nap.

just woke up from a fantastic mid-afternoon nap. i am trying to motivate myself to climb out of my clean comfy sheets and into the livingroom to study for a math test. i have already procrastinated to the worst degree for this chapter in my college algebra class...but i think i can pull it together by saturday. hopefully. that is really the only point of this post--to give me an excuse to procrastinate a little bit more.

i spent last weekend in bryce canyon and it was amazing. i will post pictures soon and tell of our fun adventure.

rotten.

i am a rotten person. just like this dilapidated apple. you know when you are talking to someone, and you think you are keeping things lighthearted but then someone gets offended? and even though you try to fix it the phone call ends and you still feel rotten about the situation? that just happened. and now i feel awful because i upset a close friend. and then to make things worse i rubbed my bad mood onto everyone around me. i think i must go to bed and try to erase this night. hopefully i will be forgiven and everything will return the way they were. i fear, however, that our friendship will forever be changed over this silly quarrel, and not for the better. i think a little time away from provo this weekend will be good. i need to get out.

rain.

tonight i went for a run--in the pouring rain. i listened to this and this. and can i just say that it was one of the most liberating experiences? i felt like i was "sticking it to the man" by just putting on my running shoes and getting drenched without a care in the world. i ran up to the byu bell tower and had a really wonderful experience. it was amazing and hard to put into words. but i loved the feeling of looking up at the tall tower with the rain drops glimmering in the spotlights and gently hitting my face. i think i will do it again sometime.

upon returning home i stumbled on these photos i took with my little sister in november when we headed up the canyon to cut down our christmas tree. we were bored as we waited in the car for the rest of the family to run into the grocery store--so we had an impromptu photo shoot. i must say i love that girl more than anything.

bike rides in the summertime.

this is a bike on the beach in italy.

Tonight I went on the most delightful bike ride. The air was fresh like summertime and it felt good to be back on pearl...she treats me well. I am excited for the summer to be here so that I can continue the nighttime cruises. Next time I will hopefully remember to take a camera so I can document the experience. I am also dying to go to my favorite parking garage on byu campus and feel the wind in my hair as I coast down the perfect sloped cement.

The other night I saw this movie and I have been homesick for Italy for days. Tonight I opened up an Italian textbook and just started reading the dialogs. I am sad that I have forgotten so much, but glad that I can at least still read with a pretty decent accent (at least I think so? haha). Riding bikes tonight made me miss Lucca especially.

alpine

beautiful alpine mountains in may.

I went to Alpine today for a church activity--I decided that if I stay in Utah to raise my family, I would like to do so in Alpine. The mountains were breathtaking. The view was heavenly. I love the way the houses are nestled in the mountains...it kind of feels like one big hug. Love it.

productive.

Am I still being productive if I am reformatting my blog while instead I am supposed to be studying for a math test? I want to say "yes" but I feel like the answer is definitely NO. If my mother knew that I was wasting time like this should would be all sorts of bothered. I think I will keep it to myself until she reads this post weeks from now and finds out the truth.

The truth is--I HATE SPRING CLASSES! I find it really hard to study when all I want to do is play with my family and friends. I really need to find a better balance but don't really have the inner desire to-because deep down I know that means spending less time being unproductive (such as now...) and more time with a structured schedule and discipline. Oh well. That's life I guess.

This week has been a great one--a special highlight included a trip to smashburger with all my favorite people. My grandparents joined (my grandma loves it because they taste really similar to my grandpa's famous homemade "Jed-Burgers") and my mom and dad. As I sat there in between my grandma and grandpa, my parents across from me, and a whole table of the most unhealthy but delicious food (burgers, fries, shakes, and diet coke) I thought to myself "this is what its all about". Let me clarify--life isn't about greasy food. Life is about spending quality time with those you love. As I sat and enjoyed my delightful mid-week break I had such a grateful heart. I have so many things to be grateful for, especially recently, as I have learned (again...) that the Lord does hear and answer prayers--even if it takes a while. We must learn patience and faith in His plan. I have learned that it is when we doubt Him the most, we should pray the most.