don't miss the (adorable) high five at the end.

i guess random trips aren't so spontaneous when you do them every month.

december = 17 hours in ohio / roadtrip with sean
january = 48 hours in utah to visit emily + co.

luckily, these cats are still adorable and pretty spontaneous too.

i have a new obsession

with the BBC (meaning anything/everything on youtube that i can find from it)

this is all you really need to know to fully appreciate the following sketch:

this is a dongle (connects ipod/etc. to a computer):

now.. enjoy! (:

i can do more than one wordless wednesday. video time!!!!!

wordless wednesday: peas.

Mistadobalina, Mista Bob Dobalina

January 25th is probably my family's least favorite day of the year.  It was the day that my sister passed away in 1998 and thinking about that is not one of my favorite things.  I miss my sister a lot, a lot of the time.  As hard as it is to explain to people when they ask about my family and I say I have 4 sisters and only mention where three of them live, my sister will always be my sister and she will never be left out.

Me and Jess

Silly little things remind me of Jessiy all of the time.  There are a few songs that my sisters and I hear on the radio that makes us know that Jessiy is looking down on us, thinking about us.  It's funny because I accidentally hear one every year on January 25th.  This year though, a totally different song reached out to remind me of her on January 24th. 

Jon and I were watching an episode of Psych (Death is in the Air) on Netflix tonight and Gus said, "He sometimes goes by the name of Mr. Dobalina."  Shawn then replies, "Mr. Bob Dobalina?"  I was so excited when I heard that quote.  I made Jon pause the show and pulled up iTunes on my computer.  Jessiy had this weird CD by Del Tha Funkee Homosapien that I used to listen to with her when she was painting.  My favorite song was called Mistadobalina and it is the only song from the CD that I have kept in my iTunes all these years.  So... for your listening and viewing pleasure.  Here is Mr. Dobalina.  Mr. Bob Dobalina.



So, rather than trying to hate today forever.  Try enjoying this ridiculously 90s music video and smile with me as I remember fun times hanging out with my big sister.

this is my new dancing song.

okay. i couldn't wait until next week.

here is my new jam. i dare you not to dance along.

oh...and did i mention this band is made up of BYU grads?

and i know at least 2 of these dancers and then went to BYU also?

provo > rexburg

byu-idaho jams.

let's be honest. when we think of BYU-I, we don't think about anything awesome or cool. well, my friends, i have found something that is at least sort of cool that came out of those poor BYU-provo rejects (just kidding, of course. maybe they really like the snow / cold weather better than utah).

**disclaimer**

there are really 3 parts to this video (hence, the fact that it's super-long). the first part is the cool part. it was all done BACKWARDS which is awesome. the second part is just a flash mob (still moderately cool) and the third part is a mini-scene-finale / glorified credits (which isn't that interesting). but hey. BYU-I did something sort of cool. props to them (for the first part, at least).

JOIN THE REBELLION ARMY!

So this post isn't actually frank...

Neither is it on Friday because I am moving in slow motion.

But I had this awesome dream last night.

Usually I'd put this on my blog...

but since I'm overdue, I'll post it here:)

My family was in this hotel room watching a cartoon that my mom was obsessed with. Literally obsessed. She just sat on the bed staring at the TV. So we sat with her. We were eating shrimp cocktail and pretzels. Suddenly there was a knock on our door. We all turned and looked as my dad got up to open the door. (My mom didn't though. She was glued to the screen.) When my dad opened the door there was a guard-like man standing there.

"Brent Anderson? I need you to come with me."

My dad just looked confused.

The guard continued, "You are under arrest for leading troops in the Rebellion army."

Then I looked down at the floor and saw a map (that looked a lot like the game of risk). The title of the map read Mormon Conquest of the World. It turns out the Rebellion army is the church. We were helping the Mormons conquer the world! I shoved the map under the bed with my foot.

My dad said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The guard replied, "Well even if you aren't leading the rebellion, you didn't pay your taxes, so I have to take you in anyway."

He grabbed my dad and started to pull him out of the hotel room while my dad struggled to fight back. Then this warrior woman showed up and kicked my dad in the shin. Then a friar showed up and joined the fight against my dad. All my dad needed was one good blow. He hit the guard right in the face and broke his nose. The guard and warrior woman ran off. The friar stayed behind.

"I promise I'm with you!" He said, putting down his weapon. "I came to warn you that you need to gather all the men in the rebellion and leave now. Your families will be safe here, but you need to leave. They discovered you all because none of you remembered to pay your taxes."

My dad agreed, kissed my oblivious mom on the head, hugged my siblings then grabbed me and said "She's coming with us."

