the rosebud chronicles

freakin' peels

2012-01-16T17:52:00.003-07:00

*warning: may induce vomiting

Number 1: roommate kyrsten makes dinner on Sunday

number 2: other roommate kim peeled potatoes for kyrsten's dinner and put the peels down the sink. the starch from the potatoes clogged the drain and so know our sink looks like flood water from cambodia (brown, with pieces of who know what floating around)

numero 3: to fix the "plugged" drain, roommate tara and roommate kyrsten insist on getting a toilet bowl plunger (*&@#^!) to unclog it. they try to use the same tactics for unclogging a toilet but it didn't work (obviously).

Was it a new clean plunger? No, they borrowed it from the neighbors.

Do I now want to throw up every time I walk past the sink? YES

number 4: the sink is still clogged and there are pieces of half chopped carrots, potato peels, and used water sitting at the bottom of our sink.

It looks like pooh, literally.

disgusting, eh?

Rule of thumb: don't put potato peels down a college apartment garbage disposal. it's not powerful enough and it's likely to clog

as of late

2012-01-16T00:32:00.002-07:00

i'm sorry (again) for not writing in the blog.

here is why.

One. 19 credits of school - chemistry was among them and i am no chem whizzz so my time was occupied by trying to understand cyclobenzene and IUPAC names

two. work - cutting fabric for hours at a time dries out your hands...a lot. who would have thought.

three.

this boy :)

i'm a little bit in love with him and we've been spending every minute together. he's great.

uploading video for class

2011-11-03T19:27:00.003-06:00

my technology tools for teachers class is requesting that I upload a video to my blog by using this great free program called streamclip (i'm not advertising...just sharing my knowledge) it's a great program that uploads movies from youtube or other internet sites and converts them to a save-able format for your computer :)

what does that mean?

it means that any video you find online you can save it to your computer and therefore put it on a hard drive, place it on your blog, etc. pretty fun :)

anyway here's the video tutorial I picked (I had to find one close to a minute but there weren't very many educational video tutorials under a minute that I found so....bear with me.

marathon

2011-10-27T23:27:00.000-06:00

my fabulous sister and hubby (hers, not mine) ran the Layton marathon.

i went and cheered them on....i was so inspired.....

bucket list #15 run a marathon

p.s.... FALL FLANNEL IS A GO! holler!

book

2011-10-27T23:15:00.000-06:00

new book i'm reading in honor of a good friend :)

you know who you are <3

taste of cambodia

2011-10-26T15:06:00.000-06:00

i decided it was time for me to start sharing about my times in cambodia.

to start out here are a few photos of my time there

stories to follow shortly, I <3 this country and her people

this WILL change your life

2011-10-06T16:03:00.006-06:00

i have fabulous roommates.

the joys about living with others, as you will all agree, is that you all get to share favorite books, youtube clips, thoughts, opinions, etc etc.

my roommate showed me this video. changed my life. i'm studying to be a teacher right now and i got goosebumps when i watched this again....and again.

i don't know if you've heard of the slam poetry movement but it's basically people standing up and speaking their personal works of poetry to an audience.

this is Taylor Mali and this is his slam poetry

in honor of education...

2011-09-21T11:59:00.001-06:00

My life has been a bit busy as of late, an understatement? yes.

19 credits, work, and a strong desire to exercise more, or at all (if i have the time) is what my life consists of right now. I'm not asking for pity just justification in my blog absence.

BUT...

I'm taking a class and one of the assignments is to post on a personal blog so.... here I am. The post, unfortunately for you, won't be about the unmagical life that I'm living right now but instead will be about some really interesting teaching blogs that I found.

http://teachersteachingteachers.org/

a blog that is compiled by mostly 2 people. They collaborate their communications and discussions with other teachers and post on this blog to help teachers develop their classrooms in leadership and give more knowledge regarding online programs to help students and teachers more fully incorporate blogs, podcasts, etc. into their classrooms.

http://nyceducator.com/ funny.

the writer is a bit cynical (but funny) and brings up some good points about the problems and frustrations in education now days while taking a jab at politicians...ooohhh delightful! They've won a couple of blog awards and overall I see it helping teachers be up to date on the latest education changes

http://oakridgesixthgrade.edublogs.org/

this is a wonderful blog that a sixth grade teacher made. I like it cause it's simple and easy. If I was ever to make a blog for my class I would pattern it after this one. Although, I would make it a bit more colorful and fun to look at but color is just my preference

here are some wonderful sites that I've started following...love 'em!

http://rachelelise.tumblr.com/

http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/

well...cheers one and all. I'll be bloggin ya later

first day of school

2011-08-29T15:06:00.002-06:00

hooray!

the sun is shining, the kids are about, my bank account is empty, and the smell of ramen noodles is in the air (i don't eat those by the way; my roommates do *shifty eyes)

oh, yes. school has started. i never thought i would be a person who absolutely loves and is positively excited about school, but i am. don't judge. i love it. end of story.

good news for you: i will probably blog more. i wont promise you i will because quite frankly i've given up on making promises to people that i don't keep; i feel it weakens ones character and a summer full of unfulfilled promised blog posts brings my character to a mud pile

SO...

i don't promise frequent everyday fancy festive blog posts BUT...i will try

oh, and did i mention that i love school.

apology?

2011-07-04T13:51:00.002-06:00

today I was talking to someone and I very apologetically apologized for being tired and a bit of a bore today. he responded "you should apologize" I hope he was joking because I'm still a bit socially awkward at the moment and I couldn't come up with any witty response.

