Little Miss Shattering Glass

Good Bye Kristoffer

2012-02-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of me and Kristoffer from our first year at BYUI. We got super duper close and became pretty much best friends. We were inseparable. We could carry two conversations at once. We finished each others sentences. We said things at the same time. She got me and I got her.

This time around it's a little different. Kristoffer is getting married. So now I spend a lot of my time alone (hence lonely picture). I hardly ever see her. I've gone days without seeing her this year and we still share an apartment.

I'll admit, I am a little sad about this. But I'm so incredibly happy for her. She used to say she didn't think she would ever find anyone, that she would die an old maid. I knew all along that she would end up with someone totally perfect for her. And she is.

Juggular (his name's been changed. and he picked his alias) makes her super duper happy. He has replaced me from the days of our first year up here but that's ok. Now, they say things at the same time. Now, they're inseparable. She has finally found a guy worth her time that treats her as stellar as she deserves.

Juggular, I hope you know how spectacular of a future wife you've found. She's one of my best friends and she's always been there for me, someone I could count on. You're taking her away and so you better earn it. Keep up the good work and keep in mind that if you ever ever EVER make a 180 change and start screwing up, I will hunt you down. She deserves the world and I know you will do everything to give it to her.

I'll miss you, Kristoffer. I already do. But, again, I am super happy for you and wouldn't have things any other way. I always knew you'd get what you deserve :)

Eliza and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

2012-02-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

There's this children's picture book called Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day and it is the inspiration for my post today.

Yesterday, we had apartment clean checks. This is where every two weeks, Beaver (changed name, obviously) comes and tells us that we're slobs and need to clean up our act and with that our apartment. Beaver is especially critical of me and my roommates on clean checks and we have no idea why. Yesterday's particular clean check seemed to be fine. Then, Beaver failed me. I was supposed to clean "bathroom b" and I did. Apparently, my cleaning skills are sub par. Beaver came back to recheck me today (which cost five dollars) and FAILED ME AGAIN. Now I have to pay a whopping twenty bucks to have her clean the ALREADY CLEAN bathroom!!! Not good. (side note: I'm going to go talk to the apartment manager and hopefully get this resolved in a different way)

So that adds to my terrible horrible no good very bad day.

Today, I only had one class: Advanced Writing and Critical Thinking. It's one of the general requirements for my graduation year. Sometimes, I take my laptop with me and sit in the hall while NickerBocker is in her class after our class together (adv. writing). Today, I was feeling especially tired and just not good so I decided to come back to the apartment instead. It snowed last night. But just a little so there's that very unsafe dust on everything. I decided to cut through the parking lot thinking it would be easier. I'm walking through what appears to be a space with a giant puddle in the middle when WHAAAAAAAAMMMM.(I wrote it all spread out like that because it was like a slow-mo fall) I fall on the giant ice patch in the middle that is most assuredly NOT a puddle. All my clothes got muddy. My glasses fell off. My ipod fell out. I scraped my chin. I scraped my right wrist. I bruised the entire side of my left leg. I sprained my other wrist I think because now it hurts to move.

So that adds to my terrible horrible no good very bad day.

My class starts at 945 and so if I want to get anything done before class I really should get up at eight. I forgot to set my alarm last night so I barely even had time to brush my teeth this morning. We were almost late to class and I accidentally sat in the wrong seat and couldn't move because we were going to say the prayer. So I was in front of NickerBocker instead of to her right and she was fidgety and putting her knees in my backside. I didn't say anything which is my fault.

So that adds to my terrible horrible no good very bad day.

"I think I'll move to Australia." (quote from the book)

Bailey Fancy Boots of Cataan

2011-12-20T12:11:00.000-08:00

I love my puppy. She's had a rough year, too.

Earlier this year, sometime in October, we lost Zoe to doggy cancer.

We all think about how it affects us but I haven't really put much thought into how it affected Bailey.

She lost someone important too. Zoe and Bailey were good friends, they shared everything and they looked out for each other.

Zoe had a seizure disorder and would have seizures every once in awhile. No one took care of her on those days quite like Bailey. She wouldn't leave her side. Literally. It was almost annoying how "at her side" Bailey was. But it was sweet simultaneously.

Now that we're down to just one puppy, Bailey has a bit more freedom. Because Zoe's cancer had caused her to become incontinent, the dogs weren't allowed out of the tiled kitchen area because of the potential mess. Now, Bailey can go almost anywhere she pleases.

In all three times I've been home to visit since September, Bailey has been the most visibly excited to see me. She doesn't have a tail but she wiggles her little behind so fast and hard that she can't really walk.