Thats the end.

Just a disclaimer to anyone reading this...

THE MORMONS HAVE NO INTENTION OF CONQUERING THE WORLD SO DON'T TAKE THIS LITERALLY!

I just thought it was a really great dream:)

ignore how red her eyes are..

everyday is awesome.

zooey deschanel is my favorite. so she is awesome.

she & him is awesome. that's the band she's in.

this is their new song + video.

need i say more?

.

(almost) wordless wednesday...remember beach balls??

gross, I know. But totally worth it to have this six months later...

I'm in love with a water bottle.

When Jon started the MBA program at the U this fall he was gifted with a few really nice and fun items.  A fancy Ogio backpack, a Dell computer, a U of U flash drive, and a U of U better bottle from Camelbak.  I thought the gifts were pretty nice, but the one that I wanted to steal and never give back to him was the water bottle.

I'm really not very good at staying hydrated you see.  I forget that I should be drinking water all throughout the day and then try to make up for it before bed.  I told Jon that if I could have his water bottle, I would drink water more often and be more healthy.  Well, that didn't really work because he loved it as much as I did.  And really, what was I thinking, wanting to drink from a University of Utah bottle, geez.  So, rather than go waterless I went to Sports Authority and got one of my own, in blue (for BYU).

It has been the best investment for water I have ever made.  I use it at work when I am working in the pantry.  Since it's a food prep area all drinks have to be covered and employees can only drink from a container with a straw.  Lucky for me, the better bottle has a straw.

Now, here's the really funny part about these silly water bottles that Jon and I love.  When we were at Sports Authority on Friday shopping for ice fishing implements, I spotted a mini better bottle.  It was a kids version, and what did it have on it?  DINOSAURS!!!  I grabbed it and showed Jon and told him it was the coolest kids cup I have ever seen, and guess what.  He actually let me buy it!!!  No, this is not an announcement.  It's just loads of excitement over a silly little water bottle.  When we got home I had to look it up to see if they made a girly version, and sure enough, they do.  I might need to order that one for Valentine's day or something.

This is the dinosaur one that we bought.

 

This is the girly one that I want for Valentine's Day.

Aren't they adorable??

Here's an awesome demo from ZRecs (an awesome review site for kid products) on how to put the kids one together and to prove that it really is leak proof for kiddos.  In the demo he just pushes the nozzle back and forth, but it has a button also that you can push and the nozzle will automatically pop.

And, just because babies are adorable, here's a video of a baby actually using one of these water bottles. I think it's hilarious that the mom does not tip it down further for the kiddo to get a sip.

'Words Words Words...'

Did you know...that 90% of what we write/speak today is communicated by only 7,000 words?

Crazy.

Learning a word a day is one of my DZP goals (I'm failing so far), & as irony would have it, on the DZP twitter page I came across the 'Save the Words' organization who due to the vilioration of the use of words, their vanmost mission is quaeritating people to visit this locupletative site, vadiate to adopt one word, & insert it into daily conversation to make it noscible.

Yes, I just learned those 5 minutes ago. Once you get past the creepiness of them calling out to you, it's pretty cool!

Beware of epalpebrate. He kept yelling at me, & every time he did I thought, 'not Anna.'

PS. Spellcheck doesn't even recognize the purple words :/
PPS. No picture post! Muahahahaha.

hey, emily! what are you doing?

i'm pretty sure this video is based on this song but let's be honest. the AG version is WAY better.

if you listen to the video once...you might be okay.

but listen to it more times than that -- and you're doomed to have it stuck in your head forever.

p.s. xoxo emily

a bit of a belated tickle me thursday..

this past week my life has been overtaken with the following schedule:

wake up by 7am

class from 9am-2pm

eat, work on homework until 3pm

nap until 4:30pm

make dinner, leave for peter pan rehearsal by 5:15pm

rehearsal until 12am or later

finish homework, get ready for bed, sleep by 1:30am

repeat.

so i apologize for not posting sooner (as in on the actual day i was supposed to post) buuuuuuut here's this little nugget for you all:

my daddy sent this to me (+ ruth and anna, but i'm not sure they've watched it yet), as well as to a bunch of other people, including people he works with. a little backgroud info about my dad: he's not the type to send "chain letters" or any junk like that.. i actually legitimately don't remember the last time he ever 'forwarded' anything to me. so the fact that i could see that he sent this to so many people alone showed me how wonderful this truly must be. needless to say, i watched it and it tickled my visual and spiritual senses like no other. i know this is a bit different from the tickle-me-funny stuff i usually post, but i feel this is truly worth watching. so do it (: here's the message he sent along with it:

Subject: Remarkable video - the wonders of the world

My family and friends,

The link below will take you to one of the most beautiful videos I've ever seen.

