A Collection of Notes

"Daydream" - Christina Perri

2012-02-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

So I was doing my pop culture posts once a week and now they are turning into "let's see how many new youtube videos I can find to share with everyone!" Now you have a something to look forward to that can help you procrastinate anything you want. Let's begin.

This is a super awesome music video. And by music video I mean that quite literally.

ZKO Rollercoaster // GREAT EMOTIONS from virtual republic on Vimeo.

This is an adorable pet penguin. I want one so bad!!!

This is unrealistic life lessons taught by disney princesses on how to pick up a guy. I wish I was a princess. It would make finding a husband probably a lot easier. Also it would mean that someone could do my hair for me every day.

For those who didn't know there is another Batman movie coming out this summer. I'M SO EXCITED. Well someone took the audio from the trailer and put it to the Lion King and they did a fantastic job.

If you didn't know I LOVE HARRY POTTER. SO MUCH. Anywho this is a wonderful little video of some of the cast visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida. It makes me want to cry. Some day I'll go and visit this wonderful place.

Now this one. Oh man. A-DOR-A-BLE. I want to be like this when I'm that old. Guess I need to find an awesome guy who knows how to play the piano.

Now to end this post I leave you with probably the gem of the group this week. It's called Things You CAN'T do when you're NOT in the pool I died laughing. Probably because I have done almost of all of these before. And it reminds me of all those times at Grandma's house :)

"Don't Stop" - Foster the People

2012-02-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another splurge of what is the latest and greatest in the Bubble aka P-town.

Did you know that facebook is blocked in China? And because of that Mark Zuckerberg studies Chinese for an hour every day so he when he can, go to China and talk to the officials himself about allowing facebook.

Jay Leno and NBC are being sued over a joke at Mitt Romney that had to do with a Sikh temple shrine in India. The Sikh are actually the ones suing for libel.

Stephen Spielberg is going to be producing a film about Moses.

The newest Hollywood relationship problems are:
Drama with Johnny Depp and girlfriend. Don't know if everything will work out between them.
I guess Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher broke up? I always thought their age difference was a little...weird.
I think Biebs and Selena are still together. Another weird couple in my eyes.

And for the youtube videos of the week.

The newest Jon Schmidt video, a cover of Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars.
This thing is just adorable.
And if you only have time to watch one video watch Kristen Bell on Ellen. Best video ever. When I first saw it there were only like 1 million hits now there are over 5 million. Shows how great it is.

And to actually add something that is Provo related, here is a sneak peek at Jimmer and Whitney's engagement pictures. And if anyone knows about me and how much I critique engagement pictures...I think that their's turned out very nice....okay okay I have to say something. Her makeup is just a little too dark. i mean look at her face compared to her arms? Obvs she is not really that tan.

"Dark Waltz" - Hayley Westenra

2012-01-27T22:12:00.000-08:00

I love waltz. Like so much. Really. Really really. Love. it. love it. This post is dedicated to ballroom. It's my new boyfriend.

When you see the word Waltz what do you think of?

Words that originally came to mind were graceful, pretty, romantic, beautiful etc etc etc.

My thoughts somewhat changed of this last semester when I went to DanceSport and saw what went down on the floor and it's just plain dangerous on so many levels. I wouldn't be surprised if people have died while competing in ballroom.

Don't be deceived by this video. My teachers Alex and Jared competed and totally rocked it. They're awesome.

But let's be real here. I feel like I have been the victim of so many injuries in my class. Some injuries I'm not so sure aren't entirely my fault but there are a few that I can take 0% credit for. Like bruises on my shins. When dancing waltz your feet really don't leave the floor, doesn't matter if you are stepping forward or backwards. So I don't really comprehend how I can get bruises on my shins...especially with a line down the middle that looks normal?

Among my other injuries include broken toe nails, numb toes and I might have even broken a toe or jammed it. I'll survive.

Putting aside the injuries that I have sustained, I love love love waltz.

Story time! Once upon a time in class my teacher Jared gave us partners that we are supposed to compete with in our mock competition. We decided that we were going to get together to practice before our test. So we go to the RB to a practice room and we're waltzing around and there was this guy in there practicing by himself. After a while of trying to work through our routine the guy started talking to us and then helping us through our routine.

Long story short...this guy is on the ballroom team. And he said that he wanted to dance one part of the routine with me and then afterward he was really surprised at how well I did. Then after we were all done he told that I was uber talented. So it pretty much made my day.

Then today I ran into my partner and his gf (who is also on the ballroom team) and they said that said boy was talking about me and kept saying how good I was. So pretty much I'm in love...with waltz. haha faked you out ;)

So to end this post I give you this.

"Rumour Has It" - Adele

2012-01-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

I recently decided that if I have time I would start doing a pop culture, more like mormon culture, update about once a week. Mostly for my own entertainment and because Anna says that she enjoys when I post things like that. So let's get started with the things I have discovered these last couple of weeks.

Did you know that Elizabeth Smart got engaged? He's from Scotland and they served their missions together in France.

If you didn't see my post on facebook about this blog, Totally Missing the Point, about vocal point; you should go read it. I guess it would make a lot more sense if you've been keeping up with them but they really are a funny pair of sisters. Sisters, maybe we should create a funny blog like this.

Did you know that Beyonce had a baby and named it Ivy Blue...or was it Blue Ivy? Either way I don't entirely care. It's kind of a weird name.

Kaleen shared this youtube video with me about Alana from toddlers and tiaras. Go watch it honey boo boo child.

I guess Heidi Klum and Seal are getting divorced. I wonder why hollywood spends so much time carrying about who gets married and who gets divorced. It happens so often now it's not really news.

Did you ever see that youtube video that USU did about guys and girls being friends? I think that that is a total biased video and Stephen Jones got it right.

Another awesome video by Stephen Jones, Sh*z Mormons Say. For the record a lot of these are close to the line which we don't really say but still hilarious at the same time. Some people have done responses to that like Things Mormon Girls Say. I have to agree that I totally want to watch Newsies.

Did you know that Jamba Juice has a secret menu? I have been talking about this a lot to different people. My favorite is Pink Star.

Ok that's probably enough for now. I've given you enough youtube videos to keep you entertained. Check next week for another "Pop Culture from the Inside of the Bubble" with Lauren.

"Good Feeling" - Flo Rida

2012-01-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

Because I know you all want to know and care about me so much, and because I have to do this for homework now, I'm gonna tell you all about my classes this semester. There a lot. So I'll try and keep the details shawt.

I only have two classes left for my major. Only...92 days left till my birthday...and graduation. I haven't been counting. Honest. I just downloaded an app to do the math for me. I love my iPhone.

Anyway...I am taking Aural Rehabilitation and Speech Science. I'll survive. So I go to my first day of class in Aural Rehab and the teacher told us that we could get an A in the class by just reading the textbook but that we would know the information better/would know what would be on the test if we came to class. Nope. She pretty much reads directly off of the slides what she gets directly from the book. Don't worry I still go to class. Speech Science just has to be at the awful time of day where you would normally take a nap. I have a hard time focusing.

I also have two GEs left to finish before I become a grad. Advice: Don't wait. Luckily they aren't that bad. I'm in MCOM which is business writing. Pretty much love this class...and not just because that is one of the reasons why I am writing this post. But so far I have learned a great deal about grammar and such and I am already starting to correct things in my mind. I'm taking that class with Diane and we have lots of fun. My other GE is Bible as Literature. The class itself is really interesting but there is quite a bit of reading. It's hard trying to read the bible and think of it analytically and annotation instead of looking for a spiritual enlightenment.

Oh and I am taking piano to finish my minor of musica. I'm playing a Beethoven and Chopin piece this semester. And I'll even be having my own private recital thingy. Woo go me.

So those are the only classes that I have to take to graduate. I decided to have a little fun this semester and take some extra classes so I can keep doing things I enjoy.

I'm taking two dance classes. One is social dance and the other is ballroom. I'm kind of hating on ChaCha right now but it's just a matter of getting a guy that knows what he's doing. I love love love ballroom. I seriously think that more people should know how to do this so we can have real balls and waltz around. That would just be mind-blowing. However, peeps let me just tell you how dangerous ballroom is. I noticed this back when I would watch competitions but man. I think I may have survived more injuries than any one else in my class but that's another post that I'm working on. So because I am taking two dance classes I get to dance every day. I feel like my feet are going to be sore for the rest of my life.

I am also taking cooking with Rachel! We have yet to actually cook with each other but at least our kitchens are right next to each other. We got lab at the best time so one day a week I don't have to worry about bringing lunch on campus with me because we eat food!

