tasting the breeze

LOST :: but not forgotten

2010-05-28T15:27:00.010-07:00

background:
i started watching lost in late 2007. this is when i found out the glory of abc.com and the fact that they had included every single episode of lost online. this means that i have watched the entire series from my laptop, the screen merely inches from my face and earbuds in my ears (not necessarily for the whole surround sound effect but to make sure i didn’t disturb a sleeping roomie {hey anne!} since I usually watched between the hours of 11pm and 4am). i never got officially caught up and have never discussed lost with anyone for fear they would tell me something i didn’t already know. and i like surprises so i have been careful to not have anything given away.

{{SPOILERS! i talk about stuff. so don't continue if you don't already know}}

enter season six:
season 6 has been amazing mostly because it started answering some major questions and had everything come together in a way other than “it was aliens the entire time!” and seeing how i watched the entire thing in three days it was a very intense three days as people were getting killed off right and left. and then there was the finale. the awesome, perfect finale. i loved it. i loved how it still left room for interpretation, i loved how they all came together, i loved how the entire season (and series for that matter) was building up to this episode. it was perfect how it ended cause it still left some mystery and people could come to their own conclusions which basically has been the premise of the entire show. the writers didn’t spoon feed you, they would give you some info and then let you take it however you would. so basically this is my take on the finale…

the last episode: the end of an era: where my heartbreak beings:
they’re all dead in the end. but like jack’s dad said it's only because we all die eventually. also, hurley said to ben when he talked to him outside of the church that ben was a good number two so this also made me assume that this is all taking place long after everyone has eventually lived their lives and died. jack's dad also said that this was the place they created so they could all come back and remember. it's basically their heaven. all of the flash sideways were them just trying to find each other after they had already died. to me it seemed like this in-between world where they weren’t together yet and therefore not able to continue on, or not willing to let go and move on yet. these flashes were also showing them as their true selves. sawyer becoming a cop instead of a conman, kate being truly innocent instead of a murderer, jack actually turning into a great dad, sayid being a good person. and how did daniel faraday write that mathematical equation when really he was just a musician? well, he was in the afterlife already and beginning to remember the life he did live. so out of their entire lives their time on the island is what truly formed them and helped them to see who they really were. they fulfilled their purposes and then it was the love and relationships they had created that transcended all. how beautiful is that! like families being together forever! love is what ended up being the most important thing to all of them. the one thing they would be able to have for eternity. jack and locke talked a lot about letting go in the flashes and everyone had to learn how to “let go” and therefore experience the love.

that is why lost is the greatest show ever created. the thought and writing that went into building all of the characters and this complete world that continued on being interesting and yet not really giving anything away until the end is amazing. i'm already ready to watch the whole thing over again.

what are your thoughts on the last season? finale?

also, i don't know if you're aware but there are a ton of "easter eggs" throughout the entire show where the writers intentionally included hidden content. just small stuff like the numbers chosen happen to be all retired yankee jersey numbers (among other things), and faraday is actually a real english physicist who studied electromagnetism back in the 1800's. then there's tons of words scrambled together to make names and such and apparently if you listen to some of the audio backwards you can hear different things (not that i have any idea how to do such a thing). just really interesting stuff that makes me love the writers even more. also, the official lost encyclopedia is coming out in september and i'm gonna get me one.

so, grad school eh?

2009-11-30T23:30:00.001-07:00

for those of you who don't know i'm currently in my first semester as an ASU graduate student. after a rough year off not knowing what to do with myself and a few different options not going as planned i finally decided to go back to school and get my masters in secondary education. a jr. high math teacher to be exact. and before anyone oohs and ahhs at this, keep in mind that i'm probably in the easiest program possible. (i didn't even need to take the GRE to apply which basically made it number one on my list). but it is a masters nonetheless.

when i was younger and a bit more naive i always said that i would be getting AT LEAST my masters and then decide if i wanted anything else after that. well, enter my freshman year at BYU and all of that naiveness was wiped away. college was hard and i was lucky to just make it through that first year. i somehow graduated with my bachelors in only 4 years (which included a semester abroad and only one summer of classes) but was pretty determined to never go back to school. well, when you major in "home and family living" (which by the way i'm not knocking, i absolutely loved it!) you kinda need a little more than a few sewing and family relations classes to support yourself. enter teaching.

so here i am at school again and will be graduated with my teacher's certificate come december 2010. that means i graduated high school in '04, bachelors in '08, and a masters in '10. the numbers work out nicely and if you haven't noticed form my horrible grammar and written word, numbers happen to be my thing, especially when they work out so beautifully.

i've thought a lot about this lately though because when i see some of my friends they always say "wow! i can't believe you're graduated already, it's going to take me forever!" and i always follow up with "yeah, but you're married with a two year old." it's as if we focus on the others' accomplishments without taking credit for our very own. we both think the other is amazing because they have something we don't have ourselves yet. the truth is though that we can both take pride in what we have accomplished thus far. an education and motherhood. who's to say one is better than the other?

by the way, i just turned twenty four last week. i may not be where i thought i would be at this age but i've done a lot and have a lot to show for my meager 24 years, so i feel good about the way things turned out.

i'm not good at many things...