When you need to relax from the cares of the world, take six minutes and check it out.  It is fabulous!

I honestly can't understand how any thoughtful person can look at the wonders of the world and yet not believe in God.  I believe.

Enjoy!

Stephen

(p.s. editor's note: make sure you let it load all the way before you watch it. otherwise it might freeze or something. oh, and make it full screen, too. with this kinda video, you gotta get the full effect, all at once!)

This is an awareness test.

My sociology professor showed this to my class. I thought it was clever.

Just for the record- I'm equally as oblivious as the rest of the world.

wordless wednesday: yes, those are cat treats.

Breakfast in Bed!

On Friday it was my 24th birthday and since I had to work in the evening from 1-9pm, Jon decided that it would be okay to celebrate and open presents in the morning.  I woke up after he was done getting ready for work and went to the kitchen to grab a bowl of cereal.  He marched me back into our bedroom and told me that I was not allowed in the kitchen because it was my birthday and I was having breakfast in bed.  I have never really had breakfast in bed before, and I have to say, it felt pretty special.  I was treated to toast, applesauce, my favorite oatmeal, and a glass of milk to drink with all of my vitamins.  It was such a special little treat.

After finishing breakfast, Jon had to head out for work, but I stayed in bed and watched the last episode of 16 and Pregnant.  I am such a sucker for that show.  I totally cried during this episode because you could tell that she just needed some guidance.


16 And Pregnant (Season 2) | Ep. 19 | Ashley

So, I googled pictures of breakfast in bed, and couldn't find a good one, but this one came up.  I thought it was appropriate to share because I took a picture with these tigers in Thailand in 2009.

 Told ya I petted tigers.

 This was the same day, when it started raining, that's the monk from the top picture.

So... try having breakfast in bed sometime, or maybe try watching 16 and Pregnant, but please don't try being 16 and Pregnant.   Or... try petting a tiger, but if you try that, make sure that there are monks present to help calm them down.

First Crush...

The day before yesterday I was sitting on the couch really sick with nothing to do & no energy to do it. I don't really know how this came about, but while lying down frustrated with my flu nonproductiveness on top of the usual no-leg nonproductiveness, I had the oddest flash in my brain of a little tofu cube that started talking to me. I'm sure the gallons of cough syrup running through my veins & fever helped with that, but in any case I decided she needed to get out of my brain & into my computer. I started 'drawing' her in paint, & I realized she looked like a cheese cube as well...that's basically how this story evolved. Mind you, I WISH I could draw well, but I simply can't. My talent does not match my imagination, but you make do with what you got :)

Something was missing though, so I decided to add some music to the story, but didn't know what. Then like magic I remembered a little diddle I composed in the DT basement while a freshman at BYU (the same year I met Anna, Rachael & Ruth :) I've always loved this short tune & would go down in that basement & play it every time I was sad. It always gave me some peace...then it morphed into different tones like happy & dreamy & the rest is history.

After hours of recording (it getting deleted & having to sloppily record it again!), drawing, & editing, I am proud to Introduce: Cheese's First Crush.

thought of you.

this is awesome --

(p.s. i know the boy dancer this was based on since he was in some shows i worked on at BYU)

this is even more awesome --

and this is just ridiculous --

"...just kidding.

cannot support a child."

Because that's the way it is...

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"A hot dog."

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because that's the way it is..."

In my social problems class my teacher was talking about social norms. She was saying that one morning she didn't want to deal with what to make for breakfast. Then she had this conversation with her eight year old son.

So the question is, why do we do the things we do?

Are all of your decisions your own?

Or are they dictated by the practices of modern society?

Now think about that the next time you eat lunch at a table rather then on the floor.

how to talk to girls ♥

yes, he's nine.

and yes, he's a published author.

and yessss, this is completely legit and true and not a joke in any way.

i don't know about you but i'm at a loss for words entirely.. so here's the description:

Are you smart enough to take over a girl's heart?

Leave it to a nine-year-old to get down to the basics about how to win victory with a girl. How to Talk to Girls is for boys of all ages—from eight to eighty—and the girls they like. So read this book and then you're ready. Good luck! Tips: Comb your hair and don't wear sweats. Control your hyperness (cut down on the sugar if you have to). Don't act desperate.

Alec Greven is nine-years-old and is in the fourth grade. He has appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and on CNN. He loves to read and write. Alec wrote this book when he was eight years old. He lives in Castle Rock, Colorado, with his family.

