Hobby Hunt

Summer is all about doing new things and having a good time. So this summer I have decided to go on a "Hobby Hunt". I will be asking people what their hobbies and interests are and then trying them out for myself. Sure there will be things that I will not have attempt for various reasons (too difficult, stupid, time waster), but I want to try as many new activities as possible. 

My first hobby I am trying out is hand lettering. So far I am OBSESSED. My first day I just copied pictures I had seen from Pinterest and then attempted to do them. The next day I went to the store, fully committed to my new hobby. I put a notebook and special Micron brand pens and away I went. I have been doing it for three days now and I cannot get enough of it. So far I am just learning new fonts, practicing things people have already done, and attempting to create my own. 

Here are some of my attempts at hand lettering, stay tuned for my next hobby!

(Apology in advance, the formatting of this post is so ugly and I can't figure it out, sorry)

The Art of Saying No

Being the indecisive person that I am, making big decisions is such a challenge for me. Along with that is my inability to say no. I find myself going on second and third dates with people that I am not interested in, just so I don't have to say no to them. I am still working at a job that I don't really like because I don't want to have to quit and say no to them. I don't respond to texts or return phone calls if I know I am going to have to let someone down and say no.

So why is this a problem? Well I am constantly and eternally plagued with the feelings that I have to say yes to people in order for them to appreciate me and respect me. Yes I will do that for you, yes you can come over, yes I will come over (even though it is 1 am), yes I will cook food for you so that you can go hang out with your friends, yes I will volunteer at this event, yes I pick this person up, yes I will come go to this meeting, yes I will go out with you again (even though you refuse to pay for me), yes I will cover your shift, and yes I will completely ignore the things that I actually have to do that way I will get your praise and appreciation. This is such a terrible conflicting feeling and although I love the praise I receive for doing things for other people, I often neglect the people or things that matter most in order to do these things for these other people. 

This whole saying "no" thing recently came into play. I found a great internship with the company Martha's Table. I applied on a whim and was given an interview. I was so excited because this internship would mean working with kids all day in the heart of Washington DC. I loved the idea of living on my own in an unknown city. Riding the train to work and heading off to see the sights all alone in DC. After interviewing with the sweetest lady, I was given the internship. Of course I wanted to immediately say yes, but I told her I needed a few days to work everything out and I would let her know. I talked with my family and friends and came to the wise decision that I should not take the internship. I would not be making money and I would be spending a lot of money to live there. I should stay in Provo and work and look for opportunities closer to home. Even as I write this now I have feelings of sadness towards the email that I just sent where I had to say no. I had to let someone down who was relying on me. I had to say no to an exciting opportunity that I was given. But I know I will be happy in Provo! I get to spend the summer having adventures, making money, being with my amazing friends, and making memories in the city that I only have a year left in. DC will always be around, but my time as a single person in Provo is quickly coming to an end. 

So, one small step to being better at saying no. Hopefully I can put this into use some more. Practice makes perfect am I right?

On a ligher note, I have the best of friends. How could I be so lucky to find friends who understand everything about me from my weird sense of humor to my boy drama to my crying fits over letting our bunny go (sorry I cried! Still don't know why that happened). Hopefully everyone has friends as great as I do, what would I do without these girls who let me wake them up at four in the morning to talk about scandalous situations and go to see chick flicks we've already seen just for fun! So sad that in a year from now I will be leaving the girls that I met almost three years ago as young naive freshies! 

For now, C'est La Vie--finals are almost over and Summer 2013 is here! 

Keep Smiling : D

Yesterday I was at work at Blickenstaff's , I was sort of struggling because I was sick, tired and the store was really slow. An old man and his wife came in and were playing with everything in the store. They were laughing and asking questions and having a really great time. The old man came up to the register to pay, threw down a few jokes, and left but not before saying, "Hey, Keep Smiling!"

Thank you old man for brightening my day and reminding me to be happy about everything! 

So here's some things that have been making me smile as of late! 

1. Finding new songs that I love.

• Sight of the Sun by Fun.
• I Love It by Icona Pop
• Merry Go Round by Kacey Musgraves
• Cult Logic by Miike Snow

2. Having Kindergartener and 1st graders in my life everyday, how could you not be happy! 

-- "Miss Steele, one time I saw a bear in the wild and it let me pet it!" Sure you did. 

-- "I want to read this book so I can be smarterer!" Yep, let's read

-- "I know you want to sit by a sexy guy like me" Yes, that was a 1st grader who said that

-- "Miss Steele, I've been reading a lot of cooking books and I am going to bake you a treat" Can't wait! 

3. Being sick with other people, isn't it just so much better to be sick when people around you are sick. Such a twisted concept. 

4. Having the best roommates/friends/soul mates ever. The rumors are true, all 4 of us are single but that doesn't keep us down. When not engaging in random, sometimes strange dates with the local Provo-boy-selection, we are laughing non-stop. Never do I have more fun than when I am hanging out with the girls in CT 29, usually in the kitchen. Feel free to stop by for some laughs, you won't regret it. 