Another class that I'm taking....haha it's my last one don't worry :), is Zumba! Brynn convinced me to take it with her and I love it! Why have I not done Zumba before? We only have twice a week but I wish we had it more often.

Ok so that was longer than expected. If you made it to the end you get a gold star on your forehead. I promise my posts in the future will be more interesting than this one.

"2012" - Taio Cruz

2012-01-15T16:54:00.000-08:00

So I have this need, this burning desire, that I can't move onto the new stuff in my life until I finish telling all of you about Christmas. Because I sure that you all care to know anyway. Please note that I will add a Christmas Card at the end if you would like to know what the latest, greatest, and bestest things going on in our lives. Be prepared.

Christmas break was pretty awesome and it had many contributing factors.
1. That we were all together as a family and with the new addition of Jackson. Don't worry you'll hear more about him later.
2. The weather was pretty dang awesome. Even in Utah. Even though I wasn't there.
3. We went to California. Pretty much any time we go to California is awesome.
4. WE WENT TO THE BEACH. And it was GORRRRR-GAS. Seriously people. Now I am considering going to grad school in California...and Hawaii. Now you know.
5. I was just going to start typing that we were all healthy during this trip but that is completely false. Brandon came sick and I spent the whole break sick. Good thing I almost completely forgot about that one.
6. Catan. It just isn't a family gathering without Catan. And dang Mom won twice in one day. And curse Brandon. I totally would have won that last game.
7. Psych. Thank you sisters for introducing that show in my life. So great.
8. My family is pretty much awesome, immediate and extended. Which I know everyone already knows, I just like to say it...often.

Time for pictures!!

We made a quick stop in Riverside to visit our old house. So we got all of our 5 kids in front of the house. Nostalgia at it's best. We're all so adorable and grown up!

We put our hand prints in the concrete when we laid it at the house so we decided to take a now picture. The guys were lame and already got back in the car.

BEACH!!! This is in December. It felt like June. I wish I was there right now instead of being in my apartment.

Hoover Dam! We walked across the bridge that they have now constructed. We saw all the dam cars, the dam people, the dam water, the dam fish, the dam tourists, the dam rocks...

Two places at once! We are straddling the border of Nevada and Arizona in the AIR!

Happy 2012 from the Trout's LOL. We are still just being teh most awesome family ever so nothing new there! Rick and Linda have been happily married for 28 years, but of course they've been married for eternity so is there really a need to count?! LOL Rick is still bishop but we use that to our advantage of getting some of the best visitors during Christmas. So much good food! Linda is in Young Women's because who can argue that she is the best leader EVER!! She helps her young women through the physically, emotionally and spiritually hard times. She just loves her gurls so much!! Brandon and Anna have received the greatest gift of life this last year!! (pun intended) Little Jackson is just the cutest baby ever! Seriously so much cuter than any other baby out there. I'm serious. He is so smart and advanced and so much better than all the other babies his age. He's gonna go up to be just as awesome as his parents. Brandon is half way down with law school where he is totally top of his class. No one can compete with the Trout family. Dallin is rocking it away in school. He's getting ready to take the MCAT this summer so he can go away and be an awesome doctor. Lauren is graduating from BYU in April on her birthday! w00t. She's gonna take a little bit off to work before applying to grad school to become a Speech Language Pathologist. (Watch out, so far the oldest Trout kids are becoming a triple threat to this world: Lawyer, Doctor and SLP. Don't mess.) Kaleen is preparing to go to Walt Disney World to compete at NATIONALS on her Varsity Dance team! They are totally gonna kill because they do every year and she's just the most awesome dancer ever. And at the same time she is taking a hard course load because she is just so dang smart and loves a good challenge. She graduates from high school, finally ;), in June. Meghan is just awesome. She is trying to surpass her siblings, literally, seriously she is so flipping tall. She picked up Cross Country and is running her little heart out. She's rocking in school because that's what Trout's do. LOL. So now you know what's going on with us. HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT YEAR!!! XOXOXO
Thumbs up for rock n' roll.

"Turning Tables" - Adele

2012-01-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

Today is my last first day of being an undergrad. The senioritis has already kicked in. I'm starting to wonder why I signed up for so many classes and I just feel the impulse to drop them all. But I decided that I would at least go to the first class and then make a decision. Because I know that if I drop everything then I'll have a greater chance of just being lazy which we are trying to avoid.

Christmas break was only like two and a half weeks but I feel like I've been gone a whole semester. I'm having a hard time getting back into the mindset of school but I guess I really haven't even been back 24 hours to even let myself adjust.

Going to my classes has either help eliminate or add to the stress. I think it's so hard because before now I had this mentality that if something doesn't work out or I don't get into the class that I wanted to that I could just do it the next semester. However I no longer have that cushion to fall back on so I am just trying to make sure that everything is perfect for my last semester.

I only have a few more classes to go before I've been to them all and before I make a decision about what is on the chopping block and what do I keep. I think I am making this more stressful than it needs to be. I think if I can make it through Monday than I will be able to make it through the semester. Wish me luck.

"Low" - Flo Rida

2011-12-30T12:19:00.000-08:00

Back in freshmen year I made these friends Kristie and Shelby. We lived next to each other in the dorms and I'm pretty sure that I spend more time in their dorm than I did in mine. Well we have stayed friends through the years. I don't think we see each other as much as I would like but I'll take what we can get. So Shelby went and found herself a boy and now got married. She had her bridal shower right before break and so it was fun to be together one last time.

So by now you might be familiar with my other traditions of Kristie and Shelby. I have spent a lot of times in their beds. Freshmen year I would always take naps on Shelby's bed and then we created Lava Lauren with Kristie's comforter. So every chance I get when I go back to their apartment I have to get pictures again. Kind of like last December when Liz came to visit. So I just had to get my pictures again for nostalgia reasons.

Good times, good times.

"You Make Me Smile" - Uncle Kracker

2011-12-30T10:49:00.000-08:00

I have been very fortunate to have Rachel just living downstairs from me. We spend a lot of time in each other's apartments. There have actually been a couple of times where we go to each other's apartment looking for each other and then we find them in the other one. So I have also been very fortunate to get to know Rachel's apartment. They are all super cute and fun. Her roommate Kanani asked me to take roommate pictures for them and I kindly obliged. So one Sunday after church we got all bundled up and took some pictures! We took some inside and then I made them go outside and freeze :)

This one makes me laugh so hard. One because they are all trying to sign the alphabet and two their roommate liz in on her phone. She was on her phone for more than half the pictures. I finally made Brynn take her phone away from her.

Awww I love you guys!!

"Gravity" - Coldplay

2011-12-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

So it has come to my attention that I need to play catch up on my blog. Which I have known about but I have been avoiding. I think I have been on my computer like three times over break haha. But this morning I decided was a good morning to post so be prepared for a few posts this morning on things from the last couple months.

This post is pictures from when I took the Mills Family pictures. If you wanna see a lot of them go see them here.

The ones I chose to post aren't necessarily the best ones but they are some of my favorites :)

This one is just adorable.

Rachel being the most awesome Aunt and photography assistant, brought M&M's for Tucker to keep him smiling.

Love love love this picture of Halle.

This is just one of the view throwing pictures of Sheldon and Tucker.

Tucker does this adorable monster thing with Halle to get her to smile. In came in handy a lot!

"Voldemort's End" - Harry Potter & Deathly Hallows Part 2

2011-12-15T09:23:00.000-08:00

A current status of sorts.

My current facebook status:

Finished off my seventh horcrux...I mean final. They felt like horcruxes though...every time I took one a piece of my soul died.

Yes I am finished. 7 finals later. I only got 2.5 hours of sleep last night. It's been stressful. The tests have been ridiculous. Like the one I was complaining about on Tuesday? Please tell me the difference between use/implement and competence/competency. Both options for the same question. This proves nothing that I actually learned about the method you're questioning me about. But I should stop focusing negatively and focus on the fact that I'm done and survived to tell the tale.

As of right now I am sitting on the couch, wrapped up in my comforter watching Christmas VHSs that I haven't watched in years because we don't have a working VCR. I feel happy of myself. Life is good. Life is great. Life is wonderful.

And it is officially Christmas break and I don't have to think about school for another 3 weeks. I get to see my familia tomorrow and then Brandon and Anna and sweet adorable Jackson are coming on MONDAY! And Rachel gets to spend the weekend with us! Man life is good again. I am normal again. Thank goodness.

Happy Christmas.