(not-so) wordless wednesday: Baby D meets Baby G

Mrs. G and I were roommates at BYU together, 

got engaged within a month of each other, 

got married during the summer of 2006 to blondie hubbies 

and in 2010 had baby boys within 6 weeks of each other, each born exactly on their due date. 

Yesterday was their first meeting and we already have plans for them to room together in 2028!

After Christmas Sales

So... I am a total slacker and skipped last week's try me Tuesday.  The reason being, I thought it would be rude to say try being sick as a dog.  I have an awesome ear infection and sinus infection and I didn't think anyone should try getting either of those.  Rather than trying my awesome sickness and amoxicillin  regime, I say try getting freaking awesome after Christmas sale deals.

I have great pictures of all of the deals I got, but rather than loading them and being a good blogger, I'm stealing copies from the websites where you can order one of your own.

Jon and I visited Target a few days after we got back from Michigan and bought this awesome tree. 

Now, I am sure that you are looking at the website, and it is saying $175.  Seems like a fair price for a Christmas tree before Christmas, right?  Well, after Christmas, we got it for $30 because it was the display and they did not have the box.  7' Pre-lit tree for $30, good deal if I do say so myself.

You are thinking, now where are they doing to store that tree if they do not have the original box.  Well, that's where the Bed, Bath, and Beyond after Christmas shopping came in.  I got this amazing Christmas tree storage bag with a 20% off coupon. 

Lowe's is another of our favorite stores in this house, so we visited Lowe's looking for their ridiculously huge and cheap giftwrap.  I got enough from there last year that it covered all of our presents for this Christmas plus all of the birthdays.  Well, this year I got 200 sq ft of gift wrap and 90 pre-made bows for... How much do you think?  $5.75.  How much would it have cost me before Christmas?  $33.  That's a pretty good deal.  I'll post pictures of how cute it is
some day... No promises though.

Those are all of our awesome after Christmas sale purchases.  Minus one, that isn't really for Christmas.  It's a really early birthday present for my little nephew Hunter.  He is obsessed with Cars.  Look at how cute he says Sally.  Well, at BBB, I found him a Cars suitcase,

original price on the website, $20.  After clearance and coupon, I got it for $8.  Happy Birthday Hunter and happy after Christmas shopping to all of you!

p.s. If you have any amazing after Christmas shopping spots, please share them, I'm always looking for a good deal.

You know when a light bulb goes off...

& you have this brilliant idea & can't wait to wake up the next morning to get started with it all & then BAM... This happens.

I feel miserable. My leg is killing me, my head is pounding, my eyes are swollen, sinus pressure is awful, I'm exhausted & can't sleep, nausea is killing me, my throat feels the exact way it did when I had mono a few years back, my tonsils are so swollen my brain keeps thinking it's something I need to swallow so it involuntarily contracts (causing even more pain), I'm all achey, & to top it all off I started my period the exact same time & I have the worst cramps known to man! or woman.

TMI?

When I do get better though, know that this idea is going to produce awesome *things* & you will all just have to wait for me to start to find out what!

Until then, pity me :D

PS. Brother got home from Afghanistan today for a 2 week break, & we're trying to get a little CA roadtrip together to go see Cam & his wifey, but now I'm not too sure I'll be alive for it.
Sucky Monday X a billion. We're allowed to complain here, right? Haha, cause I am a total Negative Nancy today ;)

where are you going?

2010 is officially over.

and 2011 will be as awesome as you make it.

the best is yet to come.

don't look back.

...unless purple-shirt-guy-with-adorable-glasses is back there.

in which case -- TOTALLY GO BACK.

Day Zero Project Site Update

I don't mean to hijack the day, just posting something I found about the Day Zero Project Website being down. HAPPY NEW YEARS GUYS!!!
---------------------------------------
Website Outage Update
Firstly, I would like to reassure visitors that the site will most definitely be back up and running and that no lists or accounts have been lost. Just before Christmas, without any warning, my hosting company turned off access to the website after reporting heavy traffic. Their inflexible stance on this has meant that the only way forward is to migrate the site to a larger server. Unfortunately this will take several weeks to coordinate, due largely to the fact that I am currently armed only with a backpack and an iPad and traveling through India. I am very dedicated to this project and have a lot of plans to make the site even better in 2011. I understand this has come at a terrible time as many people are working on their goals for the New Year, but keep writing your lists and you will be able to post them online when the site returns. I will continue to keep you updated either via this Tumblr account, or via the Day Zero twitter account. Best regards. Michael