Life is Wonderful And Full of Delicious Possibilities.

I don't know, if there'll be snow, but have a cup of Cheer.

2011-12-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. I really do. It brings out the mushy side of me that I scoff the other times of the year. I have a very spiritual belief of Christmas. I come from a very strong religious background, so to me, Christmas really is about the birth of the lord and savior, Jesus Christ, who I have a strong testimony of.

I have quoted this before in my blog, but I truly believe the greatest thing Charles Dickens ever wrote was "A Christmas Carol." This story enthralls me every year when I read through it, pulled by Dicken's words through the streets of London and through the life of Ebenezer Scrooge as this man has a true change of heart. But Dickens says something in his story through the character of Scrooge's nephew that touches me every time I hear it.

"There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which
I have not profited, I dare say," returned the nephew: "Christmas among the
rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has
come round--apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if
anything belonging to it can be apart from that--as a good time: a kind,
forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long
calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to
open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if
they were really fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of
creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never
put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe it has done me good,
and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"

It makes me sad when I go out at Christmas time and hear people being so rude and coarse and unkind. I try to be especially kind to people during this time, especially those in retail and food services. :\ They seem to get all the brunt of people's rudeness at this time. I try to wish everyone I come in contact with a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holidays. And I'm always sad when they seem surprised that someone would wish them that.

I am grateful for my knowledge of the gospel and the knowledge I have not only of the miracle of Christ's birth, but of his life and the things he taught and the miracles he performed. I am grateful for the writings of Isaiah who have inspired some of the most beautiful music ever written.

But I also love the fun parts of Christmas. My traditions of course include reading A Christmas Carol (I've never found a play or movie that did the book justice.)

going to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert:

But I also have some movies and tv episodes that always get watched every Christmas as a tradition for myself. I must say, I do watch shows like Grinch and It's a Wonderful Life and Charlie Brown Christmas and such, but my favorites are as follows:

Invader Zim's the most Horrible X-mas Ever

This is for my darker side, and is really weird dark humor. But if you love Zim, you know how twistedly funny of a Christmas episode this is!

Roswell's Christmas Carol

This was one of my favorite TV shows through High School and College. But the Christmas episode is still a really sweet, episode. And for those who have seen it, you know the best line is when the harsh, doubtful, skeptic, Michael says, "If there is a God, please help us." I love this show.

Elf

What is not to love about this show? Best movie Will Ferrel ever made. (Shortly followed by Anchorman) but This show is just SO FUNNY. It really cracks me up so much.

One Magic Christmas

If you haven't seen this, you should. See if Netflix has it. Makes me cry every time. My mother and I love this movie so much.

White Christmas

What else do I need to say? This is one of my favorite Christmas movies. I've already watched it about ten times this year. The last 15 minutes just makes me emotional and teary and it's just such a wonderful movie.

Little Women

I know a lot of you wouldn't consider this a Christmas movie, but I do.

I love my mom and sisters more than anything in this world, and this movie just makes me cry for 2 hours because I can relate to Jo March more than any literary character ever written.

I love her devotion to her sisters and how helpless she feels when change comes.

But I love the Christmas scenes in this movie. I love them reading their father's letter, to Beth getting the piano, to the party where Jo meets Laurie and Meg twists her ankle ("He put snow on your ankle? With his bare hands?") and the Christmas where the father comes home (cue me crying again.)

I love this movie and it will always be a Christmas movie to me.

I hope you all have a wonderful and Merry Christmas! I hope you find the spirit of this season, because I promise you, it exists. It exists through Christ-like love and the miracles of Santa (Yes, Virginia, there IS a santa clause) and he does exist. I have seen too many Christmas Miracles for the spirit of Santa not to exist. As QE2 puts it

"I want to wish you all, a blessed Christmas!"

What did you do tonight?

2011-12-16T22:06:00.001-08:00

Oh. I faked a proposal on temple square, with my best friend, and kept a straight face the whole time, which was hard considering we were adorable and melodramatic the whole time. Sometimes, it's nice to be reminded why someone is your best friend.

The Book Thief

2011-12-13T08:03:00.001-08:00

My brother, Russell, recently read a book, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusack. He gave it an amazing review and I thought, "oh, that's nice!" and got on with finals. I bought myself a kindle during all the black Friday stuff and Russell told me I should read the Book Thief. I'm always looking for a good book to read, and I completely 100% trust my brother's recommendations. He has taste and is educated to recognize good literature.
So I actually downloaded the book on tape and started listening to the book thief. I would only let myself listen to it while I sewed or cut stuff out (motivation to sew) and finished it last night just as I finished part of Brady's Christmas Present.
The book was wonderful.
I've always loved books. When I was a little girl I was always reading. My mom would have to bribe me NOT To read just so I would get something done. Usually as a child I could be found up some tree, with a book in my hand. My mom had an afternoon paper route and would very often leave me at the A.K. Smiley Library for the afternoon where I read every Nancy Drew, discovered Old Yeller, the Mixed up Files of Miss Basil E Frankweiler, and hundreds more.
What did I love about The Book Thief? What set it apart from so many other books I had read?
The author's voice.
Markus Zusack had such a phenomenal way to say things, write things, explain things. The story is told from Death's perspective. It is about a girl living on Himmel Street in "Molching", Germany. Molching is a fictional town, that sits right by Dachau. I have been to the city of Dachau and their infamous concentration camp. I speak German, have lived in Germany, and so it was a lot of fun to be familiar with all those things.
This story was beautiful. I loved the relationships with all the characters. This wasn't your typical "holocaust story." It was told from an angle I, personally, have never experienced before, and it didn't leave you feeling like the world is a terrible place and all humans don't deserve to live (which is how I leave after most holocaust storied and movies) Don't get me wrong, it was heart-wrenching. I cried, but I also laughed and smiled.
There were parts that were so amazingly written I was left breathless. Pick it up, read it. Do it.

Dr. Frankenstein: Costume Design

2011-11-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

One of my closest friends, Allen, is a phenomenal actor, and an even greater friend. He teaches drama at a Junior High, and will occasionally hire me to help with his shows. I feel like he's the first one who took me seriously as a costume designer and paid me for my time and work. He continues to do so, continues to introduce me to directors and producers and theater companies who will hire me for my work.

He just played Doctor Frankenstein in an adaption of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for Salty Dinner Theater Company and hired me to make his costume. I have always hated making men's costumes, but recently have become a huge fan! It kinda makes me want to be a Haberdasher (U.S. definition, not British)
This was a huge challenge for me. I used an old out of print pattern for jacket and pants, but made quite a few changes to better fit my design. He wanted the costume to fit the "Jane Austen" Time period also known as the "Regency period." This is also where the term "Empire waist" started, since this was the era of Bonaparte's Empire and women were wearing their waistlines just below the breasts.
ANYWAY. Enough of the history lesson!
Allen came over, picked the fabric out of my extensive fabric storage which somehow just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Someone told him he looked like Joseph Smith. Good. Roughly the same time period.
But I though he looked simply fantastic.
Design and construction by Mandee.
Swagger and Facial hair by Allen. :)

Time and Relative Dimension In Space: My Halloween Costume

2011-10-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

I am a total whovian. I am a total nerd. Last year for Halloween I still had my short Blonde hair and dressed up like Starbuck from the new series of Battlestar Galactica. This year I still wanted to be nerdy.
I was actually going to be Rapunzel from Tangled since I had made two Flynn Rider vests (Pics soon to come in another post) but I just got this idea in my head and didn't want to give up on it.
I love Doctor who, and then became OBSESSED when I got to see David Tennant (The tenth doctor) and Catherine Tate (Donna Noble) in Much Ado About Nothing at the Wyndham Theater in London.
I really wanted to dress up as something from Doctor who. I didn't want to be a companion, because nothing they wear is very...distinct. I guess except for Martha Jones' Red Leather Jacket. But I don't care for Martha.
So my dilemma was...Who the heck do I dress up as from Doctor Who? I didn't want to be the doctor...Then I saw some photos of a different versions of a costume and had a Shakespeare moment. "That's really good. I can do it better." Then I remembered this moment from Doctor Who:

Which inspired my Halloween costume. I love the relationship between the doctor and the Tardis. Companions come and go, but he always has the Tardis. I love when Sarah Jane says to Rose Tyler, "Does he still stroke bits of the Tardis?" And I love the episode, "The Doctor's Wife" when the Tardis' consciousness gets put into human form so they can actually talk.

So I present to you: The Tardis in costume form:

It was SO much fun to make. I paid attention to the details. The Choker is the Public Call Police Box sign. I was going to put it on the dress, but opted for the choker.

The hat? It lights up. Yeah, seriously. One of my closest friends, Brady Howard rigged the hat so it actually lit up with LEDs inside.
The sign on my leg was based on the sign that is on the box obviously. I printed it off on printable fabric and then appliqued it onto the dress. I made pieces that mimicked the panels that are on the door. And one of my favorite details was the key around my neck. Some of my favorite Doctor Who moments is the moment where he trusts his new companion enough to give her a Tardis Key. The Key is always on a long white cord.
And what girl doesn't want the Doctor to come take her away and give her a key to the Tardis and take her to far away places?

This years costume was so much fun! And I had a blast designing it and making it! And I had fun wearing it to a huge party at the University and seeing who recognized it. I know it wasn't perfect, and there's a few things I wish would have done different, but all in all, I love how it turned out.

Happy Halloween!

(And I leave with you a few of my favorite Doctor Who Moments)

The colors of fall

2011-10-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

Last week on our "Sister photography blog" our word was "Leaves." So for this challenge I went up to the mountains to find bright colored leaves. I live near a pass that goes over a mountain to the other side which is another, beautiful valley. But on the top of the pass is a trailhead, so Coco and I went to get pictures, and I just thought to myself as I was taking these pics and watching my dog run around and explore: I am so lucky to have such beautiful mountains almost literally in my back yard.

It's so weird to think in a few weeks these will probably be covered in white and looking completely different.

Showcasing my Holga Photography

2011-10-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

My friend, Stephanie, is an amazing artist. She's phenomenal at what she does. She has a watercolor painting she once did of a still from "Memoirs of a Geisha" that I'm determined to buy off of her when I'm rich enough to pay her worthily of her talent. Anyway, Last year for a class she asked me if she could use my Holga Photography for a project. I love Stephanie, and had no problem with it, so I sent her all my favorites and then focused on my own finals and forgot about it.
Until today.
When I asked her about it she sent me to a showcase website where she showed off the project. I was so excited to see my photos look like that and look so good. She has promised to get me a copy, which I'm way excited about.

Masquerade Ball

2011-10-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

Last night my friend threw a big masquerade ball and invited tons of people. She created the facebook event page for it quite a while ago and I RSVP'd that I was going. And then promptly forgot about it. A few days ago I saw some mutual friends who mentioned how excited everyone was to see my Masquerade costume. Being confused I asked what masquerade they were talking about and they explained that Jennalyn was throwing a masquerade and I had RSVP'd yes.

So...

I said I was going to a party

And

Everyone was expecting the costume designer to be dressed amazing.

Shoot....

