gilgal Gardens. Now I know the derivation of the name and why there are statues sticking out of the ground. Interesting.

I love you, Diana

I'm getting better! I love my Diana Mini.

I see people everywhere holding hands, like the walking dead. They are touching, and yet they are not registering it. Kinda like putting your shoes on of a morning. You’re doing it, but you’re not thinking about it. You’re just putting them on. It’s like an instinct.

These people walk together, hand in hand, as though life is so mundane that even love and passion is a chore.

For me, it’s the opposite. I am always aware that I am holding your hand. Like those first days, when we’d shyly brush hands and blush, and say, “Oh, sorry…” Then think, “Did he mean to touch my hand?” “Maybe she never meant to do that, maybe it was only an accident?” And then one day you took my hand and held it. It was as though the whole world stopped for a minute. My lungs filled with air as you slipped your fingers through mine and tenderly stroked my tendons with your shaking finger-tips. We exchanged coy glances beneath our eyelashes and smiled nervous smiles.

And it was just me and you, walking together, hand in hand.

-You Are Remarkable

11 days until home!

Fi-ahhns

Guess who made it official last night?!

Read more about it here!

Words of Wednesday 2

"I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love."
-Viktor Frankl

Sunshineee

This weekend the manfriend surprised me with paint and brushes to paint a table he picked up at a consignment store. The table couldn't have been more my style and the paint more appropriate for what we want to do with our future home. Isn't it perfect?!

Ya, I painted our initials on the inside. :) We're going to put more wood in the middle and some glass sitting inside the top so we can put pictures and drawings and such inside.

The manfriend painting. I love him.

This is a crappy picture of the pretty detailing on the sides.

We also did a little flower pot project. We just spray painted terracotta pots with a few coats of white. When it was dry, we put garage sale stickers on and sprayed a coat of yellow on top. When it was dry, we removed the stickers and voila!


I took some lovely pictures with my Diana mini, went for a few walks in the park, brought the manfriend breakfast in bed, went to my best friend's bridal shower, and visited my new nephew, Easton. All in all, a pretty fantastic weekend with perfect weather.

Oh and my sister-in-law JoAnn gave me this awesome vintage camera. The Kodak Brownie Holiday. So rad. I'm excited to see if it still works.

Friday Fill-Ins. My segment is in bold.

1. I'd like to be married already.
2. One of my most favorite romantic memories is when I fell down the stairs and sprained my ankle and the manfriend took such good care of me.
3. Last night, I had veggies and fruit and dip for dinner.
4. Sorry for the negativity in my blog recently.
5. Can we run away now?
6. One of my worst temptations is chocolate; it's all way too hard to resist!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to an art exhibit, tomorrow my plans include Lyssa's bridal shower and Sunday, I want to go for a walk!

Me and my best friend Robyn threw a super killer bachelorette party for our best friend alyssa last night. It was perfect. We had treats and games and a cupcake decorating bar. I'm actually really good at decorating cupcakes! Who knew? I also went to lunch with Dixie today. I love that girl I've missed her so much. It was just nice. I bought some new work shirts and a couple of things from the $5 sale at Urban outfitters. A lot of money, but severely needed. That's all.


Floral Print Triple Headwrap $4.99

Johnny Sunglasses (in black) $2.99
Sweetness, right?

source

To all ma ladies:

For every one of you who capitulates to unfair standards of beauty, it is THAT MUCH HARDER for the rest of us to resist.

When you deny yourself food when you are hungry, when you call yourself names, when you spend way too much money on clothing and makeup, when you let yourself feel guilty for eating dessert, when you spend more time and money than you can afford to on bringing your appearance into line with The Man's dictates, IT AFFECTS US TOO.

It affects me. It affects my friends. It affects my younger sister and my little cousins.

Stop judging your worth by your appearance, like you're some collector's doll or a show dog. Stop doing things that you think are stupid just because it's culturally mandated. Stop accepting standards of beauty without asking where they come from, what they signify, what you think of them. Stop, stop, stop.

