Ways in Which to Make Instant Friends

The Breakfast Club

If you have never seen 'The Breakfast Club', then you are deprived and live a sad, pathetic life. Yes, it is harsh, but the truth hurts my friends. The first time I saw this movie was in my high school's literary magazine staff class called 'Runes'. I instantly fell in love with everything about it. Not just because it's a totally awesome, classic 80's movie, but how deep it gets. I love how every character is from a different walk of life and none of them are satisfied with themselves. It's like they all have issues and somehow by getting to know people different then them, they realize their faults and decide to change. 


Lately it seems that I am in the exact same situation that these kids were (minus the Saturday detention and ornery principle). Going from knowing most of the people in my graduating class, to being in college and knowing only a handful of people is a hard change. And unless you know who you are and what you want out of life, it's almost impossible to find where you belong.


So now I lead you into all of the awesome things I have learned about getting to know new people during my first year of college...


1. Make eye contact and smile. Seems simple, but sometimes I'm so busy with life that I completely ignore the people around me. Looking people in the eye and smiling not only shows that person that you are confident, but that you are approachable. Nobody wants to talk to the stone-faced grouch on the train ride home. When people are talking to you, stay focused on their eyes, it lets them know you are interested in what you have to say. There is nothing more annoying than someone who flips out their phone in the middle of a conversation and tunes out everything you are saying.


2. Compliment, compliment, compliment. Flattery can lead you to a lot of places in life. Especially when making friends. Even if you don't know the person, tell them you like their shoes, or their earrings, or the color of their hair or eyes. People like getting compliments, and when you say nice things to someone they automatically remember you as the nice person who made them feel good. Be nice to EVERYONE! We are all human beings, on the same planet, with the same dreams and hopes. Never for a second believe that you or someone else is better than others. I know this sounds cheesy, but we are all in this together, and you never know who may need your kindness. 


3. Go out and do things. Join a club, volunteer, go dancing, sign up for an art class... there are a million things you can do to meet new people. This past week I joined an LDS sorority and I have already made fast friends! Just being associated in the same organization makes connections. And often times when you go out and do the things you love, you will meet people who love just the same things. Instant conversation starters... instant friends!


4. Just BE yourself! Don't worry about what other people may or may not think of you. Who cares about them? So just go out there and be you! True friends are the ones that know you best and still put up with you. 


5. Most importantly, just enjoy the little things in life. Laugh at your mistakes, keep your friends close, make no enemies, and just love life. You only get one after all. Why not make the most of every possible moment? 

January Obsessions

I'm feeling a little stressed right now and I need to do something to keep my mind off of my crazy life. So what better way than to distract myself than with my recent favorite things, right?

Obsession #1 - Pace Bars

Pace Bars

I got my wisdom teeth out approximately on Wednesday and therefore, I have been a slave to all things frozen. Nobody wants puffy chipmunk cheeks. My lovely Aunt Janell is the most amazing person in the world and brought me my favorite kind of popsicles that morning. Pace Bars are more than amazing, there isn't even a word to describe how extraordinary they are. Lucky for me, they are made and sold in Utah so I can eat them whenever I want. They are made out of real fruit juice and don't taste syrupy like most other popsicles. They also make my favorite flavor which they call Tiger's Blood, but I call Strawberry Coconut because that's what the logo for this flavor is. Unfortunately, I couldn't find actual pictures of Pace Bars, and it's almost 2 in the morning so I think it's a fair to say I'm too lazy to take the picture myself.

Obsession #2 - Exotic Coconut lotion and body spray from Bath and Body Works.

Lotion                                                                               Body Spray

 I was at the mall last week and was on my way out when I passed by Bath and Body Works and decided to pop my head in, put on some yummy lotion, and then leave. That's when I saw it... my all time favorite Bath and Body Works flavor which I hadn't seen in the store for months staring me in the face! But wait, it gets even better! Both the lotion and the body spray were only, drum roll please....... $3!!! I might have screamed out loud and gotten several strange looks, but I didn't care. I asked one of the workers why they were so cheap and she told me that they were discontinuing the line *tear* and needed to get rid of everything they had in stock. Needless to say I bought many of the last, precious, perfectly lovely bottles and went home completely satisfied. 