Well I sat down all day Friday and whipped out a costume. The only part of the costume I didn't build was the mask, which was made by Tiffany Smyth for my fairies when I costume designed a Midsummer Night's Dream for Box Elde High and my Corset I bought at The Denver faire a year or two ago.

The ball was a lot of fun. My friend, Matt and I had a lot of fun dancing and watching people and just being us. But here's the costume and how it turned out, which I was very proud of.

The Mask is amazing. She works in Leather, adding feathers and beads. But the masks are incredible.

The blue bustle was a velvet retro dress I had which was falling apart and had holes in it. So I took it apart, cut away all the torn holes and bleach spots and then put them back together and made the bustle. I then just placed a small bustle pad made from stiff tulle underneath.

Front and Back views of the costume

I had a bunch of Gold Lace Appliques that I bought on Ebay forever ago. I attached four together and then strategically added swarovsky crystals to add sparkle. It ended up being remarkable! I hope I can use it in other shows as well.

I also love how my hair turned out. I did really tight curls then pushed it all to the center of my head...well sort of like a faux-hawk.

I also love how my eye make up turned out. I did it really shimmery and golden then added the touch of blue near my lash line. I used all Ben Nye shimmer colors. I love how it turned out.

The only thing I didn't get done on the dress which I really wanted were big Baroque cuffs on the dress with gold venise lace that matched the necklace. I just ran out of time. Halloween in my busiest time of year. And on that note, there will definitely be more pics of some of the best costumes I made this fall season. (it's my busiest with Halloween and fall musicals.)

Stage Costume Final

2011-10-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

I am back in school and majoring in theater with my emphasis in costume design. It's a tough road, very time consuming, but very much worth the time (Or so I'm told.) My stage costume class which is an intro level class required for all theater majors was only a half semester class. We all read and designed for the same show, James and the Giant Peach. It was a lot of fun to see how different designers interpret different things. Some of them I loved, some I secretly thought were awful, but I loved what my teacher said at the beginning of the semester, "There is more than one right answer."

When I read the play I refused to go watch the movie (I haven't seen it since I saw it at the Rainbow Theater in Redlands, California when I was 11 years old.) But my vision was the British invasion, focusing on the late fifties into the sixties. I also didn't want to do a literal translation of the insects, adding legs and pinchers and antennas, etc. So I stuck to the colors, the textures, and the shapes of the insects. Researching spiders and centipedes gave me the biggest willies. I hated it.

The Grasshopper

Aunt Sponge & Aunt Spiker

Ladybug

James

The Earthworm

The Centipede

Miss Spider

The last thing I want to talk about is what I learned from this assignment.

1-I learned to draw bodies, THEN draw the clothes on them. My favorite place for poses, if I don't have a model, is Pose Maniacs. Which is a lot like that human body display that's been going around the world?

2-I'm really bad at faces, I draw eyes too big, and I am terrible terrible terrible at hands. Must work on that.

3-I did this assignment with prisma color pencils and inktense pencils which was good for some things (in fact, inktense pencils are pretty incredible), but I usually do watercolors, which I like better. So I need to practice with more mediums such as Markers, intense pencils, prisma colors, chalks and pastels, etc. (If you want a good website with amazing deals on art products, I'm addicted to Jerry's Artarama.

4- Detail is worth the time it takes. From the lace on the spider to the cable knit sweater on the earthworm to the plaids, detail is worth the trouble.

I got sunshine...On a Cloudy Day

2011-10-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

Took some fun pictures of my niece, Carly, to hang in her newly decorated bedroom which will be fun and bright and sparkly and happy!

And of course Emma and Katelyn wanted in on the fun too! And I don't blame them! Who wouldn't want to dance in colorful rain!?

Happy Fourf!

2011-08-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July was quiet, but fun at our house. It's my sister's birthday, but she lives in California. I grew up celebrating the fourth like nobody's business. We'd go to Sylvan Park in Redlands and barbecue and parades and parties and cake and games and it was a blast. So as I've gotten older, lived in Utah, and siblings have moved away, the Fourth has grown kinda boring. But it's still my favorite holiday. Last year was a downer, we hardly celebrated, I went running, watched the fireworks from a distance, and then jogged home.

This year was better. Jessica was here, so we went to the parade and to the park where the cherry days celebration was going on. Then checked out the car show.

After that we went to Thayne's house and watched our customary traditional Independence Day (yeah, the one with Will Smith) and I even made a cake for Sharla's birthday, even if she was in California. It didn't turn out very well.

Jess and I went to the fireworks alone, hung out and even witnessed a flash mob!

Then the fireworks started and they were absolutely beautiful! I love fourth of July so much!

Cake for Breakfast!?

2011-08-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

I love the Bill Cosby sketch where he talks about giving his kids chocolate cake for breakfast!

Well one morning recently I woke up craving cake batter. And I thought of hmmm...Cake Batter Pancakes!? So I did some blogstalking, improved (in my opinion) on some cake batter pancake recipes and came up with a very happy breakfast!

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup yellow cake mix

1 1/2 tablespoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

2 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 cups milk (Depending on how thick you like your Pancakes)

assorted sprinkles

Combine flour, cake mix, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix. Add 1 cup of milk, egg and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. I always beat my egg whites separately to make the pancakes just a little more fluffy, but it's up to you. You want the batter to look like regular pancake batter; not too thin, not too thick. This will vary greatly on the brand of cake mix you use. Start with 1 cup of milk and add more if needed. I suggest a small taste test as well to see if the pancakes are flavored enough. I like to add a little extra vanilla than most people.

Preheat a skillet on medium heat (I just use our electrical skillet at about medium heat). Fold desired amount of sprinkles into batter. If you beat them too much, the color will come off. Pour batter in 1/4 cup measurements onto skillet and let cook until bubbles form on top, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute more. Serve with vanilla glaze.

GLAZE

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

assorted sprinkles

Mix milk, extract and powdered sugar until glaze forms. You may need to add a little more sugar or water/milk to reach desired consistency. Mix into glaze and drizzle on pancakes. I like to put a little in between each layer of pancake in the stack, but that's just how I roll.

This is the perfect breakfast for someone's breakfast in bed on their birthday!

Before you know it, your plate will be clean and your tummy will be happy.

The Dam Day

2011-08-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I took my nieces to Pineview Reservoir, or the dam. I love spending time with my nieces, and even their mom, my sister-in-law, Linda came along! And Jessica, my oldest niece came with us! We had a great time picnicking and enjoying the sun, but most of all: Swimming!

Rebecca and Angela, Cute sisters!

I was being incredibly girly, which I'm usually not. My hair was perfect that day, so I was determined to not get it wet, which meant no splashing!

I was trying to teach Junie Rae the basics of swimming,

but I'm a horrible teacher, so she didn't learn anything.

Synchronized Swimming

Ticklefights

She is just too cute

Group Pic. Junie Rae, Me, Rebecca, Angela, and Jessica

I am so blessed to have so many nieces, and while this isn't even half of them, I love spending time with any of them that I can. I can't imagine ever having kids, because I can't imagine loving anyone more than I love my nieces and nephews.

Enjoying both the water and the sun

The water was a little chilly when you first get in

Junie really liked playing in the dirt

I am always in awe that I live only a short drive from such beautiful nature. I always miss this part of Utah when I'm visiting elsewhere.

Cheerio London!

2011-06-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Well I'm home! And I'm homesick. For London. What an amazing place it was, and I fell so in love with it. I loved everything about it! I loved exploring and finding new things and having "London Moments" as my teacher, Jane England would say.

My last few nights in London I just walked. That's all I did. One day I walked around Kensington and Nottinghill. Sometimes I had no idea where I was, but I just kept walking.

You know you could live places when people (tourists and locals) ask you if you know where somewhere is or which bus to take or how to get to this line of the underground, and you can answer all of them. That happened to me eleven times my last week in London.

My favorite place to walk in London is across the Hungerford bridge. You can see the national and St. Paul's and the ferry boats and there's always this saxaphonist with a pink sax playing jazzy tunes while you walk across. There's always a slight breeze that picks up and people walking across, talking about everything and anything. Every time I walk across the Hungerford bridge, I feel like I'm having a Sabrina moment. You know, in the movie, Sabrina, (the one with Harrison Ford) where Julia Ormond is seen walking around Paris, discovering herself, and talking about it in her mind? That's what I feel like. I

Sometimes life IS made of movie moments.

The view from Hungerford Bridge. The blue building is the National Theater. St. Paul's is almost all the way to the left.

Now that I'm home, People keep asking me how my trip was.

Indescribable.

They keep asking if I had a good time.

I had the time of my life.

They ask if I had a good experience.

Like none I've ever had before.

They What I learned.

I learned that Professional Theater outside of NYC is a lot more accessible than we think.

And they ask what's next on my plate.

I. Don't. Know.

It feels good to be home, of course. Coco and I have been playing a lot. We go on walks every morning.
I came home to my Flower Garden Completely run over with weeds. So my first day back I tore that all out, and replanted beautiful new flowers. I'll be sure to take pics. I got my hair cut, saw my sister's new house, took Kaniela to the park, and am now working on helping my mom get the garden in the backyard put in. I've been trying to decide what kinds of flowers to plant in my garden, and I've decided I'm going to plant a Shakespeare Garden complete with a fairy section for Midsummer Night's Dream. I'm actually really excited to work on it with my mom.

I will keep posting on my summer projects, because I have PLENTY coming up!
Goodbye London!

Whimsical and Enchanting

2011-06-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

Took a walk with some friends in the park. And found a carousel. Now, I am obsessed with all things whimsical and enchanting! I love the idea of the carnival rides. So bright! So fast! So fun!

When I found this carousel at Kensington Gardens, you'd think I had won the lottery, I was so excited.

So of course I grabbed my camera and went to town. And here's my favorites. I know there's a lot, but I just love carousels and this was one of the prettiest I'd ever seen!

And of course I had to take a ride on it! I mean, come on! What's the point of having a carousel if you're not going to ride it!?

And of course I had to ride it in my amazing fascinator by Sabrina Said at Her Curious Nature. I think it's my favorite thing I bought in London.

And if carousels aren't your thing, how bout this cute puppy that followed me everywhere, dragging that poor little girl behind him around?

The Queen's Birthday

2011-06-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we woke up and made our way to Buckingham palace for the Trooping the Colours.

Here is a Wikipedia explanation for this event.

Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British and the Commonwealth armies. It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century, although the roots go back much earlier. On battlefields, a regiment's colours, or flags, were used as rallying points. Consequently, regiments would have their ensigns slowly march with their colours between the soldiers' ranks to enable soldiers to recognise their regiments' colours.

Since 1748 Trooping the Colour has also marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign.^[1] It is held in London annually on the second Saturday in June^[2] on Horse Guards Parade by St. James's Park, and coincides with the publication of the Birthday Honours List. Among the audience are the Royal Family, invited guests, ticketholders and the general public. The colourful ceremony, also known as "The Queen's Birthday Parade", is broadcast live by the BBC.

