Yellowstone

I went to yellowstone years ago with some girl friends, we drove up in my car and had a total blast. It was life changing and beautiful at the same time. Along with the film I found a buffalo postcard, I don't need the postcard anymore but I do love the pictures full of fun memories. I took all these pictures with a point and shoot cannon camera 35 mm Enjoy!

one more funny thing....

I was talking with my sister today and she was excitedly describing her boyfriend's dad's house she said...

"like it's huge! It might even be a double wide!"

I stopped her mid sentence to make sure of what she said, and then laughed a whole lot. She really had no clue what was so funny.

Lets be happy.

In lieu of recent blogs and depressing days, I feel like jotting down a few funny things that happened to me that I would like to remember during this trying time.

I learned of an assignment due at 4 pm today at 3:50 pm, I got it done and posted on Black Board at 3:58 my classmates applauded silently.

The assignment was picking a research question, the only thing I could come up with on a dime's notice (what does that even mean anyway) was "Should American Indians be getting welfare?" I now sound like a bigot and have to do research on that topic.

I hope I can change that question.

I did some light painting last night at a park here in Provo with my friend Lindsey, when we accomplished a stick figure I acted as though I had just won a large sum of money.

I got paid today to watch Shrek 2 and color, best day ever.

Soggy peanut butter and jelly samiches are reminiscent of my childhood, I now feel that peanut butter samiches should be eaten asap.

I got some awesome Holga pictures of fall today, I'm pretty exited to get that film developed.

Started reading an article "Researchers used more than 100 giant fans to create hurricane-force winds in an experiment Tuesday that crumpled an ordinary home within minutes but left a better-built home standing at its side."

I couldn't figure out what football and hurricane-force winds had in common. I kept imagining 100 stubbly, stout men, jersey clad and running at a house trying to knock it over. It didn't make a lick of sense. :)

Quality men here in Provo

Today was a great day. Did the church thing, went to ward prayer and afterwards had to deliver a note to every house in the ward, thanks to the "jungle" house writing love notes to everyone inviting them to their house. They had little monkeys on them. I wore a pedometer and walked over two miles to deliver them all. ( Friends who have no idea what I'm talking about: delivering hand written notes by others is part of my calling in church, it's basically a pleasantry)

Stupid monkeys.

My "friend" from church decided he would make something that wasn't his business in the first place...his business. He came over to tell me that I could have a good chance snagging his super shy roommate  if I could just be best friends and get close, he would eventually soften up to me, then he said "it would be a good idea to lose weight too, that would increase your chances"

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? ANOTHER LOSER?

First of all I didn't invite him over to talk, I could care less what happens with his roommate. We are already friends and if things progress great if not great I really don't care, I still get a friend out of the deal.

I got upset at this guy and told him to leave, admittedly I was bawling when I did it and ran upstairs hysterical. Later we  were texting  (I know juvenile) and he never said sorry. Only that I had a "vendetta" against all men, and he didn't know he had to walk on egg shells.  What a jerk.  I explained to him that talking about women and their body is a big no no, women want to be beautiful and it doesn't matter which man gives you a good or bad comment we remember it forever.

I am still pretty upset by it and now I can't sleep. It takes weeks and months for women to forget comments like that. And mere minutes to forget a compliment.

Some think I'm being picky, and that's why I'm not married yet. Turns out maybe the boys are being overly picky.

Dear future husband,
I will never be a trophy wife. BUT I will love you for eternity, I will raise your children, I will stand by you no matter what, I will be your best friend, I will support you. I only hope you can look past physical attributes that aren't labeled as perfect and see me for the beautiful girl I am.

Love always

Laura




Shmuck.

Post it

I can't sleep. Usually about 3-4 times a week I lay here until 1 or 2 thinking about things. Nothing extraordinarily significant, just things. I will go over my day, conversations, think about school and painting etc. Sometimes my thoughts just go in a loop, like a horse running around and around in a corral kicking up dusty memories and injecting them into places they don't belong, creating interesting branches of how my day went along with something my grandpa said (or didn't say) before he died or how he looked in his rocking chair with a beer in his hand. When sleep doesn't come I take a natural supplement or if I'm really desperate I'll call Andrew, he's terribly boring over the phone (but fun in real life!) and usually with in 15 or so minutes I'm ready to pass out...

Post it

One of the images that can't leave my mind tonight is sticky notes, you know the little papers that remind you of menial tasks you need to accomplish during the day or sometime in the next week. I don't use them very often but I do ask God occasionally by means of a mental sticky note to keep track of things I want to know when I make it back home. I imagine a big wall with all my stickies asking silly things, I also hope God knows things I want to see and will show me those as well. What I am trying to say is, death will be great because you will know so many new things!