"Angry All The Time" - Tim McGraw

2011-12-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

I would just like to give you all a Public Service Announcement.

Notice:

If you ever want your students to like you especially after the class has ended and you're in the middle of finals, stressed exhausted emotional and all ranges of the spectrum, do NOT and I mean DO NOT add this to the top of your study guide.

If you know this study guide you will do well on thetest. So…KNOW THIS STUDY GUIDEWELL. I tried to make these questions asdifficult as possible, which means they are tricky. Take your time and think things through. You should be fine. I’d say good luck but you won’t need it ifyou know this study guide.

The last thing I am thinking right now are happy thoughts about you and this class. And rest assured if I do horribly on this test the world will know. Oh the whole world will hear my screams of horror.

AND WHY THE CRAP WOULD YOU TRY AND MAKE YOUR FINAL AS DIFFICULT AS POSSIBLE?!!?! This proves nothing about what I've learned. Kudos for you for feeling validated for being able to write a difficult exam. Excuse me while I go back to smothering myself in 12 flipping pages of notes.

"Simple Gifts" - Mormon Tabernacle Choir

2011-11-30T07:38:00.001-08:00

I'm blogging with the hope that this keeps me away in class. I only have to wake up for my 8 o'clock class 3 more times. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. Every time this class rolls around I sleep in longer and longer before getting out of bed. Thank goodness I haven't been doing this my whole college experience. Es no bueno.

Obviously this is a little overdue but the way I see it we should be Thankful all year round not just around November. So anywho my apartment decided to have a thankful wall where we wrote the things that we were thankful for.

One of the biggest things I was thankful for this year was for the FIRST TIME EVER I didn't have to worry about weather when driving to and from Utah. It was sunny, warm, clear. NO SNOW. After it messed up my entire week last year I feel like it was repaying me this year. But I am seriously so grateful that we had great weather. I didn't spend the whole week worrying about what the drive was going to be like.

Being back from Thanksgiving is fun. I only have 7 more days of classes including day left. I have a total of 7 finals but I took one yesterday, 98%, and so I only have 6 left. This week everyone has been complaining about no motivation and not wanting to do anything and I didn't really feel that since I haven't really had to do any assignments. Until last night when I had to take a quiz. And then I understood. But once again I have no homework so weird so I guess I should start studying for finals? Or I could just keep all caught up on my sleep now that way I'll be well rested for finals :)

"Prelude in G Minor" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

2011-11-19T20:35:00.001-08:00

So I have been spending a lot this semester with this guy. He's Russian. You've probably heard of him. He's name is Sergei. Last name of Rachmaninoff. The time I would have spent with a boyfriend this semester I spent with him. I broke up with Rachmaninoff last night. I decided that I needed a break from him for a while. I don't know if it was a mutual agreement but it was for the best.

I picked to do a Rachmaninoff piece this semester without fully knowing what I was getting myself into.
Rachmaninoff has some crazy large hands and I have crazy small hands.

But somehow I was able to pull it off in my recital yesterday. I can't play the piece to tempo but I am pretty dang happy with how it turned out. If you wanna listen to it I uploaded it to youtube so watch it here

I have loved being able to spend as much time as I have on the piano this semester. Even though I was doing it for a grade I'm lucky that I got to spend my time on something that I love.

"Live Like You Believe" - EFY 2006

2011-11-17T11:23:00.001-08:00

Within the next five days before Thanksgiving I have 2 labs, 2 tests, a piano recital, a reunion dinner on Sunday, 2 quizzes and laundry and I'm probably forgetting about something else that I need to do. I am so upset that I won't be able to make it home to do all of my laundry *sigh* Rightfully so I am having a hard time focusing. Especially today since I have no classes. Which would seem like an awesome thing right because then I have all this time to be productive right? Well no. Because I don't really have to leave the apartment until later tonight to go practice piano and so then I just have this lazy personae and feeling of wanting to sleep all day. I would probably clean the apartment but surprisingly enough it's pretty clean right now.

So what is this blog post really about? I haven't decided yet. I figured as I started typing something would come to me. I've had lots of ideas for posts and just haven't quite decided which one to tell you about yet. Soooo let's go with...President Monson! President Monson came and did devotional a couple of weeks ago. Last time he came to BYU for devo was the day that Dallin was flying in from his mission so I was in a car on my way to the airport. But this year I had no classes before devo so I got to go early and get some awesome seats!!

Because we were sitting off the the side the light was hitting him just right that made him look all white in the pictures.

President Monson gave an awesome talk. And my favorite thing he said, along with probably everyone else at BYU, was when he quoted The Lion King.

"You are more than what you have become. Remember who you are."

How blessed I am to be at BYU where I can go and see the prophet and apostles in person :)

"I'll Be Missing You" - Puff Daddy

2011-11-15T11:06:00.001-08:00

Life is good.

Life is great.

Life is wonderful.

These last couples of weeks have been pretty amazing. yes I'm still alive. Life has just been good. Even though I have no idea what I am doing post-graduation next April I'm not gonna worry about it. Why should I waste my time worrying about the future instead of enjoying the day I am living?

The subtitle of the blog says "Living life with no regrets". I went on a blind date and we went out for chinese, and that is a story that I am not going to be sharing tonight :), this weekend and my fortune said this:

It made me smile to think that this fortune could not have been any better for me. I can honestly say that since adapting this life motto I have no regrets. I may not have been happy with everything that has ever happened with me. But I know that for some reason it needed to happen and there was something for me to learn from it.

On a less serious note Diane and I had a crazy night on Sunday. She kept asking me if I was writing down everything we were saying but sadly I was not. The only thing I can remember is "I do not talk to the devil."

On a sadder note Vocal Point is no longer on The Sing Off. ok I am about to go on a short rant here and then I'll stop. But then again this is my blog so I can say whatever I want. Here are my issues with VP being out of the show.

Vocal Point has been at the TOP from the BEGINNING. They deserved to make it to the TOP 3.
Their worst performance was when they sang I'll Be Missing You because THEY WERE SINGING A TRIBUTE TO BEN'S DAD WHO HAD JUST, seriously just, PASSED AWAY. ARE THE JUDGES HEARTLESS?!! THEY HAVE EVERY REASON TO BE EMOTIONAL. Good gravy even I was getting emotional watching that performance. If you wanna watch it clicky here
When Shawn said last night that sometimes "emotion can override perfection". He wasn't saying that a few weeks ago. (Thanks Diane for pointing that out.)
Along with that, up till last night that was the first time that Vocal Point received any real critisim.
I have a problem with shows like these in the way that the point of the show is for groups to take a piece of music and make it THEIR OWN. Change it, recreate it to be something awesome and amazing. So when a group decides to do a Whitney Houston song (a few weeks ago) and was NOT able to pull it off but did not get any criticism about it then that's just stupid. BUT when Vocal Point takes a song and MAKES IT THEIR OWN, you know how they do every week because you know the whole time on the show the judges have been talking about how every group needs to create their own sound which Vocal Point ALREADY has, and then all of a sudden the judges start telling them it's not like the original and then KICK THEM OFF. **NEWSFLASH** THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO.

Okay I'll leave it at that. I could go on but I'll save you from an even longer rant. I've come to terms about what has happened even if I don't think it's fair and the whole show is all about politics. But I will now be a devoted Pentatonix's fan. And if they don't win then I have no hope in America.

On a happier note I made an awesome dinner for Rachel and I tonight. Parmesan Chicken Bake with noodles and peas. It wouldn't be a cousin dinner without peas. :)

"Not Over You" - Gavin DeGraw

2011-11-09T11:34:00.000-08:00

We only have 18 days left of classes this semester. I can't believe that I am almost done with my last fall semester!

Some things I will miss about BYU:
Sitting in the WILK and listening to random people sit down to the piano and start playing. Today I heard music from Tangled, Zelda, Super Smash Brothers and Phantom of the Opera.
Being on campus when billions of little kids are on field trips here.
Just now a bunch of kids walked through the Wilk and one said "There are so many laptops!! They're all on laptops!!"
The HFAC. Man that place is awesome. I love sitting there or walking through a hallway and hearing 10 different instruments.
Starting class with prayer.
Hearing the bell tower play awesome music.
Divine Comedy.
Dance classes. I have no idea why I did not start these classes earlier in my college career.

and a bunch of other things which I can't think of because the nagging thought of working on my paper keeps entering my mind. Guess I'll have to be nostalgic later.