The Queen travels down the Mall from Buckingham Palace in a Royal Procession with a Sovereign's Escort of Household Cavalry (also known as "Mounted Troops" or "Horse Guards"). After receiving a Royal Salute, she inspects her troops of theHousehold Division, both Foot Guards and Horse Guards. The King's Troop are also in attendance. Each year, one of the Foot Guards regiments is selected to troop their colour through the ranks of guards. Then the entire assembly of Household Divisionconducts a March Past around the Parade past the Queen, who receives their salute from the Saluting Base. (The Mounted Troops perform a Walk March and a Trot Past, and the King's Troop rank by with their guns, which are their colour.)

Anyway, There were thousands of people there, but it was amazing to see. I climbed to the top of a wall to try to get some pics, which the above came from. I saw the queen, who looked adorable and then I saw Camilla and Kate middleton. They were quite far away, but it was so much fun to go to and cool that I got to see the queen. The weather was on and off, but parades are just so much fun. It made me SO EXCITED for fourth of July, which is my favorite holiday.

Portobello Road. Street where the riches of ages are stowed.

2011-06-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Portobello road, Portobello road
Street where the riches of ages are stowed.
Anything and everything a chap can unload
Is sold off the barrow in Portobello road.
You’ll find what you want in the Portobello road.

Rare alabaster? Genuine plaster!
A filigreed samovar owned by the czars.
A pen used by Shelley? A new Boticelli?
The snipper that clipped old King Edward’s cigars?

Waterford Crystals? Napoleon’s pistols?
Society heirlooms with genuine gems!
Rembrandts! El Greco’s! Toulouse-Letrec’os!
Painted last week on the banks of the Thames!

Bedknob and Broomsticks anyone?!

Yeah, so Portobello road is pretty magical. Tons of vendors selling tons of stuff! There's foods of all kind! Jewelery! Lace! Clocks! Silver! Old Vinyls! Purses! Shoes! Leather work! Furs! The song wasn't kidding! The sights and sounds and colors and the hundreds of people!

Eating red velvet cupcakes from Hummingbird Bakery

There are treasures and antiques everywhere! It's quite amazing really! They have something for everyone!

Looking Down Portobello Road with the crowd

Seriously. They have everything.

Iris and I spent tons of time sifting through racks of hats and scarves and skirts Oh my.

I bought veggies from the market and went home an cooked a great veggie pasta dinner!

The food vendors have tons of people lined up to feed. I got a giant Bratwurst with sauerkraut and mustard. The best I've had since I lived in Germany.

Strange model for such an outfit, but to each his own.

Such a magical colorful place it is!

Cute cat. Candace, I took this pic for you. :)

Portobello road is one place I really am going to miss when I leave. The whole neighborhood of Notting Hill is great and magical. Little shops and interesting people!

Matt comes to Visit!

2011-06-14T01:04:00.000-07:00

I admit, after Stratford, I felt like it was time to pack up and come home. It seemed like the climax of the trip. But we still had 3 plays to see, a few weeks of class, and I was expecting a visitor! Matt and I met at Snow College doing Ascension, which was a show choir. Matt has been doing a internship with an international business in Brussels and decided to come up to London for 2 days and hang out with me.

I met Matt at 6 am at Victoria Coach Station and brought him back to my flat where I made us a glorious breakfast of steak & eggs and he provided Belgian Waffles with Speculoos. It was quite the feast.

We joined my school group for a tour of the national gallery.

Matt And I in Trafalgar Square in front of the National Gallery

We of course had to climb on the lions, which I kept calling Aslan.

We had a little trouble getting little Mary up there. She's so short!

Us Girls with Aslan

After That, a bunch of us took Matt to Burrough Market for Lunch! After that Matt and I left the group and made our way over to the globe to see if we could get tickets for whatever production was playing that night. We couldn't, BUT while Matt was in the bathroom, I ran into, and then introduced myself to Stanley Tucci. Which was amazing. No I don't have a picture, I don't like to be intrusive, and he was there with his family. But I told him what a great artist I thought he was and he shook my hand.

Since we couldn't get tickets to the Globe, we went and got tickets to Woman in black. It was my second time seeing it and Matt's first. I LOVE THAT SHOW and I want SOOOO BAD to direct it at heritage theater. Maybe someday? I hope. Anyway.

Had to get a pic of this, for my brother Russell who is very great.

Sunday, after attending church, we went to 221 B Baker Street to see the Sherlock Holmes Museum which was kinda cool. I bought Russell a Sherlock holmes hat (Russell collects hats from other countries and I felt that a detective hat was appropriate for his hat from England.)

Oh there's that divine Speculoos! MMMMMmmmmmmmmmm!

We got Fish & Chips from Poppy's at Spitalfield Market. Best F&C I've gotten while I've been here. Their cod is incredible! It's so good, because it's run and cooked by fishermen.

I was sad to see Matt go back to Brussels, but it felt good to be with someone that really knew me and had known me before this trip. Probably the hardest thing about this trip is being surrounded by people constantly and still feeling a little lonely, because no one really knows you. Don't worry, those moments are very fleeting and i'm over them, but they happen. So I was happy to have Matt for two days!

Morning in Stratford

2011-06-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

And wakes the morning, from whose silver breast
The sun ariseth in his majesty;                  
  Who doth the world so gloriously behold,
  That cedar-tops and hills seem burnish'd gold.

William Shakespeare

Venus & Adonis

Our last morning in Stratford, I woke up around 5 am, left my roommates sleeping so soundly, and took a walk along the Avon river, staring at Holy trinity church and made my way over to the bridge by the RSC theater.

One thing I inherited from my mother was love of that early morning. Not that I like to awake in the morning, but there's something about being outside in the early morning, it's quiet, no one else is up. The world belongs to you. I felt like that morning, Stratford belonged to me.

I watched the sky turn from a blue dusk to a rosey orange

I was in love with how the RSC theater looked in the purple sky, reflecting on the almost still river. I felt like I was spending the morning with the theater.

Slowly, the sun started to peek through. Watching the sunrise is such a breathtaking thing. It was one of the only things I liked about doing the paper route, every now and then you'd get to see the sunrise. But it never compared to this. I think one thing that made a huge difference was:

Location, Location, Location.

And every now and then the photography gods smile on you.

It amazed me to see this city and river so quiet and still. Especially since the day before the park and streets were filled with thousands of people and the river filled with hundreds of ducks, swans, and boats.

And further more, it was beautiful to watch the ducks wake up as the sun did.

The water was so glassy and beautiful, I was amazed at still a river could be. I'm so used to rivers in the rocky mountains that have rapids and are rushing and filled with runoff. In Utah they tell you to stay out of the rivers till the snow is melted because you could get swept off your feet. But this? This was just so peaceful and beautiful!

I was going to be so sad to leave such a beautiful place, and as amazing as London is...It is nothing to Stratford. I wish I could have given Stratford a big hug and say thank you for the beautiful trip.

2011-06-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

Taken with Holga
Fujifilm Fujicolor Pro 400H Color Negative Film ISO 400, 120mm

From fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel.
Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content
And, tender churl, makest waste in niggarding.
Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.

-William Shakespeare-

Sonnet 1

Home of the Bard Part Deux!

2011-06-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

The next day we woke up and had an amazing full English breakfast made by Lyn and Emmet at the Royalyn Guest house B&B we stayed at. Eggs, Roasted Tomatoes, Baked Beans, Sausage, Ham, Mushrooms, Toast, Hot Chocolate, Marmalade, Marmite, and all we could eat! After rolling ourselves out of the dining rooms we all met the group and took a 20 minute walk through one of the most quaint and beautiful places I've ever been in my life. We ended up at the Hathaway cottage. (The home of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife.)

Doesn't it look like something from Disneyland? It stayed in the family for centuries until the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust bought it to conserve it. It still has original pieces of furniture, flooring, and the grounds are still a gorgeous garden.

My favorite part of course was the gardens, full of statues and tributes to Shakespeare's plays.

I took some time out of our tour and visit to sit in the grounds and read some sonnets.

I'm so grateful to be here with such an amazing group of students that I have become such great friends with. It has been such a great time! this is the one group shot we got. And it's quite epic!

After that we headed back to town, saw Hall's Croft (the house of Shakespeare's daughter and son-in-law Dr. John Hall) Then we were set loose on the town. I found a place to sit on the bridge over the Avon, watching people in the boats and barges, the swans searching for stray pieces of bread, listened to someone playing the spanish guitar, and ate my fish & chips. I love moments like that.

I found my way up in the tower of the RSC theater, where you can see all over Warwickshire County. It is also the home of J.R.R. Tolkien and if you look out into the hills and fields, it looks just like the shire.

Someday...I'll work here. And get paychecks with that logo on it.

I then had some Indian food, met up with the group, and saw the most phenomenal production of Macbeth I've ever been privileged to see. I am constantly in awe of the quality of theater I have been blessed to see. I've only seen one production where I was disappointed.

After the show I made my way outside, Looking over the avon, and was just in awe that I'm here experiencing these things, and said a prayer of thanks. (I find myself doing that a lot lately.) I knew I'd be sad to leave Stratford.

Stratford Upon Avon, Part One!

2011-06-12T08:56:00.001-07:00

Well we had the great opportunity to spend a few days in Stratford Upon Avon. That's a little town about a two hours train ride from London. What's there? Oh..you know, the home of William Shakespeare. It was an amazing trip. I loved the little town, the people in it were so kind, and I loved our Bed & Breakfast that we got to go stay in.

Me and my B&B roommates, Christina, Sophie, and Mary.

Excuse me! I'm trying to Bathe! Yes, with my clothes on apparently!

Nice Roomy bath!

Okay, these beds were so amazing. I haven't laid on anything this soft in weeks. (Since my own bed.) It was like sleeping on a cloud. I wanted to stay there for many more nights and just sleep and sleep and sleep. (our beds back in our London Flats aren't the softest.)

We went to dinner at this amazing Italian Place. I had a chicken and Mushroom Risotto, and even stopped stuffing my face long enough for Christina to get a photo!

When we went to the birthplace of Shakespeare, they had actors who would come out to the garden and recite from Shakespeare's shows. I believe this is when they were performing Romeo & Juliet. As you can see I'm quite bemused amused.

The grave of the poet and playwright, William Shakespeare. Amazing to be there. (Even if his bones are probably gone due to the church being so close to the river. oops.) But his epitaph reads:

GOOD FREND FOR JESUS SAKE FORBEARE TO

DIGG THE DUST ENCLOASED HEARE. BLEST BE YE MAN YT SPARES THES STONES AND CURST BE HE YT MOVES MY BONES

This was on a memorial for someone, but I thought it was such a beautiful sculpture, I had to take a picture of her. I just was moved by its beauty.

I don't know about you, but I would NEVER trust a boat with that name.

One of the first folios of Shakespeare's complete work. I was so amazed to see it. After 400 years, we still are performing plays from this book.

On our way to The Royal Shakespeare Theater to see Merchant of Venice we had to stop at Moo-Moo's to get a Cadbury Creme Egg Milk Shake. Oh. My. Gosh. Divine!

The show was amazing. And we met Patric Stewart afterwards. He played Shylock. It was such an amazing production, set in Vegas, modern times, it looked at the show in a way I'd never seen it before, and it was phenomenal and fun. And although Patrick Stewart was PHENOMENAL my favorite actor was...