2009-11-20T02:49:00.007-07:00

...but saving 32 seats for the midnight showing of new moon just happens to be one of them. i have it down to an art form and tonight it went off without a hitch {even though i was a little nervous for a second there - and shout out to jackie for co-captaining it with me!}

and the movie? don't worry. it. was. awesome!

{for future notice: this blog fully endorses team jacob}

it's 1 am. how did your night end?

2009-11-13T02:53:00.000-07:00

so guess where i was at 11:45 p.m. tonight. the gym. weird, i know. but my dear friend jackie and i have decided to train for a 10k that will be taking place in january and i am determined to get my 3 runs in for the week. we just started last week so i'm still at the beginning stages of the program where it says things like "run for 20 minutes" and "now run for 25 minutes" which i thought was going to kill me but i've been able to do it {surprisingly} every time. i was running back in august and september so it hasn't been too crazy long since but still i dread it every time. i stopped running once school started and the busy schedule didn't leave much room for exercise. (and yet left PLENTY of room for facebook and blogs {reading, not writing. obviously} funny how that happens) but lately i decided that it should probably be back on the priority list so now it looks like this:

1. running {at least 3 times a week. heaven forbid i push myself}
2. facebook/blogs {i'm still trying to get this one lower on the list}
3. school {and other important life enhancing activities i.e. work}

what's rough though is that i still haven't found the most convenient time to work out. (is there such a thing?) i like to think of myself as a morning person but seeing as i sleep through an hour's worth of snooze buttons every morning i just don't think i make the cut. but i'm not necessarily a night person either because yeah i'm capable of staying up late but something productive is rarely getting done. usually if i don't get up in the morning there is no way i'm working out at night after being busy and gone all day. so the simple fact that i was even at the gym at such an hour was pretty amazing. regardless i'm pretty slow either way so i guess it doesn't matter. slow and steady right?

this evening the sweet sounds of the temper trap's sweet disposition got me through the evening. yes, the song from {500} days of summer but i'm pretty sure i love it more because i was able to witness this live at the roxy in downtown hollywood just one month ago:

oh dougy, can we just please be bff's!

and now it is almost 3 {pretty sure uploading that video took way longer than it was worth} and for some reason my body thinks it needs at least 8 hours of sleep these days and yet i have to be at work by 7:30 in the a.m. so the odds really aren't in my favor.

i left the house at 7:30 this morning.

2009-11-06T01:30:00.005-07:00

and didn't get home until 12:30 am. that makes for one LONG 17 hour day.

two jobs, an internship, full time classes, and a semi-full social calendar are keeping life busy. but i'll take it over what last year at this time was filled with. nothing. absolutely nothing.

{side note: my right arm totally hurts from playing wii boxing. can you say out of shape?
i barely could raise it to brush my teeth. wow.}

dumb.

2008-12-11T13:16:00.002-07:00

you know when you have those days when you're babysitting 4 new kids {not family members' kids} and on the morning of your very first day on the job you have to drive the family's suburban {which of course is much nicer and larger than the 96' ford escort you're use to driving} and you're late to take the little girl to kindergarten so maybe you were going a little fast on only one section of the road but when you see the sign that says 35 mph and the orange construction cones ahead you instantly slow down to an appropriate 30 mph to be safe and yet a motorcycle cop still sees you and pulls you over but you have no idea why because clearly you were under the speed limit and yet he is still convinced you were going 54 so he gives you a ticket and therefore the little girl is late to school? ya know how that feels? oh you don't? maybe it's just me. suck.

(i am so not good at talking my way out of tickets. even when i don't think i deserve it. i just sit there and listen and then say thank you when they hand over the citation. dumb.)