"The Beauty of Your Dreams" - Joan Szymko

2011-11-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

"I will make a prayer. I will make a prayer to ask what I can do,
I will make a prayer to ask for courage to follow the light as it is given to me.
You gain courage and strength every time you look fear in the face.
You gain strength you gain courage and strength,
You gain courage and confidence every time that you are forced to look fear in the face.
You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
I will make a prayer.
Life must be lived! Life must be lived.
Cast out fear, we must cast out fear and face the unknown,
Face the unknown with courage and integrity and a high heart.

You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
I will make a prayer
Believe in your dreams, believe in the beauty of your dreams
The future belongs to those who dream,
To those who do believe in the beauty of their dreams."
-adapted from the words of Eleanor Roosevelt

"Wavin Flag" - K'naan

2011-10-26T00:47:00.000-07:00

Favorite quotes from tonight:

Diane - "I think I am developing a mental disorder."
Lauren - [bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah]
Diane - "That isn't funny!!!"

Lauren - "Guess what class I just registered for?!"
Diane - "Frog!"

Diane - "Breaking my back...my heart?...my foot?"

Diane - "The back of my knee is ridiculous.....ly itchy!!"

Diane - "I just realized that this is the class that we will ever take together. Maybe when we are older we will live near each other and we can take a pregnancy class together!"
Lauren - "I thought you were gonna say pregnancy test."

Diane has no idea that I am typing up pretty much everything that she is saying right now. She thinks I am studying for my midterm that is in less than 7 hours.

Diane - "Don't lie to me Lauren!"

Diane - "That's never happened before."

[printer makes noises]
Diane - "The commies are coming."
Lauren - "What do the commies have to do with my printer?"
Diane - "What does your printer have to do with the commies?"

"Young, Wild and Free" - Snoop Dog

2011-10-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

So while I was home over the weekend it just happened to be homecoming and everyone just happened to get sick. BUT, but Kaleen was healthy enough to go out Saturday night, and to take pictures that afternoon. So here are some of my favs.

That would be my assistant Rachel's hand.

My beautiful assistance!

trying to keep the shoes from sinking in the mud, my awesome mommy!

one of my most favs

model!

I love this one too

This dress pretty much screams Kaleen.

Gor-gas!

I call this sexy leg pictures. Also another fav.

Yes this is blurry on purpose. bokeh!

"I Got You" - Leona Lewis

2011-10-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Three years ago I was a little freshmen. Of course by this time I was already pro because I went summer semester so while everyone else was struggling through midterms I knew what to do. This really has nothing to do with the story I'm about to share. It was also around the time that I met Diane. I won't share that story because only the few and privileged are allowed to hear it. For personal reasons. Well after we became friends and I had acquired a candle and candle warmer, Diane thought it would be cool to start dipping things in the wax.


Exhibit A

yes I still have that pen...I have no idea why. Also she got really excited and tried to create her own candle, I thought I could find it to take a picture but I have no idea where it's at.
I was not a fan of this. Especially when wax got INSIDE of my favorite pencil. Then I was really not a fan.

So for the last THREE years I have had to deal with the fact that I couldn't put lead into my pencil. And then today I was determined, because I lost my other favorite pencil, such a tragedy, that I would remove the wax and give my pencil life again!

I started looking for something that I could stick into my pencil without getting stuck because there was already lead stuck in the wax. I thought tweezers would work but alas. Then I had a brilliant remembrance that I had a needle and thread!! So I sat there and very carefully was able to remove the wax around the lead while still keeping it in one piece. I removed the wax chunks at a time until it was all out. Then I went in with tissue and cleaned the inside. And the good news is my pencil is in recovery and should be back to normal today.

Man maybe I should become a surgeon! haha so not happening.

On another happy note, I am totally rocking the fishtail today which I did myself!

Also this is my 200th post!

"Faster" - Matt Nathanson

2011-10-06T10:47:00.001-07:00

It's been raining since yesterday but today it's 35 degrees outside. So naturally everyone is crying snow on Facebook but I've been studying in the loving room and I haven't seen any snow.

When I was walking to class yesterday I saw all these cool things which would be super awesome to take pictures of but I am no where willing to bust my camera out in the rain. BUT now with my super awesome iPhone I can take cool pictures awesomely under the comfort of my umbrella.

"Piano Man" - Billy Joel

2011-10-05T21:35:00.001-07:00

Today has been a great day. Usually Wednesday's are kind if crummy because I have my first class at 8 and then I get out of my last class at 9 and then I practice piano for an hour. But like I said it's been a great day. Here are some pics that I took after playing tonight.

"Edge of Glory" - Lady GaGa

2011-10-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

I love Jon Schmidt. I have for years. In the last little while he's been doing a lot with his cellist Steven Nelson. Some of my favs are (click on it to watch on youtube), Love Story meets Viva la Vida, Bring Him Home and Rock Meets Rachmaninoff just to name a few.

Well today I found this little gem of brothers playing a cover and they are just so dang cute! I thought they did a super good job!

"Circle of Life" - The Lion King soundtrack

2011-10-03T16:56:00.001-07:00

I am bored in class. This is the result of that boredom. Maybe I'll challenge myself to do a picture a day with my phone? Or with my camera. It has been far too long since I've taken pictures.

"Pumped Up Kicks" - Foster the People

2011-10-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

I am really tired. I hope that by blogging it will keep me awake in class. Especially since I have another class after this one which is even longer. I know it's worth it to have crazy monday and wednesday's but I don't feel like that on Monday.

we're watching some grad student made video on aphasia. it doesn't have very good editing or pretty background music. it's kind of boring I'm not gonna lie.

I start registering for Winter classes in a few weeks. My last time. Oh yeah it's official. I graduate april 20th! Right now I am too tired to right a super exciting speech about graduation. Moving on.

so pretty much my favorite part of conference was hearing that they are rebuilding the Provo tabernacle and upgrading it to a temple. yeah that was pretty much the most awesome part of conference. I admit I slept through more than I would have liked but oh well. Sometimes I feel like you can only do so much to keep yourself awake. Like right now. If I had a pillow or even a blanket I would be out.

the leaves are changing and I am getting dang excited about that. I think I might take a drive up provo canyon sometime soon and take pictures. fall is my favorite in utah.

oh yeah and I got an iphone. w0000t. favorite apps thus far: fruit ninja, instagram, words with friends and gospel library. love having all the scriptures and pretty much everything church related right there.

now I thought I would share some pics. these were all taken from le iphone.

rachel and I at conference

cupcakes that I decorated

a quote that I like from April conference.

"Addicted" - Simple Plan

2011-09-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

I have a disease. All I can think about is Harry Potter. Mostly due to the fact that Pottermore is coming out and I am DYING for my email. Clicky here to get a nice description from the wonderful Rachel. My disease causes me to relate everything back to Harry Potter even if in the slightest way it doesn't.

Like the other night my roommate was talking to me about the World Cup. I seriously thought she was talking about Quidditch until I stopped to really think about it.

Or last Saturday when I was at work I burned my arm on a pan that had just come out of the oven. I really have no idea how it happened since I didn't burn myself once over the summer. Anyway it was in the shape of a triangle. First thought? The Deathly Hallows.

And the other day I was in the HFAC, which really stands for Hogwarts Fine Arts Center, and I went into the bathroom. I wish I had had my camera. But there was one stall that had a restroom close sign in front of the toilet. First thing I thought of? They're just putting that sign up to keep the muggles from entering the Ministry of Magic.

My name is Lauren Trout and I am addicted to Harry Potter.

I am not ashamed.

"Larger Than Life" - Backstreet Boys

2011-09-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

This is why my summer was amazing. Most of the editing was done by yours truly on a mac no less :)

"Your Body is a Wonderland" - John Mayer

2011-09-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

So if you haven't figured it out by now, I love anatomy. It's actually quite ironic that I love it considering how long I dreaded taking the class before hand but that's not important now. Anywhoo there's this thing called the 100 Hour Board and they answer questions. It's run by BYU students and it is all anonymous. Well someone asked a question about if the ward was a body what parts would be which organs and such. I found it absolutely hilarious. Clicky here to enjoy.

"Fabulous" - HSM3

2011-09-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

So I'm pretty spoiled here at BYU. Especially when it comes to playing the piano. The HFAC (fine arts center) is full of practice rooms with Steinway's. And I get to play them every day. It is going to be a rude awakening come next April when I go from playing on a Steinway to not having anything to play on at all. But I'm not gonna worry about that till I get there.

"Over My Head" - The Fray

2011-09-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

It's always a strange concept when you come back to school after your freshmen year and you know that all of the guys your age are gone and you're suddenly surrounding by guys that a few years older than you. It's an even stranger concept when your friends get back from their missions and then come back to school. I am graduating and they are just barely beginning their schooling. I suddenly feel so old.