Scott Handy. I've seen him in a few movies, but he was phenomenal in both Merchant of Venice and Macbeth. I couldn't get over what a talented actor this man was. I hope to see him in more productions in my future.

One of the most amazing things about being at the RSC stomping grounds was being in the same place that My favorite actor of all time started out. I love this man. I worship his talent. I can't tell you how I hope and pray and wish to work with him some day.

One of the greatest things about theater in London, that you really don't get in the U.S., is that it makes professional theater so Tangible. It makes it seem like a worthy and obtainable goal.

Just like my mother

2011-06-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

My mother is an amazing woman. I am convinced she is the greatest person in the world and definitely the most amazing mother in the world.

She taught me so much! I remember my first sewing lesson when I was 4 years old, a skill, as a costume designer, I obviously still use to this day.

She taught me to love my family, and have a great relationship with them. And I do. My family are my favorite people in the whole world.

She taught me to be happy and optimistic, no matter the situation. Even when I get locked on a train in Germany.

She taught me to cook some of the best foods in the world. Monkey bread, French Dip, Homemade Chicken noodle soup, cookie dough, how to steam asparagus, and pepper steak sandwiches.

Ooooh. yeah. Pepper steak sandwiches on whole wheat buns...I decided to make that for dinner.

Oh yeah...

She also taught me to burn anything I try to toast in the oven.

All in all though, I can't think of a greater woman to have as my mother.

Stonehenge ROCKS

2011-06-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

We were taking the train to: salisbury!

Although I felt it more appropriate that I would go somewhere like Dorking

And ladies and gentlemen: There you have it:

And of course: Proof that I was there!

I'm more than a pretty face, you guys!

YYYEAAAH! Stonehenge ROCKS!

Cameron, Me, Caroline, and Drew. I promise they're happy to be there.

But apparently not as happy as I am.

What a cute couple!

Salisbury is a Medieval town and still retains some of it's original wall:

Salisbury Cathedral is amazing. if you ever go to Stonehenge, i really think you should stop and check out this cathedral. it's HUGE and amazing. Aaaaand: Has the chapter house. you know, the one with the original magna carta? yeah. Totally saw that.

I once saw a cathedral: THIS BIG

I'm always so moved by the candles lit in these beautiful cathedrals and chapels. To know that there are that many prayers going out, gives me hope that there is still good and love in the world.

All in all. Pretty "rockin" day.

The Road goes ever on and on

2011-06-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

My favorite part of Oxford was the Eagle and Child Pub. This was the meeting place for the inklings.

The Inklings was an Oxford writers' group which included C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and Hugo Dyson. From late 1933, they met on Thursday evenings where they would read and discuss various material, including their unfinished manuscripts. These meetings were accompanied with more informal lunchtime gatherings at various Oxford pubs which coalesced into a regular meeting held on Mondays or Tuesday lunchtimes at the Eagle and Child, in a private lounge at the back of the pub known as the 'Rabbit Room'. It was at one of those meetings in June 1950 that C.S. Lewis distributed the proofs for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

We enjoyed some time in this wonderful building! It was amazing to be somewhere that such beautiful literary minds had met and discussed. In honor of this, our fearless leader, Tim, read to us the lyrics from one of Tolkien's songs.

In western lands

Beneath the sun

The flowers may rise in Spring,

The trees may bud,

The waters run,

The merry finches sing.

Or there may be tis cloudless night

And swaying beeches bear

The Elven stars as jewels white

Amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey's end I lie

In darkness buried deep,

Beyond all towers strong and high,

Beyond all mountains steep,

Above all shadows rides the Sun

And Stars for ever dwell.

I will not say the Day is done,

Nor bid the Stars farewell.

I will not say the Day is done,

Nor bid the Stars farewell.

I will not say the Day is done,

Nor bid the Stars farewell.

Oxford Take 1

2011-06-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

We went to Oxford as a class, which was brilliant! I really enjoyed the little town. Unfortunately, half way through the day, I accidentally formatted my camera and lost half of my pictures. But I'm going back tomorrow and will be able to take new ones! :)

Christ's Church

I'm a rebel

This door coined the phrase I used the rest of the day. "Enough of this Tom Buttery!"

(Like tom foolery)

I love rose gardens.

They say if two people kiss under this bridge, then they'll love each other forever. As we were walking under it, my friend Nathaniel run up behind me, kissed me on the cheek and cried "HA! PUNK'D! NOW YOU HAVE TO LOVE ME FOREVER!"

Science Museum: Includes this: Albert Einstein's board. He gave a lecture at Oxford, and someone had the good sense to keep his chalk board and not erase it.

Just in case you doubted...

2011-06-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

"If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me", you are quoting Shakespeare;

if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare;

if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare;

if you act more in sorrow than in anger;

if your wish is farther to the thought;

if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare;

if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise -why, be that as it may, the more fool you , for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare;

if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare;

even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut tut! For goodness' sake! What the dickens! But me no buts! - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare."

— Bernard Levin

On My Walk

2011-06-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

We live extremely close to Hyde Park in London. I love to go on walks there, take a book, lay down, read. It's one of my favorite things to do here. I can't believe how much people love parks here. There's dogs running around everywhere, people walking, sleeping, reading, eating, kissing, touristing, cycling, walking children. So a walk through the park offers some fun sights, as does a walk through the town.

Like a row of people reading books

Children Playing with Dogs

Memorials and Concert Halls devoted to Prince Albert

Lots of people NOT reading

Gorgeous gardens and walkways

Special nooks and crannies for secret hideaways

Little Boys who don't want to grow up:

Colors, colors, colors

Pretty little alleyways

And oops...

I sit and Think

2011-05-28T00:51:00.001-07:00

I Sit and Think by J. R. R. Tolkien

I sit beside the fire and think
of all that I have seen,
of meadow-flowers and butterflies
in summers that have been;

Of yellow leaves and gossamer
in autumns that there were,
with morning mist and silver sun
and wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think
of how the world will be
when winter comes without a spring
that I shall never see.

For still there are so many things
that I have never seen:
in every wood in every spring
there is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think
of people long ago,
and people who will see a world
that I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think
of times there were before,
I listen for returning feet
and voices at the door.

I LOVE LONDON, But.....

2011-05-23T15:09:00.001-07:00

I miss waking up to this little face every morning. (See her cute little tongue sticking out!)

Temple Day is a Special Day!

2011-05-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

There's a few girls here that are members of the LDS faith like myself, so we planned a trip to go see the London temple, which is actually south in New Chapel. But we made the trip and it went (Almost) seamless and we got there in time for our sessions.

I love going to the temple. I love the spirit there, I love the work we do there. It was also fun to have a discussion with my flatmates afterwards about it.

But going to the temple was just phenomenal.

These are two pics I took in Lingfield before we got in our taxi to go to New Chapel

Going to this temple was a very special experience for me. One of my closest friends, Braden, served his mission here. Brady and I have spent endless nights and long hours he telling and I listening to his mission stories. And that is just so thrilling. I feel like I really got to know Brady by being there. So much of the spirit he has in himself, I can sense in this place. It made me miss him so much. Words really can't express.

This is the 14th century manor house where Brady (and other missionaries) lived while serving in this area. It's gorgeous and he told me so many stories of this place.

We took lots of pictures in front of the temple, but this one is my favorite. :)

I fell in love with this temple. The grounds are so beautiful, typical English, reminding me of the secret garden.

The London temple! What a dream!!! I plan on going back on a sunny day (yes this day was very cold and cloudy) and getting more pics. And the grounds keeper saw me doing photography and begged me to come back in a few weeks when he's done planting all his flowers. (Cute.)

The Tower of London. Muaaahhhahahahaha!

2011-05-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

Going to the tower of London was really quite fantastic! We went to church in the Chapel at London of Tower. My favorite part was the music and the organ. It was brilliant! And so beautiful! The choir was amazing! The service was lovely! I don't know if I could do it every week though. Although, I'm sure they could say the same about our 3 hour church!

We also got to see the crown jewels, but you can't take pictures. :( But they were gorgeous and I saw the world's biggest cut diamond. Woot. It is now resting on my pillow. Kidding. I'm not THAT good of a pirate.

One of the coolest things about Tower of London was that the palace part of it was a medieval palace built by Edward I or Edward the Longshanks. Who was my great great etc grandpa. It was amazing to sit in a room that was inhabited by an ancestor. Truly fantastic!

Me with Grandpa Ed's Throne!

I love London for the same reason I love Rome. You turn a corner and BOOM there's a historical sight you've read about your whole life. This is the Tower bridge! And yes, I wore a hat to church that day. And I got lots of compliments and lots of people wanted to take my picture.

The white tower! Muaaahhahahahahahaha! :) Last person to be executed on Tower hill was in 1941 and was a German Spy who was caught sneaking into London.

This was an awesome part of my day. I sat on some steps and wrote some postcards and there was this man who works at the site who ended up talking to me the rest of his shift. He was from Scotland, but knew so much history about the costume he was wearing, and about the tower. It was such an interesting conversation, and the highlight of my day! I love learning about the history of places, and boy did he know a lot!

Ever Dilligent in their watch, And ever Stoic. I wonder what they think about.

The Tower will never fall until the Ravens leave. (so they clip their wings...)

I love this photo I captured of the Yeoman of the Guard, walking around.

Walking Tour

2011-05-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

Ah. The London Telephone Booth. Yes, They still have these everywhere, but they're full of porn.

Middle Temple hall was a precursor to Indoor theater. They would set up platforms and perform either Roman or Greek plays, but eventually started performing plays written by themselves. Ah the University Wits! This hall is Elizabethan, and Elizabeth sat in here herself.

This is one of my favorite photos I have ever taken. It's rare you can capture the true beauty of something your eye saw as well.

In Middle Temple, these lamps are still lit by gas

Christopher Wren designed so much of England. This is one thing he designed. And he designed it without pillars. They told him it would not stand without pillars, but he said, "Excuse me. I'm Christopher Wren. I did the Math. It'll stand." :) But they Argued. So he put the pillars in. One inch short of the ceiling. :) After WWII when it was destroyed and they rebuilt it, they had the pillars go to the ceiling. :)

St Paul's Cathedral

Graffiti

George's Inn. Places like this were the precursor to theaters such as the Globe

Loved the reflection in this puddle

The Globe, can you see the actor coming out to play Hamlet's ghost!? Don't worry, I put my camera away after taking this!

My Love Affair with William Shakespeare

2011-05-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

The biggest draw for me to come out here wasn't just London. Don't get me wrong, I've wanted to study theater in London since High School. But ever since I was a little girl I have loved the Bard. I remember when I was about eight or nine (I was in third grade) stumbling across a Macbeth speech in our encyclopedia. I memorized it quickly and remember walking around my room reciting it over and over again. (I can still recite this to this day)

Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

I remember as a child understanding what this speech meant, and trying to figure out the parts I didn't quite understand. I'm not sure what my first exposure to William Shakespeare was as a child. Because of my sister, Kendra, I'm sure my exposure was earlier than this. The point is, finding this speech and being so enthralled by the language was my first love affair with the Bard that I can remember. That was the day I fell in love with Shakespeare, and we've had many love affairs since.

Throughout my life I find myself thirsting to know more about Shakespeare and know more about his life.