"Let's Have A Parade"

2008-12-03T20:36:00.006-07:00

for me it's not truly the holiday season until i've watched every minute of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. and this year was no different. i haven't had much holiday cheer early this season (maybe that's because i'm still forced to use the ac in my car) but last thursday morning when i sat down to view the prerecorded (thank you tivo) parade i felt every ounce of holiday happiness in the world. (my last few posts {this one included} make me sound materialistic and worldly, huh? oh well.) and let me tell you this parade had a few perks that i think everyone must see. as well as the ever stereotypical crappiness that comes along with this kind of an event.

so i give you the top 4 best and worst things seen at the 2008 Macy's Parade!

best.
4. Heartbeats Jump Rope Team.
"america's premier amateur jump rope team." i looked all over {you tube} for a clip of them performing at the blessed event and found nothing. but take my word for it they are rad. like doing push ups over people while still jumping rope rad.

3. In the Heights.
i really, really want to see this on broadway. mostly because the guy who wrote it (and stars in it) gave this speech at the tony awards. {the entire acceptance speech is in the same sing-song rap as the musical. awesome}

2. Idina Menzel.

i'm not even that into the song but she was hands down the best performer there. lip syncing? i don't know, cause she fakes it real well if she is. it was like a breath of fresh air watching her perform. {and i'm sure it didn't hurt that i already love her voice as elphaba in wicked}

and the number one best thing to happen...

1. Rick Astley.
please tell me somebody else saw this

uh, random right? and yet totally awesome. i kept rewinding it and i'm pretty sure i watched it like 5 times at least. a website called it "Simultaneously The Coolest And Lamest Thing To Ever Happen." i couldn't agree more. {and is it wrong of me to say that rick is looking quite studly these days? who would have thought}

worst.
4. the overall performance choices.
shontelle? clique girlz? charice? push play? who are these people and why are they on national television? {i was going to find links for each one but i really don't care that much to look. google it}

3. Miranda Cosgrove.

{believe me guys. the whole thing was worse seen in beautiful HD quality}

um, really? those are the best dance moves you've got? you really can't lip sync to your own song any better than that? wow.

2. every single flag girl's outfit.
why, why, oh why must every flag girl of a marching band not only have horrible routines but atrocious outfits to go with it? i mean really. cheerleaders have good outfits. dancers in general have good outfits. you're telling me that the best thing you could find to spin a giant flag is a one piece spandex body suit?

this next one really did wonders for the whole parade. the number one worst thing seen...

1. Varsity Fanclub.

really? dancing boy bands are back? i had no idea. (although the one in the white and black hat reminds me of blayne {tan man} from project runway and that makes me laugh.)

also, on a neither best nor worst note, did you know that the lead singer of hootie and the blowfish {Darius Rucker} is now a country singer? try to name one other country singer who is also a black man. you can't? yeah me neither. weird.

i went shopping on black friday and all i got was this bloody lip

2008-11-29T11:39:00.009-07:00

...

okay, so maybe i didn't end up with a bloody lip but that could have been a much better story then the one i have to tell. i definitely expected a little more excitement then what i got. it was my first venture out on the blessed day and i had nothing to compare it to but stories of wretched wives and mothers bullying their way to the last tickle me elmo. i wanted a hundred people in line, a race to the products, a few elbows to the face. you know, a typical american frenzy for materialistic products!

{the people in line were totally making fun of me for taking this pic}

i didn't even need the beautiful Nikon Coolpix S550 with 10 megapixels and a 5x optical zoom (ashton {kutcher, that is} would be so proud), or the SD 4 GB memory card (that i got for ten bucks! that's $30 off people!), or the 4 GB flash drive (which was $40 off!), or the set of 50 writable DVD's (for a whopping $8!). but i'm all about a good experience. the event. the crowds and excitement. and so when all of my sisters and friends said they would not be venturing out into the wee hours of the morning to stand in line with only america's finest i decided to make that camera a need. do i have money for it? no. but of course i need a new camera! and of course i need to start standing in line at 5 am to save a whole $50! so i did. but apparently i chose the wrong stores to go to because my experience was calm, productive, and even pleasant. i saw people i knew. i talked and visited while in line. i even got some reading in while waiting in my second line of the day at store number two. radio shack and office max totally came through for me product wise but apparently all the real action was going down at all of the walmarts across the country. (which, let's be honest, is crazy on a normal day). so maybe next year i'll have to make an appearance at one and i just might walk out with a bloody lip and a good story to tell.

i'm so not a morning person

2008-11-19T19:59:00.014-07:00

while i was babysitting last week (by the way we all made it alive and happy to thursday afternoon when the parents arrived home) i got to spend a lot of time with this little girl.

