It gets crazy in elementary school

You better believe this is happening right here, right now, for crazy hair day. 

#redribbonweek

I've never actually highlighted my hair - how do the salon ladies do it so easily?? Aluminum foil is harder than it looks!

And now I'm out the door for an observation by my principal, which I'm way more nervous for than I should be.

Wish me luck!

P.S. If you're here from the blog hop, 

make sure to leave a comment 

so I can check out/follow your blog!

Snapshots Day 4: Hare Krishna

I know it's rather Provo College Kid of me,

but I went to the Festival of Colors today.

And it was so fun.

Sam and I smeared chalk all over each other

{it's a sign of love in that religious ceremony, you know}.

Here's how many people were there:

Here's how covered we got:

Here's how much fun we had:

I highly recommend it for anyone who feels like getting dirty, and laughing, smearing chalk on people, and reveling in pure mayhem.

in snapshots

Some cool things I did last week:

Ate at a yummy healthy restaurant. The ceiling is a lemon tree.

Slept in a tent.

On the cold cement.

In the middle of the week.

It was so cold we had to make a 4:30am run for hot chocolate, hand and toe warmers,

and more coats.

Smeared blue toxins on my face with the one and only Johanna.

So worth the alleged medical ramifications.

Got my static electricity on with Sam.

Have I mentioned lately how great Sam is?

He's great.

We like each other.

Last week was fun.

Meanwhile, this week......

this was the best picture I could come up with.

{two observations about this photo:

1. my paper is upside down, which just goes to show how productive I was being...

2. isn't the flower in my hair cute?? The amazing Michelle Clouse sewed it for me. Like, with a needle, thread, a button and some scraps of fabric! She's talented}

So much talent, so little time

There are several things I'm good at. Double booking myself for crucial events, getting my hair to look like a lion's mane without even trying, and stealing toilet paper from my dad to use in my apartment, for example.

Perhaps my single greatest talent, however is this:

Slipping in the snow.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Three times on the way to campus this morning. And I went to the closest building too.

Be jealous.

Final(ly)

Guess what?

I’m done with everything this semester!

I love the feeling you get when you walk out of the testing center for the last time. You’re so happy to be done that you forget about your less-than-desirable test grades, the freezing air sneaking through your coat and jeans, and the interminable construction you have to dodge on your way home from campus {my physical science teacher said that Utah in some Indian language means “road construction”… and yes that was on the final haha. I love my major}.

Now I’m sitting on my bed, listening to happy music, eating ice cream, and writing this blog. It’s a wonderful feeling.

Time to:

read the seven books on my winter break reading list {four new ones, and three of my old favourites}

S L E E P. I N.

go to a wedding reception, and visit my fabulous roommates from last year

sledding and paper burning party tonight

one last cousin lunch of the semester

catch up on hulu

movie marathons with my siblings

try to buoy up my roommate Amanda who’s still drowning in three final essays {oops, forgot empathy is supposed to be a forte of mine…}

get excited for Christmas

go running every day

have craft time with Emma every day and snuggle time with her every night

have more time to go to the temple

not colorcode ANYTHING on my planner or have 12-hour-on-campus days for two whole weeks

not have to pay for my food

Also, I’m actually feeling happy about my birthday in a few days. Weird, right? Last year my birthday was the day after we buried mom. Let’s just say, I spent a lot of time in my aunt and uncle’s front room {where nobody hangs out} and not answering my phone and staring out the window, waiting for my mom to walk up the frozen sidewalk to make me sweet and sour chicken. This year, I decided I’m going to be happy. I’m going to spend significantly less time staring out the window, and Julie’s going to make my mom’s recipe of sweet and sour chicken for me, and I'm going to wear my new perfume and answer all my phone calls.

Isn't life great?