I realized that I apologize for far too many things especially things that truly have no consequence or meaning to anyone.

here I am though, yet again, apologizing to you lovely people for being blogging MIA/gone/lazy/buzy/boring (you choose your preferred excuse). Not that anyone truly cares if I write a blog post or not but here you go. I'm sorry.

maybe I'm more apologizing to myself. I love blogging. I love the blogging friends and world but for some reason...

don't ask me why

my blogging has been, well...none existent.

Sorry self. I promise to do better and make your life seem more magical and "blogger friendly"

watch out for some serious bloggin' goin down this summer.

love you all

the recents

2011-05-24T18:35:00.003-06:00

some of the exciting happenings of me since being home....

DoCtOr'S aPpOiNtMeNts (i truly hate type like that, which also expresses my attitude towards the words typed)

the dentist - 3 times, should've been 2 but after they numbed BOTH SIDES of my mouth they ran out of time and scheduled me to finish on another day. I walked around with a fully numbed face all day when only half numb was required. NO.FUN.AT.ALL

the regular doctor (don't know the specific name for them) - blood tests, urine sample (that ALWAYS catches me off guard) and a check-up. RESULTS: no HIV, no malaria, no tuberculosis (misspeled that on my first try typing) and no weird parasite or worm that will take months to get rid of. JOY. I guess all those worm pills we were given paid off.

the foot doctor- dr. ollerton. he somewhat fixed my horribly screwed up feet from cambodia. That was just a few days ago and they still look SUPER NASTY from the surgery.

the chiropractor -apparently my shoulder is "really outta line kiddo." still a work in progress.

Work -sherrihaab designs. LOVE IT! check her out here

TODAY

went to get my haircut...uh, finally!
on the way to the haircut an impatient man passed us on this empty backroad and so my little sis honked. he flipped us off. FUNNY.

love you all. pictures to come shortly

trying to impress

2011-05-21T11:59:00.002-06:00

i've officially been blogger boring

i apologize for my being MIA for the past...what? few weeks!

my excuse: i just got back from Cambodia and am trying to adjust.

do you buy it?

but now i am feeling somewhat normal and am slowly being inaugurated back into society. ex. i think today is the day that i will get a cell phone :)

i promise to all of you that i will try harder to post more.

i've wanted to post for a long time but, for some reason, i feel i need to impress all of you and post some type of awesome, funny, cute, artsy, inspirational blog post; included with pictures, music and some type of amazingness that shows how splenidly magical your life is.
make sense? does anyone else feel the same?

so.....

i've decided i don't care about impressing. i'm just gonna post

enjoy!

return

2011-05-04T11:06:00.001-06:00

i'm back

and very happy to be blogging with you all again

farewell

2009-08-18T16:08:00.005-06:00

so i'm leaving...tomorrow

can you believe it? i can't.

i'll be serving the people of Cambodia and Vietnam for the next eighteen months of my life

i still can't believe that i'm going, the past three months i've been waiting for tomorrow and now tomorrow is finally here.

today has been filled with frantic last minute shopping, packing (try packing three suitcases with everything you will need for an entire year and a half, hectic town :) ), and saying goodbye to family and friends

so.....

here is my goodbye to you

thank you! truly, you are all sooo amazing!

all of you have been so wonderful, supportive and fun and i will miss you all terribly.

i've loved making all of my new blogging friends and each one of you has your own spark and flair on life that has, most definitely, brought me up when i've been at my lows.

so i bid you all adeiu, chao, tschuss, and farewell.

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."{Anais Nin}

you have all created a new world for me and it has been magical and wonderful

THANK YOU!

before you know it my eighteen month blogging hiatus will be ended :)

remember...

"Within you is the divine capacity to manifest
and attract all that you need or desire. "
{Wayne Dyer }

if any of you would like to send me your love please mail letters to

(this address for August-middle of November)

Sister Camille Harlan

Cambodia Phnom Penh Mission

Provo Missionary Training Center

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

(these addresses after November)

(if you mail to this address it can only be one page tri-folded with a piece of tape to hold it together and the address written on one side, stupid i know)

Sister Camille Harlan

Cambodia Phnom Penh Mission

POB 30150

Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150

or..

Sister Camille Harlan

Cambodia Phnom Penh Mission

PO Box 165

House 2B, Street 222

Off Norodom Blvd

Phnom Penh

CAMBODIA

picture courtesy of here

here's to me

2009-08-10T16:50:00.002-06:00

something very exciting has happened to me :)

does anyone want to guess what it is?

i'm to impatient to wait so i'll tell you straight away. i was featured in a list from wonderful blogger tee hee from through the looking glass. hoorah! she's been doing a lovely feature of blogs devoted to people's lists of what they love about themselves, you can find mine here

i know saying sorry doesn't cut it but i have, yet again, been MIA for the past couple of days.
reason: visiting friends from afar because i won't be seeing them for 18 months because of this

we had a blast and laughed the entire weekend
activities:
tubing down the Logan City River canal, freezing but soooo fun!
watching Enchanted...twice
watching Sound of Music
eating yummy sandwiches and a cinnamon roll the size of my head
eating rice with coconut syrup and a mango
buying coloring books and whilst driving to color them detoured to the theater and watched The Proposal instead
singing and dancing to Beauty and the Beast in the kitchen (i played the role of Gaston)
taking fun pictures together {pictures soon to be posted}
making peanut butter rice crispies with chocolate
laughing and laughing and laughing

i have the best friends in the world!

thank you one and all for being such wonderful blogging friends you truly are the best!

happy things

2009-08-04T14:37:00.005-06:00

i was tagged to write about 6 things that make me happy {i was tagged by my fabulous blog friend and you can find her here}

number...