She loves everyone and we all love her.

Bailey, I know you can't read this being a dog and all but I just wanted to tell you how awesome you are. I'm so glad you're ours. Life at home would not be the same without you. Thanks for being so awesome, Baby Girl :)

I'll Be Home For Christmas

2011-12-18T15:23:00.001-08:00

I'm BACK! again!

This is my third time home since I started school in September but this time is going to be better than the two previous times combined.

Do you know why?

Because it's Christmas time!!!

I think Christmas is the absolute best holiday ever.

The whole world just seems to be in a better mood this time of year.

Maybe, at least for us college students, it's because we're done with classes for a little bit.

Whatever the reason for the boosted mood, I love it.

I guess I should explain that picture up there, huh?

Our family has gotten to be quite close in the last few years because of a whole lot of what-not.

It's been quite a while since I've seen my sisters. Okay it's only been like a month. But still it's been a little while. And so I've missed them. And to show them my love, I am going to squish them.

As you can see the squishing has already begun. It's pretty great.

Another really awesome thing about Christmas time this year is that it's going to be a pretty much normal Christmas. We won't be totally swamped with our plethora of family which is a bummer. But we get to be together the five of us and do all our little traditions we have. Like we get to play Find the Baby Jesus! That's my favorite Family Home Evening. Minus the Seagulls one of course.

Well Grace is making me some chocolate milk so I'm gonna call it a night. But I'll be blogging with some frequency over the next two weeks that I'm home. So brace yourselves!

NickerBocker

2011-12-03T13:49:00.001-08:00

This, dear friends, is an awesome picture. And the focus of my post today. This is NickerBocker and me chillaxing like it's any normal day (mostly because it was).

NickerBocker is a friend that I have made this semester at school and I'm quite glad I did.

We've become good friends fast and all the better since our mutual friend who for slight privacy reasons we'll refer to as Kristopher is extremely busy and we almost never see her. It's a shame since there seems to be a spot for her head in all of our pictures together. Not a very big spot but a spot none the less.

Anyways. Back to NickerBocker. She's pretty cool. Roughly once a week we go to the MC to eat and try to get some homework done. And we have ourselves a jolly good time. We almost always have some sort of candy bar easily divided between two people, usually a Twix or a Reese. She creeps on boys and says things like "My three o clock" or something like that and then I guess who she's talking about. Sometimes I don't get a clue that clear and she'll just say something like "Ooh he has really great hair!" and then I learn to guess who she's talking about.

NickerBocker also spends the night on a regular basis and we enjoy ourselves even more then. We'll talk and talk and talk. You would think we would've run out of things to talk about but it just doesn't happen.

The nice thing about our friendship is that we can be entirely content just sitting there in each others company. We can both sit on the same couch but basically not be anywhere near each other in any other way and have it be totally fine. We share things all the time. Like just last night we shared a rather large soda. That's pretty normal for us. I thoroughly enjoy her company and I like to think she enjoys mine as well.

The best thing about this new friendship is that I do believe it will be one to last. I love that we'll be able to keep this very relaxed and awesome friendship around for many, many years to come. Thanks NickerBocker for being my friend :]

I'm Back! With a Bare Tummy Revolution

2011-12-02T12:35:00.001-08:00

I know, I know. You're thinking:

Eliza! You don't post for over a year and then you post a picture of your bare tummy?!

Trust me though, there is a clear thought process behind it which I'll explain in a moment.

First things first though.

I publicly and wholly apologize for the length of time since my last post.

I'm not so good at this post regularly thing am I?

I swear, though, I'm going to start doing better. I have been inspired to do better.

My dear friend who for slight privacy purposes we'll refer to as NickerBocker (she knows who she is) has a blog that she keeps quite regularly.

Another dear friend of mine who for slight privacy purposes we'll refer to as J-Dogg (I'll make sure she knows who she is) has started a blog as means to keep in touch with others.

And of course my mother and father who both have regular-ish blogs as well.

All these fine examples have inspired me to do better.

Now. Back to that Bare Tummy Photo.

The other day while I was perusing the internet via StumbleUpon (which I will endorse but with caution. SUPER addictive.) and I came across this post on a website that, I'll be honest, I have no recollection of what it was called.

Anyways, the reason this thing stood out to me was because I was confronted with a menagerie of bare tummies similar to the photo of mine you've been assaulted with.

The whole point of these bare tummies was that they were normal. They weren't photo-shopped or sucked in or anything these beautiful women were ashamed of.