"All I Do Is Win" - T-Pain

2011-09-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I've blogged last. My bad. A lot has happen within a few short weeks! Bear with me as the post will be longish.

I finished work at Aspen Grove. The summer was awesome and I've made a lot of good friends. We spent the last 48 hours trying to break as many rules as possible...hehe. So we decided to go swimming after hours and then sneak into the dining hall and have a slumber party. And I may have done laundry in the kitchen...hehe. So overall the summer was great. Of course there was drama but that's what happens when you are friends with you ward members, roommates and coworkers. Whatever happened at AG stays at AG.

Now I am all moved into my new, well old, apartment. I am in my same bed for the 3rd time in a row!!

School started and.....I applied for....GRADUATION! So folks it is official, well not 100% but almost, on April 20, 2012 my 22nd birthday I will become a BYU Alumina. I will be receiving a BS in Communication Disorders and a minor in Music. So pretty much the whole weekend is gonna be a party. Who knows maybe I'll even get married that weekend. bahahahaha just kidding. really.

So this semester I am taking 8 classes. But before you start freaking out wondering how on earth I am going to manage that many classes...let me tell you what I'm taking:

Hearing Test and Measures - pretty cool class. I had to read 108 pages yesterday and then take a 30 question quiz. But I succeeded. We get to learn how to perform hearing tests and even practice giving them on a computer program. Supes exciting.

Social Dance - I've always wanted to take a dance class at BYU and decided to take this one with the lovely Rachel. We have a Niel Patrick Harris look alike in the class. I danced with him and he flexed his arm. I tried not to laugh. He's a freshmen.

Bowling - Yeah this class is pretty much awesome. I'm taking it with Diane and all we do is bowl. Love it.

Medical Speech Pathology - I'm excited for this class since it's more focused on what I like; anatomy stuff. So far we have talked about TBIs and watched a horrific video of a car accident. Very exciting.

Music Fundamentals - I've been to this class once. There are like 3 guys from Vocal Point in it. We went over the notes on the staff. So pretty much easy theory class.

Professional Practices - We get to learn all the jazz about grad school and what it's like to be a professional SLP. Super interesting and informative.

Piano - Yup I'm taking private lessons this semester and I am super excited. I got to pick my own music so this semester I am doing a Baroque and Romantic piece. I really wanted to do a Rachmaninoff but I wasn't sure if I would be able to pull it off but I'm going for it! Let me tell you I was super giddy and excited when my teacher said I could do it. Rachel and Diane will be my witnesses. I am also playing a piece by Handel.

Basic Conducting - I'm pretty much a geek when it comes to conducting. I find myself conducting songs all the time except now I get to learn how to conduct choirs. AWESOME. My teacher is pretty cool. We get to have tea and crumpets every week before class starts.

So I am pretty stoked for this semester. Excited for this wonderful three day weekend. My roommates are amazingly awesome. I have always been blessed in the roommate department and for that I am eternally grateful. oooooooooooooo. Anyway...I'm hoping to keep up better with the blogging and keeping you all updated on my wonderful, exciting life. Huzzah.

"A Gift of Thistle" - Braveheart

2011-08-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

So I decided that since I spend most of my time just sitting here while the guys are practicing on the piano and cello that I would bring my computer and blog a bit. I went and took some more pictures this weekend. I think i might actually be getting tired of taking pictures of leaves haha. I just need go do some hiking and get a little change in scenery.

"The Gathering Fields" - David Nevue

2011-07-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

Yes I am alive. I don't get to spend that much time on the computer these days because I spend my time being social. I hope I can keep this habit when I go back to school :)

But I went and took pictures today. Woo! So I shall share them for your enjoyment.

"Stand Out" - A Goofy Movie

2011-07-06T19:40:00.000-07:00

Here at Aspen Grove I am one of the oldest girls. But there are a few things that have actually made me feel old.

-When we were listening to EFY music on Sunday and Matt pointed out that the music we were listening to was from an EFY that we went to and our co-workers were still too young to even consider going.
-When I talked about The Even Stevens movie/ show and some of my friends didn't even know what that show was.
-When people have never seen Newsies.
-When Matt calls everyone kids and I know it's not in reference to me.
-When I'm helping Jared register for classes for the first time
-When everyone says that they're 18.
-When I saw a girl that had a t-shirt saying Class of 2018.
-When people don't know the show Duck Tales.
-When they all talk about their freshmen experiences that just happened.
-When they get all excited to finally say that they're sophomores.
-When they find out I'm 21 and give me a really weird look and say that they thought I was 19.

"Marry Me" - Train

2011-07-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

So I am kind of really far behind on blogging. I think I have 4 or 5 different posts started that I never finished. But hopefully I shall be able to get to a couple of them tonight for your enjoyment.

A couple of weeks ago my roommate Laura got married! Do not let this picture deceive you. Her husband David is probably 6'4''. But they are totally sweet and I am so happy that I was able to go to their reception! Everything was pink and green and it turned out so pretty!

"Walk in the Woods" - Jon Schmidt

2011-06-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

I finally got my camera out today and went and took some pictures. I didn't venture far so I didn't get too many but I ended up sitting in the hammock. I looked up at the quaking aspens and just watched the leaves flitter in the wind. There's something about quaking aspens that I love. I think if I had to pick a favorite tree that would be it. They are my favorite in the fall when their leaves are golds and reds. I could smell the pine trees. I could hear the birds chirping and the river rushing by and nothing more. It felt so relaxing. So peaceful.

"Remember" - Josh Groban

2011-06-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

Goooooooooood afternoon and Happy Sunday!! So I know last night I said that I was going to start doing this funny sunday posts after teaching in primary. But for some reason I really can't remember much that happened today. Oh well I shall share what I do remember.

We shall start with last week. We had 13 kids. In the tromper room which is VERY small. And filled with toys. Oh I guess I better tell you that my calling "assignment" is CTR 7. Unless I have already told you all of these stories....I can't remember. Nope I just checked. Ok moving on. So last week I guess you could say was a total disaster. Okay not totally. We had an hour and I tried to drag out our lesson as long as we could but we still fell short like a half hour. We gave in and let the kids play.

Best story from last week. When a little girl raised her hand and asked how Heavenly Father gets babies here on earth. That led to a long stream of questions and comments from the kids. One kid started making comments about his mom having eggs inside of him. Another girl starting talking about how her little sister almost drowned in her mom's blood when she was born. Another little boy said he thought that it was pelicans that brought the babies to earth. I was trying so hard to not start laughing in the middle of class. When they finally calmed down I just told them that I didn't know the answer and to ask their parents.

This week we had 18 kids. We were still in the tromper room and will be until the end of summer. They were much better behaved this week. We let them make paper airplanes. I cant really remember if they did anything funny today but I just can't remember. Then I went to work lunch and my manager asked me what our lesson was on today and I couldn't remember.

Hi my name is Dori. I suffer from short term memory loss.

I was probably distracted by the room be so hot and smelling so badly of poopy diapers. I have to go back to work in a half hour. All I want to do is take a nap. I thought I was all caught up on my sleep this week? Apparently not. I just reread this post. It is so incoherent. Oh well I'm too tired to change it :)

"So This Is Love" - Cinderella Soundtrack

2011-06-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

I was talking to Rachel on the phone the other day and she mentioned that I hadn't blogged in a while. This is true but I told her that there wasn't much to say that wouldn't take a lot of background information or stories that wouldn't seem funny to everyone else. I will soon be writing a lecture on the dos and dont's of being in a dining hall. It should be very informative. Until then I shall share a short story to quench the thirst.

Once upon a time we were cleaning the floor after a meal and we found a mood ring on the floor. This ring has been the source of much entertainment until it suddenly disappeared. Some little girl must have claimed it to be her's. Oh well that has nothing to do with the story. We went to the store once and we were able to remember a few of what the colors meant but not all of them. So I went to the store and got a little piece of paper that had all the colors with the meaning.

Usually everyone is happy or relaxed and we have never gotten anyone to turn black/stressed. But the most entertaining color is pink. And not just because it's my favorite color. Pink means romantic. This one time I was vacuuming the floor wearing the ring and then after I finished I looked and it was pink. We got a good laugh.

Then this other time Moy and I took turns putting the ring on and we both got pink. So Moy asked me if we wanted to go hiking and I told him that Squaw Peak was close and then he said that there were plenty of other hikes near by. Oh man Moy kills me. We decided today that he is the one person that Aspen Grove would not be the same without.

