DC or Bust (Bust not an option)

This is my new bland wardrobe. Teacher style, baby. No, actually I do have some color in there and I will be stylin' but I have never bought so much brown, black, grey in such a short amount of time. I have never bought so many clothes, period, in such a short amount of time. Anyway, I leave for DC in the morning, and I should really be asleep but...whatever. I'm excited. A lot of unknown awaits. I am going to miss the familiar and comfortable of Utah though. Especially the people! Including these guys:

And this little booger. (Don't ask me what she's doing here):

And this dude. I hope, when I come back, he still laughs at me when I sing "I love it when you call me big papa, throw ya hands in air..."

And...well, everyone! I have it pretty good here, but I guess you've got to test yourself and grow at some point, right? I plan on updating often on here; I'm sure I'll have lots of awesome pictures and stories.

So...talk to you soon! I love you all.

we'll still be singing this song, the one they can't take away

I connect to this song in so many ways, the message is strong and I think the video is adorable:

Closer to Love by Mat Kearney

Have I ever mentioned that one of my dreams is to learn how to play the drums? I could totally be the drummer chick in this video.

How do you make Lady Ga Ga cry?...Poke Her Face

A few opinions I have formed or facts I have found out in the last few weeks:

Fireworks should go off every night. It's a good feeling to see them explode in the distance as you drive down the road.

85% of customers don't think through their problem logically before they call in to complain. Also, 90% believe in shooting the messenger.

Plan on spending more money than you planned on spending.

Don't watch a hotdog or sausage be made.

I am a country soul. Landscape, starry sky, no traffic. But I can thrive in the city too. Opportuniy, events, high heels.

There is NEVER enough time.

People who cry over losing their dog are NOT silly. At all.

You can have a happy life, it's all up to you. Change your outlook, your focus, your why. Take control.

Let it all out with a funky coat of nail polish or funky dance move. You really are 18 inside.

"Don't hang up till you're smiling. Light up the dark little star keep on shining and leave your mark on the world, it's all aligning." Light Up the Dark by Lucy Walsh

What is your why?

It's an amazing experience to have a 2 and a half hour meeting at work and to walk away feeling more inspired than you have in a long time. Now, I work at a satellite company. Satellite in itself is not inspiring; I mean, really, my purpose in life is not to make sure that people are paying less for better tv. Strangely enough though, this summer job that has me taking DISH and DTV orders and talking to angry customers into all hours of the night has made me think about business and the individual with not a new but fresher perspective on a few things.

Groove's purpose of business is to instill self-confidence in their employees and their customers so they can be more prepared in their daily lives. Selling satellite systems are only the medium in which they choose to make this point.

At the meeting on Thursday we had Simon Sinek talk to us. He has been helping out the company for a while because he is a business consultant of sorts and believes in Groove's cause. He said that successful businesses know their why. Why are they in business? (To get money doesn't count because money is only a result) Anyway, people will be naturally attracted to companies, friends, etc that have similar whys. Yes, individuals have whys too.

Why do you do what you do? Why are you here? Simon's "why" is to inspire others to find inspiration in their own life. I haven't quite pinned down my own "why" but I think it is something along the lines of letting other's know that success/happiness is attainable for everyone and anyone. I'm not becoming a teacher for the money, and English is my medium.

Successful businesses happen when they are full of people that have compatible whys. Happy individuals are in jobs that are compatible to their own whys. That happiness gets passed on in the home, life, etc.

It's fascinating to think about how much of an effect knowing your own why could have on the world. People would seek out more fitting jobs, friends, etc and the world would be a better, happier place...maybe.

What is your why? What is your wish?

picture from here

king of puns

I love my Dad!

Happy Father's day, you're the best!

Summer...

What up blog world? I've been going through the motions of my summer life, working like crazy, sleeping, dating, hanging out, etc and I didn't even know a month has past already. There really is just not enough time in the day to do everything I want...so writing has suffered. I had today off (well technically yesterday because it's 12:12 but whatever) and it was nice to have some breathing time.

For the last three years at BYU, I worked at the same job. Imaging aka "the dungeon." I finally told them when I was available for a going away party so a month after I left they threw one for me. ha. It was nice to catch up with everyone, eat some good food, and smash the crap out of a pink pony pinata. When I left, I didn't have anything to do so I walked around campus a little (felt oddly nostalgic) and went to say hi to the couple in charge of my DC student teaching but they weren't in their office. I went to the bookstore and bought the Kelly Clarkson cd on impulse. On my way back to my car I stopped in the Bean Museum (taxidermy). In my 4 years at BYU I never went inside to check it out. For the last two years I even parked in it's parking lot everyday...and still never went in. It was pretty interesting but I kept having the feeling that at any moment my life would be a horrific real life version of night at the musuem...and those bears are big.

JFSB-where I had most of my classes

Bambi?!

On the way home I drove with the window down and blasted a song called Ready on the Kelly Clarkson cd that has lyrics like "Fearless with cape in hand" and "I'm ready now." Then I'm pretty sure a thunderstorm, and a walk in the rain rounded the day off nicely.

I should really have work off more often.

modern fairytales

I'm a romantic. I have ideals. I like to dream. In fact, I daydream often...even more than I dream in my sleep. I like the idea of skydiving because of the freefall. I like the sunrise and all of the metaphors that may come with it. I believe in silliness. I smile big, and I can have intense optimism.

At the same time, though, I like reality. I am who I am. I have to work to be better. I have no problem saying, "That's stupid." I like hearing the occassional "I can't promise you that everything will be okay"...even if I don't believe it. I do not control time or seasons. And no matter how much I love my favorite singers, they may never be as rich as Miley Cyrus.

Both of these elements, realism and romanticism, bring stability to my life. I want to freefall AND know that I will land safe. I want to take a risk AND know that life can afford mistakes. I want to smile big to outwiegh yesterday's frown. I want to be silly at work and serious at home...or was that the other way around?

Viktor Frankl says, "It can be seen that mental health is based on a certain degree of tension, the tension between what one has already achieved and what one still ought to accomplish, or the gap between what one is and what one should become...What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task."

The different directions that real life and dream life pull me in are actually helping me realize where I want to be. They co-exist and work together. You really can have your head in the clouds with your feet on the ground.