now, i use to watch her overnight when she was a baby and she was horrible during the nights. she didn't sleep. waking up multiple times. and always ended up sleeping with me. (just your average infant so i'm told). well this time around it wasn't much different but a lot more enjoyable because i got to have conversations like this: (let it be known that it was 4:30 in the morning and we were both cuddled together in the large king size bed)

sadie: mom? can you rub my back?
me: sure. (it was 4:30 in the am. i was not about to explain to her that i wasn't her mom)
sadie: mom? can i rub your hair?
me: sure. (i never ever turn down a head rub)
sadie: mom?
me: yeah?
sadie: where's dad at?
me: he's on a trip
sadie: well where was he when afton was here?
me: uh?...on a trip
sadie: oh.*

yeah. is it okay to lie to a four year old if it means avoiding a could be melt down? the next morning she realized her mistake and was telling her older brother how funny it was that she was calling me mom all night. you're right sadie, it was funny and much more enjoyable then the nights you would cry.

so here's a shout out to Sadie, the cutest 4 year old girl i know. even at 4:30 in the morning!

*she never went back to sleep after this conversation and by 5:30 i realized she was still wide awake and had to turn dora on for her. it kept her content for another 2 hours and the bright light and noise didn't phase me one bit.

the joy of capitalism

2008-11-18T08:12:00.006-07:00

is it weird that this commercial totally makes me feel proud to be an american??

i haven't even stepped into a macy's store in at least two years. and yet i just might the next time i get the need to shop.

here's to you macy's! and here's to america!

currently

2008-11-12T10:12:00.013-07:00

...i am babysitting these four

{:max 7: :sadie 4: :ashton 10: :luke 18 months: adorable, right?}

and let me tell ya, being an instant soccer mom of four is hard. especially a single mom at that. i mean i had the schedule. i learned the routine before hand. but there is so much crap that just can't be told. like how to wash the four year old's hair. or how to fit the 18 month old into the bike seat without him freaking out. or how to get a sweatshirt on him (i'm still not sure about that one and i'm pretty sure he was cold the whole week). but all in all it's been great. my brother and sister-in-law (the parents of the before mentioned children) are currently enjoying the mexican sunshine while we have been enjoying...

bike rides to the park,

cookies after school,

dance parties in the car, {apparently this is what happens when i get a phone call and turn my back on them}

veteran's day,

dinner outside on the lawn,

and all the playing we can handle.

the parents left on saturday and return thursday. it's been five whole days and i haven't killed or injured the kiddies yet! here's hoping we make it 'till tomorrow afternoon...

p.s. yesterday i spent the entire day barefoot and outside. it was the most glorious day.

oh to be old.

2008-11-05T12:54:00.005-07:00

i saw young at heart this past sunday. i loved it. really really loved it.
reasons why?
1. it's a documentary (and a good one at that) which i always enjoy
2. it actually made me not so anti old people. dare i say, it even made me excited to be old one day

now don't go thinking i hate old people or something, because i don't. i'm just extremely uncomfortable around them and have vowed to never grow old myself. the uncomfortableness comes from being more capable, more aware, and more able to live on my own then someone 4 times my age. it just doesn't seem natural. more times than not they just make me feel sad. and yet this movie gave me nothing but hope for growing old. everybody needs to see it, if for nothing else than for this moment...

(ignore the subtiles. it's the best quality one i could find)

and i will say, this is as sad as the film gets so don't go thinking you're going to be all depressed afterwards. it was my most favorite part though. there's just something so inspiring by listening to our friend Fred singing the words "Lights will guide you home/And ignite your bones/And I will try to fix you" at the ripe age of 81.

so here's to growing old and still having something to give!

in related entertainment excellence. this could very well be my most favorite moment on television. oh charlie. always so witty.

Here's to November

2008-11-03T22:18:00.006-07:00

i have never been one for writing. (as many of my previous posts have told)
i have never kept a journal. (i believe i have 7 started beginning when i turned 8 with only 1-3 entries in each)
this means that i basically have no record of my life.
except for these two years that have an over abundance of writing...

back in 2005 i dated a boy.
this boy then went on a mission in july of the same year.
i then began and continued to write him (letters and e-mails) for two years.
i never missed a weekly e-mail for over a year.
my letters were fewer and far between but still plentiful over the 24 month period.
i kept every single e-mail i sent him.
i photocopied every single letter (except for 3) that i sent him.
i wrote long e-mails filled with random details of my life.
my letters were hearty. (no mushy mushy stuff though. we were friends, he was a missionary. he got facts about my life)
and in the end i have 70 e-mails and 19 letters all about me.

this past weekend i read over a lot of them. (only my side of the communication is kept. i'm pretty sure my future self couldn't careless about what this boy did while on his mission so many years ago. and really who needs baggage like that just hanging around?)
i am so glad i have these letters!
they tell so much about me.
how i think i'm funny. the way i communicate and speak. what i found to be important. the adventures of Europe and Australia.
stuff i want to remember. now and later.
but the thing is there's been a lot that i wish i wrote down before and after those two years.

so here's to november.
a new month.
a new post.
and a new record of my life.

this tag is for you...