1. my family {without fail we can always lift each other up when we are feeling down, and make each other laugh}
2. obnoxious bright colors {fuschia, orange, fire engine red, indian Sari colors, etc}
3.my best friends {nuff' said}
4. my religion {the one constant in my life, it always lifts my burdens and strengthens me}
5. jane austen {i'm going to meet her after i die}
6. eating all types of food

i've never experienced the joy of being included in a tag line in the blogging world and although i have yet to decide if i'm a fan winkwink it is very exciting to know that people are reading my blog {thank you one and all} we'll try tagging some people and see what happens

tag you're it! jalene - hello kello - so about what i said - juje

new hair

2009-08-04T13:58:00.007-06:00

i cut my hair off and i kind of felt like this

it went from this long length (me with my birthday pie)
{i went to this animal museum which explains the baboon and for explanation on my ugly face-i wanted to be funny}

what do you all think?
{i'm learning to luff it!}

this morning i cried because i had to say goodbye to these wonderful people :(
i won't be seeing them for 18 months because i'll be in Cambodia. I love them {aunt deb, uncle bret, and the cousins} with all of my heart and will miss them terribly.

i very much dislike saying goodbye to family! it has to be on my list of things i most hate; along with figs/dates stuffed with bleu cheese

MIA

2009-08-03T10:01:00.003-06:00

sorry i've been MIA for the past couple of days.

this is what i've been doing....

1. eating key lime pie for my birthday pie
2. going to a cupcake shop
3. going to dinner with my bffs for the b-day (i luff tiramisu!)
4. getting 8 inches of my hair cut off (pictures to follow soon)
5. experiencing slight withdrawals from the said action above
6. doing yoga
7. making fruit smoothies
8. holding my brand new baby cousin
9. spending time with one of my favorite relative families (Aunt Deb, Uncle Bret, and their children)
10. talking and laughing about stupid computer helper people (their accents are so thick you can't even understand what they are saying, "tdank ew berry much!")
11. loving the summer

pictures will soon follow especially of the new haircut, i want to know what you guys think

love you all!

21 years ago....

2009-07-30T11:56:00.002-06:00

it's my birthday, i am one and twenty today

hooray!

crepe away

2009-07-28T17:42:00.006-06:00

say bon voyage to my trying to be a fitness guru again this week.

every week starts off by me saying "ok, camille, SERIOUSLY. you are going to eat healthy this week and try to be fit." usually i make it to at least the middle of the week but alas, this week i didn't make it past monday {frowny face}

here's my diet/activities for the past 24 hours

monday

breakfast: Caroline made us crepes {yes, real french crepes} delish! add nutella and they become divine!
snack: crepes with nutella
lunch: vegetable {huzzah! something healthy}
went to the chiropractor {that in itself is an entirely blog worthy story}
THEN the dentist {wa! and ow! and oh, i hate! are all i can say of that horrid place}
snack: dorito chips whilst watching the old Parent Trap
did service project in the park
dinner: basghetti {aka spaghetti} with more pieces of french bread than i should have indulged in.
sat down and finished The Parent Trap

tuesday

breakfast: nothing {in a rush for work, i hate when i miss breakfast}
snack after work: chicken salad {ok mildly healthy but mix it with the dressing and i might as well have gorged on a big mac and fries} with a twisty breadstick that was longer than my arm.

and now as i write to you i am enjoying half aerated crackers {you know? the ones that are soft and slightly chewy and that probably aren't even worth eating} with nutella. honestly.

so tomorrow, as i wake up, i will see {and feel} the nutrient lacking, chocolate looking, soft and chewy food as my thighs try to unsuccessfully carry me 3 miles in a jog.

i love the summer!

also, i just found this amazing giveaway

picture found here

corrected

2009-07-27T08:51:00.004-06:00

i am so sorry for the confusion on the last post.

sometimes i try too hard to be clever and witty with my blogging. unfortunately for me it just comes out confusing and unintelligent.

so to correct and clarify....

point 1:

we did not hit a buffalo {as exciting as that would have been.} we did however see one that was about 15 feet away from us, i was terrified that someone was going to get gored; did you know that they can sprint up to 30 mph!!!! they may look fat, fuzzy, and lethargic but look out when their running towards you, there is no way anyone could outrun that.

point 2:

we saw an electronic flashing construction sign

{that looked like this}

and each time it flashed it read;

drive slowly {break} hitting a 2000 lb buffalo will ruin your car {break} it will ruin your day.

i found it very amusing.

bleep blarp blurp

2009-07-25T16:15:00.007-06:00

the past couple of days i was here...

with my family

it was so fun and i cannot believe how incredible the sights are.

{like this}

it's like a rainbow pond, beautiful, absolutely beautiful!

main highlights of the trip are,

1.playing...
name that movie tune (with a simple hum of 3 notes)
name that movie (one quote is all you get)
fifty nifty united states (not only did we sing the song, we found all but three of the wonderful states license plates; curse you massachusetts, vermont, and maine!)
2. doing this!totally wicked!