And I think that in itself is a bit poetic.

So I decided I wanted to be a bit of a copycat.

I am posting this picture of my bare tummy in demonstration.

I am not always proud of my tummy because its a little softer than I would like it to be and it's so pale I'm pretty sure it glows in the dark.

However!

It does so much for me. It helps me eat yummy food and tells me (sometimes not so politely) when I've eaten too much. It keeps all my insides safe. It's skin is always pleasantly soft and smooth without me having to do anything. When I have children, that will be where they stay the first nine-ish months of their lives and it will be a safe place they can comfortably rest their heads for eternity.

Real tummies are beautiful.

Real tummies are strong.

Real tummies mean so much more than any model tummy.

And that, my friends, is why I post my bare tummy.

And why I am proud of my bare tummy in all its very soft, glow-in-the-dark pale glory.

It's Been Awhile

2010-11-06T00:23:00.001-07:00

Man! Basically, everything that I wrote about in my last post is completely different.

I broke up with my boyfriend. Like forever ago it seems like. Every once in awhile, we'll text but it is very much platonic now. I've gone out with a couple guys since and of course I've had my crushes but I'm thinking I'm going to just lay low on the boy front the remainder of this year that I home. Honestly, I think the relationship I was in just moved way too fast. We didn't know what we were doing and we definitely weren't ready for all of it. Sometimes, even though it seems like forever, I wonder about him. I wonder if he thinks about me. But I don't let myself dwell on that.

Anyways, school is going really great. I'm acing basically everything. And it is so completely different from last year that I feel like I can do anything now. I'm changing my major. Again. And maybe again after this change. I'm thinking sociology. While communications is what I know I'm good at, sociology is completely interesting. I love every class related to it that I've taken. But now I'm thinking a little about going into some kind of special needs therapy. I've always liked the idea of working with special needs kids. I've done a bit of volunteer work with it but I would love to be really involved with it.

Looking for a job sucks. Did you know that? I've been on the hunt since I got home in like April and not a single job has come from it. I know that it'll happen when it's meant to happen but I need a job. And I'm just so frustrated with my lack of progress. It's hard to tell people I'm saving money when I'm not making money to save.

Well. It's already getting close to Christmas season which means I'm basically half way done with my year at home. And I find this incredibly exciting. I don't think I realized how much I would miss it or want to go back before it was happening. I'm hoping things continue to move forward and the rest of this "mandatory vacation away from the frozen wasteland" will fly by.

While I'm Away, I'll Write Home Every Day

2010-04-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

So the past few years have been rampant with changes. I graduated high school and now I am finishing my first year of college. To be entirely honest, it's been a whole lot harder than I thought it would be.

This last December I also got my first boyfriend. He's a really sweet guy and I love him. I'm a little worried about the summer because he lives in Utah and I live in Southern California. We've kind of been doing the long distance thing the whole time we've been dating but it is going to be harder now. We've seen each other on weekends and sometimes during the week but rarely. Now, I don't really know when I'll see him at all. He's planning on coming down at some point in the summer but its still kind of up in the air. I hope it works out since I've met a lot of his family but he's met barely any of mine. And I have a lot of friends that want to meet him. No pressure for him though :] haha

Now, I am back in SoCal and I wonder what everything is gonna be like. Things definitely won't be like when I lived at home last summer. I currently sleep in a trundle bed that slides under my youngest sister's bed. We're working on changing that though because sleeping on a trundle bed is so not great.

I am working on getting a job. Once I get a job I'll have my own money to spend and I think it will help me to feel a little independent even though I'm living at home. Unfortunately, no one wants to hire a young adult that has literally zero work experience and won't work on Sundays. I would really like to work at Disney Land or something like that but the whole no Sundays thing seems to be a deal breaker.

I would like to go on a road trip this summer and go see all my friends that happen to be all over but I don't know if its possible what with trying to get a job. I would absolutely love to be able to go and spend a couple days back in Normal. It would be really awesome to be able to go up to Idaho and see everyone there too. It's kind of funny because they are both places that, when you are stuck there, you want nothing more than to be somewhere else. But once you leave, you want to go back so bad.

I love being home. I love being with my family. I love the warm. It's so awesome. Everyone is getting along really well right now but I worry that this state of kindness and sweetness won't last. Someday I know we'll all go back to just being family and get in fights and arguments and tiffs. Hopefully more days than not the world will be peachy.

Obviously, I have a lot of worries. A lot of stuff has happened but so much more has to happen. So much has changed but theres still a lot of change coming my way. I am where I am and I like it, mostly. I am here for better or worse, I cannot change my situation so I must make the best of it.