Recently I've started leaving my place on the stage and living more in my sewing room, and it's been torture at times. If I could study and perform Shakepeare the rest of my life, I would be happy. I don't even care if I get paid. (Although that would rock). I have this thirst to understand him more, to know his words more. I want to be able to read his plays and learn his language more.

And I love this program. I can't believe how much I have learned. It's so overwhelming, but at the same time, It's not enough. I can't learn enough. Class is never long enough. I can't see enough shows. I can't read the plays enough.

There's something in me that moves me, that affects me physically, about Shakespeare and the things he and Burbage's men accomplished that I can't describe. But it is one of my biggest passions.

We went on a walking tour of London to sites that were meaningful to the development of Shakespeare, the Globe, and theater history in general. I couldn't believe how much history there was, and that these places existed, and I could see how they completely affected theater today as we know it. After our tour and a great lunch at Burrough Market, I went back to the Globe and was able to procure a ticket to see Hamlet.

My first show at the Globe was Hamlet.

I cried. I did. I admit it. I walked into that theater, and I cried. I was so moved that a little girl who would walk around her house saying in my most grown up, serious voice, "Out! Out Brief Candle!" with as much feeling and gusto as I could, allowed her life to bring her to this moment. The moment where I stood in the Globe Theater and watched a production of Hamlet that left me breathless.

It is a love affair, I imagine, that will go on for the rest of my life. Yes, whomever I end up marrying will have to share me with the Bard. Because he was my first love.

I know that everyone out there has had an experience with the Bard. That's one thing that makes him so amazing, he is so universal. Everyone can relate to one or more character. Some are a tortured Hamlet, some are an ambitious Lady Macbeth, some star cross'd lovers (who are also idiots), some are the misunderstood blundering Dogberry. I've always thought of myself as a Beatrice (probably wishful thinking there), although for most, it changes. After all, The world is a stage. So many characters, so much time, and so many lives. I believe that every person's relationship with Shakespeare is unique. Some even hate him (I don't get that, but whatever.)

My relationship with the Bard is unique. I'd like to think. It's very special to me. And I hold it very dear. And keep this blog post, because I don't like to share about it much. If you don't know what your relationship with the Bard is, then I challenge you to find out. Doesn't have to be something huge. Read a play. Read it while you watch a movie. Find a quote of his that fits your life. When it doesn't apply, find a new one.

But before you dismiss him, remember: There's a reason this genius has been more performed and read than any other writer in the world. Just saying.

And for those of you who say that shakespeare plays were written by multiple writers? Well, you're an idiot and obviously haven't gotten to know Shakespeare the man at all. :)

Hampton Court Palace.

2011-05-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

I am Henry the 8th I am! Henry the 8th I am I am!

OKay, so I couldn't stop singing this song the whole time we were at Hampton court palace.

it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century.

Henry the 8th built it for his favorite, Cardinal Wolsey but upon seeing it thought to himself..."This is nice" and in his kingly way, coerced the Cardinal into giving it to the King.

This palace is such a palimpsest! It was expanded by King Henry and again by WIlliam the 3rd who hired Christopher Wren to build additional palaces to the existing building, one that he hoped would rival Versailles. (Yeah Right) but it was still gorgeous. This was one of the first times on the trip I was able to do what I love best, and that's wander on my own, lost in my own thoughts, and taking everything in.

While wandering, I could just see in my mind, nobles and aristocrats and kings wandering these halls. I could picture them hiding away into rooms and nooks and crannies for clandestine meetings or resting in their closets. (In Elizabethan times, a closet wasn't where you put your clothes, it was a room in which you sat in, reading, or doing some other mundane passing of time activity. :)

The hallways just echoed with the ghosts of the past. It was beautiful. It was almost like the people were still there with you. (Not in a creepy ghost story kind of way!)

I sat in the gardens and ate my lunch and watched this adorable family of ducks play. Eventually the little ones snuggled up (like a snuggly duckling) underneath their mom who protected them from the cold wind.

I fell in love with this field of purple flowers in the garden. They reminded me of my Aunt Sandy, and I knew she would love them if she could see them!

This is the facade facing the River, which had a grand gate with gold leafing on it. So when visitors came to see William III at his palace, this was the facade they say when they left their boats at the Thames. His attempt to Rival Versailles. The Grounds were beautiful!

I didn't take the above photo.

They didn't allow photos in the chapel, but it was my favorite place at Hampton Court Palace by far. I'm always amazed at the spirit that is in any place that gets set apart to be devoted to the worship of God. I love how we will devote some of our finest design, paint, and building materials to make a place of worship so beautiful. It's like when we wear dresses and suits to church. Anyway, it was a beautiful day

Kew Gardens

2011-05-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

Kew Gardens...woah. Amazing.

Kew Gardens were originated in the exotic garden at Kew Park but was extended by Augusta, Princess of Wales. It is quite amazing. It is HUGE! There are acres and acres and a pagoda and a japanese shrine and the worlds largest Glass houses and a Lily house and EVERYTHING! It was amazing and gorgeous and beautiful! We spent ALL day there and saw so many things but we only got through about half the gardens! These are my favorite photos from the trip!

I will be moving in this house with Mr Darcy after our wedding. :)

These water lilies are HUGE. I'm not kidding. Apparently they are so strong they can hold a baby on them. They grow them every year from seed.

London's Amazing Architecture

2011-05-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

London is full of Palimpsest Architecture. Buildings that were built upon which were built upon which were built upon! That includes Westminster, Parliament, and so many others!

This is what I saw when I walked out of the Tube station! I wanted to cry, it was amazing.

I snapped this as we crossed the street. I just can't get over how beautiful all this architecture is! What art!

First Glances at London

2011-05-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

My trip to London was quick and pleasant. My layover in NYC included a brief visit from my best friend, Kristi, who brought me some NY pizza! Then I continued on to London, sleeping most the way, especially since I lucked out to have my own row to myself. I got to London and took the tube to our stop, Gloucester Road, in South Kensington.

Kensington is amazing. It was once the neighborhood not only of royals and nobles, but of the ladies in waiting as well. These people wanted to be out of the city, but not too far from it.

I walk through this neighborhood every day!

Our first night there we went to see "Clybourne Park" at the Wyndham theater. The play was really amazing, and thought provoking, pushing the idea that sometimes the idea of being politically correct is in itself very damaging. It was great, tense, and hilarious. ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

But the theater was AMAZING! It was built at the turn of the century, and it's beauty and workmanship is phenomenal and has housed many amazing talents including Sir Alec Guiness.

Anyway, I'm here and Loving it! More photos to come!

Getting Left Behind

2011-05-05T22:26:00.000-07:00

Somebody does NOT want me to go to London without her.

And I'm really really going to miss her!

A few Wee sewing projects!

2011-05-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

I leave for London in the morning, and I've been cleaning and throwing out and packing and getting ready. I have also been sewing a bit and I just wanted to share some of the fun projects I did for my travels~

Camera Bag!

I made a padded insert that nestles right on the bottom of my miche bag! It's padded to absorb shock on my camera, and I picked a fun bright patterned canvas to be out of the durable fabric!

I used Red piping (I love piping) and I also used red velcro. I have velcro on the sides so you can remove the dividers to fit whatever I put in my camera bag for that time.

This is the miche bag I'm taking with me, which will double as a camera bag! And I measured the insert I made so it nestles right into it snuggly, but still allows me access to the side pockets so I have a place to stow my wallet and passport and Burts Beeswax Chapstick!

Just one more pic/look at the finished product. It was unlike anything I'd ever worked with and the foam padding really tested my patience, but I think it turned out pretty nifty.

Tripod Bag

The next project was a tripod bag that wasn't boring or ugly that would allow me to haul my tripod around in style, slung over my shoulder. I wanted it to be padded so it didn't clank and bump around.

The fabric was leftovers from Jacki's birthday. There was barely enough to make it, but I did it. I lined it with a fun, durable red, added a red strap, red drawstring cord, and red piping along the bottom. And it turned out pretty darn cute if I may say so myself...and I do say so. I won't mind hauling this around the U.K.

Looking inside:

Slung over the banister

My tripod nestled inside:

Piping again. I just love the extra finishing touch it gives.

Scripture Cover

Since my scriptures were stolen right out of my car, I had to recently buy new ones, but I don't like scripture bags. I'd much rather carry my scriptures in my purse, but I don't want it to get scratched or damaged, and they don't sell them with the snap closure anymore. I grabbed some of my quilting fabric that I've been wanting to use for SOMETHING lately, and sewed up this little number:

I LOVE the way it turned out! I even did a button hole! Of course, with my Viking sewing machine, doing button holes is easy as tying your shoe, BUT, I love the way it just wraps snug around my scriptures!

I love the inner fabric too! Such fun swirls, and I know you can't tell, but the fabric is very metallic!

It's awesome. I was way pleased the way it turned out and made me very excited to take my scriptures to chuch on Sunday, much the way a child who gets scriptures for their baptism feels. Anyway, I guess I'm ready for London on those ends, but I leave in 12 hours and I'm not done packing. :\

Jacki's 40th Birthday Palooza!

2011-05-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

"Right brained people are difficult to order around, but when the spotlight is on them they know just what to do."
That is a quote that I feel describes me and my sisters. When we put on a party, we PUT ON A PARTY! We believe "You'd better go big, or go home!"
So Jacki, my oldest sister, turned 40 this year and we (the sisters) decided that we had to put on the biggest party for her we could come up with! :) We love putting on parties. So at the first of the year (maybe sooner) we started planning her party, giving out assignments, etc etc etc. And as always, when we five get together, Magic happens. We start brainstorming and after a facebook feed of about 100 emails which the ideas snowballed and grew, we all finalized on a carnival themed party with bright colors and lots of fun!

Jacki and Sharla run on the same brainwaves, even dress alike.

Pregnant Lady with a Giant Pickle...too perfect to not capture

Isn't Celena such a cute preggo lady!?

Kaniela wanted me to come play in the bouncy house with him!

Only mishap of the whole day. I'm so lucky to be part of a family where in a situation where one sister spends a whole night and day making the birthday cake, and another sister accidentally knocks it on the floor, it doesn't cause drama. We all take a minute, feel sad, and wait for Kendra to figure out what she's gonna do. And we move on. No fights, no drama, just love to have fun together.

Celena and Mom made this gorgeous garland and Jacki had me print off some of my photography really big (about 16x20) and she painted vintage frames fun colors and hung up my pictures I took of carnival rides at a fair.

Candy Bar! We had tons of bright colored Candy in glass containers with little plastic bags so people could take home candy. Celena also made Caramel Corn and Cotton Candy. It was the perfect favor for This Carnival Party!

I made Cake Pops! Some I made to look like striped popcorn boxes, the others I covered with Fun Sprinkles! The cake inside was Red (red velvet), Orange (orange cream) and Yellow (lemon)!

Look at how amazing the cake turned out! Kendra really did a phenomenal job with the carnival cake!

Sephra had us try out their new product in our chocolate fountains. It's a fruit fondue and we tried strawberry and Mango and it was absolutely delicious and the colors looked great!