Obsession #3 - Avatar

  

Avatar 

Yes, it is 3 hours long. And yes, I have seen it twice already. And yes, I will probably go see it again. It is just so good! And it's in 3D so it makes it even more awesome! I want to be one of the Navi so I can run through the forest naked and be super tall. Being able to fly on dragons and have a tail wouldn't be too bad either. Not to mention having blue skin with glow-in-the-dark freckles.

Obsession #4 - Amazon.com

Amazon 

I have sold all of my old textbooks on Amazon and have made enough money to cover nearly all of my textbook costs for next semester. Can you see why I'm so excited? I bought one book for like $20 and sold it on Amazon for $70. Amazon buts the 'amaz' in amazing. If you have hundreds of textbooks you are never going to use again laying around your house, I suggest selling them on amazon because it's SO easy and then you will have money to go on a shopping spree or something :]

And the 'Eyes' Have It!

"Look into my eyes and hear what I'm not saying, for my
eyes speak louder than my voice ever will."

photo

20 Things to Do Before I Turn 20

I found the best blog ever last night! It's called 'Yes and Yes' and it is AMAZING! The writer is Sarah Von and I love her writing style and all the little tid-bits and advice in her blog. One of her most recent posts was 31 things she wanted to complete before she turned 31. I wanted to do the same thing because I thought it would make my next year even more amazing. So here's to you Sarah Von! Thanks for the inspiration!

20 before 20

1. Go on a road trip. It doesn't matter where. Last September I went on a road trip to Oregon with Rachel and Jeff; it was SO much fun and we were only gone for 3 days. Sometime over spring break or over summer break, I want to just take a week or so and get out of town. 

2. Go skinny dipping! It's a bit scandalous, but I have always wanted to do it. Maybe on my road trip we can go to Southern Cali and skinny dip in the ocean? That would be epic for sure.




3. Go to a drive-in movie. Sadly, I have never ever done this. And I feel extremely deprived.




4. Take an art class. I want to learn to blow glass... or make jewelery. Taking ceramics again would be fun. I never learned how to throw a pot so that would be a great skill to learn. Something like that. I don't want to take the conventional drawing or painting class. Something more daring. Read about my amazing glass making adventure here!

5. Take a cake decorating class. After watching Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes, I really want to learn how to decorate cakes. I want to learn how to make fondant and gum paste flowers and then I want to make a cake for someone's birthday. 

6. Ride in a hot air balloon. Everyone is going all gaga over skydiving but I have never heard of anyone going on a hot air balloon. It's a bit pricey but it would totally be worth every penny.

7. Go rock climbing. I attempted to do it once when I was little... all my big cousins were in the harnesses going up, but I "wasn't old enough" or "not tall enough" or some lame excuse like that. So I pouted at the base and then decided to be rebellious climbed like 2 feet off the ground before my mom made me get down. Ever since that day, I have wanted to do it for real.

8. Swim in the Great Salt Lake. I have lived in Salt Lake my entire life and have only been on the shore of the lake maybe one or two times. Talk about lame. Yeah, it smells like shiz and is pretty much the grossest  body of water ever (besides Utah Lake. gag.), but I want to swim in it. They say there is so much salt in the water that you don't even have to tread, you can just float off and be lazy.

9. Speaking of the GSL, I want to go to the railroad. There is a set of railroad tracks that go straight through the GSL, cutting it into two halves. The north half has a certain type of algae that makes the water pink, and the southern half has algae that makes it a greenish blue. I want to walk along the railroad tracks and see this phenomenon for myself.
 

10. Hike to the top of Mount Olympus. This was one of my New Year resolutions from last year and I never did it. So this year I WILL do it. 

11. Grow a garden. I haven't decided if it will be a vegetable garden or a flower garden just yet. Maybe I'll do half and half. But what I have decided is that it will be amazing.

12. Learn to make candles and/or soap. This just seems so relaxing and rewarding at the same time. Some things you make just get put on a shelf forever or get thrown away. But you can use candles and soaps everyday and they would also make great gifts. I talked to my mom earlier and she agreed to do this with me which will be uber fun.