Don't you see, this heaviness you feel, we all feel it and for us part of the heaviness is what you have added by complying? And yes, some of your heaviness is my fault. It belongs to me too.

Your compliance is significant. Your surrender carries weight. Your capitulation is not just personal.

I am angry, yes. At myself too.

I'm going to keep saying no to all this bullshit, even when it hurts and it's really tiring. I'm going to look my reflection in the eye even when it's all wrong, and I'm not going to say that I FEEL FAT like "fat" is an actual emotion. I'm not going to idolize women who are clearly sick, or saturate my life with images of them. I'm going to eat as much as I need and I'm going to keep it down, and I'm going to do what I want to do even when I'm not confident in my appearance.

For the rest head on over to Yes and Yes. Man, this is some good stuff.

The Unusual Road

So I was reading an old blog entry from Yes and Yes and I realized that my path is my path. I can't compare it to others. Here's what my life plan looked like from my 16 year old self's point of view:

1. Graduate high school
2. Move to Utah
3. Go to BYU (Brigham Young University) on a scholarship
4. Travel the world
5. Get married
6. Get my degree
7. Buy a house
8. Have babies
9. Be a stay at home mom until said babies are grown
10. Be a lawyer
11. Retire with hubs to Europe

This is how my real life plan has worked out thus far:
1. Graduate high school
2. Move to Utah
3. Take a year off of school
4. Work at a bank
5. Go to Salt Lake Community College
6. A little bit of travelling (Dominican Republic, MA, San Fran, Idaho)
7. Meet and fall in love with boy
8. Take more time off from school

So obviously my list isn't finished, but it just goes to show life never works out like we think it will. No matter how much we plan. My life is different than I though and I'm excited about that. I have so many opportunities ahead! I don't fit in any boxes.

Words of Wednesday

"So when the birds fly south we'll reach up and hold their tails. Pull up and out of here and bridle the autumn gales. I give you my hand, the fingers to unfold to have and forever hold. To marry the untold blisses and anchor this lost soul."
-Patrick Wolf

I'm starting a new segment titled "Words of Wednesday." Every Wed. I'll share a quote I'm really loving. It'll give me something to look forward to on hump day. Enjoy!

I feel pretty today. This is nice. This is progress. I can't wait to take some Diana pictures this week. I have so much going on. The nights get lonely. The days are too long. I'm feeling pressure from family. My throat hurts. I'm going to the gym tonight. I really don't want to go. Then I do. I need to go to therapy. My manager only makes the schedule a week in advance. I never know when I'll be able to go. The sun is finally out. I need the springtime. I need the sunshine. I should write more. Everthing I've written lately is crap. A whole lot of crap. Eventually I'll be able to please myself. I go home in 24 days. The funny thing is, it's not really home anymore. New England is where my soul resides. Utah is where my body resides. And to all the customers who have asked: No. The Smart Water I'm drinking doesn't actually make me smarter. There's a counterfeit bill in my cash drawer. Some people just irk me. Some people make me love the life I live. I'm using this free association as a way to get my thoughts out. No poems. No stories. Just freedom of words. Even then, my words aren't mine. Nor are they free. They're imprisoned by puntuation whatever that means. I want to break free. Like Freddy said. Man, he was awesome. Not much has endured like his music has. My dad just called. He loves Queen. He also can't pronounce Karl's name. Kahl. That's how he says it. The Boston speech impediment strikes again. People always wonder why I don't have the Boston accent. The truth is I used to. But I got made fun of and corrected it. Drawers are no longer draws. The orthodontist is no longer the othodontist. I kind of wish I still had the accent. It sometimes comes out when I get tired. Most commonly is when I say Albehtson's instead of Albertson's. Or sometimes Chahlotte Russe. Is it stupid to wish I had an accent? Then I'd be different. Then people would know I don't belong in Utah. I need to call my dad back. So I guess this is the end of my ramblings. Sorry. Actually... No, I'm not.

Mother Teresa.

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
it was never between you and them anyway.