Way Past Curfew

Things to do on reading days:

galavant around Salt Lake City with my amazing ward {Marian the Librarian gave us a classified tour. We saw a 1600s Bible and something that I’m pretty sure was the sword of Laban. No big deal}

drive the Old Blue (“put in the clutch! put in the clutch!"}

share a pizookie at The Chocolate {new favorite dessert place}. chocolate chip for me, white chocolate macademia nut for him

make a quick stop at two crucial reviews. Don’t stay the whole time at either

watch Emsie be so cute at her musical theater concert

ward party at Brother Colemere’s home/mansion

midnight scrabble games at EarthFruitYogurts {overpriced, but open late}

have group dinner parties and serenading parties.

None of them involve reading… oops…

Thanksgiving resolution?

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

I will NOT read my book in bed for all 38 remaining hours before break starts.

.....but one more chapter can't hurt, right?

Turnaround

Something very strange is happening to me.

On Tuesday, I skipped class with Cody. We spent two whole hours eating J-Dawgs and playing with nature and thinking about everything EXCEPT school. When I was laying on the grass, I made him sit like a hunchback so his shadow shaded my face, and also because I think he’d make a great Quasimodo one day, when Disney makes the obligatory sequel {inevitably named something like The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Dreams Come True}. It was WAY better than class.

Today, I took a huge bite of apple and sprayed this passerby in the face with my own projectile saliva, mixed with little bits of apple. And instead of being embarrassed, I just laughed. And laughed and laughed. Oddly enough, the boy didn’t think it was nearly as funny...

Tonight, I straggled in the door at 8:30 PM from another 12-hour day on campus {must… stop… doing that to myself…}. I have at least 6 hours of homework to do, I have to work 11 more hours by Friday, and my room looks like the epicenter of a 10.1. So, clearly, I spent the night on a fun date, and laughing with my roommates, and not getting anything done.

What happened to the old Brooke I know and love? Why am I not laying in bed at night worrying about things? Where is the responsible version of myself who feels bad if I skip a day of making my bed? Today I didn’t even look at my planner until 3 PM! This is serious people!!!

… but I’m kind of loving it.

Lately

I’ve been inordinately horrible at updating my blog lately.

It’s not that I have nothing to say.

It’s just that last week I had to say a final goodbye to the only home I’ve ever known.

And pack up all my belongings.

And have a very special guest in my home.

And cross about a million things off my to-do list.

And move to Utah.

And start school.

It’s reassuring to know that cyberspace is not my top priority.

It was very very hard to leave Portland. I miss everything already. The people, the tree architecture at the library that reminds me of when I would crawl under the climbing tree in our old backyard and read for hours, the people, the recycling bins that are larger than the garbage cans, the people, the freezing beautiful coast, the people, the crazy downtown adventures, the people, etc.

{Did I mention the people?}

But it’s okay.

And also… if you have to close a long and mostly beautiful chapter of your life and start a new one, I can’t think of a better way to do it than like this:

And this:

And this:

And this:

{P.S. Look at his face - what a crazy kid. haha}

Jittery

Maybe I’m nervous.

Maybe I’m excited.

Maybe it’s the sunshine.

Maybe it’s the number of items that haven’t been crossed off yet on my to-do list.

Probably it’s a little of all of those. Regardless, I haven’t been able to stop moving today. At all.

It’s good, because I had to get so much done. You should have seen the way I coursed through Costco, and bolted through the book drive neighborhoods, and sprinted through Safeway, and rushed through my running route.

I can’t relax. It’s weird.

What if I always had this much energy?

The only time I stopped being so on edge was for a one hour and four minute phone call, in which I was calmed down and relaxed and soothed and saved all at the same time. Without even realizing it. I swear some people have superhuman powers over me. And I can’t wait until it doesn’t have to be just a phone call.

And…. cue jitters again.

I even took a cold shower in an attempt to coax my craziness to sleep. And then I had a midnight snack with McKay. And then I swept the kitchen and wiped off the counters. And then I brushed my teeth for six minutes straight {I know because we all got those fancy schmancy toothbrushes for Christmas that turn off after two minutes}, which I always do when I’m stressed out.

But I’m still jittery.

I guess the only thing left to do is blog about it.

....maybe I'm going insane?