3. my little sister convinced that old faithful is fraudulent
4. reading Pride and Prejudice :)
5. getting my first real sunburn of the summer
6. seeing a buffalo oh, so very close (seriously!)
7. being on top of two waterfalls. so amazing!
7. driving past one of those flashing construction signs that flashed...
drive slowly...
hitting a 2000 lb buffalo will ruin your car...
it will ruin your day.

absolutely hilarious!

this trip was great, have any of you gone on any fun trips lately?

chao!

farewell...again

2009-07-20T10:07:00.002-06:00

so, i'm off on another family vacation

i hope you are all enjoying a fabulous summer

i'll see you again in blogging world in a few days

saw it, love it

2009-07-17T15:34:00.001-06:00

i just found this, can i just say

adorable!

and we're back

2009-07-16T23:20:00.017-06:00

the vacation was good.

a tad bit dirty and very, very hot! but still really fun.

our first stop was here.{hailey, me, caroline, alicia, briana, emily}
i forget how dirty vegas is.

we then did a little stop at Sephora and did a little bit of this
{please do not be creeped out by my smile}

the worker at this toy store stopped, scowled, and asked us if we needed any help. we said no and she skulked off. oh, HP where would i be without you?

we then saw this...

and this... {beautiful!}

and these!! {i love these}

the next stop was St. George and we went to this play {eighties music mixed with crazy dancing...where can you go wrong?}

us {minus me} at the play

we saw this gorgeous building {love it!}

and then it was Zion's National Park and Bryce Canyon. "incredible" is all i have to say about these parks. absolutely splendid!

bryce canyon hiking

zion's park, the emerald pools, with sister

baha! they fell asleep on the shuttle.

all the harlan sisters at bryce canyon

and that concludes the synopsis of my trip. i loved being outside and spending time with my family, it was great!

sorry about all the pictures, there were a lot more but i decided to spare you.

the top picture is us in las vegas.
i have no idea how it got that bright
{i sort of love it},
all i did was set my camera timer,
place it on a rock,
and run into the picture. amazing!

off to the desert

2009-07-11T17:11:00.004-06:00

i'll be gone for a few days.

please don't fret, i promise to return.

i love you all

Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love.

-- George Eliot

photo courtesy of a cup of jo

laughter

2009-07-10T14:02:00.007-06:00

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."
{Anais Nin}

"Laugh at your friends,
And if your friends are sore;
So much the better,
You may laugh the more."

{Henry Ward Beecher}

i've never been a Byron girl myself but i enjoy this

"the green woods laugh with the voice of joy,
And the dimpling stream runs laughing by;
When the air does laugh with our merry wit,
And the green hill laughs with the noise of it."

{Lord Byron}

"One must laugh before one is happy, or one may die without ever laughing at all."

{Jean de la Bruvere}

make sure that today, on this day, you laugh with those you LOVE

picture courtesy of here

wedding music video

2009-07-09T10:07:00.001-06:00

o my! i want to do this so bad!

america

2009-07-08T19:10:00.011-06:00

well we (we referring to me) have definitely been out of the blogging attitude for far too long.

.i apologize.

here are some pictures from the fabulous 4th. i am always in awe at how much people, including myself, love our wonderful country. it seems the 4th brings out the patriotism in all of us.

me. bri. caroline {she's french}

balloons.

gimli. he loves america.

fireworks.

watching. fireworks.

we. love. america!

muffled

2009-07-02T16:50:00.006-06:00

lately i've kind of felt like my mind has been in these....

the clouds. and it's not in a good way.

it's not that i have nothing to do, and i know for certain that there is, most definitely, something in there; it just seems that,

as of late,

i've been separating myself from, well, myself. don't get me wrong, i go to work, i exercise, i see people but there's just something wanting. something in my heart that wont entirely let me be my normal self again and sometimes, to be quite frank, i hate it.

once i think that i've found my happy heart, things happen that bring back the pain and emptiness i feel accompanied with my brother's death.

for example.

neal's best friend (justin's) dad died this week. so tragic. seeing justin's pain and anguish has brought back all of that for me. it has made me retreat back into the hollow alone shell that i found myself after neal died.

now. i don't say this because i want pity. oh no. i just want people to know how incredibly hard it is to overcome a heartbreaking tragedy.

it changes who you are. i am sure of it. granted i will move on with my life and i will be happy again. but, i am convinced that the hole my brother made when he left will never be filled with something as wonderful as him. ever again.

although it's hard (really... extremely hard), i hope that i will be a better person for it (cliche, i know) but...

When the world says, "Give up,"
Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."

-unknown

july

2009-07-01T15:50:00.002-06:00

happy first day of july!

2009-06-27T09:57:00.005-06:00

last night.....

it rained.

my cousin gave a fabulous mocktail party.

it was dress up so naturally i had to break out great grandma's vintage hats. oh, how i love them <3

sometimes i think to myself...

i was born in the wrong generation.

shoplifting in wonderland

2009-06-25T21:19:00.012-06:00

Tim Burton has done it again!

how many of you have heard of this!!!!!! I can't believe it and am oh so excited. Tim Burton never ceases to amaze me with his amazing films and this one is going to be more incredible than usual.

here are some pictures from the movie.

i. heart. them

beautiful.

i love helena bonham carter. and johnny depp.

this movie is going to be amazing.

today i was going through my new clothes and alas, i found two of those magnetic security ink things that they put on clothes to keep people from shoplifting. after i purchased my clothes i walked out of the store with them on and the alarms didn't go off. what a comfort it is to know that i could have shoplifted those items and never gotten caught...ridiculous! now i have to go back to both stores and have them removed. such. a. pain.

but actually pretty funny considering that has never happened to me in my entire life and now it happens twice in 2 weeks. i'm still laughing about it.

chào!

where's waldo?