Now some guy that threw up today is sitting in the lounge with me. We are sharing the same air. At least when I got "sick" I had the decency to stay remained in my room as to infect as little people as possible. BE GONE.

Okay so this post didn't really go anywhere. And probably wasn't as funny as I thought. So maybe I'll have more stories tomorrow. I think I'll start doing a weekly Sunday night post: What things my primary kids share/ask.

"All I Ask of You" - Phantom of the Opera

2011-06-08T12:48:00.001-07:00

I've had all these things to blog about that I have gotten to. Maybe I'll blog more this weekend. But, but. I am writing in today because guess what? I'm sick! Wooo so much fun. I think I've spent 90% of my day sleeping. I have the bestest big brother is the world and he brought me bread and ginger ale from work.

We've already had a few other staff members get sick this last week. And we've had guests that are sick too. I won't tell you how many times people have gotten "sick" in the dining hall this week.

NEWSFLASH: IF YOU'RE CHILD OR YOU ARE SHOWING ANY SIGNS OF SICKNESS DO NOT SEND THEM TO THEIR PROGRAM WITH A BILLION OTHER KIDS OR BRING THEM TO THE DINING HALL. I DO NOT WANT TO EXPERIENCE AN EPIDEMIC LIKE LAST SUMMER.

okay sorry just had to get that off my chest. Unfortunately some people just don't get it and as staff we have to suffer. Curse yooooouuuuuuu.

On a happier note, I think I have caught up on all of my lost sleep since I've been here :)

"Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" - Frank Sinatra

2011-05-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

Do you wanna know what I did this morning?

We listened to Christmas music at breakfast. They played it in the dining hall while we ate.

Do you wanna know why we listened to Christmas music this morning?

Because I woke up to the guys in the lounge singing Christmas carols and they decided to play it in the dining hall.

Do you wanna know why the guys were singing Christmas carols this morning?

Because there are 5 inches of fine powder on the ground. 5 inches. Looks like shoveling snow really didn't do anything to help after all.

We were told at breakfast that we have to keep the morale high for the youth conference coming today so we have to be excited about the snow. Dining hall doesn't have to clean today w00t because we're awesome like that so we had a snow ball fight instead.

Welcome to the Himalayas!!! I mean....Aspen Grove.

"Man Overboard" - Blink 182

2011-05-26T17:55:00.001-07:00

I wanted to write a post last night about things that have made me laugh in the last 36 hours but everyone was asleep and you can hear EVERYTHING in the dorms so I decided to not be obnoxious and type.

So what shall I share? Things that have made me laugh or my newest adventures?

Well before I share things that have made me laugh I will tell you one thing I did today. Shoveled snow for 2 hours. I know I really shouldn't complain because May crew shoveled snow for 3 weeks but it still wasn't my favorite thing. I am going to be so sore tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after.

I don't think I've stopped shivering since I've gotten here. Every time I am warmed up I have to go outside and do something that makes me cold. Sitting on a leather couch right now is probably not helping that.

Ok. So things that have made me laughed since I have been here:
-Matt trying to sign "what"
-Me telling Matt and Moy (he's from Mexico) that I would exchange ASL lessons for spanish lessons. Then Moy started his lesson with his first word: no; because latino men are very (I can't remember the word but it was something like pushy, aggressive something along those lines)
-playing lots of cards with Robbie and winning every time
-playing speed scrabble and winning
-We were playing with a frisbee and Moy was trying to throw the frisbee some fancy way and then proceeded to walk like a girl moving his hips before he threw it.
-Seeing a Moose in the wild for the first time and then texting mom and telling her that I saw many much moosen in the woodsenen.
-Having my roommate get all flustered because I was reading my scriptures when she was listening to her music.
-Listening to everyone analyze their personality tests
-Hearing people in the dorms start a conversation with "I don't want anyone to know..." or "Don't tell anyone..." NEWSFLASH: EVERYONE can hear you.
-Robbie answering a phone call in the lounge and saying "Sorry I just work here, I don't know anything."
-Finding out that Matt is an avid 100 Hour Board reader. He's trying to convince me to apply to be a writer.
-Matt picking up the wrong jacket and found out he was wearing a girl one.

Okay that's probably enough for now. I'm sure I will have plenty more later.

"I Love The Mountains" - Folk Song

2011-05-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

This song is stuck in my head. I like the mountains when it's not freezing cold outside. Literally.

I am now at Aspen Grove. I just checked the weather. 29 degrees. Told you it was cold.

I'm sitting here on my top bunk bed. Which has no ladder. Or any real safe way to get up here. I am amazed that I have made it up here twice without dying. My bed really isn't made because that's too difficult. I know I can't really blame them for putting the short girl on top but really? Me being vertically challenged is not helping the situation.

I was going to say something and now I forgot. I just remember that it was something totally random. Oh yeah my roommate shared her chocolate covered cinnamon bears with me. That made me feel better.

It's been a very long day but it's been good. I actually got to work in the kitchen today and then we got to do "Glen" projects because we finished everything in the dining hall. We got to rake and sweep dirt and stuff. It was actually enjoyable. Maybe it had something to do with the sun shining. Or the fact that I haven't really been doing anything and it finally felt good to do some real work. I assure you it's not because I miss it.

My lips are sunburned. They feel hot.

I am really tired as you probably could tell. Hopefully if I live through the night I will maybe tell another story tomorrow. Because I know I have a funny one from today but I just can't seem to remember it at the moment.

"A Night to Remember" - HSM3 Soundtrack

2011-05-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

Kaleen went to prom last week and she looked magnifico. I got a couple of pictures day of.

This was Kaleen's date, Alden.

So we decided we wanted to have more pictures so we had her get all dressed up again and do a photoshoot! We went down to a building near our DMV that was an architecture building so it was super pretty.

Kaleen did her own hair for prom and I thought it turned out awesome.
Kaleen the dancer. I love this one.

Classic Kaleen picture.
Proof that there is some green in Vegas.

"The World Will Know" - Newsies Soundtrack

2011-05-16T12:34:00.001-07:00

Today I was on the ComD major website because I'm graduating soon so I wanted to make sure that I had everything taken care of. I was looking at the FAQs for the major and this is what I found.

Is the John Taylor building ("TLRB") a safe place?

How do I get back and forth between main campus and the John Taylor building without being maimed or killed on 900 East Street?

Wow. Two scoops of crazy and a side of cucu-kachoo.

"Popcorn Popping" - Children's Songbook #242

2011-05-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

One night Megs wanted caramel popcorn so my mom made her famous recipe. Seriously this stuff is amazing. The best I've ever had. Prepare for mouthwatering goodness.

"You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift

2011-05-15T18:45:00.000-07:00

Well I have a new baby. It's a Nikon. I'm so happy. :) It's definitely an adjustment from the Canon but I'm starting to get the hang of it. I've just been having some fun shooting around the house. These ones are all macro; my fav.

"Raise Your Glass" - P!nk

2011-05-14T12:10:00.001-07:00

Well I know it's been long over due but before I post pictures of my newest adventures I figured I better get all caught up on the past. Don't worry I'll keep it short and sweet.

21st birthday. If I wasn't mormon it probably would have been more exciting but oh well at least I remember what I did. :)

I went out for lunch to Tucano's. Dallin and Rachel came with me. It was Dallin's first time to tucano's.

when I came home from lunch I found my room covered in balloons. The balloons said Aloha and they had Batman ones too. They know me too well. :)
Even Fabio wished me a happy birthday.
Everyone minus Kristin. From left to right: Diana, Breanna, Krisi, Diane, Missy, Me and Emily
We decided that I should do 21 shots. Well Martinellis.
My burfday cake which was amazing. Thanks Breanna and everyone else that helped with that!
These are my very dear friends. Liz is inbetween Diane and I. She got home from Prague the day before my birthday and came all the way down to Provo to see me. She's on her mission now. Shakira aka Rachel Brisson is on the end. I love her.
My roommates covered the clock. It was fun but drove everyone crazy because we never knew what time it was.
And the final thing of the evening. The birthday dance. It was something that Breanna created. They filled some of the balloons with rice and used them as instruments.

Thanks everyone for making me feel so special on my birthday! You guys are the greatest! Love you!

"Laughing" - The GooGoo Dolls

2011-05-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

So I have more pictures from Moab. I know you're probably thinking doesn't she have anything exciting going on her life? Well the truth is no. :) But on the bright side I did not take these pictures.