5. Free time. One of my favorite things to do is to be busy. A normal day for me is 6:30 nannying, 8:45 work at the elementary school, 11:30 lunch break, 12:30 -3:15 class. Depending on the day I will then go back to nannying, head to Blickenstaff's or some other event I have agreed to be part of. Then there will be moments of free time where it feels like I am on top of the world. I'm not complaining about being busy, I wouldn't have it any other way, I just realize how much more I love free time when I have it. Catching up on shows, a mini-nap or a soda run becomes that much more exciting! (Side note: Recently became a fan of Parks and Recreation, and my alter ego Leslie Knope , thanks DS for making this possible) 

6. Great websites. If you haven't checked them out before, go to buzzfeed.com or thoughtcatalog.com. How can they be so clever! If you are looking for a good laugh or interesting article go here. Or if you are too lazy, here are some of my favorites right now. 

Buzz Feed Article   Thought Catalog Article 

7. Friends. Yes I already talked about my great roommates, but I have some other great friends worth mentioning. Work friends- such a funny thing that we have these separate lives when we go to work. I have my favorite people I work with and it is great because we come in and vent to each other, give each other advice, and then go back to our separate lives. Ward friends- At the beginning of the semester I had very ill feelings towards my ward. I was just coming off of a post-psychotic ward hangover and I was bitter about ever having a good ward again. Fortunately, I got a new calling, visiting/home teachers, an FHE group, and a little bit of humility. I can't believe I was such a brat before, I love my ward and I have made some really great friends from it. We like it so much we are staying next year! New friends- It is such an exciting feeling to have a new friend, that's probably why kids are so excited all the time. Egg drops, mafia, rock band, Saturday breakfasts, Friday friend lunch dates, hot tubing, shopping and so many other good times have been had lately. Lets keep that going. 

8. Luau. Not much to say here except come to our show March 12th and 13th. All our 4-hour, 6 am practices feel so worth it when we, as besties are out there shakin it on the stage in front of a sold out Polynesian audience, even if we are hoolies. 

9. Embarrassing moments. "Oh hey hot crush, you know my friend Jeff Dunn." "How did you know I knew Jeff?" "Um we talked about it when we met" "I don't think we did" 

Alright I stalked you and found all this information about you and am telling it to you in an effort to get you to like me, what?! Why would I make that up! All I could do was laugh and realize that maybe it wasn't going to work out between us. 

10. This. It's a good read, enjoy! 

Getting caught during our interesting brownie challenge

Just a normal morning at luau practice. Shots all around.

A picture post for your viewing pleasure

Baby girl Molly rocked the talent show

<3

4 of 5 Siblings together for the weekend!

Just twinning around

Big Ken looking suave at B+C wedding

Teen Girl Squad's glamour shots

Third Times A Charm

This is my 3rd attempt at blogging. I love reading blogs and I think it would be fun to have one, but I am terrible at keeping up with them. So here is my third attempt, we'll see how it goes. Since writing last I moved into Chathamtowne with my three lovely ladies Christina, Jennae and Jordan. It is great here and a way better situation than living at Campus Plaza. It is winter semester now and things are going great. I am working at Blickenstaff's still but also took a job being a teacher's aide in a kindergarten and first grade class. I love working there, kids are hilarious. Most recently a kid tattled for saying the "S" word. Come to find out the "S" word he said was sexy. Almost busted up laughing but found a way to control myself.

Some other exciting happenings are that my brother and sister are both dating people. It is such an exciting thing to have new people in the family and hopefully everything goes well for them. And hopefully I get to join them in their happiness too! I had a nightmare that at my brothers wedding I had to take pictures all alone because I was the only one without a spouse or boyfriend. Scary that this could actually be a reality.

Recently I applied to study abroad at King's College. It is not through BYU and it would basically be just me going to London alone and taking a class. Well I got in! So now I have some decisions to make. I would be there for the entire month of July taking a global health class. It would be an awesome experience but I just need to make sure I can make everything work logistically! Stay tuned.

In all, life is great. I'm so happy with this time in my life!

Here are a few pictures from Thailand!

New Adventures

New things are happening all around me. We recently moved from Lib Square to the classy[sarcasm] Campus Plaza. Pros: Cheap, super close to campus, near a variety of our favorite restaurants, all three of us share a room. Cons: New roommates, new ward, all three of us share a room. For now we will just enjoy it because we are saving a lot of money which means we can go on trips!

I also started a new job. I've been working at an elementary school in a second grade class since November and I absolutely love it. Sadly, this job will be coming to an end in May and the teacher I work for will be getting married. So i decided I needed to find a new job for the summer and possibly into Fall. Chloe let me know that Blickenstaff's was hiring. I applied, interviewed, and got the job! So far it has been awesome. I come in a play with toys for a few hours and then leave. It's super ideal. I also started nannying one of my students and her two older sisters. They are so great. They are so stylish that I have to be conscious of my outfits on the days I nanny because I know they will be evaluating me. The oldest girl is a ballerina and whenever I drive her to dance I secretly wish that I was going in with her and doing some pliés. 

Also, Mr. Alaska is officially gone. So far so good. I talk to him a lot and it is still fun. On weekends I especially wish he was here so that I would have plans, but it's okay, August isn't that far away.

Lastly, I decided to start a new blog. Here it is! I have so many exciting things happening and I am horrible at keeping a journal, so maybe this will help. 

Oh, I also got to go on a trip at the end of the semester and here are some fun pics!