2009-06-23T19:43:00.005-06:00

the search for formal clothes is going better than expected. i've decided that i am not going to look like a penguin for 18 months. no siree! so, to counteract the super boring, all nautral subdued colors, which were suggested to buy, i've purchased a bright fluorescent orange and blue blouse, a tye dye type blouse, and a light blue and white striped one (the majority of the blouses have ruffles so i may be mistaken for a pirate) i also purchased one that i like to call my waldo shirt...in my reality, waldo's stripes go vertical instead of horizontal. hence my shirt is vertical red and white stripes. it actually might work for the fourth of july. god bless america.

all i need to do to complete the outfit is a pair of blue pants, or a skirt in my case, then you would all be able to find me amidst the crazy crowds of Cambodia.

i really love the books where's waldo? who didn't come across those once in their childhood? i refuse to lose my inner child while i am in Asia for 18 months so...i bought my outfit to remind me of my childhood and to keep me smiling when i know i'll be struggling with missing my family, getting washed away in the rain, hopefully not getting typhoid, and wishing i was eating french fries.

chào!

beautiful things

2009-06-20T09:34:00.004-06:00

magical things of the summer so far

this blog post. almost made me cry. it's about love and is absolutely beautiful.

this movie was watched in a theater with a little child laughing through the entire thing. the magic of a childs laugh is incredible.

thunderstorms

an old couple came in to work and the husband called his wife a "good lookin' lady"

running into a wheat field when the sun was setting

today's day

2009-06-15T17:47:00.004-06:00

today was a day. quite a wonderful day. on monday work is only open for 5 hours. it's good news because i stay busy and don't have to force myself to find something to do but bad because i don't earn as much moolah...can you imagine a cow saying that cause i can.

today i rode my bike to and from work. a total of approximately 10 miles. i thought the hills were going to do me in, they didn't, sing hallelujah!, and i've decided that i need to get a cushion for the bike seat, for reasons that i'm sure you can all figure out.

it felt good though. wow, did it feel good! i'm sure tomorrow at wake up time it wont be feeling as good but for now i can happily relish in the thought that i biked 10 miles. hoorah!

rachel and i have decided that we are going to make our lives more magical. i told this to a fellow employee and he replied "you're going to work at Disneyland?!?!" alas, if only that were true. i'm not sure what we meant when we decided to add magic to our lives but i'm sure we will figure it out.

what would you suggest to add a magical flair in life? and if you say go to hogwarts sorry, i've already thought of it and they don't admit muggles...such a pity.

photo courtesy of sfgirlbybay

here's to happiness

2009-06-13T12:34:00.006-06:00

so i've been reading this blog and decided that it is high time for me to do my own happiness list.

here's to happiness {by camille}

1. singing like my life is a musical
2. thunderstorms
3. reading books that take me away
4. laughing with anyone
5. baking deserts
6. grandparent couples holding hands and walking slowly down the street
7. quails scampering across the road
8. spice girls wannabe
9. smell of a rose bush
10. watching family videos with the ones i love

photo courtesy of sfgirlbybay

love and reason

2009-06-12T22:25:00.006-06:00

i bought a necklace that reads

it is love, not reason, that is stronger than death

as i've been wearing it the past few days i've thought to myself...if i have love for others and love for myself (in the least pigheaded way possible) i don't need to worry or be sad. if i love others and feel the love that my heavenly father has for me, i can be strengthened even against the sorrows of death. what a comfort this quote gives me; the past few weeks have been very difficult with my brother being gone. it's a daily battle to try not to cry and get upset and the longing for him to give me a hug grows everyday but how great it is to know that the love i have for him is stronger than death. huzzah! i will prevail.

i'm pretty sure that may be the best 4 dollars i've spent :)

my family recently placed all of our old family videos, which were on huge tapes, onto DVD. such a great investment i assure you. here is just a little taste of how cute my family is when we were little...this video joys my heart.

so now that i've been strengthened in the knowledge that love prevails all, hasn't that been a long outstanding cliche line for centuries?, i am ready to set off and face the world head on.

my message to the world... bring it on (with as much enthusiasm as a cheerleader!)

bead and button

2009-06-11T23:17:00.008-06:00

this past week was spent in the city of Milwaukee for the Bead and Button show. sherri haab, a great family friend, had a booth and I was able to explain to thousands of people how to transfer their personal images onto any surface using a product called ITS. if I have to explain that again I may have to kill myself. :)

overall it was fun, apparently everything in Milwaukee closes at 6 pm and there is no one walking around...it's like a glorified ghost town.

the first night there we drove into Chicago to see the main tourist sights.

they were fabulous
us on the elevator at sears tower
rachel and me did a little high school musical at buckingham fountain. this is so gorgeous.

overall the summer's been good. chao!

memorial day and graduation

2009-05-29T19:43:00.004-06:00

It was memorial day this past Monday. I miss you brother!

Last night was high school graduation and my elder sister walked for Neal and received his diploma. When she walked out for him all the students stood and clapped. I thought I was going to be able to handle it but I couldn't; the tears just came. Don't fret, It was still a time of celebration because all of his best friends graduated and I am so proud of them.

I love these boys, congrats!

sherbet

2009-05-28T15:59:00.003-06:00

Recently my friends and I have been talking about twitter and how we don't understand it.

Apparently you can only put around 20 words per post (or some number like that)...it's like those obnoxious credit card commercials where everyone is moving fast and the one poor soul that decides to use cash throws everyone's groove off (yes I did say throw and groove in the same sentence.) Heaven forbid we waste our time actually writing a full entry :)

Anyway as much as I think twitter would frustrate me I'm sure I would get the hang of it; so here is a twitter post for you.

off work. drove home in stinkin' hot car. found last sugar cone in cupboard. sugar cone + pineapple sherbet = love

the mission

2009-05-09T10:13:00.005-06:00

I got my mission call yesterday!