There was this unspoken rule when we went to Moab that even though we were in a photography class we did not take pictures of each other. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that we were camping and gross/sweaty. However there were a few people that did take pictures of each other and I have to say they turned out really nice.

These pictures are of Diane and I and our freshmen friend Cody. She took this within our last couple of hours before we left and I absolutely love them.

Here's Diane and I just taking a break. Eating some food. staying hydrated.
Then came along Cody. Diane offered him so graham crackers and he got all excited. We were literally on the ground laughing. And that's not because we were already sitting. We had a great conversation about facebook stalking and then I think in this picture Cody started talking about missionary work and teaching us. It was one of my favorite moments of the trip.
This is after Cody left and we were still laughing. I love this picture because I feel like the epitome of Diane and I. I miss her. Can you believe that we haven't like really talked since we've left each other's side?? Diane I think we need to fix this.

"Eye to Eye" - A Goofy Movie

2011-05-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

I know I am super far behind on blogging things that I would like to so a little bit at a time I guess. I decided to post the pictures and descriptions from my photography gallery. I actually forgot to take a picture at the gallery so you'll just have to imagine it in your minds. The pictures go in order like you're reading a book. The first three were on the top. Then one in the middle. Then the last three on the bottom. Enjoy :)

Infinity

Sometimes we forget to look at the bigger picture in life. We are so focused on what we can see that we miss out on other things. At the same time we need to reflect on the decisions we’ve made in life and use our experiences to choose our future.

Taken at Provo Temple

F-stop: 4.6

Shutter Speed: 1/1328

ISO: 1600

Triumph

Tulips are my favorite flower and every year I just wait for the day that I see the tulips bloom. One Sunday, which just happened to be the first day of spring, I went to Music and the Spoken Word with my roommates. While we were walking around Temple Square I saw that the tulips were in bloom. I was excited to see that spring was finally triumphing over winter.

Taken at Temple Square

F-stop: 5

Shutter Speed: 1/512

ISO: 800

DEIFIED

The temple is very important in my life. I feel that this picture represents that we need to live a life that mirrors the Savior so that we might be worthy to enter the house of the Lord.

Taken at Provo Temple

F-stop: 4.6

Shutter Speed: 1/256

ISO: 1600

In the Eyes of the Beholder

Sometimes I think we worry too much about what other people may think of us. I decided when picking my pictures for this gallery that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and as long as I am happy with my pictures then that is all that matters.

Taken at Regency 109

F-stop: 5.7

Shutter Speed: 1/664

ISO: 800

Honor Is Dead

This is open for your own interpretation and thoughts.

Taken at Dead Horse Point

F-stop: 29

Shutter Speed: 1/41

ISO: 100

Home

I believe home is where the heart is. Every time I look at this picture it reminds me of home; the warmth of the sun, the beautiful sunsets and my family. It gives me a feeling of warmth even though I am stuck in this less than desired Provo weather.

Taken on BYU campus

F-stop: 5

Shutter Speed: 1/83

ISO: 100

Like It

When I look at this picture I get excited to see where the rest of the story is. I feel the same way about my photography. I have learned so much in this class and I’m excited to go out and learn more and see where the rest of my story is.

Taken at Deer Creek Reservoir

F-stop: 4

Shutter Speed: 1/1579

ISO: 100

"Can You Feel The Love Tonight" - Elton John

2011-04-29T23:17:00.000-07:00

So Rachel and I stayed up and watched the Royal Wedding last night. We kept each company through gmail chat. Which is the reason I am writing this blog: to share all of our hilarious thoughts while watching the wedding. It's almost a good thing we weren't together otherwise we wouldn't have all of our thoughts written down. We would have needed one of those typer people from the court room. I'm too lazy to look up what they are called.

Anywho I won't share the whole conversation. Which is a whopping 481 lines; our longest conversation EVER. So I will edit out the bland stuff. I really think Rachel and I should have been news anchors or something for this we would have been great!

Just so you know this is SUPER long. That is not an exaggeration. So if you only want to read part then...you'll miss out on a lot of golden moments but towards the end it gets better. Oh and the times posted are an hour later than what it really was. My lappy is still in Utah time :)

And so it begins:

me: staying up for the royal wedding? ;)

Rachel: :)

ahhhh I really want to

but I probably shouldn't

but why not?

so we'll see how it goes :)

1:27 AM me: it's only in like 2 horus!

1:28 AM Rachel: which is 2 am! plus I'll probably get sucked in and watch for an hour, which puts my earliest bedtime at 3

*****

me:

2:04 AM hehe royal wedding :)

2:07 AM Rachel: hahahaha how did you know i just walked downstiars to turn the tv on and check what was going on lo

me: :)

2:08 AM Rachel: ahhhh I just want to see her dress

me: i know

2:09 AM I think that's the only real reason why i want to watch

Rachel: i don't know if I can make it till 2+ though

2:10 AM me: i know

well we could take a nap and then wake up!1

Rachel: i feel like with that short amount of time its counter productive

and i don't think I could get myself to wake up again lol

2:11 AM at that point nothing will be more important than staying in bed as long as possible ;)

*****

me: beckham!!! so cute

Rachel: at the royal wedding?!

2:18 AM me: haha psh yeah

david and victoria bechkam

david knows william

Rachel: nice :D

why don't we live in england?

when are we moving to europe to be hobbos?

2:19 AM me: yessssss

*****

me:

duude kanye was invitied

i dunno if he's gonna be there though

Rachel: WHAT.

2:21 AM YO IMA LETTYOU FINISH BUT BEYONCE HAD THE BEST WEDDING OF ALL TIME

me: BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHABABABAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I LOVE YOU

Rachel: hahahahahah yesssssss

*****

2:50 AM Rachel: did i miss anything awesome?

me: umm elton john came in

2:51 AM otherwise no

Rachel: hahaha

*****

3:01 AM Rachel: if I'm figuring this schedule right

3:02 AM she's not gonna come out until like 3!

me: yeah

well

the ceremony starts at 2

i mean 3

Rachel: awwwwwww pooooooppp england why are you so far away!!!!!

3:05 AM me: seriously

*****

3:13 AM me: yeah

awwww prince william

going to go get himsefl married!!

Rachel: in his red suit ;)

3:14 AM me: i'm loving it

3:15 AM Rachel: :]

3:17 AM komrades hahaha

3:18 AM me: bahahahahaha

*****

3:24 AM me: rachel I wanna marry a prince

Rachel: you get dibs on harry!

and me too

3:25 AM me: hahaha

why do I get dibs on harry?

Rachel: i dunno

because i decided so

you would be good with a redhead ;)

me: bahahaha

*****

3:35 AM me: less than half hour!

Rachel: wootwoot!

3:36 AM hahaha as soon as I see that dress I'll decide if I like it and then I am jumping in my beddddd

me: bahaha

youre not even gonna wait and watch the ceremony?

3:37 AM Rachel: maybe tomorrow

me: bahaha people are betting on the color of the queens hat

Rachel: definitely not now

3:38 AM hahahaha it will match whatever she's wearing!

i guess green or blue or somewhere in between

me: haha i guess it's 7 to 10 that it's yellow

Rachel: hahahaha

3:42 AM me: yellow!

Rachel: bummer

*****

3:49 AM Rachel: forget marrying a prince, I wanna be QUEEN

3:50 AM me: :)

Rachel: hehe

3:51 AM me: I SAW HER

Rachel: ME TOO

SHES WEARING WHITE

I WAS RIGHT!

me: :P

3:52 AM Rachel: lol

I'm diggin the lace

I can't wait to see the train

3:53 AM me: dude

I wanna see the whole thing!!1

Rachel: I know!!!

*****

me: shes wearing

a tiara

a real tiara

Rachel: ooooooh

hey she's a princess

3:59 AM me: hey not yet

Rachel: I'd say thats a valid reason to wear a tiara ;)

me: WE ARE ALL PRINCESSES

Rachel: HAHAHAHAHAHA yussssssssss

*****

4:00 AM me: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Rachel: EHH

4:01 AM me: AWWW PRETTY

Rachel: :'D

me: oh rachel

Rachel: it reminds me of the wedding dress in sound of music

me: seriosuly

Rachel: THE 4 MINUTES

4:02 AM me: hahahha

i wanna see william's face when he sees her for the first time

Rachel: me too :)

I'm waiting for that

4:03 AM me: I can't believe I'm still awake

Rachel: ugh LOVE the train

dude. me too

at this moment at 3 in the morning, I feel like my dress MUST have a train

******

me: hahahahaha

AWWW THERE HE IS
!!!

Rachel: :DDDDD

me: zoom in on his face!!!!!