Tamra Dison: Missionary Moment

2009-12-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

Tamra Dison is a recent returned missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, enrolled at BYU-I. She is from Los Osos California. Her major is psychology. This video is a project for my Written Communications class, taught by Brother Lane Williams. I've thoroughly enjoyed this project and have learned a great deal from it. My hope is that you will benefit from Sister Dison's experience as much as I have.

EPIC FAILURES and major changes :]

2009-02-23T19:04:00.000-08:00

So, I have failed at posting blogs on a regular basis.

I do not feel that I exaggerate any when I say that this is a fail of epic proportions.

The last time I posted, I was still 16 and not quite a senior in high school.

Also, my father was gainfully employed and I was not sure where I would be going for college.

That wasn't even a year ago either!

It's strange how much can change in a matter of a few short months.

Since July of 2008, I have successfully made it into the college of my dreams.

I have been to a school dance with friends from school and enjoyed myself.

I am an editor on the staff of my school paper and a member of the Chamber choir.

I am on the Stake Youth Committee and am the Laurel class president.

Things still aren't as perfect as I had wished for them to be and some things have gone rather sour.

My father's employment situation has taken a drastic turn.

My grandfather is going through chemo.

My mother's aunt died a terribly painful death.

I might not get to go home to see everything I love one more time before its too late.

I have yet to feel totally at home when I am at church.

And I am totally terrified of the million firsts that my future currently holds.

Among these firsts are living on my own.

Being semi-financially responsible.

Not having to ask permission to do everything.

Living with someone other than family for more than a week.

Deciding what to have for breakfast.

Deciding to eat breakfast at all.

Going to the doctor alone when I'm sick.

Holding my own hair if I puke.

Doing the laundry. (ok I already do that but it takes a lot of reminding)

Going to church without my parents.

With the future staring me in the face, all I can do is take a deep breath and jump.

The other Pea in my Pod<33

2008-07-09T22:47:00.001-07:00

The last time I wrote, I was preparing for what was probably one of the most nerve wracking experiences I will probably ever go through, but, now that its all said and done, I would do it again in a heartbeat. EFY was better than I could ever have anticipated. I became so much closer to people I hadn't really considered to be my friends before and I even patched up a few bruised relationships.

To be honest with you, though, the best part would probably be all the time I spent with my absolutely best friend Allison. We roomed together and I stayed at her house between the time I arrived and EFY started. We have been friends since the second grade and, hopefully, we will be friends for many years to come. Heck, we have even planned out what will happen when we get old. I couldn't picture my life without her.

Thats why moving to Illinois has been even harder for me. Not only did I leave behind everyone I ever knew, I left behind the Lucy to my Ethel, the Snuffleupagus to my Big Bird, the Betty to my Wilma, the Laverne to my Shirley, the Salt to my Peppa... The list goes on and on! Sure I'll admit we have fought in the past over totally stupid things but we have always made it up before an hour had passed.

I don't think there has been a day in my life that I haven't thought about her. When I started school here, I couldn't help thinking about how much she would or wouldn't like certain classes or how equally amused she would be about the stereotypical-ness of the cheerleaders or how she would try out for me for the school play and cry whether or not we made it. I know I can count on her for anything.

I'm so excited because she is going to be coming out here to California for a whole two weeks to stay with me. Of course, this wouldn't be possible without my grandmother who happens to love anyone or thing I love. She bought the plane tickets and all that jazz. We are going to have so much fun!

EFY or bust!!!

2008-06-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

I am truly jubilant at the thought of traveling to Normal, Illinois to attend Especially for Youth this year. I've gone the past two years and it just seems to get better every year. The only difference between past years and this year s that I have to actually travel a good deal to get there. You see, I recently moved from the quiet and calm Normal to the hustle and bustle that is known as Southern California. It's been really difficult to get adjusted being a junior in highschool and all.

Having moved away from everyone and thing I've ever known has made my impending trip all the more exciting. My only fear is that this trip will make returning and going back to being an invisible bleep on the highschool map all the more difficult. I mean, I'm going to be a senior and be almost as invisible as my sister entering highschool as a freshman next year. That is extremely frustrating! I always expected my senior year to be one of the best years of my life. It's not like I expected to come to this school and take over. It's not like I expected to be the mysterious new girl that everyone fell in love with. It's not like I expected to win over the hearts of the 3,000 and some odd students and be voted prom queen by the end of the year.

Or did I?