2008-03-26T00:03:00.015-07:00

the list of random facts: {seven}

:one: i have actually fallen down an entire flight of stairs before. it was in loja, ecuador about 2 weeks since our arrival to the third world country and in my 15 year old ways was pissed at my parents for making me be there. (not that i would have stayed home even if they did give me the choice. i love [am dependent upon] my parents too much for that.) so after breakfast at a hotel i thought i would make a scene and sulk off with my hands in my jacket pockets. next thing i know i'm rolling down the stairs with hands still in pockets and only stop once i hit the wall bringing me to the end of the stairs. i was now pissed, bruised, and covered in fresh wood wax and my father was laughing at me from the top of the stairs.

:two: oh johnny! dirty dancing may very well be my number one most favorite movie ever. now you may be saying to yourself a number of things at this point. a} "but afton, you're way too awesome to have such a movie be your number one!" um...apparently you don't know me very well. i like things like dirty dancing. b} "but afton, we already knew this about you!" well yes, it's not like i keep this a secret but did you also know that i can replay the entire movie in my head by simply listening to the soundtrack? did you know that i've been watching this movie since the young age of 5? (it's okay, i was naive/innocent back then. i had no idea about the fornication that was taking place.) i've seen this movie more times than i can count.

:three: i absolutely despise and abhor writing. that is why i'm in a major where i can cook, sew, and design (all things i love.) apparently though, i am long winded in ways of blog posts, facebook messages, and e-mails. (although all of these things take me 12 1/2 times longer to accomplish because i reread everything i do write a thousand times before i feel like it is good enough for the intended audience.) but when it comes to journals, school papers (creative ones or not), poems, articles, stories, etc. etc. etc. i absolutely hate it. it's never fun, relaxing, or a way to vent. it's simply a pain in my stomach that never leaves. this hatred explains my horrible grammar and lack of any form of vocabulary (thank you for reading my blog despite these things.)

:four: i love state fairs and dirty carnivals in mall parking lots. i love the rides. and having them assembled by a sketchy crew of illiterates just adds to the excitement.

:five: i use to be a straight A student. as in i never ever ever received anything lower than an A. even after failing (my first fail of my school career) my spanish final junior year of high school i somehow still managed to get an A in the class. i was #27 in my graduating class (which was out of 600.) i did quality work. i got things done. i considered myself as smart. things all changed once i entered the world of BYU. i realized after my first test that when the teacher says "read the text" they really mean it. and 90% was no longer an A it was a lousy A- (which lowers your GPA heaven forbid.) i decided school sucked and A's were so unattainable that they were no longer worth the effort. (if you couldn't tell by now i'm not one of those "love to learn" type of people.) which brings me to my final year at BYU. my GPA is actually really good (thank you 3 semesters of MCC) but i'm so ready to be done with school. i like to learn on my own, when i want, what i want. not because a professor tells me its going to expand my mind and build my horizons. i'll decide that on my own thank you very much.

:six: older people intimidate me at first encounter. for some reason if i think they are older than me then they instantly become smarter, wiser, cooler, awesomer. it takes me a few hang outs to realize they're not intimidating and then i'm good to go. and once i find out that someone who i thought was older than me is in fact younger than me, well, that just changes everything. i totally have a one up on them then.

:seven: my dream job is to be a magazine layout artist. as in be the one to format a page in the magazine. make the pictures and text flow and work together. help the page come to life by simply adding the right font. i realize that the people who do this probably do other such artistic jobs for the magazine but i just want to do the formating of the layout. i would wear hip trendy clothes to the office every day and carry my macbook around with me as if it's attached (okay, so i kinda already do that last part.)

and here you have it. the seven random facts of yours truly. i now send the tag on to anyone who has not made such a list in quite a while. go ahead and do it. it always makes for some good reading.

to do list:

2008-03-24T16:27:00.005-07:00

(oh aunt annette, how you put every homemaker i know to shame)

this is what my thoughts currently consist of...