Rachel: i know!

4:05 AM me: dude it's okay to smile

you

're getting MARRIED

Rachel: AND YOU'RE A PRINCE

me: YES

*****

Disclaimer: This is where the madness of late night/early morning/wedding/lovey doveyness starts

me: live choir

HOLY COW AWESOME

Rachel: CAN YOU IMAGINE WALKING THROUGH THAT IN YOUR WEDDING DRESS?!?!?!!

AWESOME

me: DUDE

GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

LOOOOOOOOOVE

HE'S BACK IS TURNED!

OH MY GOSH!!

Rachel: do you think I can have motab come to my wedding

I CANT WATI

me: HE LOOKED

HE LOOKED

Rachel: AHHH

4:08 AM me: THIS IS SO PREC

ZOOOOOM IN

NOT ON THE MOTHER

NOOOOOOOOOOO

I WANTED TO SEE HIM FACE

AWWWWWWWWWWW

HE TOLD HER SHE LOOKED BEAUTIFUL

Rachel: awwwwwwwww

:'))))))) :"""""")

4:09 AM me: :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDdd

*****

Rachel: HOLY AWESOME SHOT

me: DUDE

GAH

LOOK AT HER DRESS

HEY

Rachel: I SAY WE TAKE OVER WESMINISTER ABBY AND MAKE IT A TEMPLE

I KNOW THIS SONG

me: THIS SONG IS IN OUR HYMN BOOK

DUDE

Rachel: WE ARE AWESOME!

me: MOTAB

YES

COMPELTLY

THEY

4:10 AM RE SINING

CAN YOU DO THIS AT MY WEDDING PLEEEEEASEEEEEE

Rachel: HAHAHA BEST TYPE OVER

hahahahahhahaha this is too fun

OH YEAH DO WE GET TO SING OPENING SONGS?!?!?!

me: LOLOLOLOLOL

Rachel: I CLAIM THIS ONE

me: DUDE

THE QUEEN IS SINGING

Rachel: brb lemme just put my caps lock on

OK NOW WE CAN CONTINUE

I'M GOOD

4:11 AM me: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

*****

Rachel: HER TIARA IS GORGEOUS

me: I think I am gonna write a blog post with all of the things we have typed during this

Rachel: please do that would totally make my life

me: WHEN DID THEY MOVE HER VEIL???

WOAH

Rachel: I DON'T KNOW IT DID IT BY ITSELF!

me: HARMONY

Rachel: YES CHOIR!!!!

WIN WIN WIN WINNNNINGGGG

me: DUH

WINNING

4:12 AM AWWW

HER MOM CAN'T SING

BECAUSE SHE'S CRYING

Rachel: HAHAHAHA

I just saw "her mom can't sing"

hahaha

me: HAHAHAHAHA

*****

Rachel: this is weird

idk what i expected a wedding to be like...

but um yeah

4:14 AM me: haha

well this is kind of diff than most weddings

because you know

Rachel: true that

me: HE IS THE FREAKING PRINCE OF ENGLAND

Rachel: THEY'RE ROYAL AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING

me: amen

i mean

AMEN

Rachel: I SPEAK!

I WANNA BE A PRINCESS

hahahahah

4:15 AM hahahahah PrincessKateFTW Kate Middleton
BTW, from here on out, this is basically just a church service on television featuring a really fantastic dress. #rw2011

me: BAHAHAHAHA

*****

Rachel: HE DOESSSSSS

me: MAWWWWWWWWWWWAGE

Rachel: YAAAAAAAAY

me: IS WHAT BWINGS US TOGETHA HEWA TOWAYYYY

4:16 AM Rachel: WOAH WOAH PASSING OF THE HAND

*****

me: FOR POORER

THEY ARE ROYAL

HELLLLLLO

THEY AREN'T EVA GONNA BE POOR

Rachel: HHAAHAHAHAH

4:17 AM Too true

AWWWWW HES HAPPY

me: I KNOW

HES TRYING NOT TO LIKE GRIN LIKE A FOOL

Rachel: :'DDDD

4:18 AM me: COME ON DUDE

GET THE RING ON

Rachel: AHHHH DONT GET IT STUCK

did you hear he's not gonna wear a ring? weird

me: yeah totes craycray

*****

Rachel: THE QUEEN IS NOT CLOSING HER EYES

me: HAHAHAHA

Rachel: SHE IS GIVING THEM THE STARE DOWN

*****

Rachel:

4:20 AM WAHOO MAN AND WIFE

me: AWWW HARRY IS SMILING

Rachel: AWWWWW HAWWY

TA DAAAAAAAAA

me: THEY ARE MARRIED

4:21 AM WHERE ARE THEY GOING

THEY DIDN'T EVEN KISS

Rachel: LOL THEY ARE PEACING OUT

me: WHAT KIND OF A WEDDING IS THIS?

Rachel: oh yeah because they have to do that on the balcony

which was started by princess di

me: LAAAME

*****

Rachel: before that you never saw them kiss at all

do we know this song?

me: i don't think so

Rachel: GET A MORMON HYMN BOOK PEOPLE!

*****

Rachel: CRAZY HAT SIGHTING BEHIND THE QUEEN

4:23 AM me: CRAZY HATS E'REWHERE

Rachel: HIDE YO KIDS HIDE YO WIFE

me: BAHAHAHAHA

WOAH WOAH

*****

4:24 AM me: SMILE PEOPLE YOU'RE ON WORLD WIDE TELEVISION

Rachel: SERIOUSLY

*****

Rachel: AWW LITTLE CHOIR BOYS

me: CASTRATI

THIS IS GORGEOUS

Rachel: booo you're fancy

*****

4:29 AM Rachel: ok Im going to bed before I get sucked in any further

me: NOOOO

Rachel: even though I'm seriously enjoying a time with our chats

me: WHAT ABOUT THE KISS?

Rachel: THAT'S GONNA BE LIKE ANOTHER HOUR!

NOoooooo

me: hmmm

well

4:30 AM Rachel: that wasn't an angry caps lock btw :)

me: i know :)

*****

4:31 AM me: dude this cathedral is GORGAS

Rachel: I KNOW RIGHT?

I've never wanted to get married in a catherdral

but this makes me want to

me: seriously

4:32 AM I am right there with you on that one

I am totally craving a soft pretzel right now

Rachel: hahahahahahah that's totally random

ok now I'm really gonna close that window

Goodbye Royal Wedding, it's been real!

4:33 AM Thanks for staying up with me Lauren!!! :D our live chat was LEGIT

me: TOTES LEGIT

i love you :)

this was aweome

thaks

Rachel: I love you :) there should be a royal wedding every year!

me: heheh YES

4:34 AM Rachel: hehehe ok talk to you tomorrow :]

me: k night!

Well there you have it. Commentary of the Royal Wedding by Lauren and Rachel. If you read the whole thing good on you. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did :) Oh and I'm still craving that soft pretzel.

"In the Mirrior" - Yanni

2011-04-28T01:10:00.000-07:00

I don't want anyone to go into shock after reading this post. Please note that I did this by my own choice. Now behold what I did today.

This is me. With no make up. And glasses trying to cover it up. Just trying to give you a before picture. Are ya getting ready? Because this is how long my hair was. I know crazy. I was so ready to cut it off.

Snipety snip snip!
I haven't had my hair this short since MIDDLE school. yeah, it's been a long time.
Woo it's short! But wait there's more!

Blonde! And it ended up shorter than it looks up there after layering and all that jazz. I know this are kind of horrible pictures but! I'm sure I will have better pictures coming soon.

"Strangers Like Me" - Phil Collins

2011-04-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

Things that are strange to me now that I'm home.

-opening the silverware drawer and finding that all the silverware is the same
-a dishwasher that actually washes the dishes
-real carpet
-how warm it is outside
-how nasty the filtered water is
-how early my family goes to bed
-how distracting family wards are
-the fact that it's so warm already I have to sleep with a fan on
-how ridiculously windy it is outside
-when I wake up and find everyone wearing my clothes, jewelry and shoes
-I have a piano that I can pretty much play whenever I want to
-I can't fall asleep listening to Josh Groban anymore
-Having my own room
-not having to go grocery shopping or cooking for myself (don't worry I still help out)
-how dry it is: seriously people from Utah do NOT EVER complain to me about how dry Utah is.
-that my sisters are still in school and have homework

"Carrying the Banner" - Newsies

2011-04-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

I'm supposed to be studying right now but obviously I am not. I only have two finals done. Bleh.

Here is a picture of my feelings.