The food was incredible! We had Sliders, Dodger dogs, and our Nana's potato salad was a huge hit and went the fastest! Sharla made adorable layered serving plates for the condiments! And we even made delicious Sweet Potato Fries which I couldn't keep my hands out of!

We had three kinds of lemonades that ALL tasted delicious!

Look at all the fun!

And a look at the "circus tent" patio and the jumpy house!

More amazing decorations!

The birthday girl (Jacki) with her two girls, Carly and Roxy

Me taking a break from the photography to take a picture with Carlyanna

It was a great party. And Sharla tried to lead everyone in the birthday song. She said, "Alright! Everyone on the count of 3, ready go!" and everyone started singing, but all of us sisters just laughed at her!

Why I've been so absent lately

2011-04-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in FOREVER! I've been extremely busy.
With what you say? Well here are a few things that have been consuming my time:

Having the most stressful finals week of my life and getting a 3.62 this semester! :)

Going to California to help my sisters put on the best 40th birthday party EVER for our sister, Jacki. (Blog post with more pics soon to come. I promise)

Spending Easter with my amazing nieces and nephews and getting to do photography of their adorable Easter clothes! This is Carly, who is so beautiful and grown up! And look at those big blue eyes.

(those eyes are NOT photoshopped!)

I promise more blog posts to come! I'm editing the pictures from Jacki's birthday so you can see how insane me and my sisters are. Also, I am trying to blog the things I make as I get ready to go to London, because I leave IN ONE WEEK! WOOHOO! I haven't forgotten about you my faithful friends and readers! I just had a crazy few weeks!

Good things come in packages at the end of crappy days.

2011-04-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

It's so nice after a super crappy day to come home to a package waiting for you. And more importantly with some of these in them:

Makes me want to quote Charlie Brown:

"Maybe today's not such a bad day after all!"

Phun with Photos and Phacebook

2011-04-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

So, Since I made a promise to myself that I would keep the sabbath day holy this semester, and I wouldn't do homework on Sundays, I kinda get antsy on those days. You see, I'm the type of person who can't sit still. I can't relax. I have a million things on my to do list and if I'm not doing something I feel guilty. So on sundays I try to do things I WANT to do, sewing, sleeping, and since it's so snowy outside (yes in April) I can't go for a walk with my puppy or just read out on the lawn. So today I played with my new 60d camera and did this to my facebook:

Here's a better view of the photos: I know some of them ended up blurry. :\ Oh well.

So Hello! Hope you have an uplifting day!

My baby

2011-04-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

I love my puppy more than anything in this world. I love her! She is my baby. And I love this pic i got of her this morning. I'm so grateful for my baby who loves me unconditionally.

Jillian Michael's Thirty Day Shred

2011-03-31T21:39:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, if you read my blog (I don't blame you if you don't. I'm a less than mediocre writer.) I am doing weight watchers. This has been an amazing change in my life and I love it. Of course there are days that are hard. In fact yesterday I was starving. All day. And all my body wanted was pizza, ice cream, pasta, and lots of easy calories in the forms of delicious carbs. But I got through the day, only ate once piece of pizza at my brother's tangled party (I ate fruit and soup before I went so I wouldn't be as hungry.)

Anywhoo. I've also been working out. This month, I joined 30 days ago, I have lost 12 pounds. Now 3 pounds a week is a little intense, but I figure, if I'm following the rules of weight watchers, eating healthy, and working out only 3 days a week on average, then this is okay, and I'm going to eventually hit that plateau (around 155) and the real work will begin and losing my goal, 2 lbs a week, will become a real challenge. I want to work out more, I really do love working out (most days) and I want to get something more substantial in my life. If I had the money, I'd hire a trainer. Unfortunately, that's not an option.

But I really do feel great. I feel like I look better. I feel more comfortable is a lot of my clothes, they're less tight, and I am starting to fit back in a lot of stuff I haven't for a while. (Mek Jeans, here I come!)

Now recently, one of my oldest friends, Candace, did Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. I tried doing this, and didn't even start. hahaha. I have done Jillian Michael's work outs before and wanted to die, but I like her..technique? Cardio, Abs, and toning all in one workout!? Yes please.

I'm hoping that posting this on my blog with all my readers and friends and family to see it, will push me to actually do it. My sister Jacki has been my biggest support through all of this. She has recently rejoined Weight Watchers and we text each other EVERY time we eat something and how many points it's worth. We tell each other when we're frustrated about weight loss, or lack of, or if we're feeling lazy, or if we cheat and eat a whole giant chocolate chip cookie by ourself.

I can't wait to see what transformation this brings. The main thing I"m hoping is to build more muscle, since the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate, especially at a resting rate. I wouldn't mind fitting back into my Mek Jeans as well. :)

Thanks for being out there reader void, to push me to be accountable for my commitments.
Also to come soon: I should be finishing a dress I made from a vintage pattern that I had to do some adaptations. Hopefully I'll have it done on Saturday in time to go to General Conference Saturday Morning! So I'll post a sewing project soon! Also, school is out in 2.5 weeks. Then I don't have to focus on Math and Anthropology and Photo projects and History and focus on getting ready for England which will include LOTS of sewing projects! (hooray!)

My collection

2011-03-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

No one expects the stamp collector to actually mail letters with his stamps. No one expects the coin collector to use his coins in a vending machine for soda. So why does everyone expect me to use my fabric collection to actually sew anything!? I'm not a fabric-aholic. I'm a fabric collector.

Just for the record, this is NOT my fabric collection. This is the fabric I had bought between April and November that hadn't been used. (the Midsummer's fabric once took up this WHOLE book shelf)

I simply had to put fabric somewhere, because all my other places had been taken up. You know like the shelves my dad built for my fabric in the storage room. Or the giant closet in the sewing room filled with fabric. It's everywhere. and I love it all.

My Alter Ego Photography Project

2011-03-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

I'm really loving my Photography Class! My teacher is kinda funny, in a jerk kind of a way. :) And although I knew a lot about the technicalities of a SLR camera, It was nice to have a teacher really grill you on it and make you to exercises to perfect that. I really feel like this class is slowly making me a better photographer. I say slowly because of my slow learning. Practice makes perfect? Well with me it's Practice makes acceptable. And that's after LOTS of practice.

The project we're working on is called the alter ego. It's staged photos that we have to set up and take (lucky for me my SLR has a timer).

Well after some grueling and VERY late night photo shoots and some help from my lighting genius friend Brady Howard and borrowing wigs from Melanie and Chad and using my own as well, I was able to get a good collection and a couple of rolls of alter egos.

Well today I went to develop my film. I got the appropriate gear: canister, reel, can opener, scissors, etc, and went into the dark room. I switched the flip which turned on a bright red light sign outside the door that says 'ROOM IN USE.' and turned off the lights in the dark room and got to work. I got one roll of film onto the reel when I started on the second and BOOM. The door opened. Letting in tons of light onto my precious photos. The Photo Lab Monitor stared at me.

"I'm In here!" I shouted in shock. She stared at me.

"OH. Sorry!" She still stared.

"SHUT THE DOOR!" I cried!

Needless to say, both rolls had much damage and over exposure to them. After all the precious work and hours of sleep Brady and I had sacrificed, some IDIOT barged into an OBVIOUSLY occupied room without knocking. I just hope I can get enough prints for the required assignment. Which i DON"T have time to re-shoot. Anyway

I was able to get at least One good shot from this horrid experience.

Channeling My Inner Rosemary Clooney.
My alter Ego of being a Jazz Singer.

Kristi and Hemaraj Engaged!

2011-03-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

My best friend is engaged! And since I will be her Maid of Honor I won't be able to be her photographer, so I was able to do their engagement photos! Click here to see her photos on my Photography website!

Oh Spring You Bringer of Fruits! How I love thee!

2011-03-11T14:15:00.000-08:00

I joined Weight watchers a few weeks ago. My weight got so high, and I felt so out of control with my food habits that I needed something. Some guidelines, some rules, some structure. I haven't met a person who has done weight watchers, did it dilligently, and not loved it. I love that it's not a diet plan, it's a lifestyle change. Probably the only affective way of eating I've found in the past is counting my calories.

The problem with this, is I never allowed myself to have treats, and if i did I sacrificed everything else for that piece of Pizza or that piece of pie. And even when I was sticking to my allotted caloric intake, I still found myself really hungry. And so eventually I would break and stuff myself. Then I would feel so guilty about it. I'd feel like the very hungry caterpillar! (especially at the end of the book, when he looks like a big caterpillar marshmallow.)

But thanks to the very inspiring words of my friend, McKella, who has worked through bouts of depression and eating disorders, and isn't afraid to own up to it and talk about it, I found inspiration and knew that it was up to me to do something healthy, to change the way I eat and most importantly, LISTEN TO MY BODY!

I have yet to feel hungry with weight watchers, and if I do, I eat some fruits or veggies (both are worth 0 points) and it keeps me going till my next meal. Sometimes, I have problems eating ALL my points, because I'm eating enough veggies and fruits to not have any points at all.

The first week was easy, It was new, exciting! I lost 6 pounds. But this last week, the second week, it was harder. I wasn't getting much sleep, so my body wanted quick, fast calories, and lots of them. I also was running around to school, to work, to play, but didn't seem to have time to pack lunch with healthy things like I normally do. But I stuck to my points anyway. I even allowed myself some ice cream. :)

But today I went to my first meeting and it really gave me an oomph of excitement. My mom picked me up (my car is in the shop) and on our way home I told her i wanted to stop at the store. By the time we left, there wasn't one thing in our cart that wasn't a fruit or veggie.

Ever since my first year at college, I've absolutely loved buying fruits and veggies. It's one thing to cook for yourself, but it's so awesome when it's healthy. Makes me feel all growed up! :) There's something about smelling that carton of strawberries, or figuring out how certain flavors go together. I love picking up fruit and veggies, touching them, feeling them, smelling them and figuring out what I want to do with them.

I decided when I started Weight Watchers that once a week I was going to try a new veggie. If I liked it, then AWESOME, if not, then I don't have to eat it ever again. I love the website, Produce Oasis which has tons of info on tons of veggies, the varieties, tastes, what they're used for, recipes and nutritional facts. So today I came home from my weight watchers meeting, determined after the hard week I had, not to give up. I was going to cook a healthy meal, and I was going to LIKE IT! :)

A few weeks ago, my cousin terri convinced me to try some brusselsprouts at a family dinner and you know what!? I really really liked them! So I decided to make a stir-fry of veggies for lunch. I included Asparagus (YUM), Brusselsprouts, scallions (green onions), red peppers, tiny bit of onion (mostly for flavor) , the new veggie I was trying, parsnips...and...I added some red bartlett pear to the mix.

The mix was great! I added some Coriander seeds, basil, and about 2 TB of olive oil. I stir-fried for about five minutes, then turned the heat down and steamed the veggies for about twelve minutes.

AND I LOVED THE MIX! I couldn't believe how great and subtle the pear was in there. I didn't care for the parsnip (tasted like carrots, which I'm not a huge fan of either.)

I also made myself a fruit salad to celebrate the arrival of spring. I opened the window in the kitchen, stood in the sunshine, turned on some Jack Johnson, and snuck pieces of raspberries, mango, and strawberries as I chopped fruit. After i had mixed the fruit i wanted, i squeezed orange juice, lemon juice, and lime juice on it. And you know what? IT WAS INCREDIBLE! Each mouthful was a surprise! The textures, the tastes, the sweetness, the tartness! I couldn't stop eating it.