Today was great, I had sushi with my friend Jessica, then I went to a park and painted for hours. I came home and made my own art portfolio for 5 dollars instead of spending 20 dollars. I had dinner with Toby (the dog) and watched ghost shows about the Great Wall. Then I made good conversation and homemade coasters with Skoticus, came home did a pirate dance for Summer had a good laugh and just laid here thinking of all the goodness in my life.

One more mental sticky for the wall..." thanks :) "

Holga, color!

I think I like the color pictures better than the black and white! I asked today about cross-processing (developing the film for another type of film, say slides, will give distorted colors and effects naturally instead of computer generated.) Allens does it! So I just have to over expose my film just right and I may have some cool images to share! Here are a few taken over the past couple of weeks.

Mars concert

More seagulls (love the blue blue sky!)

Cool cat, Andrew insisted I go and see some "friendly" feral cats. I got scratched on my nose by this one...thanks Andrew! ;)

Jessica and glass windows





Summer in the trees

Ron and I went shooting a couple of Saturdays ago, I love this one best because of all the cool distortions! The specks on the front and glimmery light leakage.

OH and Ron is a stud too.

Things unoticed

I never talk about work.
 I am there every day (usually) and spend up to 6 hours a day helping people with disabilities. On Tuesdays we do Meals on Wheels, we deliver 10 lunches to elderly adults and 1 to a very handsome younger blind man, 11 in all. We have been delivering these items for over a year now, every Tuesday from 1030am-1130 am. Rain or shine, even on our days off, I have gone in and did the meal run with out my guys. I was noticing a few things on Tuesday as I grumbly did the MOW run, I was feeling burnt out, unappreciated, tired and grumpy. One of my dearest clients, Debi excitedly jumps out of the van to help me count the meals and load them up. She cheerfully does her duty well, always smiling and laughing with the older ladies at the senior center (they don't like me, but just love her) Debi talks about her day, and how she is going to her "second" job at Evans Hair School where she sweeps up hair and folds the towels there. Before we left for MOW she wanted me to make sure her heart was still beating, something she does occasionally because she has a serious heart problem that will eventually lead to her death. I oblige, teasing that I can't hear anything and she must be a zombie "I'm not zombie!" she yells at me as I continue to press my ear to her tiny chest and hear the soft flutter-click of her damaged heart, my arms wrapped around her in a big hug.

After we load up the van with old people food, balanced meals and little milks, we head out to the first house, the lady there is soft spoken and white haired. She is always sitting in her chair watching TV, a stereotype that manifests itself every time I walk in her door. Mark is with me, he is loud and clumsy and I love him. The lady is outside that day and lets us in, talks to me about the junk mail she always gets and how many husbands she has gone through, all of them dead now. I liked the husband who gardened best.

Next is a very old man and his very handsome blind son, it's Tuesday so I can expect him out in the yard mowing. Tuesday is lawn day, very rarely I see this man sitting and doing nothing. I flirt with his son while I'm inside dropping things off, I'm with Vicki a spunky lady with a purse fetish and little teeth.

We go to a Tongan lady next, she hardly speaks English but comments that I will get blessings from heavenly father for working with special kids. I say I hope so!! laugh and want to say mahalo but resist.

We continue on to another lady who's house is really dirty all the time and smells like cats, we always talk about art and I stay for a few extra minutes and watch Ross (the painting guy) with her.

I get yelled at by a new lady, she tells me she cannot have sugar or milk and I need to do something about it. It's really cute when old people get upset with you, there is a possibility they could hurt you, but us whipper snappers run faster.

Debi loves to do the last house, I asked her why once, she replied "cause it's lellow". I hardly ever see the woman we deliver to. But since I met her a couple of weeks ago, I creep into her room and say hi, her cat is snuggled up in the blankets and dark room, it rolls over and stretches looks at me and blinks sleepily, and passes out again, the lady pretty much does the same.

We are back at the senior center, I am explaining to the mean lunch ladies that a certain patron can't have milk or sugar, they are barking at me in return that they have nothing to do with it and I need to call so and so. I notice Debi struggling to come in the creaky door, she has a cooler, the heated bag we use for hot meals, and the basket all in her arms. She looks ridiculous, and I crack up. The ladies yell at me not to laugh at their friend, I just thought she looked cute but it didn't matter to them.

I love my job...this week.

Debi at work.