I have been called to labor in the Cambodia, Phnom Penh mission! I will learn and speak Vietnamese and I cannot wait to leave. The past couple of months have been very difficult but I am a firm believer of hope and I know it has the power to fill our lives with happiness :) Nothing is impossible when you turn your life towards the Lord and I cannot wait to serve the people of these countries.

I'm just beaming and lovin' life right now!

a wonderful evening

2009-05-08T00:51:00.004-06:00

Tonight.

After coming home from work/antique store/bookstore I had a bowl of ice cream, I decided to eat that instead of working out ( a fine alternative eh?)

excuse for not exercising: my back hurts from playing tennis last night- seriously, my body is falling apart and at so young of an age...it's such a shame.

After ice cream I mapquested the location to Gentri's wedding reception...a mere 47.2 minute drive from my house...excellent!

I attended and brought Hailey along for the ride (she finished 2 math assignments along the drive.)

I saw Gentri and Curtis, they solidified the title, yet again, of cutest couple I know. My neighbor from school was also playing the piano and we said hello.

After saying our congrats Hailey and I spent time taking pictures outside. The LDS Jordan River temple was nearby and we thought we would take advantage of the great lighting (if only I had a real awesome camera.)

We came home, I edited Hailey's Renaissance paper on childbirth...interesting. Watched SNL with Zac Efron and favorite cheesy songs from HSM 1 with raychi.

'twas a fine evening.

i love you sisters!

2009-05-06T20:38:00.006-06:00

today after work and the gym.....

i waste time on the comp

i find this

how are my sisters so funny?

i ask you.

also we do not have a dog named willis...i have no idea where that came from

beginning of a new

2009-05-05T21:11:00.003-06:00

Finals Week was a to the awh-some!

I had three in one day and I thought my head was going to burst with information.
I got flowers which were bee-a-u-tiful! They brightened up my day and brightened up my room.

thanks for the flowers kendall

Now that the school year is officially over I must confess that I'm feeling a bit nostalgic.
I miss living on my own and being able to walk next door and laugh with the neighbors.
I miss being able to walk two blocks to the gym instead of driving for fifteen minutes.
I miss being able to be with people I care about everyday.

Adjusting to home life is a bit more difficult than I anticipated.

Walking around my home without my brother being here is hard. I still find myself missing him more and more everyday. I am so glad that I have the knowledge that I will see him again and I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father's love. It's hard to understand why things happen but I'm a firm believer that whatever needs to happen will happen and that it will make us better in the end.

we finally got his headstone

i love you brother!

today I was eating Fruit Snacks and inside there was a baby one. I took a picture because it joyed my heart. If you look closely you can see that it's all textured like the normal size strawberries.

the summer is going to be great! I just finished talking with my bff* face-to-face for hours; I was not able to do that while living in Logan. I can now see her everyday :)

although school is done and I miss certain aspects of living away, I think the beginning of a new summer will work out for me. I just hope I will be able to adjust to the loss of loved ones and friends, my little sisters storming my closet, and all the changes soon to come.

*bff=best friend forever

news!

2009-04-30T13:14:00.001-06:00

sMy profile has officially been viewed more than 100 times!!! (lame but exciting)

also, my finals are finished!!! (not lame and VERY exciting)

I am now going to go home for the summer, collect myself, and be prepared for the life ahead. Oh and yesterday I went to Borders and recommended books to this lady that was talking to me; Borders should pay me commission for being a customer there. I also purchased two new books to read during the summer (1776 and The Kite Runner).

I can't wait to go home!

travel

2009-04-24T11:39:00.002-06:00

I must tell you that I love to travel. It's a simple fact that traveling joys my heart. Unfortunately, I haven't been on a trip in a long time, due to the fact that my bank account is depleted. So, instead of traveling I've been going over pictures from my past wonderful vacations.
Reminiscing on old times is almost as good as traveling to a place and as I was looking through my pictures from Asia, I could not help but smile. Here are some pictures from my trip to cheer your heart.

This was the Royal Palace in Phnom Phen, Cambodia

My cousin and I at Angkor Wat, Cambodia; I LOVE YOU CUZ!

Ta Phrom Ruins, Cambodia. Yes, Angelina Jolie did film Tomb Raider here and yes, we did walk on the same ground as her...we felt so privileged.

These crazy awesome ruins that hadn't been excavated and repaired. We walked and hiked around them for hours. It was great!

Now I really want to go on a trip. I'm planning to go on one this summer and I'm deciding between Mount Rushmore, although people tell me this is boring I still want to see it. Seriously, it's four large president's heads carved into a mountain...how could that be lame? The other option is Mesa Verde. My cousin put this thought into my head and it has festered. Other than that I have no other options.

Any suggestions?

where to serve?

2009-04-22T08:33:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I watched as President Obama signed a bill that is going to increase national service. He thanked and commemorated Sen. Edward Kennedy (for whom the bill was named after) and Sen. Orrin Hatch. The portion of the "bill signing speech" that made me smile was that President Obama thanked Sen. Hatch for starting this bill and for seeing it through. He said, "Sen. Hatch was first inspired by service as a young missionary" :) I thought is was neat that Sen. Hatch's mission was talked about on national television.

Speaking of missions......

My mission papers are finally in!!!! Hooray! I am so excited to serve others and see the light of the gospel bless lives.

Now is the guessing game of where I will be going. My little sister Chloe thinks Indonesia, what an odd place for a twelve year old to guess :) Feel free to guess where I'm going. If you guess correctly then you win the satisfaction of being right.

I gave in.

2009-04-07T10:10:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I gave in.