All in all, it made me excited to have so successfully made myself a delicious, yet healthy lunch. I also grilled a chicken breast in my George Forman grill, adding lemon juice and all-spice. But I was so focused on eating my delicious veggies and fruit, I forgot I had meat. (That never happens to me.) It took about two weeks for my body to adjust, but I did it! I'm now loving the taste of fresh and natural foods. I can't wait to plant our garden this year! I can't wait to try new veggies!

If you know of any great veggie combinations, great recipes that are healthy and not even necessarily easy to make, leave me a comment! I'd love to hear about all of them!

I got an Email today...

2011-03-01T15:43:00.000-08:00

Today I got an email and when I saw who it was from, my stomach did little somersaults. But when I opened it this is what i saw:

Dear Theatre in London Study Abroad Applicant,
Congratulations! Having carefully reviewed your application, we are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to participate in the 2011 University of Utah study abroad program Theatre, Fine Arts, and Humanities in London.

Words can NOT express how excited I am. I get to study Shakespeare Performance in the land of Harry Potter and the Beatles and let's face it: the Bard's homeland itself. I have wanted to go to England for so many years, and I am thrilled for the opportunity to do so in an educational setting!
Now I just need to get more hours at work! :\

The Birthday Cake and it's sad fate.

2011-02-21T10:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my Best Boy, CHAD! If I'm grace, he's my Jack. Keeps me laughing! Keeps me smiling! And we have both missed each other's birthdays for about the last three years! So sad. So this year, I was so excited because Chad was having a fun party with Karaoke and fun times all around! And plenty of drinking, even though I'd be knockin back the shots of Martinelli's Sparkling Cider and Apple Juice. :) Ha. Anyway, As official best friend, I decided I was going to make the cake!

Now last March I made rainbow cupcakes and chad LOVED THEM! And he asked me to either make them for his birthday or for a pride-week-party. So when he told me he was having a party for his birthday I claimed the right of cake making.

So as I started making the cake (ALL DAY SATURDAY) and went through SO MUCH food coloring, I decided to finish it Sunday after church before I headed up to Logan for the party. It rained all Saturday night, which melted all the snow (which was awesome) but about seven o'clock at night, I looked outside and there were flakes as BIG AS MY FACE! Okay maybe not that big, but they were HUGE! But the problem, was by morning, this is what we had:

And This:

And this:

A foot of snow! And it was still snowing after church. Now, for those of you who have driven to Logan from Ogden know how scary Sardine Canyon can be. I've had friends get in really bad accidents through Sardine, and you also know that driving through Sardine Canyon in a snow storm is NOT an option unless you're in an Army issued HumVee or a Snowcat! And in my little subaru, I decided it was much too dangerous. So once again, I had to miss my boy's birthday party. And i was sad.

BUT

It didn't stop me from enjoying some cake. Even without Chad! So I had my own birthday party for Chad at my house. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHADDY! Thanks for the five years of amazing friendship!

Maybe we'll be together for my birthday this year! Your cake was tasty. And super pretty. And the gayest thing I've ever baked. :)

Baking Soda & Vinegar

2011-02-21T09:03:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when my Nieces get together. And when my sisters egg them on and get involved.
Aren't cousins and sisters so much fun!?

One Project Down! New Sunday Dress

2011-02-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

So the first thing I made on my new sewing machine was something I felt I really needed: A new sunday dress! I love Wal-Mart's $1 a yard fabric table. They took it away for a long time, but this last summer and fall they brought it back, and I spent a lot of time taking detours to Wal-Marts to stock up! I may not have much in terms of food storage, but if there's a disaster, I'll be dressed very snazzy.

So I took some of my dollar-a-yard fabric and made myself a new dress!

I used a vogue pattern for the basic form and made a few changes! One thing I did that I love is the piping! I added piping to the edges, the sleeves, the waist, and above the pleating on the skirt. I also found these adorable matching buttons and put them on the front.

I think it turned out fantastic! I was very happy with it, and got many many compliments on it! I did something while sewing this dress that I don't normally do while sewing. I took my time. I'm a speed sewer. I can whip out a costume way fast, but with this, it took some time. I didn't have a deadline, and I wasn't hurrying. I worked on it a few hours here and a few hours there. And it turned out clean, and very professional looking! I was very proud of it!

And I love the sleeves with the faux cuffs and the piping. The piping just gives it a great detail and keeps the lines clean and sharp. I'm kind of addicted to the piping, not gonna lie. I'll have to be careful not to put it on everything I make so I don't get sick of it and I don't have a million dresses with piping. :)

So here goes

Fabric: $4

Piping: $6

Zipper $2

Buttons: $1.50

So my new dress cost me a grand total of $13.50! Doesn't get much better than that! I love finishing a project, because it makes me excited to start a new one. And I love the feeling of finishing a project. Actually finishing it. The zipper, the hem, everything. not having to be safety pinned into it (like my prom dress, seriously! or so many costumes.) It's so complete and wonderful!

Oh yeah...

And I LOVE my new sewing machine. It's like working with a dream. :)

My New Arrival! And Upcoming Projects!

2011-02-16T08:52:00.000-08:00

The hardest thing about school, for me anyway, is the time. It takes up probably 70% of my time, work takes about another 10% and sleep takes about a 10%. That only leaves ten percent for showering, driving, (not eating, since I do that while I study or work) and doing things i WANT to do. Like sewing.

It's especially hard right now, because Shawn just helped me buy this:

The Viking Emerald 203. I have wanted this machine for quite awhile now. I LOVE it! It's an amazing machine with lots of feet and capabilites and stitches! I finally feel like I have a machine to fit my needs as a costumer! I wish I could have had this machine last year when I was working on Midsummer's! Would have made things so easy!

But I am desperately using any spare time I have to work on projects. And I have a few lined up!

First of all, Since I've gained quite some weight I desperately need some Sunday dresses and skirts that I can wear to church. I'm kinda getting sick of the few that fit me. I also intend to use This exposed Zipper technique on one or more of my dresses. I loved it when Seth Aaron did it on Project runway and I intend to use it! I also need to construct a new temple dress since I don't fit into mine anymore. And I just can't get myself to rent the white muumuus they have in the temple.

Other project:

My sister, Celena is pregnant. And I'm praying like crazy it's a girl. I don't know why. I guess it's just been a while since we had a niece born. And I found these Fabrics and want so desperately to make her little girl a quilt! Isn't that the cutest fabric!? If she doesn't have a girl (sigh) I found some adorable Whale Fabric that I'll make my new nephew. But let's cross our fingers that it's a girl!!!!

And my last project includes this:

I LOVE BATIK FABRIC! When I was in Sri Lanka there was tons of Batik (kinda where it originated from, although many cultures and countries have made designs and techniques their own) ANYWHO! I have wanted to make myself a batik quilt for a long time now. And I LOVE these Peacock colors. I'm really into them right now. And I want to make myself a pretty quilt out of them.

Children of India: Sponsorship!

2011-02-03T21:21:00.000-08:00

I know a lot of you don't have time or money to volunteer in India with Risingstar outreach. Even those of you who would love nothing more, but there IS something you can do to help. Each child that attends Rising Star Outreach's school can't do so for free. We rely on volunteers to sponsor children to attend the school. So as a sponsor, what are you paying for?

Many children of leprosy-afflicted parents living within a colony do not
actually have Leprosy themselves. As a family unit, however, they are rejected from society due to a lingering stigma around the disease. Thus, they are often unable to acquire adequate employment as adults and the vicious cycle of begging is perpetuated. Within a Leprosy colony conditions are often dire; children face challenges of limited fresh water and healthy food, inadequate medical care, and terrible hygiene. Sometimes they are taken out and used as beggars on the streets. As a result, the children grow up living lives of filthiness, sickness, and deprivation, with little reason to hope for anything better in their futures.

Rising Star offers a life-altering opportunity to these children. At their parent's request, a child is placed within a Rising Star home where they receive the life necessities that they would otherwise go without. This placement greatly increases the chances of not contracting leprosy and allows us to help create a promising future for each child.

A glimpse into a Rising Star home reveals a clean and cheerful sanctuary, staffed by loving caregivers and volunteers committed to the well-being and growth of the children. The children are provided daily educational activities, developmental activities, and the opportunity to simply "play"-a rare luxury for a child of the Leprosy colonies. They are also afforded an opportunity to learn personal and group responsibility. Most importantly, they are hugged and encouraged, giving them a new sense of self-worth.

It goes without saying that most of these children arrive at Rising Star severely malnourished. We provide healthy meals three times daily, as well as nutritious snacks, as outlined by a professional dietician. The quality and abundance of the food makes a huge difference in the well-being of each child, both physically and emotionally.

Rising Star Outreach provides for all the children's medical and dental care, including vaccinations and bi yearly check ups. In addition, we teach the children hygiene skills that greatly improve their overall health. Most of the children have never received basic vaccinations and typically arrive already in developing stages of several different debilitating diseases. For example, in one of our toddler homes (housing 30 children), several had the beginning stages of leprosy and several more had TB. Almost all had parasites, scabies, lice, and various skin diseases. Catching these diseases in their initial stages and providing treatment early saves much suffering, deformities, and in some cases, their lives.

Education elevates a Leprosy Colony child from mere survival to being able to create opportunities for both himself and others. The Rising Star school recognizes that many of these children crave learning but have been denied the opportunity. While public schooling in India is a possibility, most colony children are not in a position to take full advantage of it. Some are even taken out daily to beg. When they do attend school, they often drop out early due to the disrespect and disdain received from both teachers and students.

The Rising Star school provides a warm, inviting environment where curiosity is encouraged. Within the school, a child is taught among other things, English. English is the chosen language of businesses within India and is a great stepping-stone to attaining a good job when the child is grown. Knowing English can mean a 400-500% difference in salary for the average Indian. Computer literacy and skills are also taught. A child leaves Rising Star well equipped to survive and excel in India's fast-growing economy.

As a part of a small "family", as well as the larger Rising Star home community, the children are guided in developing relationships. Instead of sitting on a corner as a beggar, or being shunned by a stigma they can't understand, they learn to develop friendships and self-respect. They learn to work together for the good of society and to contribute their special talents to that end. They work individually at times, but more often in groups. Thus, they are able to experience achievement on a group level and consistently learn about their own intrinsic worth and potential.

While Rising Star Outreach is not affiliated with any specific religion, each child is taught that they were created by a loving God who loves them and cares about them. They are taught to pray and develop their characters in accordance with principles of kindness, honesty, and service. The children are taught also to respect all religions.

Me with Mohan Kumar, the little boy I sponsor!
He's so little here! I can't wait to go back and see him!

As one of our Rising Star Outreach sponsors, you agree to support this child as he or she grows up. In so doing, you contribute financially to their care, education and development. You also agree to support them emotionally and to continually encourage them through quarterly communication. In turn, the child you sponsor will keep you updated on their lives through quarterly communication as well.