13. Sundance it up in Park City. Yes I have lived in Utah my whole life. No I have never taken advantage of the fact that for 2 weeks every year,celebrities and film makers from all over the world come to Park City and I have never gone to visit them. This must change.

14. Get one (or more) of my poems published. This seems a little far stretched, but why not try? Poetry is one of my outlets and I might as well share what I write with others, right?

15. Write a book. Even if I just write it and then print it myself, I want to do it. If it's really good (which is not very likely) I might send it off to a publisher to see if they'll take it.

16. Go horseback riding on the beach. This is every girls dream. I wonder if I can find a long, flowy, white dress to drape over the back of the horse and then have someone film me galloping along the shore? That way I can edit it after and put it in slow motion to make it even more awesome? But it has to be a black horse... dark chestnut will work too I suppose.

17. Go to a midnight movie showing in full costume. I'm thinking the next Harry Potter? I want to be Snape. 


 

 18. Wear University of Utah attire to BYU's campus and count how many dirty looks, insults and physical injuries I sustain. If I can get my hands on a Max Hall shirt, that would be even better.

19. Successfully teach my dog how to fetch. He just doesn't understand the concept of the whole thing, and that pisses me off. He's a stinkin' dog for crying out loud! Don't they come knowing how to fetch?




20. Go paragliding. I always see people up on the mountain doing it, and I want to do it too! Being pulled behind a boat would be awesome as well.

Countdown Clock by Zoodu.com

My 2010 (somewhat reasonable) Resolutions!

Happy New Year! Holy cow, can you believe '09 is over? I can't! It went by as if I was in a whirl wind or something; spin, spin, spin and poof! Hello 2010! Welcome to the brand new decade!

But then the question arises... what do we call the last decade? The "Two Thousands" seems too boring I'd say. And when living in Utah you don't pronounce the word "thousands" so it would end up sounding like this: "Two Thousens". So what to call it? The Zero's? The O's? The No Name Decade? I dunno, I'm sure someone smart will come up with something real quick.

Anywho, last night... well actually this morning at about 2, but you get the point... I decided to make a very short few New Year Resolutions even though I will probably forget about them in a few weeks and then when I look back on this next year I'll tell myself, "Crap, I let myself down." I will then make new resolutions in the hopes that I will indeed complete them only to find myself in a bitter cycle of never ending self-disappointment. But who cares, right?

2010 RESOLUTIONS! 

 1. Get organized. Anyone who has ever known me knows that I am horrible when it comes to organization. This and a combination of ADD and OCD and you get one giant, unorganized, walking, talking... thing. So I have decided that I will keep a day planner and I will sit down every Sunday afternoon and I will plan out the rest of my week. There will be school time, homework time, me time, family time, friend time, study time, etc. We'll see how it goes.

2. Travel as much as is humanly possible. To make myself not feel so bad that I turned down the internship at Disneyland, I have decided that I want to travel as much as I can. Even if it's just going down to Moab or St. George or something with friends. I LOVE to travel, and I want to see the world before my life ends. I might even try to study abroad in Cambridge this summer. We'll see what happens.

3. Finish at least half of my book. Yes, I am indeed writing a book... or at least trying to. Ideas for stories are always swimming around in my head and it has only been recently that I started writing them all down whenever a new one pops into my mind. I've noticed that a lot of the stories I come up with can mesh together to make one big story so I am in the process of sorting that all out. Needless to say, it isn't easy. Sometimes I get an amazing idea, sit down at my laptop to write it all down, and then my mind goes blank. Or I'm in the middle of writing something and then I realize it sucks, so I delete it and then feel guilty because I didn't try. But anways, I'm going to attempt to write at least half of a whole story. Wish me luck.

 

3. Live by these rules... Life comes with no guarantees, no time outs, no second chances, you just have to live life to the fullest. Laugh as much as you can, spend all your money, tell someone what they mean to you, tell someone off, speak out, dance in the pouring rain, hold someones hand, comfort a friend, pig out, fall asleep watching the sun come up, stay up late, be a flirt, smile until your face hurts, don't be afraid to take chances or fall in love... and most of all live in the moment, cause when you look back someday knowing you have no regrets, it's going to be what makes you smile.