I couldn't help myself.

The sun was shining so brightly and it just seemed the right thing to do.

Many people tried to persuade me against it but there was no stopping me. I had made up my mind.

It was a difficult decision, but as I handed the cashier the crisp dollar bills and took my purchase I realized then and there that I had made the correct decision.

I now own a box of jumbo sidewalk chalk. It's beautiful. People interested in playing with me may call at any time.

boys always wonder where girls learn their mind games...here is the answer

2009-04-05T18:43:00.001-06:00

The sun is shining outside and I find myself debating on whether or not I should give in to the torments of Mother Nature and be excited. For the past couple of weeks it's been warm, it's been cold, it's been snowing, and it's been freezing. Just when the warm weather comes and everyone gets comfortable Mother Nature realizes "Oops, sorry I was suppose to send that weather package to the equator." Not very courteous if you ask me. It's like she's playing games with my weather emotions. I am convinced that mother nature is the mastermind teacher who taught all girls their mind games. Since living in Logan I've been observing her tactics and have learned a few tricks myself. She still has yet to teach me how to make the sun shine warmly for a week and I hope to experience it before I depart this wonderful, beautiful, inversion full city.

the trouble with life

2009-03-27T12:23:00.001-06:00

You know something has gone wrong in your life when, at the end of march, you get your umbrella out to shield you from blizzard snow rather than pouring rain.

the end

reading

2009-03-18T22:22:00.001-06:00

I LOVE TO READ

Seriously I forget how much I enjoy the thrill of opening a novel. The imagination and happiness that it brings is indescribable. During my spring break I took my awesome little sister to Borders for her belated birthday gift and I asked her what children books were good. She had me purchase Book One in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series; I read it in a day and loved it. Every time I talk about it it brings a smile to my face. The book I read after that was Fablehaven, another contribution to my library with the advice of my little sister. That was also a fabulous book which I read in a day. I miss reading fun books that make me feel like a child :) The last book purchased, which I finished today, is one I actually took a leap of faith on (my little sister did not tell me about this one.) It cost me eighteen dollars and it was well worth it. The book is The Hunger Games. I love it and that is all I will say...also whoever reads this post needs to read it...that's my last word.
If you are unhappy with your life read a book. It's addicting. Pretty much I've done nothing in the past four days except read.

Disclaimer: If you start to read you might not be able to stop. Make sure that you don't have any class projects, unit exams, or exercising to do because it won't get done.

running and twilight

2009-03-11T12:09:00.001-06:00

I'm going to run a half marathon and I think I might seriously injure myself...truly.

I started training yesterday and after running for a measly 30 minutes I practically collapsed on the treadmill in Gold's Gym. I think the guy running next to me was worried because he kept glancing over. I woke up today and my legs were sore.

I went running today and again practically keeled over on Mapleton's Center Street. The driver's who passed me didn't know what to think...some of them were laughing.

Yesterday I took my little sister out on a date for her birthday. We went and saw Twilight, a movie that I hate but I love at the same time. After the movie we had this crazy lady at the dollar theater take a picture of us. We then went and bought the piano music so all of the Harlan girls can play it and drive our mum crazy :)

Overall it was a great day full of Twilight the movie, Twilight the piano music, and Twilight the soundtrack (which was listened to every time we were in the car.)

spring time

2009-03-04T08:55:00.001-07:00

So yesterday I woke up to a bird. When people say they woke up to birds chirping you think of cute little spring time birds hopping around all cheerful; the one I woke up to was not. It must have been a crow or raven or something because it was like this deep forlorn skwak; it was unpleasant and kind of scary. Don't fret for me, that deep skwak made me laugh so hard I had to have a good day :)

I was also walking to class the other day and whilst walking I glanced at my shadow and realized that my backpack had completely unzipped open; my books and study materials exposed for all to see; I felt violated. No one said anything to me. If I had seen myself I would have at least said "hey your backpack is open." Apparentaly common cortesy is no longer in existence in today's society.

Spring is coming and I can feel it. Yesterday I didn't wear my jacket and the sun was shining...the sun was shining! You don't realize how miraculous that is...the sun rarely shines in Logan.

I love the sun!

Lost on LOST

2009-02-11T23:52:00.001-07:00

I decided that the show LOST is utterly ridiculous....questions are always created and are never answered ....it's a mystery show that somehow intrigues me to the point that I can't turn away....I love it :)

The End

it's been awhile

2009-02-11T09:11:00.001-07:00

I decided that it's been too long since I've posted a new blog so I am doing one now. It will be very short because I am only using the time it takes for the lab assistant to get back so I can pay for my print out..and she's back and I'm off to Nutrition to turn in my Kitchen Kan Do paper (do people think it's cute to misspell words only so that they look similar like Kitchen Kan?...it annoys me.)

funny things

2009-01-17T10:13:00.001-07:00

There are some things in life that quite plainly make you LAUGH out loud. Here are a few of those things that I have either experienced or seen in the past couple of weeks.

1. On a trip to Cafe Rio with my adorable younger sister we saw a couple, sitting together at a table. The boyfriend was reading a book to his girlfriend...wanna guess the book??? TWILIGHT; we sat by them and heard random excerpts...it was a good lunch.

2. The other day I was walking on campus and slipped on ice. I let out a 'yelp' which helped me balance; fortunately I didn't fall but I did laugh at myself over my loud outcry.

3. I went skiing the other day and fell on my backside when a cute boy called to me from the ski lift...you think age would cure that!