{: write two papers
{: blog about james' tag
{: find an internship
{: hang with megs and ame before megs leaves
{: somehow find a way to pass my classes
{: get photo shoot pics from tara and ame
{: take d&c final so i can finally be done with that class
{: find a way to survive until may with what little little money i have left
{: buy concert tickets for upcoming shows
{: start doing homework
{: keep running
{: figure out how/find time to make 5 books from scratch before april 15th
{: stop checking facebook and blogs on an hourly basis
{: finish reading the hiding place
{: start magnifying my enrichment calling
{: figure out what i want to be when i grow up

there's a little bit of overload going on. any help with any of the above would be greatly appreciated.

road trip lovin'

2008-02-26T18:18:00.034-07:00

6 Days - 4 States - 2,044 Miles

Day 1: Friday: 15th:
Best - rocking out to mika's happy ending multiple times in the car (the actual video of this song shows just how gay it is so i decided to spare you in hopes that you won't judge me.) seeing the rolling green hills of northern california. eating my first animal style in-n-out burger. loving the oakland temple! finding a church parking lot to sleep in.
Worst - having my roommate anne spill gasoline all over her pants and shoes exactly 2 minutes into the trip (this required a turn around to the apartment.) driving through nevada. no one should ever, ever, live there.

Day 2: Saturday: 16th:
Best - waking up alive. eating a day old nutella (yum!) and jelly sandwich for breakfast. driving across the golden gate bridge. hanging with myke in the redwoods. being blown away by a fantastic beach. cruising the streets of san fran.
Worst - anne found out about one of her best friends passing away from cancer. parking in the most expensive parking garage possible on the san francisco piers ($7 an hour! are they kidding me?!)

Day 3: Sunday: 17th:
Best - waking up alive yet again (myke took us to the best church parking lot.) finding the sweetest route down to LA via highway 1 and the 101 (thank you google maps.) driving down the pacific coast highway (i had no idea california could be so so beautiful!) eating a real sunday meal at anne's house.
Worst - looking like death after sleeping in the car for the 2nd time without washing my face or brushing my teeth. sick.

Day 4: Monday: 18th:
Best - taking a shower. the beach. not having to buy my own movie ticket (thanks anne's dad.)
Worst - the beach was cold. stupid wind.

Day 5: Tuesday: 19th:
Best - spent the whole day in disneyland. enough said.
Worst - i was in the happiest place on earth...as if there could be a worst.

Day 6: Wednesday: 20th:
Best - having the sun heat my body through the car window (it's the most wonderful feeling and i've missed it.) driving through a desert rainstorm. reading the hiding place out loud. eating at in-n-out.
Worst - eating at in-n-out knowing it would be my last for awhile. almost falling asleep in the middle of the day while driving. having desperado (the roller coaster on the state line of CA and NV) closed the one day in my life that i drive by. being back in provo.

Lessons Learned: eating in-n-out for 6 days straight does not get old. cruise control is the only way to travel. i can drive anywhere and everywhere with my bff by my side. california just may be the greatest state.

*i posted an album on facebook that has a few more pics if you want to view it. and if the comments show up then you can see how myke really feels about me*

don't worry...

2008-02-18T13:53:00.003-07:00

...i am not forsaking my blog. i am only hanging in the golden state for a bit. a full report will follow my return

google me this...

2008-02-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

google me that.

these are the things i discover at 2 am while laying in bed. thank you google maps for bringing me one step closer to home (and also for reminding me that it's not all that pretty [get off my back mesa lovers. i too love mesa with all my heart, mind, and soul but the intersection of university and country club would make anyone want to turn and run])

*look you can see my house. and even my little red car parked in the carport*

confessions of an arizonan heart

2008-01-31T21:53:00.000-07:00

i can't believe i'm admitting this to myself let alone to the world wide web but i think i'm actually beginning to enjoy the snow. maybe it's because this realization came while i was sitting inside my car after just working out and the endorphins were at an all time high along with my body temperature so i was oblivious to the fact that my heater is horrible and my car was an icebox. nevertheless, i have actually looked upon the snow these past few days and have smiled. (my usual reaction is a big huge "OH CRAP! I HATE THIS PLACE" so believe me a smile is an improvement) yes i wear the exact same outfit every snow day (black hoodie, black jacket, black tights - i can't remember the last time i only wore jeans with nothing under them, jeans, and rainboots) and yes it takes longer to walk to class and yes you have to plan to leave 40 minutes early to go anywhere just in case you have to scrape the frozen ice from your windshield but all in all it's starting to blow my mind!

now i thought i was truly loving the snow but then i had to walk home in it as it was pelting me from all different directions and suddenly i couldn't remember why i ever thought falling frozen water was ever a good thing. so i've made a list of pros and cons to help me remember.