Supposedly this was written on Mother Teresa's wall. I love it. I needed this so bad right now. Yesterday was such a rough day.

On the plus side, I dyed my hair again (lighter blonde) and it looks fab. AND my new roomie moved in this weekend. I love her. Like a lot. AND it finally seems that spring has arrived! I spent Saturday afternoon in the park taking pictures on my Diana Mini and watching my lovely niece and nephew. So despite yesterday's severity, I did have a pretty nice weekend. I don't know if that made any sense, but ya...

I won!

So I just won a guestbook giveaway for my wedding from Agent Kat Designs. Find out more about it on our wedding blog! I'm so excited!

http://karlandkristie.blogspot.com/

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for:
-Billy Balls. They're these little yellow ball flowers. Google them. They'll make you smile. I promise.
-My best friend Robby who will do my hair and let me pay her through a payment plan. Haha.
-Flattering clothes. Wearing a very unflattering uniform makes me realize how much I love my street clothes and how I can express myself in that way.
-I'm getting better. Looks like this cold will be a relatively short one!
-My skin is clear right now. It's been a while. Oh clear skin, how I've missed you. Feel free to stay for a while.
-Our invitation guy who gets stuff done ridiculously fast.
-Learning new things from the scriptures every day.
-It was my manager's half day today so for the rest of the day I don't have to be hovered over.
-I go home in 29 days!

I wanna be where your heart is home.

I just bought She and Him Volume 2. I love it. It's warm and very old school. Here's a little bit about the duo in case you haven't heard them yet.

"She & Him make music for an eternal springtime, when the temperature is warm enough to go riding with the top (or at least the windows) rolled down and the radio turned up. They occupy an alternate universe where the saddest of songs feel as warm as sun showers; the rain may be coming down, but somewhere nearby, everything looks bright. What began as a fascinating, no-strings attached collaboration on 2008’s Volume One has evolved into a bona fide, touring band, and She & Him are here to stay. Zooey Deschanel and Matt Ward are as comfortable and complementary a musical pair as Les Paul and Mary Ford; hearing them again on Volume Two feels like getting together with two old friends. This time, the harmonies have grown more angelically layered, the string arrangements more dramatic, the songwriting even sharper and more confident. But, as with Volume One, the prevailing mood is bittersweet, dreamy, and romantic."

It's Friday and that means Friday Fill-Ins! My contribution is in bold.

1. All you need is the right attitude.
2. Playing "Body" with the manfriend fills me with laughter.
3. Each generation, as it grows up, has a harder time connecting to each other.
4. Work is something I have a hard time dealing with.
5. A trip to Massachusetts is what I need. (One monthhh!)
6. You give and you get back.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to looking at wedding invitations and Schmaguli's party, tomorrow my plans include work and baking and Sunday, I want to watch Conference and celebrate Easter!

In case you haven't realized it yet, I'm SO excited to go home to MA in a month. I need to get away. I need to see my family and visit some awesome Mom and Pop Shops. Yay!

My April List

I decided to organize my thoughts and make a list of all the things I need to do this month. Here go my resolutions:
-Meet with a guy for invitations
-Plan and make invites for Alyssa's bachelorette party
-Go to Alyssa's Bridal shower
-Call my photographer about engagements (Yes, preemptive, I know, but they need to get done. July 17th is coming so soon!)
-Look at flowers with my seester
-Go to the manfriend's parent's house for Easter/Conference weekend
-Attend church every week
-Do some temple preparation, talk to the bishop, etc.
-Get my hair dyed/trimmed
-Pack up my books
-Finish Man's Search for Meaning and start Charlotte Bronte
-Go to therapy
-Call my other seester and brother for their bithdays (April 29th and 9th)
-Visit my new nephew who was born today! Easton Derek Giordano! :)
-Write at least one poem

Gah. So much to do. And I'm sure I forgot like a million things. It's crazy how fast time's flying and how many things there are to do!

I had a couple of really amazing experiences yesterday that helped me to realize how loved and cared for I am. It was a nice reminder.