4. I made a turtle out of a lime in my cooking lab, it was ugly. Fortunately it was original and everyone liked it.

The end

loss of a loved one and the new year

2009-01-02T11:08:00.002-07:00

On December 22, 2008 my younger brother was killed in a car accident up Provo canyon. It's astonishing how fast someone's life can be taken away; one moment they're there and the next they're gone. I will miss my baby brother with all of my heart and words cannot express how much I love him. Although the past week and half has been very emotional my family and I are very comforted in knowing that we will see him again.
He was such a tease and loved to scare all five of us girls. Oh we will miss him making our hearts skip beats :)
My family has a family cheer and now it means more to us than ever..."Harlan's are a forever family!"

The New Year has come and I cannot believe that it's 2009!!! The other day someone mentioned 1998 and I thought in my head "that wasn't that long ago." :)

For New Year's my family and I saw Bedtime Stories...I hope that when I have kids the stories they make up will come true. This kid in our theater vomited in the middle of the movie...bleh!

I then went over to the Haab Estate. We made crazy beautiful drinks with soda and drink mixes. We also had whole cranberries to make the drinks look beautiful; my cousin said that if you eat a whole cranberry it's toxic and can poison you...is that true? I need to look that up. We also played Wii and watched the edited version of Rushmore...an interesting movie.

I came home and my little sisters and I had a sleep over in the basement, we fell asleep to the old Superman II and III movies. I have to say that I hate Lois Lane. Our dog Gimli slept with us and I was woken up in the morning by him climbing on my face...stinky.

For New Year's Day my Mum and I worked on a puzzle. We finished the first half in an hour and then it took us around 5 hours to finish the rest; it was all green grass, white tulips and every piece looked the same.

Happy New Year!

finalsfretitis and work

2008-12-16T20:28:00.001-07:00

Finals are over and I have recovered from my fretting illness.

It is now Christmas break and I must tell you that I love being the only one in my apartment. All of my roommates have left for home and I am left alone. I can cook whatever I want, I can clean whenever I want, and I can blast George Michael's Last Christmas without anyone getting annoyed.

I am still at my apartment because I have to work at Joann's during the holiday season. As much as that could upset me, I have chosen to find things during the day that would make up for the fact that I am not at home eating holiday treats. For example....yesterday I was cutting fabric for this lady and her daughter and the lady started complaining to me about this rude inconsiderate employee that had helped her the night before (pretty sure it was my manager she was talking about) and her daughter got all embarrassed and apologized for her. The mum kept on going and going and criticizing and criticizing like the energizer bunny; some people have no manners. I don't know what she wanted me to say; she just laughed and thanked me for being nice. Or today this lady was buying a bag of stuffing (like to stuff stuffed animals and pillows) and her little son was using it as a punching bag. The mum kept on trying to put it on the counter but the boy kept on punching it so that I would fly off and hit her in the face.

Tonight I made wild rice soup...it was yummy

I wish I had a voice like Zooey Deschanel <3 style="font-style: italic;">It's a Wonderful Life. If only Jimmy Stewart had been walking next to me.

Merry Christmas!

The Running of the Buses

2008-12-02T16:39:00.001-07:00

So I've been to Spain and I've seen a bull. Although I have once been attacked, charged, and trodden upon by a mad cow, I have not had the opportunity to run with a bull. However, I was able to experience the same type of experience this morning on my frantic race to get to class on time here is the story...

Utah State University has a bus system for students (who after a couple months of walking to class become lazy.) I always try to walk to class when I have time but lately I have been finding it difficult to get out of bed a whole 5 minutes earlier to walk to class (it must have something to do with my warm blankets and my cold apartment.) Although the bus system is great, the arrival times are different everyday and it's a guessing game of whether or not the bus will be there at the time specified in the pamphlet. Well this morning as I walk out of my apartment and turn the corner towards the intersection I see about half a block up that the bus has pulled up and is now accepting passengers. Thrilled to know that I might actually make it to class on time I start walking at a brisker pace, that is until I realize that the light at the intersection is about to change which would legally prohibit my crossing to the other side where the bus is located.

At this moment I start to run.

Although I had spent the morning flat ironing my hair and trying to look good, my attractiveness had just been detrimentally damaged; for no one can run attractively whilst carrying a backpack full of books.

With my backpack throwing off my balance I start running across the intersection at the moment the light turns yellow. Now not only do I look like a nerdy drunkard who can't run straight but I also am crossing a crosswalk where the red hand has stopped blinking and is firmly held high to signal "don't walk."

As I reached the sidewalk the last person stepped on the bus and the doors closed...don't worry I thought the same thing "well I'm going to get left." Don't worry I didn't; but I did have to run the rest of the way and climb on the bus with the driver smiling and everyone looking at me like I had wasted 30 seconds of their life.

For some people it would have ruined their day but for me it made mine better, not only did it give me an excuse to physically laugh at myself but I also thought "I just made all those peoples day at the intersection because they saw me running like a crazy woman towards the bus."

And that my friends is my experience with The Running of the Buses

homework in the morning

2008-11-24T05:40:00.001-07:00

Well here is my very first blog post..whopee!

I had to wake up this morning to finish my portfolio for one of my classes and I must admit that four o' clock in the morning comes very early. Not only was I up at four but I finished my portfolio at five thirty and so now I am trying to use up my time until seven which is when the computer lab opens because I don't have a printer so I need to print off my stuff, collaborate all of the different sections, create a table of contents, place them into a binder and turn it in. This needs to be completed before my class at 8:30, ever wonder what a frantic twenty year old tired female college student looks like? Come to the library at 8:15 am on November 24, 2008 to find out...hurry fast seating is limited.