PROS:
*learning to drive in it is a huge accomplishment for me! this pic is of my actual first time EVER driving in snow. i made my roommate come with me so i wouldn't die and if i did she would go down with me. we live to tell the tale.

*it has made me a pro at driving with my knees (who wants to hold a frozen steering wheel?!)

*when it snows at night everything around you lights up. it's the most peaceful experience walking out into complete silence with everything around you coated in a fresh never been touched blanket of white cotton. it amazes me every time. (camera phone pic. i promise it looks better from the natural eye)

*you get lovely sights like this

CONS:
*sometimes your car looks like this.

*and the windshield always looks like this. (it's against the law not to scrape your windows but sometimes it just takes SO LONG so i'll scrape just enough (about a 6" x 6" square) to see out of and at the time this seems like a good plan until i start driving and realize i still can't see anything around me. an adventure of the not so good kind.)

*walking through it. to school. to church. to the grocery store. to your friend's house. never. ever. a. good. idea.

*it gets cold. really really cold. and my arizonan heart just can't take it.

through the lens of others

2008-01-27T20:56:00.004-07:00

some have told me it's been awhile since my last post. i would have to agree. and what better way to start again then to remind you all what i look like. (i made sure to include wonderful close ups in case you have missed the up-close-and-personal me)

*photos courtesy of my sis kays and the one and only ame

my life...

2007-09-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

things i procrastinate:

writing a school paper
homework in general
reading my scriptures
waking up in the morning
going to work
writing in my blog
cleaning my room (including doing laundry)
writing letters to friends
working out

those that i do not:

reading profiles on facebook
reading others blogs
reading a good book
checking my e-mail
sleeping
hanging out with friends
watching the next episode of so you think you can dance (or whatever my current reality show addiction is)

how amazing would my life be if i just learned to switch these two lists?! maybe one day we will all find out. but i wouldn't hold my breath for it...

you know you've been checking for days for a new post...

2007-08-07T11:44:00.001-07:00

...and finally i have a little something to fill your addiction (i'm so anal about formatting that these things take me so much longer than needed. side note: how can you change the size of text within a post?!)

JOBS I'VE HAD:
1. medical billing management - work with medical claims, call insurances, basic office work (this job makes me want to go to school and gain a skill more than anything else)
2. interior fabrics - i sell fabric, it's truly amazing!
3. AVID tutor - helped kids in school and taught them the basics of taking notes and thinking for themselves
4. preschool teacher aide - did crafts with a bunch of 3-5 year olds with their moms
5. l&t produce - made some amazing wraps. delish!

PLACES FOR A WEEKEND GETAWAY:
1. a resort - complete with a spa, pool, and shopping! i don't even care if its only 5 minutes from my house
2. california - is and will always be an amazing weekend
3. las vegas - i realize its filthy but there are amazing things to do there (shows, roller coasters, extreme rides, picture worthy opportunities) all fun as long as you don't look too closely at your environment
4. camping - is sweet as well and is probably the most affordable, easy, and relaxing of them all

MOVIES I CAN WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN:
1. dirty dancing and pride and prejudice (old and new) - they're both equally my number one
2. ...nothing deserves to even be on the same list as these two

GUILTY PLEASURES:
1. teeny bopper books - i'm a sucker for the fun careless read, anything by meg cabot usually sucks me in

PLACES I'VE LIVED:
1. orange street - born and raised
2. guayaquil ecuador
3. byu campus - provo (come on, as if i'd live in rexburg)
4. mansfield australia - the man from snowy river country, literally, like i saw his house

PLACES I'VE BEEN ON VACATION:
1. north america
2. south america
3. australia
4. europe

FAVORITE FOODS:
1. peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - you think i'm kidding but i'm not, the greatest combo is roman meal bread, creamy skippy peanut butter, and homemade strawberry jam. yum!

FIRST KISS LOCATION:
1. on a yacht - it sounds a lot cooler than it was

6 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT MYSELF:
1. i don't think of the passing of time in a straight continual line. for me it is an elaborate set of circles and ovals with no beginning or end. no matter if its thinking of the months in a year, the days in a week, or even hours in a day there is a certain circle in my mind that keeps them all together. i could draw it out for you on paper but it wouldn't be as well connected or amazing as it is in my head.