While your child is very young, it will be difficult for them to understand the concept of a sponsor. However, as they grow up they will be taught about the family or families who are making it possible for them to be at Rising Star. By the time they reach the age of 18, when your sponsorship finishes, they will know you well and understand the great opportunity you have provided for them to rise above the colonies.

You and your family will slowly become known to your child, and they to you, as the child grows up. As they do, it will be with an awareness of the kindness of strangers. From your example they will learn a sense of responsibility for taking care of others that will hopefully be perpetuated as they go out into the world and attempt to make a difference in the lives of others who need it.

Sponsoring a child in India will have an impact on you and on your own family as well. We encourage you to place a photo of the child you sponsor in a prominent place in your home, and make sure that your own children know and understand the decision your family has made to help this Indian child. You will find that the blessings that come from your kindness will have far-reaching effects in the lives of those you love.

We invite you to participate with two other caring families to help give a child the opportunity to come to the children's homes and attend the Peery School. Unlike most charities that provide schooling alone for needy children, Rising Star Outreach provides complete care of the child - in addition to their schooling needs. This is necessary because of the unusual circumstances of children in leprosy colonies. The monthly costs for each child are much higher than most other charities. We wish this opportunity to be available to all interested people; therefore, we combine sponsors to equal the needed monthly amount for each child.

The cost to sponsor a child at Rising Star Outreach is $30 per month. This can be paid on a monthly, semi-annual, and annual basis.

You can visit rising star's website to set up a payment plan for sponsorship! It also gives information on how to contact your child and keep in touch with them! I hope you take this into your heart and think about it!

Missing Katie and Damon: A tribute to Tie-Dye

2011-02-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

So last night (Groundhog day) My friends Katie and Damon who are fantastic and quirky and wonderful had a tie-dying party. Katie was my roommate my second year at Snow College and her husband attended there after us. But they are awesome. Anyway. They had a tie-dying party, but since they live out in Nowhere faraway land in Spanish Fork, I couldn't go to said party for 2 reasons: gas money and i needed to study. Well I bought a white hoodie because I thought I'd be able to go to the party, and I really wanted to dye it. So I found some dye I had laying around from other costumes I'd dyed before.

The white hoodie. (It's from Old Navy, super soft, super comfy, and on sale right now.
They have other great colors as well)

Tie it UP! You can kinda control the way your patterns will look. Lines? Folds? Circles? SQUARES? You can do it! Just THINK about it, you'll be surprised how cool it will turn out.

Put the Blue and the Purple in buckets of Boiling Hot Water. Don't put the Dye Fixative (if you choose to use it) in the dye. Wait, but I took this picture and it showed it all. Tulip has brighter color dyes, but I like Rit. I just trust Rit dye more.)

Dye your garment! You can tie it with tons of stuff, twine, thread, ribbon, rubberbands, etc. I prefer rubberbands because they're sturdy and tend to control the binding a little more. And my mom does a paper route, so i have a pretty good supply.

I ran water over this to get the dye out as much as I could, which wasn't much. :\ But I also soaked it banded up in hot water with the dye fixative.

I let the shirt soak in the dye for about an hour while i read a chapter in my history class. Then I cut off all the rubberbands. Taking them off one by one just takes forever and your fingers will lose feeling. :) But here's a view of the front

And A view of the back!

Then I soaked it in the water with fixative without the rubberbands. The only thing I don't like about doing this is that it seems to bleed jsut a little. I don't know if I'll do this step next time.
After this step I taook it out of the fix bath (yes like photography) and I ran it under hot water in the tub for about 5 minutes, then cold water for another 5. Then I put it in the dryer.

Finished! I wore it to school. The front was Okay, BUT

The back turned out way neato!

Anyway! Try tie-dying something! Look for white clothes when you go out. Shirts! Pajama/work out pants! Socks! Hoodies! Fabric that you can sew into something else! Cotton fabrics work the best btw.
Have a great day!

Current Obsessions

2011-02-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

So it's been a while since I posted one of my "current obsessions" posts. But here you go! I usually only do 5, but this time I had 7 I wanted to talk about! Enjoy!

My new bangs. My friend, Jen, is amazing with hair. I've never met anyone who has done my hair and never disappointed me. Even when I feel a little anxiety or apprehension as the process goes on I always tell myself to shut up and trust Jen, because she knows what she's doing. Anyway, I have been letting my super short hair grow out and right now it's at the length of my chin. I hadn't gotten it cut for over 6 months and Jen decided to give me short fringe bangs. At first I was like...what? um...okay I guess..then she did it and I LOVED IT! Totally fashioned after Audrey's Breakfast at Tiffany's bangs! I'll try to post a pic sometime.

For Christmas I finally received something I've wanted for years: CS5 editing suite! It's amazing and I am finally able to do everything I've been trying to do with Photoshop 7 for years. I feel so uninhibited and free with my photo editing and design! Celena even sat down and showed me to use brushes! (I admit, I had never known anything about brushes!) and I LOVE IT! So fun!

Chuck. This show is SO FANTASTIC! I get it in my netflix, so I only get one disc every three or four days, so it's not too interfering with my school work, but I just LOVE IT! Chuck is ADORABLE and charming! And now I love Zachary Levi in Tangled even more now! He's so clever! And I love Adam Baldwin since he was in Firefly! And he's perfect as Casey. Anyway, Love Chuck. Reminds me of something that would happen to Russell.

My new Chucks. I hate getting new Chucks. I love my old broken in chucks and have since I can remember. Also, I haven't bought a new pair of chucks in YEARS because I don't want to appear as one of those girls who wears them now because their trendy. But my black chucks have been worn out for a few years now and I hvae been putting off buying a new pair. But then I found these at Christmas and Santa got them for me. I loved them, because their SPARKLY! (You know how much I love Sparkle!) But they're awesome because it's like I'm just wearing black chucks but then as I move, oh wait...THEY SPARKLE! I love em.

Running. I've been running lately, and while I in the past have HATED running, it feels great to spend 12 hours at school, pent up all that anger and frustration, then go to the gym and run a few miles. while I'm doing it I keep thinking, "wow. I hate this so much. I'm going to die!" and I feel like Homer in the above picture. And there's all these pretty skinny girls and totally athletic boys breezing by me without breaking a sweat, going 4 laps for my every one. But after I do about 2 miles I'm very proud of myself. (And very hopeful that the weight will start coming off soon.)

Love this website. Cutest fabric ever. And I know you probably wouldn't think so, but they are very affordable compared to other websites with quilting fabrics. Check out the whale fabrics. i am going to make a quilt from it. Someday. When I'm not spending hours on homework. :(

The Walking Dead was a TV show that premiered in October about a Zombie apocalypse. Now, believe me, this show is NOT for everyone. It has gory zombie death, gory human death. But let me tell you what I love about this show that you don't get in my favorite zombie movies including Zombieland, 28 Days Later, and Shawn of the Dead. Since this show was on TV it isn't chuck full of the F word. Now I admit (with much chagrin since my mother will be reading this) that the F word doesn't bother me when it's used once in a while in movies or plays. Just doesn't. One of my "liberal artistic downfalls" (yeah right...me liberal) I guess. Anyway, Zombie movies tend to be FULL of them to the point where it's distracting. Also, I LOVE the characters like I have never loved characters in a zombie movie before. Amusingly even a member of the bishopric in my YSA ward loves it too! Anyway, I finally watched it, and had really been wanting to, and love it. If you like Zombie movies, or even just really intense stuff, watch it. It's not on DVD yet, so you'll have to download it. Rumors are that there will be another season this October, this time with about 16 episodes instead of the 6. I hope so. I really want more. That was NOT a closured ending for such an intense season. They have to have more.

Anyway, those are my obsessions as of late!

The Truth about India is....

2011-01-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

I don't mean to be redundant, to keep posting about India, but it's important to me that people know about this amazing outreach organization. It's also important to me that people know they can help.

Saran Raj was my favorite kid. I just loved him so much!

Rising Star Outreach is more than a "let's do something to make this icky world better" organization. Rising star is a personal, yet very professional humanitarian aid project with some beautiful goals in mind. Becky Douglas saw something in this world that needed change and instead of just feeling bad and sending some money, she got together with some friends and did something about it. I believe she and brother Brian Andre are right when they told me that when you see something that needs to be changed or fixed, you have a responsibility to do so. It's not okay to walk away and forget.

Look at those faces! How could you NOT fall in love!?

Amid the work, and the pouring rain, volunteers still find
time to have ridiculous amounts of fun!

My mom actually learned about Rising Star before I did. She met Becky in the basement of some building at BYU teaching a class on charity and the leprosy affected. My mom came home and handed me a flyer with a little girl on it (Jennifer was her name) and said, "Amanda. I really think you need to go to India." I told her she was crazy. (I do this very often.) And didn't give it a second thought. But after a few weeks, something kept tugging at me. And while I was sitting in sacrament meeting in church one day, it hit me. I needed to go to India. And I just sighed.

Okay. I was going to India.

All through the preparations I just kept thinking. "Oh my gosh. I'm going to India!" Honestly, I don't think I even realized I was there until a week into it. I had culture shock for the first two weeks, if you read my journals you'd think I was unhappy to be there. Maybe I was. A little intimidated and frightening, sure. It was hot, the people stared at us, sometimes the smell was so horrible you thought you were going to vomit, then there were the other moments. The moments that made me realize I could spend the rest of my life in that place. The moment where it was raining so hard, dancing was the only option. Or the moments when the children would just sit in your laps. Or the moments where you sat on top of the roof, hanging your laundry and took a look around at the jungle around you. And realized, "Wow. I'm in India!"

Mixing Cement the old fashion way. Look at all that sweat!

It was moments like this that made it worth being there. Moments that really changed my life. I had a new understanding of things that i never had before.
The greatest thing about being apart of RSO, about being in India was this: I had never in my life been so happy. I had never worked so hard. I had never faced things and challenges this hard. I had never met people like this. People who were absolutely brilliant and educated and talented, but had been forced to leave their homes and family to live in Colonies for the leprosy affected. I met a man who was muslim who spoke four languages and used to teach philosophy at the university, but because he had come down with this debilitating disease, he had been forced to leave his home and job and family to live in a place full of sadness and disease and pain.

Padma Venkatraman

I learned that these people are extraordinary. Padma was one of the people that helped us realize that. The Daughter of former India President R Venkatraraman, Padma has long been a leading figure in the national fight against leprosy and its resulting stigma. She does a lot in the way of micro-finances in the colonies. Meeting her was for sure a highlight in my trip to India.
I can't tell you what you'll learn yourself in India. I can't tell you what your experience will be. But I can promise that if you go, and you go with the notion to get everything you can out of it, You'll never regret it and you'll never be the same. There will never be enough words to express what these people mean to me, what these people mean to me, what this experience meant to me, or what it did for me. I really challenge you to consider the possibility of allowing this program into your life. There are more options than just volunteering. There's possibilities for donations and for sponsoring children to be able to attend school. Take a look at the website, and really give it an open thought. And if there's a little tug at you saying "Oh my word. I really want to do this." Then stop thinking. AND DO IT! :) That's what i had to do. I promise if you decide to do this, the universe, God, whatever you believe in, will make it possible. I promise.

Quite possibly the cutest smile ever.