2. i'm one of those people that wish they were amazing at everything. and yet i'm not willing to put forth the effort to perfect a skill. hence the reason i don't really speak spanish, i never play the piano in front of anyone, and my drawing skills are horrible. i just want to wake up one day and be perfect at anything and everything. i know this will never happen but i can dream can't i?

3. i never throw anything away. you never know when you're going to need a cardboard box, or that old notebook, or even a bolt of ribbon. and yet when its time to actually use some of these items i never do because what if down the line i need to use them for something better?! and so the cycle continues and i stack up junk. it even goes for my music on my computer. even if i never listen to a particular song i won't delete it in fear that one day i will need that very song for some skit or dance party! at least i'm prepared i guess...

4. i copy the voice inflection of others. i don't know why i do this and i do it completely unconsciously and yet it always happens. just the other week i had multiple people ask me why me and lindsey sound the same. they wondered if it was a westwood thing (our high school) alas it is not. it is just an afton thing. apparently if i like you and spend hours on end with you i will eventually start to sound like you. take it as a compliment.

5. i'm a lot smarter than my hobbies and major make me appear. its true. i get good grades in actual academic courses and really don't put to much work into getting those grades. i hadn't taken math for 3 years and yet tested directly into a calculus class and got an A in the class. i only say all of this in hopes of making myself feel better for the fact that i'm majoring in home and family life. yes the cop-out mom major of byu. (apparently i haven't fully come to terms with this yet) i just want people to know that i could rock an engineering degree if i wanted to but i would rather sew, cook, and design.

6. i am NOT a morning person. as much as i would like to be i just am not. my entire family consists of morning people. i'm talking up by 5:30 and completely done with the day by 10 am type of morning people. if i try to get up anywhere before 7 i can't function or even think straight. and yet for some reason i keep setting my alarm for 6 thinking one of these days i'm magically going to change and be able to pop right up the second my alarm goes off. (this has yet to happen)

NOW I TAG...
1. lindsey!
2. camille!
3. adam!
4. chelsea!

Do the CHECKERBOARD!

2007-08-06T23:46:00.000-07:00

last week my friends and i all got together to go see hairspray and oh boy was it amazing! now this was the third version of hairspray i have seen (and hopefully the last because as much as i love them all how many more times can you adapt this same story line?!) and it was definitely my favorite. the first time i remember seeing the original hairspray (1988) it was on tv and i thought it was hilarious that ricki lake was the star of the show. now whenever i think about it it reminds me of cry baby which i just found out was written and directed by the same guy, john waters, who did the original hairspray and therefore is why both movies remind me of each other. also he is the flasher in the the beginning of the 2007 version! (thank you imdb for making my world go round) there are actually a lot of people who were in both film versions like jerry stiller was the father in 1988's and ricki lake is actually one of the talent agents at the end of 2007's that comes to see link. but anyway...this first film version was not a musical in the sense that they broke out in song after every sentence but it was later adapted into the broadway musical in 2002. i saw it at gammage who knows when but i do remember that it was amazing!
but even after seeing it on stage i still loved the 2007 version even more! it was like that with the phantom of the opera for me too. i had seen phantom on stage, knew the music, loved the story, and yet when the film version came out in 2004 i was completely blown away. the characters were all perfect in harispray and they had some of the greatest lines! made even funnier when watching it with a bunch of guys who laughed the hardest at any sort of racial comment (meant to be funny or not). now i'm not saying this is now my favorite movie but as long as you go into it knowing its a cheesy musical its absolutely incredible. and hello all of the clothing was amazing in it and i'm going to get me one of those dresses and then find me a guy who will rock one of those suits with the coordinating socks, i will then be living the dream...(i couldn't find a picture to do this look justice so you'll just have to go see the film and check out the guy in green)

the reason for blogs

2007-07-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Afton and I am an internet stalker. i have come to except this about myself and no longer feel ashamed. there is currently no cure and no end in sight. new profiles of friends of friends of friends are being added daily in an assortment of websites and i will find them one page at a time. if you have a myspace, facebook, or blogger profile chances are that i have seen it, read it, and now feel like i know you personally. in my defense i do have a job that requires me to sit in front of a computer for many hours. this supplies me with ample browsing time which i'm quite positive could be used on more productive things (like actually working perhaps) and yet i'm sure nothing productive would be as amusing. why do i find reading about people's lives that i don't know amusing? well i don't know i just do. its like reading an incredible book that never ends! (okay that my be a bit of a stretch) but its wonderful finding new witty posts everyday to fill in the mundane time of life and work. so i say to all of my fellow friends and stalkers...welcome to my life! i hope you enjoy...